Chippewa Customs

APPLIQUE WORK

DENSMORE] CHIPPEWA CUSTOMS 173 was left at the back, and this was bent and pressed close to the skin or bark to serve as a fastening, like a knot on a thread. Another hole was made, perpendicular to the first, and through this the quill was passed to the back, thus making the stitch. . . . As quills were always so short . . . the fastening of ends and uniformity of the length of stitches were important points in the technic of the work." APPLIQUE WORK The materials commonly used in this work were colored ribbons. The work was done by laying ribbon of one color over ribbon of another color and cutting the upper ribbon in a pattern, turning the edges under and sewing them neatly in place. (PI. 78, u.) The usual patt€rn was in notches or diamonds. This decoration was used as a border on leggings, also on the cuffs and front piece of moccasins, and on the binding bands of cradle boards. The latter sometimes showed a border 3 or 4 inches wide on each edge, entirely covering the cloth except for a narrow space where the woven braid was tied around the cradle board. MEMORY DEVICES A record of time was kept by notches in a stick. This might be a record of time after some important event, or might represent an entire year, a large notch being made for the day of a new moon and smaller notches for the intervening days (p. 119). It was the custom of Little Wolf, the medicine man, to mark his packets of powdered medicinal roots by means of peculiar knots in the string with which he tied them. (PI. 78, b.) This marking was known only to himself. A warrior indicated the number of successful war parties by means of silk threads of various colors wound in narrow bands around the sha:(t of the feather which he wore in his hair. This was the custom of Little Wolf's father, whose war feather was obtained. This published the number of his victories, as well as kept them in his own mind. A memory device might be intended also to emphasize a fact. When the Chippewa made a treaty or other important agreement with the Government of the United States they laid a buckskin " hand" upon the pile of articles given them by the Government to seal the agreement. This" hand" was similar to that sent as a war summons (p. 133), except that the latter was smeared with red paint to represent blood. When used in the making of a treaty this " hand" was said to "typify the honor of the Chippewa Tribe." At the conclusion of the negotiation it was kept by the Chippewa, with the articles they had received. ...