Katihbwb.] DYES BLANKET LOOM. 377 



fire, and when it has cooled somewhat it is thrown into the decoction of 

 sumac, with which it instantly forms a rich, blue-black fluid. This dye 

 is essentially an ink, the tannic acid of the sumac combining with the 

 sesquioxide of iron in the roasted ocher, the whole enriched by the car- 

 bon of the calcined gum. 



There are, the Indians tell me, three different processes for dyeing 

 yellow ; two of these I have witnessed. The first process is thus con- 

 ducted: The flowering tops of Bigelovia grareolens are boiled for about 

 six hours until a decoction of deep yellow color is produced. When 

 the dyer thinks the decoction strong euough, she heats over the fire in 

 a pan or earthen vessel some native almogen (an impure native alum), 

 until it is reduced to a somewhat pasty consistency ; this she adds grad- 

 ually to the decoction and then puts the wool in the dye to boil. From 

 time to time a portion of the wool is taken out and inspected until (in 

 about half an hour from the time it is first immersed) it is seen to have 

 assumed the proper color. The work is then done. The tint produced 

 is nearly that of lemon yellow. In the second process they use the 

 huge, fleshy root of a plaut which, as I have never yet seen it in fruit 

 or flower, I am unable to determine. The fresh root is crushed to a soft 

 paste on the metate, and, for a mordant, the almogen is added while the 

 grinding is };oing on. The cold paste is then rubbed between the hands 

 into the wool. If the wool does not seem to take the color readily a 

 little water is dashed on the mixture of wool and paste, and the whole 

 is very slightly warmed. The entire process does not occupy over an 

 hour and the result is a color much like that now known as "old gold." 



The reddish dye is made of the bark of Alnus incana var. virescens 

 (Watson) and the bark of the root of Cercocarpm parvifolius ; the mor- 

 daut being fine juniper ashes. On buckskin this makes a brilliant tan- 

 color; but applied to wool it produces a much paler tint. 



§111. Plate XXXV1I1 and Fig. 42 illustrate ordinary blanket-looms. 

 Two posts, a a, are set firmly in the ground ; to these are lashed two 

 cross-pieces or braces, b c, the whole forming the frame of the loom. 

 Sometimes two slender trees, growing at a convenient distance from 

 oue another, are made to answer for the posts, d is a horizontal pole, 

 which 1 call the supplementary yarn-beam, attached to the upper brace, 

 b, by means of a rope, e e, spirally applied. / is the upper beam of the 

 loom. As it is analogous to the yarn-beam of our loo'nTsyi will call it by 

 this name, although once only have I seen the warp wound around it. 

 It lies parallel to the pole d, about 2 or 3 inches below it, aud is attached 

 to the latter by a number of loops, g g. A spiral cord wound around 

 the yarn-beam holds the upper border cord h h, which, in turn, secures 

 t he upper end of the warp i i. The lower beam of the loom is shown 

 at />-. I will call this the cloth-beam, although the finished web is never 

 wound around it; it is tied firmly to the lower brace, c, of the frame, 

 aud to it is secured the lower border cord of the blanket. The original 

 distance between the two beams is the length of the blanket. Lying 



