496 BUREAU OP AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [Bull. 137 



Men, and sometimes women, worked in silver, using little hammers, 

 anvils, vises and other tools, obtained from the whites. They pounded 

 out coins into round, flat, or oval pieces, cut them into smaller parts, 

 or drew them out into wires. The Alabama made the round ornaments, 

 for the most part, in relatively late times. According to the ornament 

 desired they selected a silver quarter, or a 50-cent piece, or a Mexican 

 dollar, laid it on the side of an ax, and beat it a little with a hammer. 

 Then they took it up with a pair of pliers, held it in the fire until it was 

 almost red hot, and dipped it in water so as to cool it a little, after which 

 they again pounded it. The heating was to prevent it from cracking. 

 This process was gone through with several times, considerable force 

 being used at first which was afterward moderated as the metal got 

 thinner so as to make it smooth. Ornamental holes and indentations 

 were made with an awl, and a larger hole was pierced in the middle with 

 the same implement, its size being still further increased by means of 

 a small knife. At the side of this aperture a small hole was punched 

 with the awl, a common brass pin inserted in this, and bent over at the 

 end so that it would not come out. When the ornament was to be 

 fastened upon the dress it was laid against the place to which it was 

 to be attached, convex side out. Some of the cloth was then pulled 

 through the central opening, the pin was run through the cloth, and 

 when the fabric was pulled back, the ornament was held firmly in place. 

 Pieces intended for earrings were hammered down flat, after which 

 a portion of one edge was cut off straight, a small hole punched in the 

 middle of this straight side, and an iron or copper wire run through 

 this and fastened to the ear. The brother of my informant worked a 

 Mexican silver dollar into a bracelet by beating it out long and flat, 

 curving the ends round, and punching a hole on the edge at each end 

 to fasten it together. To make a ring they took a silver dime, pounded 

 it out long, cut it into an oval shape, and concaved it. A strip of tin 

 was then taken and bent into a circle of the right size to fit about the 

 finger. Solder and rosin were next put in the middle of the silver plate 

 on its concave surface. The latter was afterward put over the fire, 

 and the tin ring pressed down upon it in such a manner that the solder 

 and rosin on melting would at the same time fasten the two ends of the 

 tin ring to each other and to the silver plate. The resulting ring 

 was of the type known as a marquise ring. The Alabama affirm that 

 they did not make the crescent-shaped gorgets themselves, but bought 

 them from the Choctaw. 



A silver ornament after the manner of an elongated oval was 

 made to wear over the braids of the hair, which were gathered to- 

 gether over the middle of the forehead to receive it. For this a 

 silver quarter was selected, beaten out as already described, and con- 

 caved. Two holes were punched near the border at each end for 



