276 



OMAHA DWELLINGS, FURNITURE, ETC. 



(ETB. ANN. 13 



soft skin (daqifuqaha fa") covered with plenty of thick hair was laid on 

 the board, and on it was placed the infant. 



In the annexed figures, a is the iudua(('.isi°ka"he, the object painted 

 on the board at the end where the infant's head is laid; h is the inde- 



b 



c d 



F[G. 311.— Omaha cradle— plan- 



ifidiiidi" (" that which is drawn taut over the face"), the two strings 

 of beads and sinew or thread (sometimes made of red calico aloue), 

 which keep in place the fan, etc.; the fan (indeagani), which is sus- 

 pended from a bow of wood, (c) is about G inches square, and is now 



a c d 



Flu. 312.— Omaha cradle— side view. 



made of interwoven sinew on which beads have been strung. Occasion- 

 ally thimbles and other bright objects dangle from the bottom of the 

 fan. The ifafistage (d) is the band by which the infant is fastened 



to the cradle. 



Children',s Swings. 



For swings the ends of two withes of biiftalo hide were secured to 

 four trees or posts which formed the corners of a parallelogram. A 

 blanket was thrown across the withes and folded over on them. The 

 infant was laid on top of the fold aud swung from side to side without 



falling. 



Brooms. 



Brooms were of two kinds. One form was made of sticks tied to- 

 gether, and was used foi- sweeping the ground outside of the tent or 

 earth lodge, and the interior of the earth lodge, except the fireplace. 

 The other kind was made of goose or turkey feathers, and was used for 

 sweeping the fireplace of an earth lodge. 



POTTKRY. 



Pottery has not been made by the Omaha for more than fifty years. 

 The art of making it has been forgotten by the tribe. 



Mortars ani> Pestles. 



A mortar was made by burning a large hole in a round knot or i>iece 

 of wood about 7 inches in diameter. The lower end was sharpened 



