BULL. 30] 



FURNITURE 



477 



ing the property of the person to whom the 

 compartment belonged. In the lodges of 

 some tribes, hung on a rod fastened across 

 the two front poles was a reed curtain, 

 which could be rolled up or dropped to give 

 seclusion to the occupant of the berth. An- 

 other form of bed consisted of a mat of wil- 

 lows stretched upon a low platform, its 

 tapering ends raised and fastened to tri- 

 pods which forme<l head and foot boards. 

 The skin of an animal, as the buffalo bull, 

 killed in winter, wastrinnned to fit the bed 

 and served as the mattress, on which robes 

 or blankets were spread as bedding. Pil- 

 lows siich as are described above were used , 

 but in N. California were of wood and were 



BED FRAME OF THE CHIPPEWA. (hOFFMAn) 



used only in the men's sleeping lodge. 

 Little children occupied cradles (q. v.), 

 which varied in form and ornamentation, 

 but were all constructed on the general 

 plan of a porta) )le box and adajited to the 

 age of the child. Among some tribes a 

 hammock, made by folding a skin about 

 two ropes, was hung l^etween posts and 

 used to swing children to sleep. A 

 crotched stick was thrust slanting into the 

 edge of the fireplace, and from tlie crotch 

 hung one or more smaller crotched sticks 

 directly over the fire, serving as hooks for 

 kettles in cooking. The household meal 



couch of the plains tribes, (mooney) 



was often served on a mat. In the dwell- 

 ings of the corn-growing Plains Indians 

 the wooden mortar used for pounding 

 maize was set at the right of the entrance 

 and held firmly in place by sinking its 

 pointed base well into the earthen floor. 

 In every habitation a suspended pole or 

 rack wasplaced near the fire for the drying 

 of moccasins or other clothing. In the 

 Pueblo house the mealing trough occupied 

 a corner of the room, and was set at a 

 sufficient distance from the wall to per- 

 mit the women to kneel comfortably at 

 their work and face the apartment. The 

 trough was of stone and generally con- 

 tained three metates, varying in coarse- 



ness, for hulling, cracking, and mealing 

 the grain. Niches in the walls served as 

 shelves or closets. Utensils varied with 

 the methods of cooking in the different 

 parts of the country; they were baskets, 

 wooden and pottery vessels, and later 

 metal kettles. Household utensils, for 

 cooking, eating, and drinking, were usu- 

 ally kept in or near the space belonging to 

 the housewife, and consisted of baskets, 

 boxes, platters, and bowls of wood or 

 pottery, spoons of horn, wood, gourd, or 

 pottery, and ladles. Some of the house- 

 hold utensils were ornamented with 

 carving or painting, and not infrequently 

 were treasured as heirlooms. Brooms of 

 C(jarse grass or twigs were used to sweep 

 the fiiior, and the wing of a bird served as 

 a brush to keep the central fireplace tidy. 

 The Pueljlos tied a bunch of coarse grass 

 near the middle, using the butt encl for 

 brushing the hair and the other for sweep- 

 ing the fioor. Some of the Plains and 

 Rocky mtn. tribes used a wooden spade- 

 like implement to remove the snow from 

 theground about the entrance of the lodge, 

 and the Pueblos employed a similar im- 

 plement for passing bread in and out of 

 the ovens. The Plains tribes stored their 

 food and other articles in packs made of 

 parfleche and ornamented with painted 

 designs; for preserving feathers until 

 needed the Pueblos used wooden recepta- 

 cles cut from a single stick, usually of Cot- 

 tonwood, and provided with a counter- 

 sunk lid; on the N. W. coast elaborately 

 carved boxes and trays were made for 

 this purpose. 



Mural decoration was confined to the 

 Pueblos and the houses on the n. Pacific 

 coast. Frequently in the latter the posts, 

 beams, and doors were carved and paint- 

 ed, as were also the screens, which served 

 several purposes, domestic and ceremo- 

 nial. 



In the lodges of the Plains tribes the 

 ornamented shields, weapons, saddles, 

 bridles, and various accouterments were 

 always hung on the posts within the 

 lodge, and gave color and decorative effect 

 to the otherwise i)lain interior of the na- 

 tive dwelling. In winter painted or em- 

 broidered skins were suspended between 

 the inner circle of posts of the earth lodge 

 and, like an arras, inclosed the space about 

 the fire, adding much to the attractiveness 

 of this picturesque habitation. Among 

 the Eskimo the stone lamp was the essen- 

 tial article of the household. It furnished 

 light and heat and served as a stove for 

 cooking. Such lamps, cut from steatite or 

 basalt, cost much labor, and were handed 

 down from one generation to another. 

 See Boxes and Chests, Dishes, Habitations, 

 Implements. 



Consult Boas (1) in Rep. Nat. Mus., 

 1895, (2) in 6th Rep. B. A. E., 1888; Dixon 



