﻿THE 
  STONE 
  AND 
  BONE 
  IMPLEMENTS 
  OF 
  THE 
  ARICKAREES. 
  43 
  

  

  quality 
  on 
  the 
  upper 
  Missouri 
  : 
  and 
  to 
  cut 
  it 
  without 
  metallic 
  im- 
  

   plements, 
  and 
  to 
  transport 
  it 
  without 
  animal 
  power, 
  which 
  was 
  their 
  

   hard 
  necessity, 
  indicate 
  a 
  degree 
  of 
  perservering 
  industry 
  highly 
  

   creditable 
  to 
  a 
  people 
  who 
  arc 
  generally 
  regarded 
  as 
  averse 
  to 
  

   labor. 
  It 
  is 
  not 
  unlikely 
  that 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  stone 
  hammers 
  and 
  

   mauls, 
  herein 
  figured 
  and 
  described, 
  were 
  worn 
  off 
  in 
  the 
  erection 
  

   of 
  these 
  houses, 
  and 
  that 
  these, 
  with 
  stone 
  chisels, 
  were 
  the 
  only 
  

   implements 
  used. 
  

  

  These 
  houses 
  were 
  thickly 
  studded 
  together 
  to 
  economize 
  the 
  

   sjmce 
  within 
  the 
  stockade, 
  so 
  that 
  in 
  passing 
  through 
  the 
  village, 
  

   you 
  walk 
  along 
  semi-circular 
  foot 
  paths 
  which 
  turn 
  at 
  a 
  few 
  paces 
  

   both 
  to 
  the 
  right 
  and 
  left. 
  There 
  is 
  not 
  only 
  no 
  street, 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  

   impossible 
  to 
  see 
  in 
  any 
  direction 
  except 
  for 
  short 
  distances, 
  and 
  

   very 
  difficult 
  to 
  find 
  your 
  way 
  until 
  the 
  topography 
  of 
  the 
  village 
  

   is 
  learned. 
  The 
  foot 
  paths 
  tread 
  a 
  labyrinth 
  of 
  circular 
  houses, 
  

   as 
  will 
  be 
  made 
  apparent 
  by 
  consulting 
  the 
  ground 
  plan 
  of 
  the 
  

   village 
  (Figure 
  21). 
  In 
  the 
  centre 
  there 
  was 
  an 
  open 
  space 
  several 
  

   rods 
  in 
  diameter, 
  where 
  their 
  dances, 
  games 
  and 
  religious 
  cere- 
  

   monies 
  were 
  performed, 
  and 
  where 
  the 
  people 
  gathered 
  for 
  general 
  

   intercourse 
  and 
  for 
  holding 
  councils. 
  The 
  medicine 
  stone, 
  a 
  boulder 
  

   of 
  granite, 
  spotted 
  over 
  with 
  vermilion, 
  and 
  the 
  war-post, 
  

   were 
  still 
  in 
  their 
  places 
  in 
  this 
  area 
  within 
  a 
  circular 
  picket 
  

   enclosure. 
  Upon 
  the 
  housetops, 
  which 
  furnished 
  attractive 
  resorts 
  

   for 
  lounging 
  in 
  the 
  sunshine, 
  were 
  skulls 
  of 
  the 
  buffalo, 
  sometimes 
  

   three 
  or 
  four, 
  placed 
  there 
  from 
  religious 
  motives 
  of 
  some 
  kind, 
  

   but 
  appearing 
  to 
  the 
  stranger 
  as 
  very 
  proper 
  trophies 
  of 
  the 
  

   chase. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  open 
  spaces 
  between 
  the 
  houses 
  were 
  their 
  drying 
  scaf- 
  

   folds, 
  about 
  one 
  to 
  each 
  house. 
  They 
  were 
  about 
  twenty 
  feet 
  long, 
  

   twelve 
  feet 
  wide, 
  and 
  seven 
  feet 
  high 
  to 
  the 
  flooring, 
  and 
  made 
  

   of 
  posts 
  set 
  upright 
  with 
  cross 
  pieces 
  resting 
  in 
  forks 
  (Fig. 
  25, 
  

   PI. 
  VI). 
  Other 
  poles 
  were 
  then 
  placed 
  longitudinally, 
  upon 
  which 
  

   was 
  a 
  flooring 
  of 
  willow 
  mats. 
  At 
  the 
  four 
  corners 
  and 
  midway 
  

   at 
  the 
  centre, 
  extra 
  posts 
  were 
  set, 
  and 
  rising 
  to 
  the 
  height 
  of 
  fif- 
  

   teen 
  feet, 
  were 
  connected 
  with 
  three 
  cross 
  pieces 
  at 
  the 
  top 
  placed 
  

   transversely 
  and 
  resting 
  in 
  forks, 
  which 
  completed 
  the 
  frame 
  work. 
  

   These 
  wooden 
  scaffolds, 
  mounted 
  with 
  ladders 
  of 
  the 
  kind 
  de- 
  

   scribed, 
  were 
  used 
  for 
  drying 
  their 
  skins 
  and 
  also 
  their 
  corn, 
  meat 
  

   and 
  vegetables. 
  

  

  Situated 
  thus 
  picturesquely 
  on 
  a 
  bluff 
  at 
  an 
  angle 
  of 
  the 
  river, 
  

   with 
  houses 
  of 
  such 
  peculiar 
  model, 
  and 
  with 
  such 
  an 
  array 
  of 
  

  

  