AUT. 14 



FIRE-MAKING APPARATUS — HOUGH 



15 



hearth — differs among the several tribes in point of 

 materia], shape, etc., the spliced drill is characteris- 

 tic of the whole stock. It has never been noticed 

 outside of the southern part of the Great Interior 

 Basin but in one instance — among the Klamaths 

 of Oregon. The main part of the drill is either a 

 reed or a straight sprout, usually the former. At 

 one end a short piece of very hard wood — grease- 

 wood, Sarcohatus vermiculatus — is set in and lashed 

 with sinew. It resembles the Shoshonian arrows, 

 which are foreshafted in this way. They also use 

 sand in common with other neighboring tribes. 



The Pai-Utes, of southern Utah, make their 

 hearths of a short, rounded piece, usually of the 

 sap wood of juniper. It is tied to the drill with a 

 thong of buckskin when not in use. (Fig. 7.) The 

 drill is like the usual one, just described. This is 

 the common form of the Pai-Ute apparatus. The 

 small, two-holed hearth of rounded form and the 

 shortened, spliced drill are for convenience of carry- 

 ing, this kind being used by hunters while away 

 from the lodges. S. J. Hare says that the men do 

 not usually make the fire except when out on a 

 hunting excursion. At the lodge it is the squaw's 

 duty to make the fire when it is needed. 



The Pai-Ute is rarely at a loss to get fire; he is 

 master of various devices. Mr. Hare, who was 

 among the Utes for some time, states that when 

 the Indian is in need of a light he uses either the 

 flint and steel, the drill, or, if these are not at hand, 

 he takes two branches and rubs one up and down 

 on the other, soon getting fire. The Australians 

 are said to have practiced fire making by rubbing 

 in the way mentioned. This is the only observa- 

 tion collected of its occurrence in America. It is, 

 in all probability, a difficult, unusual way, only 

 practiced under pressure of necessity among the 

 Utes. They take great pride in their skill; to be a 

 quick fire maker is to achieve fame in the tribe. 

 They are fond of exhibiting their art to white trav- 

 elers in the hope of gain. 



Another form of hearth (fig. 8) is made of yucca 

 flower stalk, like those of the Apaches and Navaho. 

 The drill is of tule reed, set with a very hard wood 



Fig. 7.— Fire-Mak- 

 ing SET. Cat. No. 

 17230, U.S.N.M. 

 Pai-Ute Indians, 

 Southern Utah. 

 Collected by J. W. 

 Powell 



