270 



THE MENOMINI INDIANS 



[ETH. ANN. 14 



description of the process may be of interest, especially as this subject 

 has hitherto been untouched. 



After deciding on the article to be worked — a garter, for example — 

 a frame of wood is made sufficiently large to extend from 4 to 6 inches 

 beyond the finished piece. Figure 45 represents a frame of this char- 

 acter. The pieces of wood are usually of pine, 2 inches broad and from 

 a half to three-fourths of an inch thick, made rigid by screws or thongs, 

 where the pieces intersect. Threads of linen are then wrapped verti- 

 cally over the top and bottom, each thread being a bead's width from 

 the next. In some instances, as will be referred to later, the threads 

 are wrapped so as to run by pairs. These form the warp. The number 

 of threads depends on the width of the proposed design. 



The pattern is begun at the lower end, several inches from the frame. 

 A fine needle is threaded, the other end of the fiber being secured to 

 one of the lateral threads of the warp; then the needle is passed 

 through a bead of the desired tint of the ground color of the garter, 

 and the thread passed under one vertical or warp cord ; another bead is 

 then taken up, after which the needle is pushed along over the next 



cord; and then another bead being 

 threaded, the needle is again passed 

 along under the next following cord, 

 and so on alternately above and 

 beneath the warp cords until the 

 other side is reached, when the outer 

 cord is merely inclosed by one turn. 

 The same process is followed in the 

 return to the side from which the 

 beginning was made, except that the 

 threads alternate, the woof being 

 now above instead of below the warp 

 cords. Figure 46' represents the pro- 

 cess described. 



The chief difficulty which one encounters is in remembering the 

 exact point at which a new pattern should appear, as the color of the 

 bead required for this must be inserted at the proper time and the 

 number of spaces carefully counted and reserved for use as the pattern 

 is developed. Eeference to the illustrations will aid further in the elu- 

 cidation of this difficulty. When the design is completed, the warp- 

 cords are gathered by bunches of two's or three's and tied in knots, so 

 as to prevent the dislodgment of the woof fibers and the consequent 

 destruction of the entire fabric. To these ends sire afterward attached 

 strands of woolen yarn to lengthen the garter, so as to reach around 

 the leg and admit of tying in a bowknot (plate xxv). 



The above illustrates the simplest method of working beads. The 

 type of beadworking shown in figure 47 is a little more complicated. 

 In this there are two vertical warp cords or threads between each two 



Fig. 46 — Design of first variety of working in 

 beads. 



