Page 267 - TheHopiIndians

MESA FOLK OP HOPILAND 259
ors before aniline dyes came into existence. Buffalo
skins were a part of the belongings of the ancients
secured through trade with the people of the plains.
There were sandals of plaited yucca and moccasins
of turkey feathers. For jewelry there were seeds of
the pine, shells, beads, and ornaments of turquoise
and colored stones, quite enough to satisfy the love
of ornament and quite suitable to the dusky skins of
the Indians, as anyone may verify, if he will travel
to the pueblos.
About the houses every vestige of metal and glass
is absent. The windows may have been glazed with
irregular plates of selenite, and the marks of fire and
the rude stone axe are upon the beams. Instead of
the gun, curved clubs, the bow, and stone-tipped ar
rows hang from the rafters with the lance thrown by
the atlatl. In the corner stands a hoe of stone and a
digging stick; pottery, gourds, and basketry are the
sole utensils, the knife is a chipped stone blade set
with pine gum in a wooden handle, and the horns of
the mountain sheep are formed into spoons.
The rooms are smoky and dark, since the chimney
is not yet, and the fire on the floor must be nursed,
for, when it goes out, it must be rekindled by the
friction of two pieces of wood or borrowed from a
neighbor in the manner of primitive times, not yet
forgotten among the advanced sharers of civilization.
Much might be added to this picture of the early life
of the Pueblos, and the exploration of the ruins will