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THE AMERICAN MUSEUM JOURNAL 



came a true art expression. The favorite 

 mode of decoration was the border, which 

 appears in great variety. Most of the 

 surface coverings, except those of the 

 Alaskan tribes, are really a combination 

 or repetition of borders. These designs 

 are mostly arranged in straight lines, 

 the weaving of beads, fiber, or grass, 

 making this style of ornament necessary. 

 The Iroquois sewed the beads on to the 

 material and so could use the scroll in 

 their designs. In all these Indian de- 

 signs the units are well planned, well 

 spaced, and wonderfully accurate in 

 execution. 



Sometimes a single motive was used as 



The IiKliiiii miidc every object for use but always 

 Put, into its (construction original ideas of decoration 

 in hotli design and color. This folding raw-hide hag 

 made hy the Flidalsa-Mandan, is decorated with a 

 design of straight and curved lines, and in shades of 

 green, orange, hhick, lirown and blue 



decoration, many of these being very 

 beautiful in shape and each symbolic of 

 a natural form. In a few cases a num- 

 ber of units, usually' differing from one 

 another, were scattered irregularly over 

 a surface, but so far as I have observed, 

 the Indians did not use a repeating 

 pattern as in our own fabrics and wall 

 papers. The Alaskan tribes covered 

 the whole surface with motives set 

 closely together, but these were irregular 

 in shape so did not follow any definite 

 rules of surface design. The Pueblo 

 pottery and baskets are often fairly well 

 covered with decoration, but the design 

 is more in the form of a rosette or wide 

 border. 



The rosette was much used, both as a 

 decorative motive by itself and elabo- 

 rated to cover a surface. The painted 

 skin robe in the Dakota collection is a 

 wonderful example of the rosette form. 

 The proportion of the different sections 

 of the design is subtle, and shows an 

 appreciation of rhythm and sjTiimetry. 

 The color also is especially fine in this 

 example. The decorative rosettes of 

 beads or colored quills are of interest 

 from the skillful arrangement in them 

 of lines and spaces. 



In pointing out practical steps toward 

 utilizing the Indian exhibits, it will be 

 easier to consider the several classes of 

 craftsmen and the especial needs of each. 

 First, the needleworker : For cross stitch 

 embroidery or crocheting, there are 

 hundreds of designs that can be copied 

 without any change except the choosing 

 of colors suitable for the work. The 

 woven ])ead patterns are the simplest to 

 copy. All the Eastern and Plains tribes 

 ha\e fine examples. For more elaborate 

 work in a different style the bead pat- 

 terns in flower motives will be found 

 effective, and are suggestive of Persian 

 brocade patterns, but simpler in line. 

 The straight line animal forms of the 



