A Few Shotguns Were Seen
Among Them, But No Rifles, And Great Was The Admiration And Wonder With Which
The Indians Saw The White Men Slay Birds And Animals At A Long Distance.
Pitfalls For Elk Were Constructed By The Side Of Fallen Trees Over Which
The Animals Might Leap.
Concerning the manufactures of the Clatsops,
they reported as follows:
-
"Their hats are made of cedar-bark and bear-grass, interwoven
together in the form of a European hat, with a small brim of about
two inches, and a high crown widening upward. They are light,
ornamented with various colors and figures, and being nearly
water-proof, are much more durable than either chip or straw hats.
These hats form a small article of traffic with the whites,
and their manufacture is one of the best exertions of Indian industry.
They are, however, very dexterous in making a variety of domestic utensils,
among which are bowls, spoons, scewers [skewers], spits, and baskets.
The bowl or trough is of different shapes - round, semicircular,
in the form of a canoe, or cubic, and generally dug out of a
single piece of wood; the larger vessels have holes in the sides
by way of handles, and all are executed with great neatness.
In these vessels they boil their food, by throwing hot stones into
the water, and extract oil from different animals in the same way.
Spoons are not very abundant, nor is there anything remarkable
in their shape, except that they are large and the bowl broad.
Meat is roasted on one end of a sharp skewer, placed erect before
the fire, with the other end fixed in the ground.
"But the most curious workmanship is that of the basket.
It is formed of cedar-bark and bear-grass, so closely interwoven
that it is water-tight, without the aid of either gum or resin.
The form is generally conic, or rather the segment [frustum]
of a cone, of which the smaller end is the bottom of the basket;
and being made of all sizes, from that of the smallest cup
to the capacity of five or six gallons, they answer the double
purpose of a covering for the head or to contain water.
Some of them are highly ornamented with strands of bear-grass,
woven into figures of various colors, which require great labor;
yet they are made very expeditiously and sold for a trifle.
It is for the construction of these baskets that the bear-grass
forms an article of considerable traffic. It grows only
near the snowy region of the high mountains; the blade,
which is two feet long and about three-eighths of an inch wide,
is smooth, strong, and pliant; the young blades particularly,
from their not being exposed to the sun and air, have an appearance
of great neatness, and are generally preferred. Other bags
and baskets, not waterproof, are made of cedar-bark, silk-grass,
rushes, flags, and common coarse sedge, for the use of families.
In these manufactures, as in the ordinary work of the house,
the instrument most in use is a knife, or rather a dagger.
The handle of it is small, and has a strong loop of twine
for the thumb, to prevent its being wrested from the band.
On each side is a blade, double-edged and pointed; the longer
from nine to ten inches, the shorter from four to five.
This knife is carried habitually in the hand, sometimes exposed,
but mostly, when in company with strangers, is put under the robe."
Naturally, all of the Columbia River Indians were found
to be expert in the building and handling of canoes.
Here their greatest skill was employed.
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