The Record-courier. [volume] (Gardnerville, Nev.) 1904-current, 1915-01-01
INDIAN HABITS
IN EARLY DAYS
A Glimpse of How the Red Man
Lived Before the Advent
of the White Man


loss To know how the noble red man
survived such weather before the ad-
vent of his pale-faced brother With
these thoughts In mind our reporter
in this section and learned that the
Indians got along with as much com
fort and with less labor that at the
present day. The Improvement in
their condition. however is quite re-
markable.
When the whites first came to Car
son Valley the Indians, in summer
time. wore but small garment about
their waists as an apology for clothing
In winter they wrapped themselves
in robes made of Jack rabbit fur and
dressed thir feet In deer skin mocea-
sins They had a queer device for
catching rabbits. Wild flax grew in
abundance. This they gathered and
twisted into twine. from which nets
We're woven, with meshes two inches
square The nets We're few feet
high and stretched out for long dis
tances. The most popular system was
TO extend the net in ~ shape. and
then extend the net in ~" shape, and
the rabbits attempted to Jump through
the net, with their monstrous ears fiat
on their necks. they would come 10 a
stand-still at their shoulders. When
trying to pull back. their ears would
ease M, aud behold the situation
While the rabbit was monkeying
around trying to find out which end
was the biggest, the smiling Indian
would come along and pick him up.
The Indians rolled strips of rabbit
skin MP in long, round rolls. Tying
scYeal of these together they would
strings We're woven into blankets and
garments. after the style of carpet
weaving the rolls OF fur being used
as the warp and the flax twine as the
woof This is the WY In which the
rabbit fur robes and cloaks-so COM
mon at this day-are made. though
but fe " people imagine they are so
substantial Garments made of these
skins are very warm, as they are thick
and have fur ON both sides
In those early times there were
thousands of antelope in this Valley.
a large number of Indians would go
ont and form a circle around their
game. Sending few men toward
the center. the antelope would be
routed and as they ran to the outer
edge of the circle. "A red man would
pop up from behind sage brush
and send wicked arrow at the flying
game. The antelope would turn in a
mother direction, only to run against
another arrow When the Indians
got as many as they wanted they
would let the rest go. Another plan
WIS 10 pile sapehrush up, making a
blind mile or two in length Being
driven towards IL the antelope would
rpn along tile side instead of jumping
over. and the Indians. concealed along
the blind. would bring the game down
with their arrows. After white people
settled in Genoa they used to watch
this style of hunting with the field
glass. to their great amusement.
The arrow-heads were principally
made OF obsidian. a black Opaque
rock. found in the volcanic regions IA
bout Mono Lake. These arrows. how
ever. were only used for large game
and in times of war. Arrow points
made of greasewood were used for
shooting rabbits and other small
game Becoming dull they could
easily be re-sharpened SO large and
strong were many OF the bows that
the Indians laid them on the ground
and placed both feet upon them in
order to tighten the string. A ten
cent piece put up few rods distant
would fall before many arrows were
drawn from the red mans culver.
Arrow heads, skinning knives. axes
and other tools were made OF flint
and obsidian
At that time fish and Wild game
were plentiful The old maxim that
necessity is the mother of invention
was as true with the Indians as with
us. They made fish lines of the llaN
twine. Not having and hooks, they
used very small. sharp bone in
shape of triangle. To the center
of this the line was fastened so that
when drawn tight the ends OF the
bone pointed toward the rod. The
bate was put on the bone and when
the fish swallowed it, he was towed
to shore. They also made varioos
, kinds of spears with bone points.
some of which showed a great deal
OF genius.
The mahalas banged their hair, but