712 



REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1896. 



Blackfeet. South Piegau Reserve, Moutaua. (Cat. ]No. 51693, Field 

 Columbian Museum, Cliicago.) 



Set of four bone staves, made of rib bones, oj inches in length and 

 ;'> inch wide in the middle, tapering to the ends. The outer rounded 

 sides are cut with lines, which are filled with red paint, as shown in 

 fig. 33. Two are alike, and one of the others is banded with a nar 

 row thong of buckskin on which are sewn twelve small blue glass 

 beads. The reverses, which show the texture of the bone, are alike, 

 and painted red. 



Accompanied by twelve counting- sticks (fig. 34) made of twigs, 5^ 

 inches in length, smeared with red paint. 



Fig. 34. 



SET OF COUNTIN(J STICKS. 



Length, 5^ inches. 

 Blackfeet, South I'iei;an Reserve, MoutaDa. 



Cat. Nu. 51lili:i, Fii-lil Columbian Museum. 



Blackfeet. Blood Reserve, Alberta, Canada. (Cat. No. 51654, Field 

 Columbian Museum, Chicago.) 



Three bone staves, 6| inches in length and -^ inch in width in the 

 middle, tapering to the ends. The outer rounded sides are carved 

 as shown in fig. 35, two alike, in which the incised lines are filled with 

 red paint, and one with holes, 10 — 3 3 — 9, which are painted blue. 

 The inner sides, which show the texture of the bone, are i^erfectly 

 plain. 



Both of the above sets were collected by Dr. George A. Dorsey, of 

 the Field Columbian Museum, who courteously gives me the following 

 particulars : 



I um iufornied that the Bloods generally use three instead of four bones. They 

 call the game Nitsitaiej>-skt2)s<2nan=^we play. The stick marked with holes is called 

 "man" and the other two "snakes." Of the counts I have only this much : 



All marked faces up =4. 



All unmarked faces up =:4. 



2 unmarked and ''snake" up =6. 

 1 unmarked and 2 snakes up =^6. 

 1 unmarked, snake and man up :^0. 



