106 



THE PIMA INDIANS 



I KTII. ANN. 26 



Fig. 22. Awls, a, Wooden 

 handle; h, gum handle. 



Awl. There would seem to be no tradition of the former use of 

 bone awls among the Pimas. They declare that awls of mesquite 

 wood were used in making baskets before the introduction of steel. 

 At present the points are of pieces of umbrella rib set in wooden 

 handles of native manufacture (fig. 22, a)." It will be observed that 

 the up]>er end of the handle is provided with a button, so that it 

 may be held between the tliird and fourth fingers while 

 the thumb and other fingers are engaged in the manipula- 

 tion of the basket splints. Handles of round balls of 

 creosote gum* are also used (fig. 22, h)." 



Rope twister. This apparatus is probably 

 of European origin. It consists of a pin or 



I handle of hard wood, such as mesquite or wal- 



j low, which is thrust through a hole near the 



^^^ end of another stick, which acts as a spindle 

 ^^^B whorl. The latter piece has a button at the 

 ^^^V short end, to which arc attached the maguey 

 fibers or horse hairs (fig. 23). The t>perator, 

 by a slight rising and falling motion of the 

 handle, causes the spindle to revolve rapidly, 

 thus twisting the fibers into a cord which 

 lengthens as he steps backward. A second person meanwhile adds 

 fresh fibers to the other end."* 



A'minu. Among the most important of the sacred objects in the 

 paraphernalia of the medicine-men were the a'mina , or medicine sticks. 

 They are usually of 

 arrowwood ; a 1 w a y s 

 bound together with 

 cotton twine of native 

 spinning, either with 

 or without feathers 

 attached to each sep- 

 arate stick. There 

 are six a'mina bundles 

 in the ccdlection. One 

 was made by Ka'nial 

 tkak, to be used ex- 

 clusively in the exor- 

 cism of the Tcu'nyim, a spirit of disease. The bundle contains four 

 groups of sticks: Two pairs, one bundle of 4, and one of 6. All are 

 plain, being unmarked in anyway (fig. 24).* 



1 Length of specimen (fig. 22, a) 0.103 m., of which 56 mm. is handle. 



i> Deposited on the branches of the creosote bush by the minute scale insect. Carteria larrete. 



f Length, 3 cm.; diameter of handle, 24 mm. 



d Length of pin, 0.254 m.; diameter. 8 ram.; length of spindle, 32 cm. 



f Length, 0.1t>7 m.; diameter, ti mm. 



Fig. 23. Kopo twister. 



