TlIK NOMADIC I'KOIM-KS. 145 



few minutes of refirin^' becomes deep hhick. Vessels 

 are sometimes given a coating of white clay on which 

 designs in black are ])ainted. The vessels most in de- 

 mand are large pots which are supported on three- 

 branched sticks and placed ui the shade for the storage 

 of drinking water. The ware is sufficiently porous to 

 allow rapid evaporation which keeps the water delight- 

 fully cool. 



The pottery of the nomadic peoples as compared 

 with that of the village peoples is very inferior in 

 appearance and variety but is well adapted to the 

 limited household uses to w^hich it is put. 



Basketry. It is in basketry that the mechanical and 

 artistic skill of the nomadic peoples is best displayed. 

 The baskets of both the Jicarilla and the Mescalero are 

 quite different from those made by the Western Apache, 

 the Yavapai, and the Pima. The Jicarilla baskets are 

 of the coiled or sewed sort, the foundation is of a single 

 twig of sumach or willow. The sewing material is 

 made from similar twigs by splitting them into three 

 parts and separating the sap wood from the heart. 

 The sap portion, w^hich is that used, is trimmed to the 

 proper size and that required for designs is dyed. The 

 old dyes were made from the root bark of the mountain 

 mahogany which gives a red and the root of the barberry 

 which gives yellow. At the present time aniline dyes 

 are used and the colors are gaudy and varied. 



The patterns are geometrical: triangles, rectangles, 

 and bands. The names of these designs indicate that 

 they represent certain natural objects such as moun- 



