History of the expedition under the command of Captains Lewis and Clark, to the sources of the Missouri, thence across the Rocky mountains and down the River Columbia to the Pacific Ocean : performed during the years 1804-5-6 by order of the government of the United States; Volume 2

Page 82

Lewis mul Clarke's Etrpeditiou dren, when they are released ft•om the bamla.gc, arc not more than two inches thick about the nppr.r edge of the forehead, and still thinner above: nor with all its efforts can nature ever restore its shape.; thf' ]H'ads of grown ppr•sons being of­ten in a ~traight line from the nose to the top of the l'ot·e­bead. The hair of both sexes is parted at the top of the head, and thence falls loosely behind the ears, over the back and shoulders. They usc combs, of which t.h('y arc very fond, and indeed, contrive without. the aid of them, to keep their hair in very good order. Tbe th·ess of the man consists in a small robe, reaching to the middle of the thigh, tietl by a string acr·oss the breast, with its corners hanging loosdy over their at·ms. ,.rltesc robes arc, in general, composed of the skins of a small animal, which we have supposed to be the brown muugo. '.rhcy have besides, those of the tiger, cat, deer, panther, bear, and elk, which last is principally used in wat• parties. Sometimes they have a blanket woven with the fingers, ft·om the wool of their native sheep; occasional­ly a mat is th1·own over them to keep off t•ain; but ox<lt'llt this robe, they have no other article or clothing during win­ter or summer, so that every pat·t of the body, but the !Jack and shoulders, is exposed to view. ,.rhey at·c very fond of the dress of the whites, whom they call pashisheooks or clothmcn; and whenever they can procut·c any clothes, wear them in our manner: the only at·ticlc, indeed, which we have not seen among them is the shoe. The robe of the women is like that worn by the men, ex­cept that it docs not reach below the waist. rrbose most esteemed at·o made of strips of sea-otter skin, which being twisted arc interwoven with silk-grass, or tho bark or the white cedar, in such a manner that tho fur appears equally on both sides, so as t.o form a soft ami warm covering. rrhc skin of the racoon or beaver arc also emt>loyed in the same way, though on other occasions these skins arc simply dt·css­ed in the hail·, and worn without further pre11aration. The garll\ent which eovcrs the body from the waist as low as the Up the Missou1•i. knee before and the thigh behind. is tlw tissue already de~ scribed, and is made either· of the brui ed bar·k of white ce­dar, the twisted COJ'dS of silk-gr·a~s, Of of fla.gs antl rushes. Ndther lr.ggings nor moccasins ar·c ever used, the mildncs~ of the climate not n~quit·ing them as a security from the weather, and their being so much in the watc1· rendering them an incumberancc. The only covering for the head is a hac made of brar·-grass, and the bad of cedar, interwoven in a conic form, with a knob of the same shape at the tnp. It has no brim, but is h<'ld on the h('a.d by a stt·ing passing under the chin, and tied to a small t•im inside of th<' hat. The colours arc gcneraHy black and white only, and ttwse arc made into squares. triangles, and sometimes •~ucle figures of canves and seamen hat·pooning whales. This is all the usual dress of females; hut if the weather be unusuaJiy seve•·e, \hey add a vest formed cr skins lik(~ the robe, tied behind, without any shoulder-straps to keep it up. As this vest covers the body fl'om the armpits to tlw waist, it conceals the breasts, but on all other occasions they arc suffered to rc ~ main loose and exposed, and present, in old women cspccial­Jy, a most disgusting appearance. Sometirurs, though not often, they mal'k their skins by punctm·ing and intt~oducing some coloured matter: tllis or­nament is chiefly conJincd to tbe women, who impt·int on their legs and arms, cit·cular or parallel dots. On the arm of one of the squaws we read the name of J. Bowman, appa­rently a trader who Yisits the mouth of the Columbia. The favourite decoration howcYcr of both sexes, al'<' the common coaJ•se blue or white beads, which arc folded vct·y tightly round their wrists and auclcs, to the width of tlu·ce Ol' four jnchcs, and worn .inlaa·ge loose rolls l'Ound the nccl<, or in the shape of earrings, or hanging fr·om the nose, which last mode js pcculiat• to the men. '!'here is also a llccics or \Vampum very much in usc, which seems to he worn in its natur·al fol'm without any preparation. Its shape is a cone somewhat cnrvcd, about the size of a raven's quill at the base, and ta-