March, 1905. The Cheyenne — Dorsey. 25 



is two inches wide at the handle and one and a half inches at the 

 ends. Its buffalo sinew string is one-third of an inch in diameter. 

 When the bow-string is drawn the bow itself is bent scarcely at all. 

 At the handle is tightly bound a bunch of sage grass. At one end is 

 a sharp flint spearhead, about six inches long. Recently steel points 

 have been substituted. Attached to the other end of the bow, which 

 is pointed, are a few owl feathers. Suspended from the sides of the 

 bow are four bunches of magpie feathers, two on either side, for 

 ornamentation. The bow is painted red, and the spearhead proper 

 is painted blue. This bow-spear is never unstrung. It is wrapped 

 with buckskin when not in use, though it is always present with the 

 warriors, wherever they go. Should they fail to take it with them 

 at any time it is hung in a tree for safety, or some place where it 

 could not be found by any one. No one except the members of the 

 society are allowed to touch or handle the spear; nor are any 

 women allowed to touch it. The warriors of the society are unmar- 

 ried. The women have their beds apart from those of the warrior;;. 

 Their food is cooked separately at home, and is served separately. 

 Should they be in council with other society warriors their food 

 is served separately. The close observance of the regulations of 

 this society by its members gives them a character distinct from 

 that of the other societies, and they are regarded as pure. They 

 rejoice in the beauty of nature as the work of the Great Medicine, 

 who created the rivers, hills, mountains, heavenly bodies, and the 

 clouds. They are the philosophers among their people. 



The following is an explanation of the term "Inverted Warriors." 

 A medicine still in use among the Cheyenne is used by these warriors, 

 by means of which their actions and speech are inverted; for in- 

 stance, the members of other societies ask a question thus: "Father, 

 will you come here?" but the members of this society ask the question 

 thus: "Father, you will not come here?" When the warriors of 

 other societies are all defeated in battle and run from the enemy, the 

 Inverted Warriors blow their whistles and charge the enemy and fight 

 until they are killed or defeat the enemy, regardless of the numbers 

 of the enemy. They usually are naked when fighting in battle. 

 Their bodies are painted red. On top of their heads is a stuffed 

 screech-owl. They carry their bow-spears with them. No one is 

 allowed to pass in front of them. Should they wish to transfer their 

 spear from one hand to the other they pass it back of their bodies' 

 When charging the enemy's camp, or when warding off the attack of the 

 enemy upon their own camp, these warriors charge separately from 

 the other warriors in the main body, thus performing a flank move- 



