Handbook to the ethnographical collections . beads were early introduced by Euiopean traders, and the realnative wamjium gradually became extinct. The commonest form of dwelling was the jDointed skin tent(wigwam or tijnj. Wooden poles were placed in a circle converginginwards, and crossing each other at the top. Eound these was NORTH AMERICA 271 stretched the covering of dressed skin, often ornamented with paint-ings illustrating exploits of the occupant, and with tufts of hairtaken from the scalps of enemies. When the camp was moved, ahorse was harnessed to the poles of the wigwam, on which t
Handbook to the ethnographical collections . beads were early introduced by Euiopean traders, and the realnative wamjium gradually became extinct. The commonest form of dwelling was the jDointed skin tent(wigwam or tijnj. Wooden poles were placed in a circle converginginwards, and crossing each other at the top. Eound these was NORTH AMERICA 271 stretched the covering of dressed skin, often ornamented with paint-ings illustrating exploits of the occupant, and with tufts of hairtaken from the scalps of enemies. When the camp was moved, ahorse was harnessed to the poles of the wigwam, on which theskin covering was placed ; women and children sat on the top,and were dragged on this primitive wheelless carriage to the nextcamping-ground, Some of the settled tribes west of the Mississippilived in solidly constructed huts of timber covered with earth, andwith rounded tops on which men could walk or sit. With othertribes, notably the Iroquois, were found long houses, in whicha whole clan lived together, each family having its own com-. FiG. (16 shield. Cree Indians. North America. partment. Before the introduction of firearms the weapons of theIndians were wooden clubs (fig. 253), circular shields of bison-hide(fig. 254), bows (in some cases of the composite type strengthenedwith a backing of sinews), arrows with chipped stone heads, andaxes or tomahawks. The head of the tomahawk was originally ofstone, but it was soon replaced by the iron head of European im-portation. It is common for sucli iron tomaliawks to have a pipe-bowl cast at tlie back of the head, the wooden handle being thenpierced to serve as a pipe stem. The scaljung-knife, by which acircular piece of skin was removed from the back of the head withthe hair adhering to it, was always in later times an ordinarybutcliers knife impoited from Europe. The tobacco-pipe played a great part in Indian social life, and 272 AMERICA smoking wns invested with aceremonial significance. It wasthe accompaniment of neg
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