476 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [Bull. 137 



age." From this statement it would appear that the Creeks did not 

 differentiate between the dress of the unmarried women and that of 

 the married. 



Along the lower Mississippi, girls seem to have worn a garment 

 which was an amplification of that Hariot describes. Du Pratz has 

 the fullest description: 



The boys and the young girls are not clothed at all, but when the girls are from 

 eight to ten years of age they are covered from the belt to the ankle with a fringe 

 of mulberry threads attached to a band which passes under the belly. There is 

 also another band over the navel, which is joined to the first behind. The belly 

 between the two is covered with a netting, which holds them in place, and there 

 are behind only two large cords, each of which has a tassel. The boys begin to 

 cover themselves only at the age of twelve or thirteen. (Le Page du Pratz, 1758, 

 vol. 2, pp. 190-197; Swanton, 1911, p. 53.) 



According to Dumont de Montigny, the girl's garment was worn 

 by her until marriage or loss of virginity, and it consisted in 



a kind of net attached to their belt and terminating in a point just like a kind of 

 corps d'enfant, the two sides of which are ornamented with ribbons of bass thread, 

 also worked into a netting. From their belts to their knees hang many strings 

 from the same cord, at the ends of which are attached claws of birds of prey 

 like eagles, tiercelets, buzzards, etc., which when these girls walk make a kind 

 of clicking which pleases them. This sort of ornament does not ill resemble 

 those nets with which our horses are covered to protect them from the flies. 

 (Dumont, 1753, vol. 1, pp. 137-139; Swanton, 1911, pp. 52-58) 



Penicaut gives one more description : 



The breechclouts of the girls are ordinarily made of a fabric of white thread 

 and cover their nakedness only in front from the belt halfway down the legs. 

 They fasten it behind with two cords, at the end of each one of which hangs a 

 tassel which falls behind. There are fringes sewed to the lower part of the 

 breechclout along the front which hang down to the ankle. (Penicaut in Margry, 

 1875-86, vol. 5, pp. 445-446; Swanton, 1911, p. 52.) 



Bayogoula girls wore a garment, if it can be called that, more like 

 the ones described by Hariot and Lawson. 



Many girls from 6 to 7 [says Iberville] have no breechclouts at all ; they cover 

 themselves with a little bunch of moss, held by a thread, which passes between 

 their thighs and is knotted to a belt above. (Margry, 1875-86, vol. 4, pp. 171-172 ; 

 Swanton, 1911, p. 275.) 



The Tunica and Houma girls, if we may trust Gravier and La 

 Source, wore thread garments like those of the Natchez. (Thwaites, 

 1897-1901, vol. 65, pp. 151-153; Shea, 1861, pp. 80-81, 146-147; Swan- 

 ton, 1911, pp. 289, 316.) 



Of Caddo girls, Morfi says, quoting Solis : 



From the time of their birth their mothers put breechclouts of grass or 

 hay on them which modestly cover their nakedness and these they keep until 

 death, renewing them when required to do so by necessity, without failing on 

 this account to cover the rest of the body honestly. (Solis, 1931, p. 421; Morfl, 

 1932, p. 46; Swanton, 1942, p. 140.) 



