NO. 5 NARRATIVE OF A CHEYENNE WOMAN MICHELSON / 



to return to my people. My husband's women folk carried the bal- 

 ance of my clothing to my tipi. In the meantime my mother and 

 aunt had prepared a large feast. Towards evening my own tipi was 

 erected. The cryer called in a loud voice inviting all my husband's 

 relatives, naming my husband as the host. My husband came over 

 with his male relatives. While there they told jokes, and some related 

 their war exploits ; still others narrated funny things that had hap- 

 pened to them in the earlier days. 



After I was married I thought I would have more freedom in going 

 around with my girl friends, but my mother watched me more closely 

 and kept me near my husband, day and night. This was done to pre- 

 vent any gossip from my husband's people. 



A year or so before I married we played games. In the fall of the 

 year we played " kick ball." ' This is played by kicking and counting 

 the number of times the ball is kicked with one foot with the ball not 

 touching the ground. Some girls could keep the ball in the air with a 

 tally of 50 or 60. We had tally sticks to keep count, 150 of them. The 

 side that won took the ball. The losers ran away from the winners 

 who chased the losers all about the camp, pounding them on the back 

 with the ball. This created merriment and excitement. Even those 

 who did not participate in the '" kick ball " game were tagged and 

 became " it." A person tagged before could not become " it." The 

 losers were supposed to give food to the winners, and so the game 

 ended. 



There was another game played by us young women on the frozen 

 lake or river. We had dart sticks 10 or 12 feet long, smooth and 

 straight. In one end of the dart sticks was the tip of a buffalo horn, 

 about 4 inches long. The dart stick was thrown with great force on 

 the ice and it slid a great distance.' This was a sort of gambling game. 

 We bet our ear rings, finger rings, bracelets, hair-braid ties, and other 

 things. 



In the spring of the year we played shinny, using clubs to drive 

 the ball. There were 20 to 40 players on each side.* 



With the approach of summer our attention was directed to horse- 

 back riding. Even after I was married my husband and I would 

 travel on horseback. It was a long time before we had a wagon. 



'See Culin, loc. cit., p. 706; Grinnell, loc. cit., vol. i, pp. 330 et seq. ; Petter, 

 loc. cit., p. 831. 



' See Culin, loc. cit., pp. 399, 400, 401 ; Grinnell, loc. cit., vol. I, pp. 334- 335 ; 

 Petter, loc. cit., p. 830. 



= See Culin, loc. cit., p. 620: Petter, loc. cit., p. 828. 



