254 PROVEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUISEUM. vol.54, 



proper distance apart, and the warp yarn given a regular spacing 

 Avith a winding of cord which passes through the loop and over the 

 rod, taking in the next loop, and so forth. The Avarp ends are thus 

 in a line on the periphery of the rods. The lower rod is tied to the 

 floor or cloth beam, and the upper rod is tied at the ends to another 

 rod which receives the lacing of cord which goes over this rod and 

 the supporting beam (pi. 31). 



Setting up of the loom. — The warp, with its rods forming a frame^ 

 is then stretched between two beams, the upper attached to pegs in 

 the kiva wall and the lower secured by plaited wool rope to sockets 

 bored in a plank set in the floor, which takes the place of the sockets 

 made in the stone slabs of the floor according to ancient practice. 

 The warp frame is secured to the beams by a spiral winding cord 

 and is not applied as among the Navaho, who run the cord under the 

 beam along the edge of the warp. The warp is kept taut by cords 

 which lash the upper loom beam to the wall pegs and may be ad- 

 justed if the web becomes slack. One man can set up the warp, but 

 the services of two are preferable. The loom is then suspended in a 

 vertical position and the weaving begins at the lower border. 



The heddles are then applied either *for plain, checked, or diaper 

 weaving, as required, all three of these methods being sometimes used 

 on the same piece of work. The dress blanket is usually begun with 

 three diaper heddles and with them is woven a broad band of basket 

 pattern, or "birdseye" in blue. The warp is then reversed in the 

 loom frame and a similar band is woven at the other end of the 

 blanket and the termination of each of these weavings is finished with 

 a cording. The body of the blanket of dark brown wool is then put 

 in with two heddles set for plain weaving. The finishing off of this 

 portion of the blanket is very difficult and is effected by means of 

 slender rods which open the sheds. The weaver beats the weft home 

 with a wooden sword or batten, small in case of the belt loom and 

 large in case of the blanket loom (pi. 30, figs. 1, 2, 3). This is also 

 effected at certain points when necessary with a weft comb, which 

 consists of a strip of wood having teeth cut at one end. At the finish 

 a slender bone awl is used for pressing the weft home. The large 

 batten is used to spring or hold open a shed, as the heddles are only 

 actuated by hand, the Pueblo looms being vertical, and on account of 

 this position none of them have the simple but important device for 

 moving the heddles by foot power, which is practicable on the hor- 

 izontal webs of the Old World. The horizontal loom, however, was 

 used in ancient Mexico,^ but was of great simplicity. A primitive 

 shuttle (fig. 31), consisting of a stick on which yarn is wound to and 

 fro, is employed. 



1 Dr. Washington Matthews, U. S. A., Navaho Weavers, 3cl Ann. Eept. Bur. Amer. Ethnol., 

 1881, p. 391. 



