Identifier: annualreportofbu117smit (find matches)
Title: Annual report of the Bureau of American Ethnology to the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution
Year: 1895 (1890s)
Authors: Smithsonian Institution. Bureau of American Ethnology
Subjects: Smithsonian Institution. Bureau of American Ethnology Ethnology Indians
Publisher: Washington : U. S. Govt. Print. Off.
Contributing Library: Boston Public Library
Digitizing Sponsor: Kahle/Austin Foundation and Omidyar Network

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borated in part by Mashems imperfect descriptions. Tiie firststep is the gathering of the carrizal from one of the patches growing aboutthe three or four j)ermanent fresh watersof Seriland, thecanes being care-fully selected for straightness, symmetry, and uniformity in size; theseare then denuded nf leaves and tassels, tied in bundles of convenientsize (one seen on Tiburon contained 40 or 50 canes), and carried to theshore. In actual construction the canes are laid butt to butt, but over-lapiiing 2 or ■> feet, the overlaj) being shifted this way and that withsuccessive additions, so that the aggregate length of overlai)ping in thebundle reaches 10 or 12 feet—i. e., the full length of the body of thefinished craft. The growing bundle is wrapped from time to time withlashings of mesquite root or maguey fiber, and kejit in cylindrical formby constant rolling and by means of the lashing; though the cord usedfor the purpose is so slender as to do little more than serve the purposes
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UJCO D _J< Z o I-< II- < _i< en a: UJ en MCOEE) THE MAKING OF THE BALSA 217^ of maiiufiictnre (only stray sbreds of tbe interiorcording could be foiuul in an old and abandoned balsaon Punta Autigualla). As tbe bundle approacbestbe requisite size, tbe building process cbanges; tbebutts of tbe successively added stalks are tbrustobliquely into tbe interstices extending beyond tbebutts of earlier-used canes, and tbe stems areslightly bent to bring tbem into parallelism witbtheir fellows; and this interweaving process is con-tinued with increasing care until, when tbe bundle iscompleted, there are no visible butts (all beingpuslied into tbe interior of tlie bundle), while tbeonly visible tips are those projecting to form tbetapering extremities. Tbe finished bundle is thensecured by a spiral winding of slender cord. Twoother bundles are next made, tbe three being entirelysimilar, so far as is known; tlien the three are joinedby a lashing of slender cord like that used for tlie

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