The Washington herald., 1915-10-11
SQUAVS' SOCIAL
SEASON CLOSES
Cheyenne Indian Women
Quit Feasts and Dances
to Take up Beads.
LOVE WOVEN In DESIGNS
Colors Also Have Special Significance.
Many Initiated in
Germany.
LOVE WOVEN In DESIGNS

Thomas Okla. oct 1c-Eow that the
cheyenne sociaI season has ended with
the close of summer the women Of the
tribe have more leisure for making and
decoration of moccasins and other In
dian trappings. Their children are at
school. their homes are stationary and
dahces and feasts infrequent
Dealers in beadwork have learned that
they get best results by supplying the
Indian women with all her materials and
then paying for the work when finished.
In this way an expert beader will receive
better pay than she might be able to do il
She had tc get, tan and cut hides for
herself
So the dealer gathers leather from
Wyoming or New York. beads from
Germany and sin"w from Japan and
issues these to women in the needed
amounts. He usually gives out the moe
casin leather readc cut for standard
sizes so that he is sure there will be no
mistake
The design for beadwork is often agreed
ui,on before hand. well. In this
way tn, Indian is saved from decision
and the dealer can be sure hs will
get the designs and sizes which have
been found to suit the Eastern mar
kets. Moreover. this prevents the low in
steps which are invariably found in moe
casins made for Indian wear.
Mems Art Is Realistic.
The Indian has worn heelless footsear
for many generations that his instep
is not high that of most civilized
men. and tn" result is that If left to
themselves, tn" moccasin ,kers turn
out footGear that few white people can
Wear.
But for all this the pattern. making
and beaded design are genuine Indian"
in every respect. and have ben carefully
copied from old rIodels. The present
system probably has done a. great deal
TO pres, old Indian patterns, which
might hav" hr"r forgotten or changed if
left UnE;andarG!iz"d.
IL ~ r'marnHblc with what deftness
and speed AN expert can cover a pair
of buCkskin moccasns. using only
thin strand of snew anG sharp awI
Th" Iajian NOLAN has been adept at
this work for years upon years. and her
best wo:k IS easily distinguished from
tho cheap and irregular work Of fac
tories.
The art work of Cheyenne women and
Cheyenne men is quite different.
Tho man. art is realistic. and is in
tended t" rrpr"..cHt things - they are
leprcs. shields and buffalo robes. and
these pictures ""r R"v"" tw.cC tho same.
Flower Patterns Not Indian.
Tn" wo.ncn. on tho other hand en-
rloy umchnncinr Scornctricai DESIGNS.
squares. circles. tiiansIrs and lines.
Flowing lines and nowcr patterns are
utterly unknown to tn" women Of the
plains rri''al and Whenever seen should
be recorded with suspicion by the col
lc"tor 80 it is moro than rr"bahIe they
came from G"rmany.
Som" Of tn. forest tribes. such aS the
hjibw"}. Us" thcSu fUwi'i= Patterns. but
none Of th" tru" plains Indians do So.
IN rrnding tho designs on lnocrasin
ON" can us,.alr say that tho trarGles
ar" t"u""s il they stand upright round
the sol". II not. ana especially if they
arc pointed toward 20 N" other figure,
they stand 10y ar. o%!lcads.
EycIy inGian d. sign means something
aud sometimes the ColOrs hnvc second
SicniiirAHc". quite independent OF the de-
sign y square with +rianGlcs pointing
toward il represents a buffalo attack by
Huntcrs Ei'h IrTnwS Without the ar
r"whc4ds about il square is usually
I.,"Int tor star diamonds stand for
lakes. ..'
Represents Line of Fate.
':ly "omnon design is that of a straight
in Of h"ading from instep to the top
co., IN" nocrasin. This strip represents
the W",r,r's course through life. and is
made straight in order that lie may have
a good road and few troubles. However.
the lrd.an knows well enough that life
iS NOT all sfraichtawaN. and so the strip
l. mad. with some parts of one color and
others nf another. in order to indicate
innt hI"'S trail is not the same through
ont
Sometimes small figure is placed to
each side Of the main strip or trail.
Thrs" small detached figures represent
evil things. such as ratllesnakes. which
il is desired may he away from the trail
Of the wear"r of the mocasin, and not
in it
II is thought that such designs bring
good luck. and an Indian woman gives as
much care to tn" design of her husband $
moccasin as u white woman would to
seeing that he didn't miss his car in the
morning.
Sometimes mocCasins were made with
bunch of fringrs foot long at the heel
These We're intended TO smooth over the
tracks by the wcarer. SO that any one
following him might be unable to know
who had passed. or course. they also
were decorated. especially when the
wearer was mounted.
AS time goes md huCkskin becomes
scarccr the makers of moCcasIns Will
have to turn NOR" and more to other
kinds of leather. il they do not hav" TO
-,;x-a NJ, king h., II altogether.