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 | | Monday November 23, 2009 3:08 AM |
 | | From the Journals of Lewis & Clark in 1804-1805 | |
On the Ornamentation of the Nez Perce
from the journal of William Clark
Wednesday, 7th OF MAY l80
The orniments worn by the Chopunnish are, in their nose, a single shell of Wampom, the pirl & beeds are suspended from the ears. beads are worn arround their wrists, neck and over their sholders crosswise in the form of a double sash, the hair of the men is cewed in two roIls which hang on each side in front of the body. Collars of bears claws are also common; but the article of dress on which they appear to bestow most pains and orniments is a kind of collar or brestplate; this is most commonly a strip of otter skins of about six inches wide taken out of the center of the skin it's whole length including the head. this is dressed with the hair on. this is tied around the neck & hangs in front of the body the tail frequently reaching below their knees; on this skin in front is attatched pieces of pirl, beeds, wampom, pices of red cloth and in short whatever they conceive most valuable or ornamental.
In the May of 1806, Lewis and Clark were unable to cross the mountains going back East because of the snow. They had to camp for several weeks at the northmost bend of the Snake River at the present-day sites of Penawawa and Almota, approximately 100 miles south of Spokane.
William Clark could not spell very well. The passage has been left as it was written in his journal.
selection quoted in
The Journals of Lewis and Clark,
edited by Bernard DeVoto, New York: 1953
Last Updated
December 22, 2004
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