Memorial and Biographical History of Dallas County, Texas. Page: 147 of 1,110

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lpouning corn, tile dressing of skins, weaving
of coarse inats from bark of trees or a
wild hlemp, aind of making ornamental toys
with beads.
The articles they cultivated were few in
number,--corrn, beans, peas, potatoes, melons,
and a few other products.
Their skill in medicine was confined to a
few simple preparations and operations. Cold
and warm baths are said to have been employed,
and a considerable number of plants
were used. For diseases tley knew but little
remedy, having recourse to their medicine
men, whlo treated their patients by means of
sorcery. They had few diseases, however, in
conparison with those prevailing among
civilized peoples.
Thle women prepared the food, took charge
of the domestic concerns, tilled the scanty
fields, and perforlled all the drudgery connected
withl tlhe camp.
Amusellents prevailed to some extent, and
consisted principally of leaping, running,
shooting at targets, dancing and gaming.
Their dances were usually performed. around
it large fire, and in those in honor of war
they sag, or recited tlhe feats which they or
their ancestors had achieved, represented the
manner in which they were performed, and
wrotuglht themselves uII to a wild degree of
at'itlsiweih m. The females occasionally joined
in somie of the sports, but had none peculiar
to tlhet selvei .
Their dress was various. In summer they
wore little besides a covering about the waist,
Iut in wiltr they clothed themselves in the
skins of wild beasts. Being exceedingly fond

of ornaments, on days of festivities, tle
sachems wore mantles of deer skins, embroidered
with shells or the claws of birds,
and were painted with various devices. Hideous
was the object aimed at in painting
themselves, which was intended to strike
terror into the hearts of their enemies.
In the construction of their habitations the
Indians exercised but little judgment, their
huts or wigwams consisting of a strong pole
erected in the center, around which other poles
were driven obliquely in the ground and fastened
against the center pole at the top.
These were covered with bark of trees, and
were but poor shelters when considering the
amount of material to be obtained in primitive
forests.
The domestic utensils did not extend
beyond a hatchet of stone, a few shells and
sharp stones which they used as knives;
stone mortars for preparing their corn, and
mats and skins to sleep on. They sat, ate
and lodged upon the ground, and their food
was of the simplest and coarsest kind, consisting
of the flesh and even the entrails of
birds and beasts, in addition to the few garden
products they raised.
Their money, called watnpum, consisted
of small particles of shells, strung on bells
and in chains. They rated the value of wamnpum
by its color: black, blue, white, purple.
Except when roused by some strong excitement,
the men were indolent, taciturn
and unsocial; the women too degraded to
think of little else than toil. Their language,
though energetic, was barren of words, and