63063. Basket sieve said to be used to separate the finer from the
coarser particles of pounded corn. The coarse meal thus obtained is
boiled and allowed to ferment. This is used as food and is called
_connawhana_. The sieve is made of split cane carefully smoothed;
some of the strips are dyed red and others brown. A simple ornamental
design is worked in these colors. The opening is square, with rounded
corners, the sides measuring 14 inches. The depth is 5 inches. The
bottom is flat and loosely woven.
63072. A bottle-shaped basket, with constricted neck and rectangular
body, used by the Cherokees for carrying fish. Height, 11 inches;
width of mouth, 4 inches; diameter of body, 6 inches. It is made of
strips of white oak or hickory, one-fourth of an inch in thickness.
63073. Basket made of strips of white oak intended for the storage
of seeds and for other household uses. The rim is about 5 inches in
diameter; the body is 8 inches in diameter, the base being rectangular
and flat.
63074. Basket, made of cane, used for storing seed.
63076. Two baskets, made of cane, probably used for household purposes.
They are neatly ornamented with simple designs, produced by the use of
colored strips. The rims are oval in shape, and the bases rectangular.
The larger will hold about half a bushel, the smaller about a gallon.
63077. Small basket with a handle, made of splints of white oak. Yellow
strips of hickory bark are used to ornament the rim. Other colors are
obtained by using bark of different trees, maple, walnut, etc.
63078. Small cup or dish carved from laurel or cucumber wood. It is very
neatly made. The depth is about 1 inch; the width 5 inches.
63064. Large spoon, carved from laurel or cucumber wood, used by the
Cherokees in handling the _connawhana_, or fermented meal. The carving
is neatly done. The heart-shaped bowl is 6 inches in length, 4 in
width, and about 2 in depth. The handle is 12 inches long, and is
embellished at the end by a knob and ring. The knob is carved to
represent a turtle's or snake's head.
63065. A smaller spoon similar in shape to the above.
63087. A large, five-pronged fork carved from the wood of the _Magnolia
glauca_ (?). It resembles the iron forks of the whites.
63088. A small, three-pronged fork of the same pattern and material as
the above.
63080. A wooden comb made in imitation of the shell combs used by white
ladies for supporting and ornamenting the back hair. The carving is
said to have been done with a knife. Considerable skill is shown in
the ornamental design at the top. The wood is maple or beech.
63089. A walnut paddle or club, used to beat clothes in washing.
63059. Bow of locust wood, 5 feet long, one-half an inch thick, and
1-1/2 inches wide in the middle, tapering at the ends to 1 inch. The
back of the bow is undressed, the bark simply having been removed. The
string, which resembles ordinary twine, is said to be made of wild
hemp. The arrows are 40 inches in length. The shafts are made of
hickory wood and have conical points. Stone and metal points are not
used, as the country abounds in small game only, and heavy points are
considered unnecessary. In trimming the arrow two feathers of the wild
turkey are used; these are close clipped and fastened with sinew.
63057. Blow-gun used by the Cherokees to kill small game. This specimen
is 7 feet in length, and is made of a large cane, probably the
_Arundinaria macrosperma_. These guns are made from 5 to 15 feet in
length, the diameter in large specimens reaching 1-1/2 inches.
63058. Arrows used with the blow-gun. The shafts, which are made of
hickory wood, are 2 feet in length and very slender. The shooting end
has a conical point; the feather end is dressed with thistle-down,
tied on in overlapping layers with thread or sinew. The tip of down
completely fills the barrel of the gun; and the arrow, when inserted
in the larger end and blown with a strong puff, has a remarkable
carrying and penetrating power.
63085. Thistle-heads, probably the _Cnicus lanceolatus_, from which the
down is obtained in preparing the arrows of the blow-gun.
63061. Ball-sticks or racquets made of hickory wood. Rods of this tough
wood, about 7 feet long, are dressed to the proper shape, the ends
having a semicircular section, the middle part being flat. Each is
bent and the ends united to form a handle, leaving a pear-shaped loop
6 inches in width by about 12 in length, which is filled with a
network of leather or bark strings sufficiently close to hold the
ball.
63061. Ball, 1-1/2 inches in diameter, covered with buckskin, used with
the racquets in playing the celebrated ball game of the Cherokee,
Choctaw, Creek, and Seminole Indians.