Athapascan Indians; Indians of North America -- California
_Dress and ornament._--The people used deer skin blankets called
Nah-hi-ne tanned with the hair on, and also blankets of rabbit skin,
called Wa-gah hahs-nis-te. Deer skins tanned with the hair on are called
Nah-ki-le. The breech cloth formerly worn by the men was called Rut-soo
and tat-es-tat. Moccasins, Kus-ki-a, of elk hide were worn by rich men.
The women wore a front apron called Sahng; and on dress occasions an
ornamented cloak-like skirt (Chah) that extended all the way around and
lapped over in front. They also wore basket hats, called Ki´-e-traht´
and necklaces, the general term for which is Ni-ta-kle-ah. On occasions
they wore ear pendants, Bus-shra-mes-lah, of elk or deer bone. Nose
bones or shells, Mish-mes-lah, were sometimes worn; those of rich
persons consisted of one of the long _Dentalium_ shells. The chin is
tattooed with three narrow vertical lines called Tah-ah rut^{hl}-tes.
_Houses._--The houses (Munt) were square and were built of planks or
slabs hewn from redwood trees and stood up vertically, as in the case
of those of the Klamath River Indians. The ceremonial houses are called
N[=a]´-stahs-m[=a]´-ne. They are square and have a ridge roof. During
important dances the front side is removed. The sweat house is called
Shes´-kl[)e] and is large enough to hold twenty people. It is square or
rectangular, and the ground floor is excavated to a depth of about four
feet. The roof is of hewn planks covered with earth.
_Money._--The ordinary medium of exchange or "money" (Trut) consisted
of shells of _Dentalium_, of which the valuable long ones are called
T[=a]´-tos, the commoner short ones Kle´-ah. Clam shell disks or buttons
are called Nah´-set.
_Treatment of dead._--The dead are buried in a grave (Ch[)e]´-slo). The
people assert that they never burned their dead. They say that a spirit
or ghost, called Nah-who´-tlan, goes out of the body after death and
becomes a ghost.
_Ceremonial dances._--Dances are called N[=a]´-stahs or Nesh-stahsh. A
puberty dance, Chahs´-stah w[=a]´-nish tahs, was held for the girls.
Other important dances are held. Some last 5 days; others last 10 days.
The ceremonial drums Hah´-et-sah differ radically from those of any
other California Indians known to me. They are large cooking baskets
about two feet in diameter. Only new baskets are used in order that they
may stand the drumming.
Rattles called Chah-p[=a]t´-chah are made of the small hoofs of deer.
Cocoon rattles were not used.
Whistles, called Tut´-tle-nik are made of large quill feathers of birds,
not of bone.
_The stick game._--The stick game is a feature of the people, as in most
California tribes. It consists of a number of slender sticks called
Not-tr[=a]´-le, of which one, called Chah-when´, is marked. The counters
are called Chun´; the man who keeps count, Chun-ting. A dressed buckskin
is stretched tightly on the ground between the players, and when the
game is called, the sticks are thrown down upon it.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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