CrQO Indian 

 Snov-Shoe ■ 



"And how to make it 



FIG I 



SNOW-SHOES are made in a large 

 variety of shapes. The particular 

 style described here is the form made 

 and almost exclusively used by the Cree 

 Indians of Canada. As shown in Fig. i, 

 the shape is some- 

 what longer and the 

 width narrower 

 than the common 

 Eastern or Algon- 

 quin shoe. In fact, 

 the model used is 

 60 in. long and 

 12 in. wide. As the 

 frame is made in two pieces, 

 fastened together at toe 

 and heel, this type of 

 snow-shoe is the easiest of 

 all forms for the amateur 

 to make, because the one- 

 piece frame must be well 

 steamed before the stick 

 can be bent to form the 

 usual curving bow. 



The Cree makes his shoe 

 with an extremely high up- 

 curved toe, sometimes 

 carrying it up as much as 

 8 in. This makes it neces- 

 sary to construct the frame 

 with a very long and nar- 

 row toe, otherwise the high- 

 ly elevated toe would strike 

 th6 knee and interfere with 

 the usual stride when walk- 

 ing. The high curve also requires an 

 extra crossbar across the frame to give the 

 necessary curve to the filling. But the 

 high curved toe is bad for hill climbing, and 



END RLUNG 



TOtCORD SWS 



£ND FILLING- 



lANYARD 



The Cree- Indian snow-shoe and 

 the names of its component parts 



^Iman-Taylor 



as the extra crossbar and upcurved frame 

 make a very stiff snow-shoe, all curv^ed 

 models are harder on the feet than the 

 flat shoes. To make a more springy shoe, 

 the frame may be made quite flat. The 

 proper names of the different parts of a 

 snow-shoe are given in Fig. 2. 



The Frame Construction 



The best material 

 for the frame is 

 straight -grained 

 ash. For the aver- 

 age boy a snow- 

 shoe 40 in. long and 

 ID in. wide will be 

 found the most use- 

 ful. The average 

 man will find the 60-in. 

 by i2-in. wide model 

 thoroughly satisfactor>^ 

 The complete dimensions 

 for a good frame are given 

 in Fig. 3, and a study of 

 this drawing will show how 

 to taper the frame correctly. 

 After making the two sticks, 

 which must be exactly 

 alike, two pairs of holes are 

 bored in the toe and heel, 

 and the frame laced to- 

 gether with rawhide thongs. 

 The frame should now be 

 thoroughly soaked in hot 

 water by winding several 

 thicknesses of burlap 

 around it and soaking the 

 rags. Pour boiling water 

 on the wrapped frame at 

 14 or 15 minutes, then let 

 an hour. This will render 



-TOE 



•TOE-HOLE 

 TOE-CORDS 



-CENTER FILUNO 



HEEL 



FRAME 



intervals of 



it stand for 



the frame fairly pliable, when it may be 



bent over the drying mold, shown in 



129 



