MEDICINE CORDS. 



551 



i 



cipal medicine-men of the Cbirieahua Apache, made me the same 

 promise concerning the cord which he wore and which figures in these 

 plates. It was, unfortunately, sent me by mail, and, although the best 

 in the series and really one of the best I have ever been fortunate 

 enough to see on either living or dead, it was not accompanied by a 

 description of the symbolism of the different articles attached. Eamon 

 also gave me the head-dress which he wore in the spirit or ghost 

 dance, and explained everything thereon, and I am satisfied that he 

 would also, while in the same frame of mind, have given me all the in 

 formation in his power in regard to the sacred or medicine cord as well, 

 had T been near him. 



There are some things belonging to these cords which I understand 

 from having had them explained at other times, but there are others 

 about which I am iu extreme doubt and ignorance. There are four 

 specimens of medicine cords represented and it is worth while to 

 observe that they were used as one, two, three, and four strand cords, 

 but whether this fact means that they belonged to medicine-men or to 

 warriors of different degrees 1 did 

 not learn nor do T venture to con 

 jecture. 



The single -strand medicine 

 cord with the thirteen olivella 

 shells belonged to a Zuiii chief, 

 one of the priests of the sacred 

 order of the bow, upon whose 

 wrist it was worn as a sign of his 

 exalted rank in the tribe. I ob 

 tained it as a proof of his sincer- 

 est friendship and with injunc 

 tions to say nothing about it to 

 his own people, but no explana 

 tion was made at the moment of 

 the signification of the wristlet or 

 cord itself or of the reason for 

 using the olivella shells of that 

 particular number or for placing 

 them as they were placed. 



One of the four-strand cords 

 was obtained from Eamon and is 

 the most beautiful and the most 

 valuable of the lot. K a 711 o n 

 called my attention to the im 

 portant fact that it was com 

 posed of four strands and that originally each had been stained a dif 

 ferent color. These colors were probably yellow, blue, white, and black, 

 although the only ones still discernible at this time are the yellow and 

 the blue. 



. 4i{6. F4&amp;gt;ur-,str;md medicine cord (Apache). 



