154 Field Columbian Museum — Anthropology, Vol. V. 



other, like people smoking a pipe. They were glad to have another per- 

 son with them and they were very fond of the child. While they lived 

 there they killed very many elk and saved the teeth. From the skins 

 they made a dress for the child, which was then old enough to run about. 

 The dress was a girl's, entirely covered with elk teeth. They also 

 made a belt for her. She was very beautiful. Her name was Hasix- 

 taciisa'^, Foot-stuck-child. A buffalo bull called Hixana'^ka'^, Bone- 

 bull, heard that these young men had had a daughter born to them. 

 As is the custom, he sent the magpie to go to these people to ask for the 

 girl in marriage. The magpie came to the young men and told them 

 what the Bone-bull wished ; but he did not meet with any success. The 

 young men said, "We will not do it. We love our daughter. She is so 

 young that it will not be well to let her go." The magpie returned and 

 told the young men what the Bone-bull had said. He advised the bull 

 to get the seciitcabihi (a species of small bird), which was very clever 

 and would perhaps persuade the young men to consent to the girl's 

 marriage with him. So the seciitcabihi was sent out by the bull. It 

 reached the place where the people lived and lighted on the top of the 

 brush house. In a gentle voice it said to the men. "I am sent by Bone- 

 bull to ask for your daughter." The young men still refused, giving 

 the same answer as before. The bird flew back and told the bull of 

 the result. The bull said to it, "Go back and tell them that I mean 

 what I ask. I shall come myself later." It was known that the bull 

 was very powerful and hard to overcome or escape from. The bird 

 went again and fulfilled the bull's instruction, but again returned unsuc- 

 cessfully. It told the bull: "They are at last making preparations 

 for the marriage. They are dressing the girl finely." But the bull 

 did not believe it. Then, in order to free itself from the unpleasant 

 task, the bird advised him to procure the services of some one who 

 could do better than itself ; some one that had a sweet, juicy tongue. So 

 the bull sent another bird called hiitictabit (fire-owner), which has red 

 on its head and reddish wings. This bird took the message to the 

 young men. Now at last they consented. One of them went to his bag 

 and took out a war-bonnet. He said : "Tell Bone-bull that this war- 

 bonnet will be his backbone." Then another one gave a quiver of otter 

 skin, saying that this was to be the bull's skin, and that the parts of the 

 quiver hanging loose would become the parts of the buffalo hanging 

 loose on his chest. Then they took a dress made of thin dressed skin 

 (tayan biixuut) and gave it to him to become the skin on his flanks and 

 belly. Then they gave a woven blanket, which was to become his 

 paunch. A pointed quiver (niicibinana") was to be his stomach. Next 



