STORIES
ABOUT
INDIANS.
[Illustration]
CONCORD, N.H.:
PUBLISHED BY MERRIAM & MERRILL
1854.
[Illustration: The above picture represents Indians hunting Buffalo.]
STORIES
ABOUT
INDIANS.
The Indians were formerly lords of the soil we now occupy, and obtained a
subsistence principally by hunting and fishing.
They generally lived in villages, containing from fifty to five hundred
families. Their houses, called _wigwams_, were usually constructed of
poles, one end being driven into the ground, and the other bent over so
as to meet another fastened in like manner; both being joined together at
the top, and covered with the bark of trees. Small holes were left open
for windows, which were closed in bad weather with a piece of bark. They
made their fire in the centre of the wigwam, leaving a small hole for a
chimney in the top of the roof.
[Illustration: Indian Village.]
They had no chairs, but sat upon skins, or mats, spread upon the ground,
which also served them for beds. Their clothes were principally made of
the skins of animals, which in winter were sewed together with the fur
side turned inwards.
The Indians were very fond of trinkets and ornaments, and often decorated
their heads with feathers, while fine polished shells were suspended from
their ears.