THE SO-CALLED CALIFORNIA ''DIGGERS:' 



207 



without burning the hands, so I hired an old Indian to satisfy my 

 curiosity. He started a fire for me, and it was done so quickly, 

 easily, and ingeniously that I was still left wondering. 



During the warm months these Indians wore little or no 

 clothing; the men sometimes tied a small girdle around their 

 hips which was woven from grasses ; of teuer they went entirely 

 naked. The women were never seen entirely nude. They wore a 

 short skirt or apron, also woven from grasses, which, separated 

 on both sides, reached to their knees in front and behind. Chil- 

 dren of both sexes went naked, but when a girl reached the age 

 of maturity she put on her grass skirt. Their winter clothing 

 was made from skins. 



Earrings of bone and wood, beads of berries, shell ornaments, 

 and feathers arranged in many fashions for the head were their 

 adornments. The bows and arrows used by this tribe differed 

 very little from those carried by other Indians. The arrowheads 

 were made mostly from flint, bone, and obsidian, though some 

 schist was used. There are large ledges of flint and obsidian in 

 the northern part of the State, and this material was widely dis- 

 tributed among the different tribes by trade. 



Not every Indian could make an arrowhead, for it required a 

 skillful workman. The process of manufacture was as follows : 



" Digger" Implements, from the Collection of Dr. Jewett, of Marysville. 



The material for the arrowhead was heated to a certain tempera- 

 ture, when it was chipped as desired with a spikelike stone im- 

 plement, which was dipped in cold water, placed quickly upon the 

 hot flint, and the necessary stroke given. The drop of water 

 coming in contact with the hot flint and the simultaneous stroke 

 cut the chip ofi^ about as desired. A rough stone was used to 

 grind the points and edges into shape. Another weapon was the 

 spear, which was made of hard wood, often five feet in length, 



