HULL. 30] 



ARIKARA 



85 



kara have cultivated the soil, dependino; 

 for their staple food supply ou crops of 

 corn, beans, squashes, and pumpkins. 

 In the sign language the Arikara are des- 

 ignated as "corn eaters," the movement 

 of the hand simulating the act of gnawing 

 the kernels of corn from the cob. They 

 preserved the seed of a peculiar kind of 

 small-eared corn, said to be very nutri- 

 tious and much liked. It is also said that 

 the seed corn was kept tied in a skin and 

 hung up in the lodge near the fireplace, 

 and when the time for planting came 

 only those kernels showing signs of ger- 

 mination were used. The Arikara bar- 

 tered corn with the Cheyenne and other 

 tribes for buffalo robes, skins, and meat, 

 and exchanged these with the traders for 

 cloth, cooking utensils, guns, etc. Early 

 dealings with the traders were carried on 

 by the women. The Arikara hunted the 

 buffalo in winter, returning to their village 

 in the early spring, where they spent the 

 time liefore planting in dressing the pelts. 

 Their fish supply was ol)tained l)y means 

 of basket traps. They were expert swim- 

 mers, and ventured to capture buffaloes 

 that were disabled in the water as the 

 herd was crossing the river. Their wood 

 snpi)ly was obtained from the river; when 

 the ice broke up in the spring the Indians 

 leaped on the cakes, attached cords to 

 the trees that were whirling down the 

 rapid current, and hauled them ashore. 

 Men, women, and the older children en- 

 gaged in this exciting work, and although 

 they sometimes fell and were swept down- 

 stream, their dexterity and courage gen- 

 erally prevented serious accident. Their 

 boats were made of a single buffalo skin 

 stretched, hair side in, over a frame of 

 willows bent round like a basket and 

 tied to a hoop 3 or 4 feet in diameter. 

 The boat could easily be transported l)y 

 a woman and, according to Hayden, 

 "would carry 3 men across the Mis- 

 souri with tolerable safety." Before the 

 coming of traders the Arikara made their 

 cooking utensils of pottery; mortars for 

 pounding corn were made with much labor 

 from stone; hoes were fashioned from the 

 shoulder-blades of the bufialoand theelk; 

 spoons were shaped from the horns of the 

 buffalo and the mountain sheep; brooms 

 and brushes were made of stiff, coarse 

 grass; knives were chipped from fiint, and 

 spears and arrowheadsf rom horn and flint ; 

 for splitting wood, wedges of horn were 

 used. Whistles were constructed to imi- 

 tate the l)leat of the antelope or the call 

 of the elk, and served as decoys; pop- 

 guns and other toys were contrived for 

 the children and flageolets for the amuse- 

 ment of young men. Garments were 

 embroidered with dyed porcupine quills; 

 dentalium shells from the Pacific were 

 prized as ornaments. Matthews and 



others mention the skill of the Arikara 

 in melting glass and pouring it into molds 

 to form ornaments; they disposed of the 

 highly colored beads furnished by the 

 traders in this manner. They have pre- 

 served in their basketry a weave that has 

 been identified with one practised by for- 

 mer tribes in I^ouisiana — a j^robable sur- 

 vival of the method learned when with 

 their kindred in the far S. VV. The Ari- 

 kara were equally tenacious of their lan- 

 guage, although next-door neighbors of 

 Siouan tribes for more than a century, 

 living on terms of intimacy and inter- 

 marrying to a great extent. Matthews 

 says that almost every member of each 

 tribe understands the language of the 

 other tribes, yet speaks his own most 

 fluently, hence it is not uncommon to hear 

 a dialogue carried on in two tongues. 

 Until recently the Arikara adhered to 

 their ancient form of dwellings, erecting, 

 at the cost of great labor, earth lodges that 

 were generally groujied about an open 

 space in the center of the village, often 

 quite close together, and usually occupied 

 by 2 or 3 families. Eacli village gener- 

 ally contained a lodge of unusual size, 

 in which ceremonies, dances, and other 

 festivities took place. The religious cere- 

 monies, in which each subtribe or village 

 had its special part, bound the people 

 together by common beliefs, traditions, 

 teachings, and supplications that centered 

 around the desire for long life, food, and 

 safety. In 1835 Maximilian of AVied 

 noticed that the hunters did not load on 

 their horses the meat obtained by the 

 chase, but carried it on their heads and 

 backs, often so transporting it from a 

 great distance. The man who could 

 carry the heaviest burden sometimes gave 

 his meat to the poor, in deference to their 

 traditional teaching that "the Lord of 

 life told the Arikara that if they gave to 

 the poor in this manner, and laid burdens 

 on themselves, they would be successful 

 in all their undertakings." In the series 

 of rites, which began in the early sijring 

 when the thunder first sounded, corn 

 held a prominent place. The ear was 

 used as an emblem and was addressed as 

 "Mother." Some of these ceremonial 

 ears of corn had been preserved for gen- 

 erations and were treasured with rever- 

 ent care. Offerings were made, rituals 

 sung, and feasts held when the ceremo- 

 nies took place. Rites were observed when 

 the maize was planted, at certain stages 

 of its growth, and when it was harvested. 

 Ceremonially associated with maize were 

 other sacred objects, w hich were kept in 

 a special case or shrine. Among these 

 were the skins of certain birds of cosmic 

 significance, also 7 gourd rattles that 

 marked the movements of the seasons. 

 Elaborate rituals and ceremonies attended 



