630 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1893. 



may have chosen and slung with a broad leather strap that crosses his breast. 

 These shields are carried by all the warriors in these regions,, for their protection 

 in battles, which are almost invariably fought from their horses backs.* 



The shield was invariably held on the left arm,t usually by a simple 

 thong of buckskin attached to the interior. Wooden handles, believed 

 to have belonged to Phna Indian shields, were found in a cave with 

 war clubs on Superstition Mountain in Arizona, by Dr. E. Palmer. 

 (Cat. No. 7C028, U. S. N. M.) 



It is the custom of most tribes to put one or more covers of dressed 

 buckskin over the shield, the covers being decorated.! (See. pl.i and 

 fig. 2.) 



The decoration of the North American shield forms one of the most 

 fruitful sources for the religious beliefs and practices of the Indians. 



The decoration was inspired by a revelation through a dream, follow 

 ing among the Crows the terrible initiation ceremony and among all 

 tribes following an ordeal. The protection of the shield has largely 

 become fetichistic and in many cases the survival of this ancient means 

 of defense has been brought about by its cult relations. 



The warrior fraternities of the Moki and Zufii tribes have an elabo 

 rate ceremonial of the shield. || In the Moki ceremony, held at the 



* Catlin, George, North American Indians, 7th ed. Loud., 1848. Vol. i, p. 241. 

 t See the paper by Mr. Cushing on Manual Concepts., American Anthropologist, V, 

 1892, p. 290. 



+ DESCRIPTION OF FIGURE 2 AND PLATE I. 



Fig. 2, 8/uWd. Made of rawhide with cover of muslin symbolically painted in 

 green, yellow, red, and black. The background above is yellow and below green. 

 The figures are on the yellow portion and represents two dragon flies, the sun and 

 moon, an owl, and a circle in red outlined with green. Two eagle claws are fastened 

 at opposite sides. A bunch of eagle feathers is fastened at the upper edge, and from 

 it depends a flannel band with rows of large eagle feathers having horsehair cemented 

 to their ends. The thongs for holding have disappeared; there remains a thong for 

 suspension. Diameter 18 inches (Cat. No. 129871, U. S. N. M. Arapahoe Indians, 

 Dakota. Collected by H. M. Creel.) 



Plate I, shield with 2 covers. The shield proper is of hardened buffalo hide of con 

 vex form, plain in front with four perforations through which the thong forming the 

 handle is passed, (lower figure). To the triangular handle are attached long cow tails, 

 (figure to right). The inner cover is of buckskin, gaudily decorated, and edged 

 with a band of flannel bordered with eagle feathers and having a woven band hang 

 ing down, (figure to left; back view of same, upper figure to the right). The outer 

 cover, which is to protect the inner cover and the feathers are also painted and 

 whitened with pipeclay. Four charms are attached to it, viz, a curl of cow s tail, 

 an eagle feather, and two tufts of shredded cloth with a bit of brass chain. The 

 covers are gashed around the edge and supplied with a gathering string for securing 

 the cover tightly over the shield. The complete shield is shown in the upper figure 

 to the left. A third painted cover for this shield has been discovered. Diameter of 

 shield proper, lojmches; of shield with covers, 17^ inches. (Cat. No. 8443, U. S. N. M. 

 Comanche Indians, Fort Griffin, Texas. Collected by Dr. H. McElderry, U. S. A.) 



Mr. James Mooney is preparing a paper upon this branch of the subject. Mrs. 

 Nuttall has treated on this aspect of the Mexican shield; Joe. ciL, ante, p. 1. 



|| See Zuiii Fetiches, Cushing, 2d An. Kept. Bu. Ethnol., Pis. x, xi, p. 40. 



