These end slices we thought less valuable than those from the middle of the squash; and unlike the latter, they were not spitted on willow sticks, but were taken home by the old woman worker in her blanket, or her robe, or in something else in which she could carry them. About three sacks of these inferior slices would be carried home at one time by an old woman worker.
These less valuable slices being cut close to the rind were of solid flesh. The better slices had each a hollow in the center, caused by the seed cavity. The old women did not spit their solid slices on willows, but dried them on the ground, carefully guarding them against rain; for if wet, the drying slices would spoil.
Squash Spits
All the better slices, the ones to be retained by the family that hired the old women workers, were spitted on willow rods to dry.
These rods we called kaku´iptsa; from kaku´i, squash; and i´ptsa, spit, stringer. The word may be translated squash spit.
Squash spits were usually made of the small willows that we call mi´da hatsihi´ci, or red willow; from mi´da, wood; and hi´ci, light red. When the outer skin of one’s finger, for example, is peeled off, the color of the flesh beneath we call hi´ci. This red willow however is not kinikinik, which white men call red willow.
A squash spit should be about half an inch in diameter; and its length should be measured from the center of my chest to the end of my index finger, as I do now; or about two feet, six, or two feet, seven inches.
A spit was sharpened at one end to a point. At the other end there was left about an inch of the natural bark like a button, to keep the squash slices from slipping off. The rest of the rod was peeled bare.
Small Ankle used to make our drying spits for us. He cut the rods in June or early July when the bark peeled off easily; he peeled off the bark with his teeth.