Page:The Pima Indians.pdf/121

116 and binding it there with sinew, then braiding the loose ends of the strips together into a cord 15 cm. long. In this way the feathers are permanently fastened to one another and may be easily attached when it is desired to wear them as a fetish, or they may be readily attached to the hair to form a portion of the headdress.

At Gila Crossing we were so fortunate as to secure a specimen of an old Pima headdress made from the hair of an Apache and the wing feathers of three species of large raptorial birds (fig. 40). The hair is about 45 cm. long and is gathered in strands 1 cm. in thickness, which are held by two strips of cotton that are twisted or twined on each other a half turn between each pair of hair strands. Viewing the headdress from the rear there are on the left four owl feathers, symbolizing keenness of vision by night; next are three hawk, then one owl, and again hawk feathers to the number of five, symbolizing keenness of vision by day; on the right are two eagle feathers, the symbol of swiftness. Thus the wearer of this headdress possessed the courage and cunning of the hated enemy, the keen sight by day and by night of the birds that have great magic power, according to Pima belief, and the swiftness as a trailer of the king of birds, which occupies a prominent place in Piman mythology.



Using their fingers as combs, the women become very skillful in straightening out tangled locks. They frequently smooth the hair with a brush which was formerly made of the roots of the "Sacaton grass," Sporobolus wrightii (fig. 41, a), but as this no longer grows along the river, where the majority of the villages are situated, they now make use of maguey fiber, Agave lecheguea, Yucca paccata, etc. (fig. 41, b). 