THE CAMP DWELLERS. 165 
The practice of making designs in colors which do not 
cross the entire. width of the blanket seems to have 
originated with the Navajo. The Hopi robes have 
‘stripes running entirely across them; but the skirts of 
the women and the shirts of the men have the designs 
added by embroidery after the fabric is woven. The 
method employed by the Navajo of making the design 
while the weaving is in progress is similar to that with 
which they were familiar in basket making. It is then 
possible that the designs now found on Navajo blankets 
were in large measure adapted from basketry designs. 
Unfortunately, the Navajo at the present time make 
very few baskets, so that a comparison between the 
designs on blankets and baskets is hardly feasible. 
Silverwork. The art of metal working is certainly 
an introduced one in the Southwest. It is practised 
by many tribes in North America, usually with the 
softer metals like German silver. The Navajo, how- 
ever, use Mexican silver coins and have become very 
expert. Most of the work is done by pounding the 
material on a small anvil with an ordinary steel hammer. 
A small forge with bellows is used to soften the metal 
and to melt it when it is necessary to make casts in 
molds. The hammered pieces are decorated by stamp- 
ing designs on them with steel dies which are prepared 
by the Navajo themselves. 
The products are finger rings set with turquoise 
matrix, bracelets, large oval disks for leather belts, and 
neck ornaments. These neck ornaments are usually a 
string of hollow spherical beads and a pendant con- 
sisting of two joined crescents. Between the beads 
are often placed conventionalized squash blossoms. 
Beadwork. The Eastern Apache do much work with 
glass beads. These are either sewed to articles of leather 
and buckskin, such as purses, tobacco bags, awl cases, 
