6G THE NAVAJO TANNER. 



Soon I found myself stretched out upon tbe hot and naked turf of the 

 prairie near him, and then a long-practiced habit of his ancestors showed 

 itself, for as he proceeded with his work oue might hear him humming, 

 in a low tone to himself one of the songs of his native tongue. He threw.' 

 the now limp skin lengthwise over his naked feet and pulled it with! 

 both hands in the direction of his body. Rapidly repeating this opera-t 

 tion, he turned it and tugged at it the other way. But it was most often 1 

 thrown over his feet and vigorously pulled towards him. Then hei 

 stretched it out with his hands, pulled it this way and then pulled it 

 that, worked at the edges to get them limp and pliant, manipulated 

 the ears and the skin of the legs. But during all this an interesting, 

 change was coming over it, the heat of an August sun was rapidly dry- 

 ing it, it was fast coming to be of a velvet-like softness throughout, and,! 

 attaining its original size, it was changing to a uniform pale clay color. 

 The hair side was smooth, while the iuside was roughish. Indeed, in a. 

 few moments more, it was buckskin. 



Picking up next his wooden awl he commenced far forward on the' 

 extreme edge of the skin of the neck of the right side, and by success- 

 ively stretching it over the handle of the awl, cut upon this edge 

 some dozen or thirteen holes with his knife. Then beginning in front? 

 he put the awl in every hole, and by holding on to the edge of the oppo. 

 site side with his left hand he was enabled to powerfully stretch the 

 skin of the neck transversely. This operation is shown in fig. 7.1 

 His mark must go on next, so turning the skin of the head over he cut 

 on either side just below the ear on the body or inner surface of the 

 skin a leaf-like figure with the apex pointing forwards and outwards, j 



This was the last touch of all, and the now finished fabric, if we may 

 call it a fabric, so pliant, so soft, and withal so very useful, was spread" 

 out on the canvas for an hour in the sun to receive its final drying, 

 after which it passed into my possession, or rather into the possession 

 of the National Museum to which it really belonged. One of these fin- 

 ished skins retains much the same form as the hide had when first re- 

 moved, though it may be rather larger from the stretching. The backs 

 of the ears are always black ; the edges all around are uneven and 

 harder than the rest of the skin; the hair remains upon the distal moie- 

 ties of the skin of the legs; bullet holes of entrance and exit will usually 

 be seen, or they may be an accidental rent or two of small size. 



The Navajoes value these hides at a price varying from $1.50 to $2, 

 depending upon the size, and the need they stand in of the money. 

 Squaws, I am told, never engage in manufacturing them, while the In- 

 dian boys learn the art at a very early age. 



