408 proceedings: anthropological society 



fumigated with tobacco. When not warring, the bands bartered dry- 

 fish, sea-salt, shells, pottery, etc., among themselves. Slaves were 

 branded or had a particular tooth pulled out. Graves were covered 

 level with the ground, although the Chibchas constructed burial 

 mounds. The bodies of chiefs were desiccated over a slow fire. All 

 undertakings began with drink, singing and dancing. 



The best recent description of the Chocos is by Mr. H. Pittier. 

 There is much discussion over the classification of the Indians of western 

 Panama. A memorial of 1606 A. D. mentions among the tongues in 

 Chiriqui Province those of the Cothos, Borisques, Dorasques, Utelaes, 

 Bugabaes, Zunes, and others. The Bureau of American Ethnology 

 was urged to study the Isthmian tribes before their primitive customs 

 are lost. 



Mr. Pittier said, in discussing the paper, that it had been deter- 

 mined that Columbus was at Limon, and that the blowpipe, as well 

 as the bow and arrow, was used by certain tribes of the region. Dr. 

 Anderson agreed that Panama Indians used the bow and arrow to 

 some extent, but stated that they were not employed in warfare. 

 Following Mr. Pittier's statement concerning slaves farther north, 

 Dr. Swanton pointed out that there was no true slavery in North 

 America north of Mexico, excepting on the North Pacific Coast. The 

 so-called slaves of the Pawnee or the Green Bay tribes mentioned by 

 others were nothing more than war captives. 



At its 497th meeting, held March 21, 1916, Miss Frances Dens- 

 more, of the Bureau of American Ethnology, addressed the society 

 on Mandan Music. The songs and legends presented by the speaker 

 were collected among the Mandan Indians on the Fort Berthold Reser- 

 vation, in North Dakota, during two visits to that reservation, the 

 first in 1912, the second in 1915. 



A few facts concerning the history of the tribe were given by way 

 of introduction. The Mandan are of Siouan stock and first appear 

 on the page of history in 1738. About ten years later they are said 

 to have been living near the mouth of the Heart River, in North Dakota, 

 and remains of their villages at that point were found by Lewis and 

 Clark in 1804. An epidemic of smallpox almost obliterated the tribe 

 in 1837, the number of survivors being estimated at about 125. Lewis 

 and Clark give the number of Mandan previous to this epidemic as 

 1600. Since that time the tribe has increased and the report of the 

 Indian Office for 1914 gives the number of full-blood Mandan as 220. 

 Some of these are sturdy old people who have kept their tribal tradi- 

 tions, and from such men and women the material comprised in this 

 paper was collected. 



To the minds of the Mandan their country was peopled with spirit 

 beings who lived in the trees and the buttes. From the spirit women 

 who lived in Eagle Nose Butte, about 30 miles south of the present 

 site, of Bismarck, they say they received a society called the Creek 

 Women Society, with its ceremonial songs. Some details concerning 



