May, 1905. The Cheyenne — Dorsey. 177 



whenever the Cheyenne came together in a body, it was a common sight 

 to see men torturing themselves in this apparently popular manner. 



Torture by means of suspension by thongs attached to skewers 

 in the breast was also common on other than Sun Dance occasions. 

 Thus, frequently one or more individuals would go to a lonely hill 

 and attach themselves by means of thongs passed over skewers in 

 their breasts, to a long lariat, one end of which had already been fas- 

 tened high up in a tree. 



Often the occasion for torture had its origin in a dream. PI. 

 LXVI. is from a drawing illustrating a man undergoing torture in ac- 

 cordance with a dream, during which he thought that he fasted all day 

 and dragged eight buffalo skulls, four male and four female, around a 

 high mountain. The time of making the circuit required an entire 

 day. When he actually underwent the torture and was cut loose in 

 the evening, he claimed to be in no way fatigued. He claimed there 

 after to have received certain powers from the great medicine-spirit. 



It remains to note a form of torture which the Cheyenne believe 

 always to have been practiced amongst themselves, and which in 

 their estimation furnishes the basis for the tribal sign formerly made 

 for the Cheyenne, which was indicated by repeatedly directing the 

 index finger of the right hand across the left arm from above the elbow 

 down toward the wrist. In the illustration (see PI. LXVII.)maybe seen 

 the marks which are said to have been made by a sharp flint knife. It 

 is claimed that all male Cheyenne were thus marked, and that most 

 Cheyenne to-day who are eighty or more years of age still bear the scars. 

 In the illustration it will be noted that above the elbow are seven 

 gashes, while below are twelve. 



A similar form of torture is said to have been practiced in ancient 

 times by removing four circular pieces from the arm above the elbow 

 and eight pieces below the elbow. This method is also represented 

 in Plate LXVI I. 



THE TORTURE INCIDENTS OF 1903. 



That one or two Cheyenne had long before the ceremony taken a 

 vow to undergo torture during the performance of 1903 there is no 

 doubt. That a greater amount of torture was not performed is, 

 no doubt, due to the fact that the leaders of the ceremony believed 

 that to indulge in torture would place the tribe in a false position. 

 As a matter of fact, on the morning of the next to the last day, that is, 

 on the morning of the erection of the altar, Roman-Nose made the 

 following announcement: "For many years past it has been the 

 custom of our people to celebrate a performance of this old ceremony. 



