siOBX; - Smithsonian Institution

SWANTON] CHOCTAW SOCIAL AND CEREMONIAL, LIFE 41
both single-woven baskets and double-woven baskets. The following
names of baskets were given me
Nanaskata tapushik, " a scrap basket."
Bashpo apita, " knife basket."
Shapo tapushik, the hamper carrying basket, " load basket."
Halat nowa tapushik, dinner basket, " to walk holding basket,"
hand basket.
Okhi^sh apita tapushik, " medicine basket," a basket with a division
in it, two lids and two handles.
Okhi°sh ahoyo tapushik, "medicine gathering basket."
Ufko tapushik, fanner, a basket for sifting corn, etc.
The word for a plait or weave is pana. A single weave, skipping
one, is pana chafa, a double weave, skipping two, is pana tukalo, a
triple weave, skipping three, pana tuchina. A double basket is
called tapushik pothoma.
A yellowish dye for baskets was obtained from puccoon or " coon "
roots, walnut was employed rather rarely to give a brownish color,
and maple yielded a dark purple. Roots were gathered in the fall
when all the substance was in them. They were boiled until the in-
fusion was thick, when it was strained and put into bottles. Accord-
ing to Simpson bottles of each kind were entrusted to each captain
of the five bands which remained in Mississippi after the general
removal, and if word was received that certain people were going
camping and that the women of the party intended to make baskets,
the captain sent them some native dye by pony. Cane was wound
into a coil and boiled in a round pot containing the dye. It was
turned over once unless the dye had taken hold rapidly. Then it
was removed, and hung up after the liquid had been carefully shaken
back into the pot. Sometimes they had pots of each of the three
dyes in use at the same time.
The butt end of a cane where the outside skin was thick could be
used just like a knife. It made a bad wound and cut meat like steel.
Whole canes were also used as a pallet on which to spread hides.
When a liide was to be dressed it was laced to a wooden frame by
cords all around the edges. Sometimes a family had two frames, a
large one for skins of larger animals like the otter, bear, and deer,
and a smaller one for those of smaller animals, such as the mink,
opossum, and raccoon. Or the frame might be made so that the size
could be altered. It was usually movable but in any case was ordinarily
located near the spring. Assuming that the frame was mov-
able, after a skin had been fastened in place it was set in the sun-
shine and the flesh taken off by means of a large scraper shaped like
a knife. Then the skin was worked with a dull hardwood scraper
made crescent-shaped so as not to cut the skin. This work must be
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