Page:The Pima Indians.pdf/156

] lining a rectangular space the exact size of the projected fabric. A deep layer of clean white sand from the river bed was spread between the stakes to prevent the under surface of the fabric from becoming soiled. The end or yarn beams were of saguaro ribs of suitable size, held in place across the end stakes by cords which were stretched taut at the sides. The beams were about 6 inches from the ground, thus permitting the warp to pass freely around them as it was wound over one and under the other in a continuous thread. A heavy double binding thread, usually dyed buff, was passed through the loops at the ends of the warp and was given a half turn as each loop was caught up. The yarn beams were then removed, leaving a lease rod of arrowwood in place of one of them. The binding thread was next bound to the yarn beams by a heavy thread wound in a spiral from end to end. The warp could then be stretched in place by again putting the beams outside the stakes and pulling the side cords taut. The heald rod was also of arrowwood put in place by passing a loop from a thread that had been slipped through the open shed from the right under each lower warp thread and pushing the rod through the loop from the left.

The weaver sat upon his haunches on the ground or on the cloth when it was finished too far for him to reach from the end. He lowered the lease rod beyond the heddle and gathered the upper threads in front of the heddle on a slender sharpened rod, which enabled him to lift them high enough to pass the shuttle through. The shuttle was an arrowwood stick to one end of which the weft thread was tied and then passed to the other in a slightly spiral direction; there it was wound twice around and then passed back; thus it was wound from end to end of the shuttle until the latter carried many yards of thread. After the shuttle was passed through the shed the thread was struck home with a flat batten of mesquite wood. If the warp threads were irregular, they were adjusted with a short peg which took the place of the comb used by the other tribes that weave in the Southwest. Two heavy selvage threads lay at the side of the warp, and as the shuttle was passed through the shed it was brought between them and they were given a half turn to engage the woof thread before it passed back in the other shed which was opened by raising the heddle.

The width of the cloth was not well maintained, as there was a strong tendency for it to become narrower, but by the aid of a stretcher or temple this was partially overcome. The temple had two longitudinal grooves separated by a distance equal to the width of the cloth. In each groove was placed a section of willow or arrowwood stem an inch in length, bound with a heavy thread around the stretcher. The outer end of the short stick was sharpened so that it might be pushed