4(> INDl INS OF THE PLAINS. 



severe winters. We also have positive knowledge of 

 their early use by the Blackfoot, Assiniboine, Crow, 

 Dakota, Plains-Cree, Nez Perce, Northern Shoshone, 

 Gros Ventre, and on the other hand of their absence 

 among the Mandan, Hidatsa, Arikara, Pawnee, Osage, 

 Kiowa, Cheyenne, Arapaho, and Comanche. Thus, 

 the common shirt was after all not typical of the Plains 

 Indians: it is only recently that the special decorated 

 form so characteristic of the Assiniboine, Crow, Black- 

 foot, and Dakota has come into general use. Several 

 interesting points may be noted in the detailed struc- 

 ture of these shirts, but we must pass on. 



For the head there was no special covering. Yet in 

 winter the Blackfoot, Plains-Cree, and perhaps others 

 in the north, often wore fur caps. In the south and in 

 the Plateaus, the eyes were sometimes protected by 

 simple shades of rawhide. So, in general, both sexes 

 in the Plains went bare-headed, though the robe was 

 often pulled up forming a kind of temporary hood. 



Mittens and gloves seem to have been introduced by 

 the whites, though they appear to have been native in 

 other parts of the continent. 



The women of all tribes wore more clothing than the 

 men. The most typical garment was the sleeveless 

 dress, a one-piece garment, an excellent example of 

 which is to be seen in the Audubon collection, Fig. 14. 

 This type was used by the Hidatsa, Mandan, Crow, 

 Dakota, Arapaho, Ute, Kiowa, Comanche, Sarsi, 

 Gros Ventre, Assiniboine, and perhaps others. A slight 

 variant is reported for the Nez Perce, Northern Sho- 



