beans, usually red in color, are not eaten in the ceremony ; 
they serve merely as symbolic ornaments. The symbol- 
ism of the beads is very vague, but is probably associated 
with the fact that Sophora secundiflora is one of the 
most conspicuous plants growing near the places where 
the very inconspicuous peyote is found. The Kickapoo 
say that the mescal-bean shrub shades and protects peyote 
in the field, and that the beans are worn when peyote is 
eaten because of the protection it gave the sacred plant. 
In view of the uses mentioned below concerning the wide 
use of this bean in the pre-peyote Plains rites before the 
introduction of peyote, it seems probable that it is a sur- 
vival from the past. A Kiowa leader wore several beans 
on the lower part of the leggings of his buckskin peyote- 
uniform as a safeguard against stepping on menstrual 
blood; Skinner (175) also reports this use among the 
loway. 
The Kiowa, and probably also most Plains Indians, 
believe the beans to be alive. Some Kiowa prefer to own 
a string of light, yellowish-red mescal-beans (Figure II); 
others would rather have them of a deep red color. The 
variation in color may be due to different stages of matu- 
rity when gathered, or the yellowish tinge may be 
brought on by gentle heating (74), a custom common 
among the [oway Indians in preparing the mescal-bean 
for brewing in the old Red Bean Dance. 
Important as this article is in peyote worship, no ref- 
erence to the mescal-bean necklace has been found in the 
extensive literature which has been published concerning 
the cult. 
In addition to the use of mescal-beans in the peyote- 
cult, these beans are interesting from several other points 
of view. It is said that about fifty years ago it was the 
custom in parts of Texas to use long strings of Sophora 
beans for barter. Mescal-beans are poisonous to cattle 
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