156 Woodcraft Birch Bark Roll ry Pendants for Indian Costuming II Ny | By Jutia M. BUTTREE Strings of decoration are a most useful adjunct to Indian costuming, and helpful not only for the outward appearance of the dress, but for graceful effect in dancing, etc. Many of the modern war bonnets are degraded by the use of ribbons as ear pendants, but these do not produce the proper effect because of their lack of weight. The Indians often used ermine tails, and even whole er- mine skins, flattened, as hangers. These days, it is not easy to obtain ermine skins or tails, so that we have often found a very satisfactory substitute as follows: At any furrier shop, one may buy scraps of white rabbit fur for a nominal price. Pieces as narrow as one inch are helpful to us, and practically useless to the furrier. Strip this fur in lengths of about 12 inches, and about I or 1% inches wide, cutting it on the back side of the fur, prefer- _ ably with a razor blade. Cut a 15-inch length of heavy, but rather soft cord, and make a knot 2 inches from one end. Around this knot, lap the fur in a circle, and secure all with a few stitches. Then sew down the length of the fur strip, forming a tube enclosing the cord as a core. The hair will brush over the stitching so as to make it almost invisible. A triangle of black fur, about 114 inches long, attached to the bottom of the white, gives the finishing touch to our realistic ermine tail. Run the upper end of the cord above the original knot, through the ear rosette of the war bonnet, or the disk of beaded or quilled work for a dress. Put it in from front to back, and secure it by another knot or a strong tacking stitch.
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Other types of hangers are possible and good looking. _A buckskin thong is cut the required length. Four or five fluffy feathers are strung on a thread alongside each other, and the thread pulled up so as to crowd them together. Now, sew through the end of the buckskin thong, letting the feath- ers dangle softly below. The joint is easily concealed by a tiny triangle of tin pinched around it, or a large tube bead _ strung on the thong and fastened down at the joint. The
