Howard] THE PONCA TRIBE 53 



Adzlike tanning tools were made of elk antler, and flesliers were 

 made of the cannon bone of tlie bison. Arrowsliaft wrenches were 

 made of bison ribs. Bone spreaders for the roach headdress were 

 made of bison scapulae. The plume holders used in connection with 

 these were usually made of dog leg bones. Large spoons, called 

 t^e-he^ were made of bison horn which had been boiled, then cut and 

 bent into shape. Some of these spoons hold almost a quart of liquid. 



A type of neck disk favored by dancers was made from the smooth 

 surface of marine shells, which were romided and polished. PLC 

 still makes these for use in dancing costumes, and he gave me one made 

 of abalone shell in 1949. The usual material, however, is pink conch 

 shell. 



War club heads, mauls, and chokecherry pounders were made by 

 pecking grooves in cobbles of the right size and shape. Ari'owpoints, 

 lance heads, and knives were made of flint quarried approximately 

 2 miles south of the present Butte, Nebr. Another Ponca quarry, 

 located "east of Pike's Peak" is mentioned by PLC m his "History" 

 (p. 20). Leonard Smith mentioned a type of blue stone that was 

 called Mojii-du (Blue-knife) by the Ponca because they so often used 

 it for making knives and other flint implements, but he did not know 

 the location of the quarry. PLC states in his "History" (p. 20) that 

 the ability to make arrowheads was a "gift of God." This remark 

 would indicate that the techniques involved in making cliipped-stone 

 tools had been in the hands of specialists before they disappeared 

 completely. 



According to my informants, the Ponca once made pottery of good 

 quality. Native pottery, however, like stone tools, quickly dis- 

 appeared in the face of the White man's iron kettle and porcelain 

 dishes. James (1905, vol. 14, p. 75) , writing in the early 19th century, 

 states: "The original earthenware pots are now rarely used by the 

 nations on the lower part of the Missouri . . . ." Yet this was only 31 

 years after Monier had "discovered" the Ponca ! The accuracy of 

 James' statement is borne out by the findings at the Ponca Fort site, 

 where very little pottery was discovered; and what was found is 

 apparently not Ponca in origin. 



Leonard Smith contributed the following, rather fantastic account 

 of pottery manufacture, which is presented to show how quickly a 

 once common technological process may be forgotten : 



Ponca pottery was made from Was4-(lu or blue clay, which was gathered along 

 the Missouri. The pot was built up in a hole, which was the same shape as the 

 pot. When it was shaped bluestem grass was put on top and a mat and water 

 were put in the hole with the pot. The hole was then covered with a clay lid. 

 It was then covered with dirt and a fire was built on top to harden the pot. 

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