RDS8BLI.] 



ARTIFACTS 



108 



Miscellaneous 



Saguaro hoolc. The fruit of the giant cactus grows at so great a 

 height" that it can not be reached without the aid of some long- 

 handled implement for dislodging it. Hooks'' are made by attach- 

 ing, by means of maguey fiber, a straight piece of wood to the end 

 of a long cactus rib. Doctor McGee has called the writer's atten- 

 tion to the fact that the angle at which the hook stands is of great 

 ceremonial importance among the Papagos, but there would seem to 

 be no significance attached to it by the 

 Pimas, who have not been so dependent 

 upon the cactus in the past as have their 

 nomadic neighbors. 



Tweezers. The spiny fruit of Opuntia 

 arborescens is picked V)y means of willow 

 tweezers (fig. lS,c). The arms are flexible 

 and sufficiently elastic to spring back into 

 place readily."" 



Tree. It was formerly the custom to 

 erect a branched post in the space before 

 the house door, on wliich to hang vessels 

 or bags containing food. Of late a few 

 (three were seen) "tree animals" are set 

 in the ground near the buildings to serve 

 as seats and for the children to play upon. 

 They are sections of mes([uite trees that 

 have each a branch perpendicular to the 

 plane of the trunk at a point where tiie 

 latter bends in the opposite direction 

 slightly, so that when the branch is set in 

 the ground the trunk is horizontal with 

 the exception of the end which curves 

 upward in a manner somewhat resembling 

 a vaulting horse. 



Cradle. The frame of the cradle is of 

 willow, in the form of a narrow bow 



with from 5 to 10 cross bars (fig. 19, a). It closely resembles 

 the Mohave trellis frame, but is more rudely made.'' The frame 

 was formerly covered with shredded willow bark to a depth of 3 or 

 4 inches and a bit of cotton cloth covered the whole. Now the 

 willow bark is not so thick, and much more cloth, no longer of native 

 make, is used. The cradle (fig. 19, h) is provided with a detachable 



Fig. 18. 



1 

 I 

 I 



Fire firill; b. saguaro 



hook: r, lui'nOm tweezers. 



"Sec pi. IX, o. where the saguaro appears in flower in the background. 



fc The sp(x;imen illustrated in fig. IS, 6 was cut short (or convenience of carrying. The handles vary 

 in length from 2 to 5 rn. The hnok is Uio mm. long and s mm. in diameter. 

 <■ The specimen coUecled i.s 31 em. long; natural spread of jaws, 65 mm. 

 dSfle Mason in Report National Museum, 1894, 624. 



