Slaves are killed and their flesh is used as bait in catching the dentalium snails, perhaps in order to get a mystic idea into the shells of the snails.
In Washington Territory dentalium and abelone shells were the money, also slaves, skins, and blankets, until the closer contact with whites produced changes.
Dentalium and arenicola shells are transmitted from the west coast in traffic, and are greatly valued.
None are so highly esteemed as a sort of long muscle, commonly called sea-teeth, the dentalium entalis of Linnæus.
Many of them also transfix the septum of the nose with a dentalium shell or ivory needle.
In California occurs ^Dentalium hexagonum^, a very delicate little species with a slightly angulated shell.
Upon the west coast ^Dentalium pretiosum^ is very abundant north of California.
They said that if the people would contribute enough blood money (which consists of the long Dentalium shells) they could pay the two sisters the price necessary to atone for the killing in accordance with the law of the tribe.
Small or broken dentalium shells, from half an inch to an inch in length, were called Mit-tatch, and were used for beads.
Incised designs on dentalium shells are shown in Figs.
An idea of how the dentalium shells may have been used as ornaments on arm bands and headdresses may be had by reference to Fig.
Several rows of beads, some of copper, others of glass and still others of sections of dentalium shells were found at the neck, arms and legs.
Tubular copper beads with short sections of dentalium shell were found mixed all the way from the top to the bottom of grave number 10 (5) in a rock-slide on the north side of the Naches River about half a mile above its mouth.
Incised dentalia were also found in two of the five cremation circles containing dentalium shells.
The cremation circles often contained dentalium shells and bits of shell objects but little else.
In such places, dentalium shells, flat shell beads, and shell ornaments were usually seen.
Beads made of Copper, Glass and Sections of Dentalium Shells 89 75.
Open twine matting of rushes held together with cords woven around them, skin with hair on it, and in this were copper beads strung with beads made of dentalium shells on a leather thong (Fig.
Copper tubes with six beads, short sections of dentalium shells, which were found from the top to the bottom of the grave.
In the Nez Perce region to the east arm and leg bands were worn[284] while in the Thompson area dentalium shells were sometimes fastened parallel to each other on arm bands.
These consist of circles of narrow thong, upon which are strung one or two large beads or a couple of Dentalium shells (pu'tu).
National Museum, has identified the species asDentalium Indianorum Cpr.
They put this ornament in their hair and pull it over the temples; a long string is fastened to the underpart, which reaches to the waist, and is adorned with alternate rows of blue beads and white dentalium shells.
The dentalium shells were by intertribal exchange brought from the Pacific Ocean; the Mandan prized them so highly that white traders began to import them, and Matthews reports (Hidatsa, p.
The above list will hopefully give you a few useful examples demonstrating the appropriate usage of "dentalium" in a variety of sentences. We hope that you will now be able to make sentences using this word.
