﻿FLETCHER-LA 
  PLESCHE] 
  SOCIAL 
  LIFE 
  347 
  

  

  used 
  to 
  pierce 
  the 
  holes 
  for 
  the 
  sinew 
  and 
  quills. 
  A 
  stitch 
  was 
  taken 
  

   but 
  not 
  through 
  the 
  skin 
  and 
  the 
  sinew 
  was 
  passed 
  through 
  and 
  

   pulled 
  tight. 
  Then 
  another 
  stitch 
  was 
  taken 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  way 
  but 
  

   the 
  sinew 
  was 
  not 
  pulled 
  tight. 
  A 
  little 
  loop 
  was 
  left 
  and 
  through 
  

   this 
  loop 
  the 
  blunt 
  ends 
  of 
  the' 
  quills 
  were 
  put. 
  If, 
  for 
  example, 
  four 
  

   quills 
  were 
  to 
  be 
  used, 
  they 
  were 
  placed 
  one 
  on 
  the 
  other 
  through 
  (lie 
  

   loop, 
  which 
  was 
  then 
  tightened. 
  A 
  quarter 
  of 
  an 
  inch 
  from 
  the 
  first 
  

   stitch 
  of 
  sinew 
  a 
  similar 
  stitch 
  was 
  taken 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  loop 
  four 
  quills 
  

   were 
  fastened 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  way. 
  Then 
  the 
  first 
  quill 
  was 
  bent 
  toward 
  

   the 
  second 
  loop 
  and 
  the 
  first 
  quill 
  of 
  the 
  second 
  loop 
  was 
  bent 
  toward 
  

   the 
  first 
  loop, 
  and 
  the 
  braiding 
  went 
  on, 
  back 
  and 
  forth, 
  until 
  all 
  

   four 
  quills 
  were 
  in 
  place, 
  the 
  last 
  quill 
  being 
  doubled 
  under 
  and 
  the 
  

   sinew 
  used 
  in 
  a 
  stitch 
  to 
  hold 
  it 
  in 
  place. 
  In 
  this 
  way 
  little 
  by 
  

   little 
  the 
  pattern 
  progressed. 
  

  

  Quill 
  work 
  for 
  pipestems 
  was 
  made 
  as 
  follows: 
  Two 
  long 
  threads 
  

   were 
  doubled, 
  making 
  four 
  threads. 
  The 
  free 
  ends 
  were 
  wound 
  

   about 
  a 
  stick 
  and 
  fastened 
  to 
  a 
  stationary 
  object. 
  The 
  doubled 
  

   ends 
  were 
  made 
  fast 
  to 
  the 
  belt 
  of 
  the 
  worker. 
  A 
  few 
  inches 
  of 
  the 
  

   doubled 
  ends 
  were 
  left 
  unworked 
  for 
  fastening 
  to 
  the 
  pipestems. 
  

   The 
  quills 
  were 
  woven 
  one 
  at 
  a 
  time 
  in 
  and 
  out 
  over 
  the 
  four 
  threads. 
  

   Two 
  threads 
  formed 
  one 
  column. 
  The 
  ends 
  of 
  the 
  quills 
  were 
  fas- 
  

   tened 
  between 
  the 
  two 
  threads 
  of 
  a 
  column. 
  The 
  new 
  quill 
  was 
  

   fastened 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  place 
  by 
  the 
  blunt 
  end. 
  

  

  No 
  trustworthy 
  information 
  has 
  been 
  obtained 
  relative 
  to 
  symbolic 
  

   designs 
  being 
  worked 
  with 
  quills 
  on 
  garments 
  worn 
  by 
  the 
  Omaha. 
  

   The 
  designs 
  employed 
  were 
  generally 
  geometric, 
  this 
  characteristic 
  

   being 
  due 
  probably 
  to 
  the 
  stiffness 
  of 
  the 
  quills. 
  Later 
  these 
  designs 
  

   were 
  reproduced 
  by 
  narrow 
  ribbons 
  hemmed 
  on 
  to 
  the 
  cloth 
  or 
  skin. 
  

   This 
  style 
  was 
  in 
  greater 
  favor 
  among 
  the 
  Omaha 
  women 
  than 
  

   embroidering 
  with 
  beads. 
  (PI. 
  45.) 
  

  

  WEAVING 
  

  

  Among 
  the 
  Omaha 
  weaving 
  was 
  not 
  practised 
  on 
  a 
  large 
  scale. 
  So 
  

   far 
  as 
  is 
  known, 
  cloth 
  was 
  not 
  woven 
  nor 
  were 
  the 
  people 
  acquainted 
  

   with 
  the 
  cotton 
  plant. 
  One 
  of 
  the 
  birds 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  honor 
  pack 
  

   belonging 
  to 
  the 
  Sacred 
  Tent 
  of 
  War 
  was 
  lined 
  with 
  cloth 
  which 
  may 
  

   have 
  been 
  of 
  native 
  manufacture. 
  If 
  the 
  cloth 
  lining 
  was 
  strictly 
  a 
  

   native 
  product 
  it 
  probably 
  was 
  obtained 
  through 
  barter 
  or 
  gift 
  from 
  

   some 
  tribe 
  which 
  practised 
  the 
  art 
  of 
  weaving. 
  Omaha 
  women 
  wove 
  

   scarfs 
  which 
  were 
  used 
  as 
  belts, 
  being 
  wound 
  around 
  the 
  waist, 
  by 
  

   both 
  men 
  and 
  women. 
  The 
  term 
  applied 
  to 
  these 
  scarfs 
  suggests 
  

   the 
  material 
  out 
  of 
  which 
  they 
  were 
  formerly 
  woven 
  — 
  tezhi 
  n 
  'M 
  n 
  de 
  

   (tezW, 
  "little 
  buffalo," 
  or 
  "calf;" 
  H 
  n 
  de, 
  "hair.") 
  Scarfs 
  bound 
  

   about 
  the 
  head 
  were 
  worn 
  exclusively 
  by 
  men. 
  (PI. 
  46.) 
  Women 
  

   used 
  the 
  scarf 
  to 
  gird 
  the 
  robe 
  or 
  blanket 
  about 
  their 
  waists. 
  They 
  

  

  