450 EEPOKT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1902. 



and a smaller one is used for picking of nuts or grain. Several of the 

 other tribes there use the same basket, though it seems to have orig- 

 inated among the Little Lake Indians. The willow of which it is com- 

 posed is of the ordinary kind which is seen along nearly all the creeks 

 in the East and is equally as plentiful here. 



The sticks are generally used while green, though the}' are fre- 

 quently gathered in quantities, allowed to dry. then soaked in water 

 as the}' are re(]uired for use. 



The carrying sack is made like an ordinary hunting bag and about 

 the size. It is manufactured 1)}^ the Concow Indians only. The buck- 

 skin string attached is thrown across the shoulder, allowing the sack 

 to swing by the side, as we carrv the hunting bag. The material of 

 which it is made is from a weed-like plant that grows from 3 to 5 

 feet high, found in but one place in this country. At the foot of the 

 Black Butte, about T,0(»0 feet alcove sea level, it grows in great quan- 

 tities. This plant, bo-coak, ))ears a large white tiower, which is filled 

 with seed and has quit(; an agreeable odor. The heaves are large and 

 long, tapering at the points. In winter the stalks die and become 

 hard and dry, and are gathered in great ([uantities b}' the Indians. 

 The l)ark is carefully taken off and the material from which the twine 

 is made is stripped from the inside of the bark. This flax-like material 

 is as white as cotton and seems nuich superior in strength. In mak- 

 ing his twine the Indian seats himself, after first removing his trousers, 

 takes enough of this flax to twist into about the size of No. 10 cotton 

 in his left hand, lays it across the fleshy part of his right leg, licks the 

 palm of his right hand, places it upon the flax and twists it. In this 

 way they make twine of all sizes, from that of the coarse sewing 

 thread to that of a half-inch rope. 



In early times all the sewing they did was with this thread, using a 

 sharpened bone for a needle. The larger size twine was for making 

 fish nets, bird nets, carrying sacks, snaring deer, etc. 



The mortar basket is used for pounding acorns, grain, all kinds of 

 nuts and seeds. It is made of tough roots of the fir, which are usually 

 gathered in spring or winter, when the ground is soft. Koots of the 

 small saplings are preferred, being tougher than those of the old tree. 

 The size of the roots gathered varies from one-half to li inches. 

 These are now buried under hot ashes and are allowed to remain thus 

 for an hour. They are then taken out, not burned, but very hot. 

 This steaming process toughens them and makes them split more 

 easily, besides seasoning them to some extent. The squaw now takes 

 this hot root in both hands, seizes it near the end with her front teeth, 

 throws her head back and her hands forward, and the root is split 

 exactly in the center in less than half a minute. 



The two halves are again split in like manner and so on until the 

 pieces become about twice as large as required. The craftswoman is 



