(ill l\Dl LNS 01 l III. PLAINS. 



natural shape of the tanned skin fit into the desired 

 garment, with as little waste as possible. We do not 



know how skins were cut before the introduction of 

 metal knives by white trader-. Needles were not 

 used by the women among the Plains Indians, but the 

 t bread was pushed through holes made with bodkins 

 or awls. In former times these awls were made of 

 bone; the sewing was with sinew thread made by 

 shredding out the long tendons from the leg of the 

 buffalo and deer. When sewing, Blackfoot women 

 had at hand a piece of dried tendon from which they 

 pulled the shreds with their teeth, softened them in 

 their mouths and then twisted them into a thread by 

 rolling between the palms of their hands. The moist cu- 

 ing of the sinew in the mouth not only enabled the 

 women to twist the thread tightly, but also caused the 

 sinew to expand so that when it dried in the stitch it 

 shrank and drew the stitches tight. The ordinary 

 woman's sewing outfit was carried in a soft bag of 

 buffalo skin and consisted of bodkins, a piece of sinew, 

 and a knife. Bodkins were sometimes carried in small 

 beaded cases as shown in the exhibit. 



The Use of Rawhide. In the use of rawhide for 

 binding and hafting, the Plains tribes seem almost 

 unique. When making mauls and stone-headed clubs 

 a piece of green or wet hide is firmly sewed on and as 

 this dries its natural shrinkage sets the parts firmly. 

 This is nicely illustrated in saddles. Thus, rawhide 

 here takes the place of nails, twine, cement, etc., in other 

 cultures. 



