58 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [BULL, 77 
high, made of squared trunks of trees placed close to each other, 
within which the dwellings are built close to the palisades. . . About 
ten leather tents or huts of the Sioux, of the branch of the Yanktons 
or Yanktoans, were set up near the fort. . . All these Dacotas of 
the Missouri, as well as most of those of the Mississippi, are only 
hunters, and, in their excursions, always live in portable leather 
tents. .. The tents of the Sioux are high pointed cones, made of 
strong poles, covered with buffalo skins, closely sewed together. 
These skins are scraped on both sides, so that they become as trans- 
parent as parchment, and give free admission to the light. At the 
top, where the poles meet, or cross each other, there is an opening, 
to let out the smoke, which they endeavor to close by a piece of the 
skin covering of the tent, fixed to a separate pole standing upright, 
and fastened to the upper part of the covering on the side from 
which the wind blows. The door is a slit, in the front of the tent, 
which is generally closed by another piece of buffalo hide, stretched 
upon a frame. A small fire is kept up in the centre of the tent. 
Poles are stuck in the ground, near the tent, and utensils of various 
kinds are suspended from them. There are, likewise, stages, on which 
to hang the newly-tanned hides; others, with gaily-painted parch- 
ment pouches and bags, on some of which they hang their bows, 
arrows, quivers, leather shields, spears, and war clubs. 
“We paid a visit to Wahktageli in his tent, and had some difficulty 
in creeping into the narrow, low entrance, after pulling aside the 
skin that covered it. The inside of this tent was hight, and it was 
about ten paces in diameter. Buffalo skins were spread on the 
ground, upon which we sat down. Between us and the side of the 
tent were a variety of articles, such as pouches, boxes, saddles, arms, 
&c. <A relation of the chief was employed in making arrows, which 
were finished very neatly, and with great care. Wahktageli immedi- 
ately, with much gravity, handed the tobacco-pipe round, and seemed 
to inhale the precious smoke with great delight. ... The conver- 
sation was carried on by Cephier, the interpreter kept by the Agency, 
who accompanied us on this visit. ... The owner of a neigh- 
bouring tent had killed a large elk, the skin of which the women 
were then busily employed in dressing. They had stretched it out, 
by means of leather straps, on the ground near the tent, and the 
women were scraping off the particles of flesh and fat with a very 
well-contrived instrument. It is made of bone, sharpened at one 
end, and furnished with little teeth like a saw, and, at the other end, 
a strap, which is fastened round the wrist.” (Maximilian, (1), pp. 
148-152.) A drawing by Bodmer, reproduced by Maximilian on 
page 151 of the work cited, is here shown as figure 2. It represents 
a small group of tipis, of the type mentioned in the narrative, and 
