﻿524 
  

  

  ANNUAL 
  EEPOET 
  SMITHSONIAN 
  INSTITUTION, 
  1927 
  

  

  with 
  the 
  post. 
  By 
  November 
  20 
  the 
  river 
  was 
  blocked 
  with 
  ice; 
  it 
  

   soon 
  closed, 
  and 
  a 
  few 
  days 
  later 
  Kurz 
  wrote 
  : 
  

  

  Apsalirokes 
  (Crows) 
  and 
  Assiniboins 
  are 
  encamped 
  across 
  the 
  river 
  only 
  a 
  

   few 
  miles 
  from 
  here, 
  and 
  now 
  that 
  the 
  stream 
  is 
  frozen 
  over 
  they 
  are 
  con- 
  

   tinually 
  visiting 
  the 
  fort. 
  They 
  transact 
  no 
  business, 
  but 
  do 
  much 
  eating 
  and 
  

   smoking. 
  I 
  have 
  become 
  acquainted 
  with 
  another 
  Crow 
  chief; 
  his 
  name 
  is 
  

   Four 
  Rivers. 
  He 
  is 
  a 
  very 
  powerful 
  man, 
  both 
  in 
  regard 
  to 
  physique 
  and 
  in 
  

   relationships. 
  

  

  And 
  referring 
  to 
  the 
  Crow 
  dress 
  : 
  

  

  The 
  men 
  make 
  a 
  great 
  show 
  of 
  their 
  apparel 
  and 
  decorations. 
  In 
  their 
  hair 
  

   they 
  hang 
  hollow 
  tubes 
  of 
  white 
  and 
  violet-colored 
  porcelain 
  and 
  about 
  their 
  

   necks 
  they 
  hang 
  long 
  ropes 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  ornaments. 
  They 
  decorate 
  their 
  

   leather 
  pouches 
  with 
  beads, 
  and 
  likewise 
  those 
  broad 
  bands 
  by 
  means 
  of 
  which 
  

   they 
  swing 
  their 
  bows, 
  quivers, 
  and 
  rifles 
  across 
  their 
  shoulders. 
  Only 
  the 
  men 
  

  

  are 
  allowed 
  to 
  make 
  themselves 
  conspicu- 
  

   ous 
  with 
  long 
  hair, 
  and 
  to 
  that 
  end 
  — 
  as 
  

   do 
  their 
  relatives 
  the 
  Herantsa 
  — 
  they 
  

   stick 
  on 
  false 
  hair 
  as 
  a 
  means 
  of 
  making 
  

   their 
  own 
  seem 
  longer 
  than 
  it 
  really 
  is. 
  

   Squaws 
  among 
  the 
  Crow 
  tribe 
  cut 
  their 
  

   Lair 
  short 
  above 
  the 
  eyes 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  neck. 
  

  

  Kurz 
  had 
  become 
  interested 
  in 
  the 
  

   care 
  and 
  preparation 
  of 
  buffalo 
  

   robes. 
  He 
  had 
  probably 
  often 
  

   watched 
  the 
  women 
  when 
  they 
  were 
  

   busily 
  engaged 
  in 
  tanning 
  the 
  skins. 
  

   His 
  rather 
  brief 
  description 
  of 
  the 
  

   process 
  is 
  of 
  much 
  interest. 
  

  

  One 
  squaw 
  dresses 
  a 
  buffalo 
  hide 
  in 
  

   three 
  or 
  four 
  days 
  just 
  as 
  well, 
  and 
  makes 
  

   the 
  skin 
  just 
  as 
  soft 
  and 
  durable, 
  as 
  it 
  

   takes 
  our 
  leather 
  dressers 
  six 
  months 
  to 
  

   do. 
  First 
  they 
  stretch 
  the 
  raw 
  hide 
  on 
  the 
  ground 
  and 
  fasten 
  it 
  down 
  

   with 
  pegs 
  or 
  wooden 
  pins, 
  and 
  with 
  some 
  sharp 
  instrument, 
  or 
  a 
  piece 
  of 
  

   bone, 
  scrape 
  off 
  every 
  particle 
  of 
  flesh, 
  which 
  is 
  eagerly 
  devoured 
  by 
  the 
  hungry 
  

   dogs. 
  If 
  the 
  skin 
  is 
  not 
  to 
  be 
  dressed 
  until 
  later, 
  they 
  leave 
  it 
  spread 
  in 
  the 
  

   air 
  to 
  dry, 
  until 
  it 
  becomes 
  quite 
  hard. 
  If, 
  however, 
  they 
  intend 
  to 
  prepare 
  the 
  

   robe 
  at 
  once, 
  they 
  rub 
  the 
  hide 
  for 
  one 
  entire 
  day 
  with 
  liver, 
  fat, 
  or 
  the 
  brain 
  

   of 
  a 
  deer, 
  soften 
  the 
  skin, 
  leave 
  it 
  for 
  two 
  or 
  three 
  days 
  — 
  according 
  to 
  the 
  

   season 
  or 
  temperature 
  — 
  until 
  the 
  grease 
  soaks 
  in 
  ; 
  then 
  they 
  dry 
  it 
  at 
  a 
  slow 
  

   fire, 
  constantly 
  beating 
  or 
  rubbing 
  it 
  with 
  a 
  stone 
  until 
  it 
  becomes 
  uniformly 
  

   soft 
  and 
  pliable. 
  This 
  rubbing 
  is 
  of 
  the 
  greatest 
  importance 
  in 
  the 
  dressing 
  

   of 
  skins 
  after 
  the 
  Indian 
  fashion. 
  As 
  soon 
  as 
  the 
  hide 
  has 
  been 
  prepared 
  as 
  

   already 
  described 
  and 
  is 
  quite 
  dry, 
  they 
  begin 
  the 
  fatiguing 
  process 
  of 
  rubbing 
  

   it 
  around 
  a 
  taut 
  rope 
  of 
  horsehair 
  or 
  of 
  braided 
  leather 
  to 
  make 
  it 
  smooth; 
  

   then 
  it 
  often 
  receives 
  a 
  final 
  rubbing 
  with 
  pumice 
  stone. 
  Such 
  work 
  is 
  most 
  

   diflicult, 
  for 
  even 
  the 
  scraping 
  of 
  the 
  hides 
  has 
  to 
  be 
  done 
  in 
  a 
  stooped 
  posi- 
  

   tion 
  that 
  is 
  very 
  fatiguing. 
  As 
  the 
  brain 
  of 
  a 
  deer 
  is 
  finer 
  and 
  more 
  rare 
  than 
  

   liver 
  or 
  tallow 
  it 
  is 
  used 
  primarily 
  in 
  the 
  preparation 
  of 
  deerskins. 
  Hides 
  of 
  

  

  ^^r 
  

  

  A^f,^. 
  iii.jk.-^*il>- 
  

  

  Fig. 
  6. 
  — 
  Crow. 
  Chief 
  Four 
  Rivers. 
  At; 
  

   Fort 
  Union, 
  November 
  25, 
  1851 
  

  

  