﻿84 
  [Assembly 
  

  

  quois 
  used 
  but 
  two 
  kinds 
  of 
  bark, 
  the 
  slippery 
  elm 
  and 
  the 
  bass- 
  

   wood, 
  the 
  former 
  for 
  thread, 
  twine, 
  and 
  burden 
  straps; 
  and 
  the 
  

   latter, 
  whicji 
  is 
  a 
  coarser 
  bark, 
  for 
  ropes 
  and 
  heavy 
  belts. 
  At 
  

   the 
  proper 
  season 
  the 
  inner 
  rind 
  of 
  the 
  bark 
  was 
  peeled 
  off 
  in 
  

   narrow 
  strips 
  six 
  or 
  eight 
  feet 
  in 
  length 
  and 
  tied 
  up 
  in 
  bunches, 
  

   as 
  represented 
  in 
  the 
  figure 
  above, 
  this 
  being 
  the 
  first 
  stage 
  in 
  

   the 
  process 
  of 
  manufacture. 
  

  

  0-Sa, 
  or 
  SKEIN 
  OF 
  basswood 
  filaments. 
  

  

  No. 
  37. 
  

  

  Before 
  it 
  would 
  run 
  off 
  into 
  filaments 
  or 
  small 
  threads, 
  it 
  was 
  

   boiled 
  in 
  ashes 
  and 
  water, 
  washed 
  thoroughly, 
  and 
  dried 
  in 
  the 
  

   sun. 
  It 
  could 
  then 
  be 
  separated 
  into 
  natural 
  threads 
  or 
  filaments 
  

   of 
  any 
  size, 
  which, 
  unless 
  too 
  fine, 
  would 
  run 
  the 
  length 
  of 
  the 
  

   strips 
  of 
  bark. 
  It 
  was 
  then 
  put 
  up 
  in 
  skeins, 
  as 
  shown 
  in 
  the 
  

   figure, 
  ready 
  for 
  use. 
  

  

  Ga-a-sken-dii, 
  or 
  bark 
  rope. 
  

  

  No. 
  81. 
  

  

  Basswood 
  filaments 
  were 
  usually 
  run 
  off 
  coarse, 
  and, 
  in 
  that 
  

   condition, 
  braided 
  into 
  ropes, 
  as 
  represented 
  above. 
  Three 
  

   strands 
  only 
  were 
  used, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  process 
  of 
  braiding, 
  which 
  

   was 
  done 
  by 
  hand, 
  these 
  strands 
  were 
  not 
  twisted, 
  as 
  tlieir 
  

   strength 
  would 
  not 
  thereby 
  be 
  increased. 
  A 
  specimen 
  of 
  this 
  

   bark 
  rope 
  fifty 
  feet 
  in 
  length 
  is 
  furnished, 
  and 
  two 
  others 
  about 
  

   thirty 
  feet 
  each. 
  In 
  some 
  instances 
  burden 
  straps 
  of 
  a 
  coarser 
  

   kind 
  were 
  made 
  of 
  basswood, 
  which 
  was 
  braided 
  into 
  an 
  open 
  

  

  