Book Description

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1910 edition. Excerpt: ...carved upon the handle, but specimens of later times nearly always 1 See Harrington. Some Unusual Iroquois Specimens. Am. Anthropologist, new ser. 11:85. 2 Niwadokwatserha, in Mohawk. have the conventionalized forms of birds carved upon them. In rare instances the figure was carved from a separate piece of wood and attached to the spoon handle with a peg. The wood chosen for spoons was usually curly maple knots, although knots of other woods were valued and often used. The Iroquois preferred to have their spoons of a dark color and as the "spoon wood" was white or yellow, they used dyes to darken them. Hemlock bark or roots were boiled in water until the liquid was of the proper shade, which was dark red, and then the spoon Fig. 11 Types of Seneca and Onondaga eating spoons, 1, wooden spoon; 2, bark ladle; 3. buffalo horn spoon. Number 3 was collected by E. R. Burmaster, 1910, from the Alec John family who had preserved it as an heirloom for many years. was plunged in and boiled with the dye until it had become thoroughly saturated with the dye and had partaken of the desired color. By use and time the spoon became almost as black as ebony and took a high polish. Spoons were sometimes shaped from elm bark but these were not durable. They were scoops rather than ladles or spoons. The Iroquois did not readily abandon the use of wooden spoons and in some districts they are still used. The Indians say that food Plate 14 1 Seneca bark bowl. 2 Mohawk feast bowl used at the Six Nations annual meetings. The beaver tail symbols refer to a section in the Iroquois Constitution and symbolize peace and plenty. Illustrations are one sixth actual size. Converse collection 1 Seneca feast dipping spoon. 2 Mohawk beaver tail national feast bowl....