CRADLES OF THE AMERICAN ABORIGINES. 171 



holes in flaps of raw-hide, in place of the series of eyelet loops occurring 

 on cradles farther south. 



In the coininencenient of this article two kinds of deformation were 

 mentioned, the designed and the undesigned. The first- mentioned method 

 is found in British Columbia, on its western border, and in our domain 

 along the coast of Washington and Oregon. On the extreme north- 

 west corner of Washington live the Makahs, a people associated with 

 the Ahts on Vancouver Island, and belonging to the Nutkan or Waka- 

 shan stock. Living as they do in the great cedar region, their cradle 

 would naturally be similar to those of the Indians living farther north. 



It is a trough rudely hewed out of cedar wood. (Fig. 7.) A low bridge 

 is left across the trough to strengthen it. Slats are put across to level 

 of height of bridge. The bedding consists of mats of cedar bark. On 

 the lower end of the cradle is a handle. Around the sides are fastened 

 strings. The compress is fastened to head of cradle. It curves over 

 and is tightened by means of cords to the sides of the cradle. It is 

 woven of, and stuffed tightly with, cedar bark. These cradles are sus- 

 pended by strings to pliant poles, swung by the mother with her hand 

 or great toe. 



Another cradle-trough in the National Museum, said to have come 

 from Oregon Territory, is a block of cedar wood 30 inches long and 12 

 inches square, roughly hewn in shape of a boat, with bulging sides. 

 At the foot, on the outside, is carved a handle, function not known. The 

 bed is shredded cedar bark, and the covering a quilt of the same mate- 

 rial, roughly held together by twined weaving; a long pad is hinged to 

 the head-board, and so arranged as to be drawn down over the child's 

 forehead and lashed to either side of the trough. There is evident con- 

 nection between the boats of the Northwest and the cradles. An inter- 

 esting feature about this form of cradle is the appliances for lashing 

 the child : 



(1) A series of holes along the side, just below the margin, parallel 

 with the border most of the way, but sloping quite away from it at the 

 head. 



(2) A cord of coarse root laid along over these holes on the outside 

 of the cradles. 



(3) On either side the standard series of loops for the lacing-string 

 is formed by passing a twine through the first hole, around the root cord 

 on the outside, back through the same hole up to the middle of the 

 cradle to form a loop, back through the next hole in the same manner. 



(4) The lacing-string runs through these loops alternately from bot- 

 tom to top. The ornamentation of this type of cradle is chiefly by 

 means of parti-colored basketry and furs. The Chinuks were an ad- 

 vanced people in art, and many of their cradles were very prettily 

 adorned. Mr, Oatlin figured one in which the process of head-flattening 

 is going forward. 



In Mayne'» "British Columbia and Vancouver's Island" we read that 



