54 Field Columbian Museum — Anthropology, Vol. IX. 



but a member of any age may become a member of any one of the 

 societies. Each society is controlled by a chief and seven assistants. 

 Each society has certain paints, costumes, songs, and characteristic 

 dances. Four of the societies admit four maidens to their lodge; 

 these, as a rule, are daughters of chiefs. The first society is known 

 as the Red Shield Warriors, the name being derived from the fact 

 that each carries a large red shield of buffalo hide, so cut as to retain 

 the tail of the- buffalo in the form of a pendant. From the fact 

 that they wore a head-dress of the scalp of the buffalo they are some- 

 times called the Buffalo Warriors. The belt of their costume is 

 suggestive of the Arapaho Lance or Clubboard Society. The lance 

 which they carry, however, is suggestive of the weapon used by the 

 Arapaho Tomahawk Society. 



Second in order is the Hoof -rattle, or Dew-claw society, so called 

 because each warrior carried a rattle in the form of a shaft, with 

 dew-claw pendants. The general emblem of the society was an elk 

 horn musical instrument, shaped in the form of a snake. This was 

 held over a piece of rawhide, which acted as a resonator, and the 

 noise to accompany the songs and dancing was produced by drawing 

 over it a deer's scapula. The nearest approach to this society among 

 the Arapaho is the Tomahawk. 



The Coyote society, or Coyote Warriors, derive their name from 

 the fact that the members imitate the coyote and that the emblem 

 of the society is a coyote skin. This society may be compared with 

 the Star or Kit-Fox of the Arapaho. 



The Dog-men society is said to be the largest among the Cheyenne, 

 and includes in its number half of the males of the tribe. Formerly 

 they controlled the entire tribe. They, like the Arapaho Dog-soldiers, 

 wear scarfs which trail to the ground and represent degrees. Also, 

 like the Arapaho society of the same name, they wear whistles hung 

 about their necks and use rattles with porcupine quills and dew-claw 

 pendants. In the account of the origin of the society it is related 

 how the society was formed with the assistance of the dogs of the 

 camp. 



The fifth society is known as the Inverted, or Bow-string warriors. 

 It is peculiar in the fact that it has no chief and there are no degrees. 

 It is, strictly speaking, a warrior society, and the members are sup- 

 posed to be always ready for war. The emblem of the society is a 

 peculiarly constructed bow-spear. The characteristic features of the 

 society are similar to those of the Lime Crazy society of the Arapaho, 

 inasmuch as their speech and action reverse the usual order. Another 

 point of similarity is to be noted in their head-dress. 



