590 TRIBES OF THE UPPER MISSOURI [eth. ann . 46 



The men in their homes in their own country at night divest them- 

 selves of their moccasins, leggings, and blanket capot (if any), 

 retaining only the breech flap, and covering themselves with their 

 robe or blanket; but when traveling, at war, in the chase, or en- 

 camped on the borders of their enemy's country no portions of cloth- 

 ing are taken off at night; even their arms and accouterments are 

 retained while sleeping. In the summer season the women lay aside 

 their leggings and moccasins when going to bed, reserving only the 

 petticoats, or cotillion, as it is called in this country, and covering 

 themselves with the robe, but in the winter, or in traveling, no part 

 of their clothing is taken off. Young unmarried and as yet un- 

 touched women take the precaution at night to wind around their 

 dress a strong cord, strapping the same tightly to their body and legs. 



This is done by some of their female relatives, the cord being well 



tied and wrapped around many times to prevent the consequences 



of any mistakes on the part of young men as to the location of their 



bed, which might happen if they entered during the night, or if they 



were guests. It is considered a great credit to a young woman never 



to have slept unbound as above previous to marriage. Saddles, 



billets of wood, and parts of clothing taken off serve as pillows for 



the men. Provision bales, wooden bowls, and baggage sacks answer 



the same purpose for the women. Rawhides, saddle blankets, 



apishimos, 30 skins in hair, with grass and twigs beneath form the bed, 



which is seldom longer than two-thirds the sleeper, and about 3 feet 



wide. „ 



Ornaments 



All Indians are excessively fond of display in ornaments. Indeed, 

 as may have been gathered from the preceding, the value of their 

 dresses depends entirely upon the nature and extent of these decora- 

 tions. Small round beads of all colors are used in adorning every 

 portion of their dress, as also agate for their ears, hair, neck, and 

 wrists, but these are by no means as valuable as several kinds of 

 shells or as their ornamenting with colored porcupine quills. A 

 shell, called by the traders Ioquois, 31 is sought after by them more 

 eagerly than anything else of the kind. They are procured on the 

 coast of the Pacific and find their way to our tribes across the moun- 

 tains through the different nations by traffic with each other until the 

 Crows and Blackfeet get them from some bands of the Snake and 

 Flathead Indians with whom they are at peace. 



These shells are about 2 inches long, pure white, about the size of a 

 raven's feather at the larger end, curved, tapering, and hollow, so 

 as to admit of being strung or worn in the ears of the women, worked 

 on the breast and arms of their cotillions, also adorn the frontlets 



r0 This appears to be a word adopted from the Cree or Chippewa language. It means 

 anything to lie on, as a bed. 



a Ioquois appears to be a loan word. 



