﻿THE 
  STONE 
  AND 
  BONE 
  IMPLEMENTS 
  OF 
  THE 
  ARICKAREES. 
  37 
  

  

  that 
  it 
  was 
  used 
  for 
  dressing- 
  skins; 
  that 
  is, 
  for 
  scraping 
  off 
  the 
  flesh 
  

   and 
  muscle 
  that 
  adhered 
  to 
  skins 
  when 
  first 
  removed 
  from 
  animals. 
  

   It 
  seems 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  a 
  substitute 
  for 
  the 
  stone 
  chisel, 
  supposed 
  

   to 
  have 
  been 
  used 
  as 
  a 
  flesher. 
  In 
  the 
  Smithsonian 
  collection 
  

   there 
  is 
  an 
  implement 
  precisely 
  like 
  this, 
  but 
  mounted 
  at 
  the 
  end 
  

   with 
  an 
  extra 
  blade 
  of 
  sheet 
  iron, 
  secured 
  by 
  sinew, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  

   shape 
  of 
  a 
  scraper, 
  for 
  which 
  the 
  instrument, 
  thus 
  mounted, 
  was 
  

   well 
  adapted. 
  

  

  Bone 
  Moccasin 
  Smoother 
  — 
  Fig. 
  13, 
  PL 
  IV. 
  — 
  This 
  elaborate 
  and 
  

   singular 
  implement 
  was 
  found 
  with 
  one 
  end 
  inserted 
  behind 
  a 
  

   rafter 
  in 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  Man 
  dan 
  houses, 
  and 
  was 
  evidently 
  forgotten 
  

   by 
  the 
  Arickarees 
  when 
  they 
  abandoned 
  the 
  village. 
  The 
  same 
  

   person, 
  Mrs. 
  Culbertson, 
  found 
  the 
  article, 
  and 
  presented 
  it 
  to 
  the 
  

   writer, 
  and 
  pronounced 
  it, 
  at 
  the 
  same 
  time, 
  a 
  moccasin 
  smoother. 
  

   It 
  measures 
  13i 
  inches 
  in 
  length, 
  1\ 
  inch 
  in 
  width 
  across 
  the 
  

   handle, 
  and 
  3i 
  inches 
  across 
  the 
  branches. 
  It 
  is 
  white 
  on 
  the 
  

   upper 
  side, 
  brown 
  on 
  the 
  under, 
  and 
  an 
  eighth 
  of 
  an 
  inch 
  thick. 
  

   The 
  handle 
  is 
  ornamented 
  with 
  a 
  representation 
  of 
  two 
  skin 
  tents, 
  

   and 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  branches 
  with 
  the 
  figure 
  of 
  an 
  elk. 
  The 
  remaining 
  

   ornaments 
  are 
  simply 
  dots 
  burnt 
  into 
  the 
  bone. 
  It 
  will 
  be 
  

   observed 
  that 
  the 
  projections 
  on 
  the 
  branches 
  are 
  somewhat 
  trian- 
  

   gular, 
  being 
  narrowest 
  at 
  the 
  points 
  of 
  intersection. 
  These 
  may 
  

   have 
  been 
  designed 
  to 
  hold 
  the 
  moccasin 
  at 
  different 
  distances 
  

   from 
  the 
  handle, 
  while 
  stretched 
  over 
  it 
  for 
  the 
  purpose 
  of 
  rub- 
  

   bing 
  down 
  the 
  seam, 
  and 
  perhaps 
  while 
  in 
  the 
  act 
  of 
  stitching. 
  A 
  

   great 
  amount 
  of 
  labor 
  was 
  evidently 
  expended 
  in 
  constructing 
  

   this 
  implement, 
  in 
  doing 
  which, 
  some 
  metallic 
  instrument 
  would 
  

   seem 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  necessary. 
  

  

  Buffalo-Horn 
  Spoon 
  — 
  Fig. 
  14, 
  PL 
  IV. 
  — 
  The 
  soup 
  ladle, 
  made 
  

   of 
  wood, 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  common 
  utensils 
  of 
  the 
  American 
  

   Indians. 
  It 
  is 
  used 
  for 
  eating 
  soup, 
  succotash 
  and 
  hominy, 
  and 
  

   also 
  for 
  drinking. 
  This 
  horn 
  spoon 
  was 
  designed 
  for 
  the 
  same 
  

   purposes, 
  and 
  is 
  made 
  of 
  the 
  exterior 
  sheath 
  of 
  the 
  horn 
  of 
  the 
  

   buffalo. 
  It 
  is 
  black 
  in 
  color, 
  12| 
  inches 
  long, 
  2§ 
  inches 
  broad 
  in 
  

   its 
  widest 
  expanse, 
  and 
  1| 
  inch 
  in 
  its 
  greatest 
  depth. 
  In 
  thick- 
  

   ness 
  it 
  is 
  one-eighth 
  of 
  an 
  inch, 
  and 
  is 
  translucent 
  in 
  places. 
  It 
  

   was 
  probably 
  softened 
  in 
  water, 
  cut 
  in 
  its 
  present 
  form, 
  and 
  the 
  

   handle 
  bent 
  slightly, 
  and 
  then 
  allowed 
  to 
  harden 
  in 
  a 
  fixed 
  posi- 
  

   tion. 
  The 
  tip 
  of 
  the 
  horn, 
  for 
  an 
  inch 
  and 
  a 
  half 
  in 
  length, 
  is, 
  in 
  

  

  {Senate 
  No. 
  92.] 
  b 
  

  

  