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  TWENTY-FIRST 
  REPORT 
  ON 
  THE 
  STATE 
  CABINET. 
  

  

  for 
  which 
  it 
  is 
  designed. 
  The 
  willows 
  used 
  are 
  about 
  half 
  an 
  

   inch 
  in 
  diameter. 
  This 
  matting 
  is 
  used 
  to 
  cover 
  the 
  rafters 
  of 
  a 
  

   new 
  lodge 
  ; 
  after 
  which 
  they 
  are 
  spread 
  over 
  with 
  grass, 
  upon 
  

   which 
  is 
  placed 
  the 
  covering 
  of 
  earth 
  which 
  forms 
  the 
  roof. 
  They 
  

   are 
  also 
  used, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  skins, 
  to 
  form 
  compartments 
  for 
  the 
  seve- 
  

   ral 
  families 
  which 
  inhabit 
  the 
  same 
  lodge, 
  and 
  for 
  many 
  other 
  

   purposes. 
  The 
  introduction 
  of 
  the 
  willow 
  mat 
  was 
  a 
  small 
  inven- 
  

   tion 
  ; 
  but 
  yet 
  it 
  reveals 
  a 
  tendency 
  to 
  improvement 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  actual 
  

   progress 
  in 
  the 
  direction 
  of 
  increased 
  comfort 
  in 
  domestic 
  life. 
  

  

  Caches 
  for 
  Corn. 
  — 
  For 
  storing 
  corn, 
  vegetables 
  and 
  dried 
  meat, 
  

   they 
  excavated 
  small 
  cellars, 
  sometimes 
  by 
  the 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  house, 
  

   but 
  quite 
  frequently 
  within 
  it 
  and 
  near 
  its 
  walls. 
  They 
  are 
  jug- 
  

   shaped, 
  the 
  mouth 
  being 
  narrow 
  and 
  round, 
  resembling 
  in 
  outline 
  

   the 
  cavity 
  of 
  the 
  corn 
  mortar 
  (Fig. 
  16). 
  They 
  are 
  usually 
  from 
  

   five 
  to 
  eight 
  feet 
  deep 
  and 
  from 
  five 
  to 
  six 
  feet 
  wide 
  in 
  their 
  great- 
  

   est 
  diameter. 
  I 
  measured 
  one 
  and 
  found 
  it 
  six 
  feet 
  deep, 
  and 
  five 
  

   feet 
  wide 
  at 
  the 
  bulge, 
  with 
  an 
  opening 
  at 
  the 
  surface 
  two 
  feet 
  

   and 
  three 
  inches 
  in 
  diameter. 
  It 
  descended 
  vertically 
  about 
  a 
  

   foot, 
  and 
  then 
  gradually 
  widened 
  out. 
  As 
  the 
  soil 
  was 
  firm, 
  it 
  

   had 
  not 
  yielded 
  or 
  broken 
  out 
  in 
  the 
  least, 
  and 
  was 
  perfectly 
  

   fresh, 
  dry 
  and 
  clean 
  within. 
  Whether 
  the 
  inner 
  wall 
  had 
  been 
  

   solidified 
  by 
  pounding 
  the 
  inner 
  surface, 
  I 
  had 
  no 
  means 
  of 
  ascer- 
  

   taining. 
  They 
  are 
  undoubtedly 
  impervious 
  to 
  water, 
  otherwise 
  

   they 
  would 
  be 
  useless, 
  if 
  not 
  positive^ 
  injurious. 
  

  

  Pottery. 
  — 
  In 
  1862 
  the 
  Arickarees 
  were 
  still 
  using 
  pottery 
  of 
  

   their 
  own 
  manufacture. 
  It 
  was 
  of 
  a 
  dark 
  color, 
  nearly 
  black. 
  

   While 
  at 
  the 
  new 
  Arickaree 
  village, 
  I 
  saw 
  them 
  use 
  earthen 
  pots 
  

   to 
  draw 
  water 
  from 
  the 
  river. 
  One 
  of 
  these, 
  which 
  would 
  hold 
  

   about 
  six 
  quarts, 
  with 
  a 
  string 
  adjusted 
  around 
  the 
  neck, 
  was 
  let 
  

   down 
  into 
  the 
  Missouri, 
  filled 
  and 
  then 
  carried 
  to 
  the 
  lodge. 
  It 
  

   was 
  of 
  the 
  usual 
  shape 
  of 
  earthern 
  pots 
  or 
  water 
  jars, 
  slightly 
  

   contracted 
  at 
  the 
  neck 
  and 
  bordered 
  with 
  a 
  rim, 
  around 
  which 
  the 
  

   string 
  was 
  secured. 
  

  

  Mandan 
  Village. 
  — 
  This 
  village 
  was 
  situated 
  on 
  the 
  southwest 
  

   side 
  of 
  the 
  Missouri, 
  upon 
  a 
  bluff 
  forty 
  or 
  fifty 
  feet 
  high 
  at 
  a 
  bend 
  

   in 
  the 
  river, 
  which 
  here 
  formed 
  an 
  obtuse 
  angle, 
  the 
  river 
  washing 
  

   the 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  bluff. 
  At 
  the 
  angle 
  formed 
  by 
  the 
  bend 
  was 
  the 
  

   village 
  plot, 
  occupying 
  a 
  nearly 
  circular 
  area, 
  and 
  covering 
  about 
  

   five 
  acres 
  of 
  land. 
  A 
  ground 
  plan 
  of 
  the 
  village 
  is 
  given 
  in 
  

  

  