610 BUREAU OF AMEIRICAN ETHNOLOGY [Bull. 187 



Iberville notes that the girls belonging to the Houma tribe on the 

 lower Mississippi wore clothing colored red, yellow, and white (Mar- 

 gry, 1875-86, vol. 4, p. 285). 



Du Pratz has the following items regarding Natchez dyes : 



The tois-ayac Is a tree which is ordinarily small and does not grow larger than 

 the leg, perhaps because it is cut very often. . . . The natives use it in making 

 [yellow] dyes. They cut it into little bits, crush it, and then boil it in water, 

 after which they drain off this water and put the feathers and hair, which they 

 customarily dye yellow before dyeing them red, into this to steep. In performing 

 this operation they take care to cut the wood in winter, but when they wish to 

 give only a slight color to their hides, for they are not very fond of yellow, they 

 pay no attention to the season and cut the wood at all times. . . . 



It is of the root of this plant (achetchy) that the natives make their red dyes. 

 After having dyed an object yellow or a beautiful citron color with loU-ayac, as I 

 have described before, they boil the roots of the achetchy in water and squeeze 

 them with all their strength. Then they steep what they wish to dye in this 

 boiling water. What was naturally white before having been dyed yellow takes 

 on a beautiful poppy color, and what was brown, as bison hair, which is chest- 

 nut colored, becomes red-brown. (Le Page du Pratz, 1758, vol. 2, p. 63; Swanton, 

 1911, p. 66.) 



When red was used on pottery, red ocher was the source of the color 

 (Swanton, 1911, p. 62) . (See also De Villiers, 1925, p. 123.) 



The Chitimacha color their baskets down to the present day by 

 means of a dock {Rhus) treated with lime to produce red, untreated 

 for yellow; and black walnut for black (Swanton, 1911, p. 348). 



MNEMONIC DEVICES 



Speaking of the eastern Siouan Indians, Lederer says : 



Three ways they supply their want of letters : first by counters, secondly by 

 emblems or hieroglyphicks, thirdly by tradition delivered in long tales from 

 father to son, which being children they are made to learn by rote. 



For counters, they use either pebbles, or short scantlings of straw or reeds. 

 Where a battle has been fought, or a colony seated, they raise a small pyramid 

 of these stones, consisting of the number slain or transplanted. . . . 



An account of time, and other things, they keep on a string or leather thong 

 tied in knots of several colours. I took particular notice of small wheels serving 

 for this purpose amongst the Oenocks, because I have heard that the Mexicans 

 use the same. (Alvord, 1912, pp. 142-143.) 



Beverley also refers to the use of "knots on a string" and notes 

 their resemblance to Peruvian quipus, and he mentions reckoning by 

 means of "notches on a stick" (Beverley, 1705, bk. 3, p. 44). 



The following episode in the story of Newport's first exploratory 

 trip from Jamestown belongs in this place : 



There was an olde man with King Pamaunche (which I omitted in place to 

 specify) who wee understood to be. 110. yere olde; for Nauiraus (their guide) 

 with being with vs in our boate had learned me so much of the Languadge, and 

 was so excellently ingenious in signing out his meaning, that I could make him 

 vnderstand me, and perceive him also wellny in any thing. But this knowledge 



