[Illustration: FIG. 110.--Paint stick. Nenenot.]
The pigments used are procured from different sources. From the traders
are obtained indigo in the crude condition or in the form of washing
blue, vermilion in small buckskin bags, and a few other colors. An
abundance of red earth occurs in several localities. The pigments are
reduced to the finest possible condition and kneaded with the fingers
until ready for the addition of water often mixed with a slight quantity
of oil or tallow. A favorite vehicle for the paint is the prepared roe
of a sucker (_Catastomus_) abounding in the waters of the district.
The female fish are stripped of the mass of ova which is broken up in a
vessel and the liquid strained through a coarse cloth. The color is a
faint yellow which becomes deeper with age. The fluid is allowed to dry
and when required for use is dissolved in water. It has then a
semiviscid consistence and in this condition is mixed with the various
pigments. When a yellowish color is desired the fish-egg preparation is
applied alone. The albumen gives sufficient adhesive quality to the
paint and produce a rich glaze, giving a good effect to the otherwise
dull colors.
[Illustration: FIG. 111.--paint cup. Nenenot.]
[Illustration: FIG. 112.--paint cup. Nenenot.]
The process of preparing the crude mineral colors is quite tedious as
the attrition is produced by rubbing the substance between two smooth
stones, a little water occasionally being added to hold the particles
together. The prepared paints are put in the vessels already described,
and when ready for use a quantity is taken with the finger and placed in
the palm of the hand while the other fingers hold the instrument by
which it is to be applied. The paint stick is carefully drawn through
the thin layer of paint spread on the other palm and a quantity,
depending on the thickness of the layer, adheres to the edges of the
appliance and by a carefully guided motion of the hand the lines desired
are produced. The eye alone guides the drawing, however intricate it may
be. The artist frequently attempts to imitate some of the delicate
designs on a gaudy bandana handkerchief or some similar fabric. The
principal source of the hematite is a lake near the headwaters of
George's river where it occurs as a mass of disintegrated rock along the
margin. The water has by freezing split great quantities from the mass
and when there is a strong wind from the opposite direction the water is
often lashed into a blood-red foam.
[Illustration: FIG. 113.--Paint cup. Nenenot.]