SCALPING IN AMERICA. 429 



by tlie Ceni. On return from one of their war exj^editions the Avar- 

 riors brought some scalps, but the women who accompanied them and 

 with whom it was not of such importance to go unencumbered carried 

 whole heads of the enemies. 



With the tribes of the Sioux family whites came into contact rela- 

 tively late, but from all the extant accounts of these tribes it may be 

 safely concluded that scalping was quite common, though of a later 

 development than among the Huron-Iroquois and the Muskhogee. 

 The "western Sioux were known up to comparatively recent times to 

 cut off on some occasions the entire heads of the fallen and then scalp 

 them leisurely at the first halting place. 



The Osage, according to some Kiowa reports collected bj'^ Mooney, 

 are said not to have been scalp hunters; yet we have several very good 

 and detailed accounts of this very people, showing that they did prac- 

 tice scalping in the same manner as all the other Plains tribes, and 

 that they were among those who preserved longest the ceremonies and 

 mourning usages connected Avitli the trophy. 



So far as the mounds in the eastern part of North x^merica are con- 

 cerned, traces of scalping Avere ncA'er discovered. Pieces of animal 

 skin Avere found in the mounds, but neA'er a scalp, yet all the tribes 

 Avho Avere in the habit of taking the scalp lock knew Avell hoAv to 

 prepare it, and these trophies Avere often buried Avitli their owner. 



The Shoshone and KioAva scalped to some extent, but here, as else- 

 Avhere, the custom received a stimulus through the approach of 

 whites. 



So far as the Ncav Mexico and Arizona Pueblo are concerned, 

 there is no mention of scalping in the reports of the first explorers, 

 such as Marcos de Niza, Castaiieda, Coronado, or Espejo; but later 

 reports permit the conclusion that scalping Avas neA'ertheless quite 

 an old custom among them, -though practiced in a primitiA'e and less 

 striking form. 



Of the tribes speaking the Piman dialects, some scalped and some 

 did not. Among the former Avere the Opata and Papago, among the 

 latter the Pima themseh'es and the Acaxee. Of the Yuma speaking 

 peoples the Mohave, Yuma, and Seri scalped in a primitive manner, 

 Avhile the tribes of the Calif ornian peninsula, though showing certain 

 hair cult, Avere head and not scalp hunters. 



In California, Avhich Avas occupied by tribes of more than a dozen 

 linguistic families, some of the peoples scalped, others took head 

 trophies, still others eyes or ears, Avhile some took no trophies at all. 

 To giA'e details concerning the many individual tribes is impos- 

 sible. Neither the scalping nor the head hunting appears to haA'e 

 been practiced intensely or characteristically. So far as the ear 

 trophies are concerned, it is possible that the custom originated in 

 this region. It Avas practiced extensiA^ely in California, Arizona, 



