112 .4 nthropological /-V//;r/-* A mcrican Museum of Natural flixtori/. | Vol. XXI, 



able to corroborate Mr. Curtis's statement to the effect that the Crow 

 tobacco differed from that of the Hidatsa and that the latt er only was 

 employed for smoking. 1 



Since the Blackfoot have a tobacco ceremony which closely re- 

 sembles that of the Crow in a number of details, it would be natural to 

 assume that the plant cultivated is identical in the two tribes. This, 

 however, does not seem to be the case. From a rather defective speci- 

 men Professor Setchell infers that the tobacco of the Northern Black- 

 foot is Nicotiana attenuata, disti net from both the Crow and Hidatsa specie* . 



Planting Tobacco is not a natural right but a ceremonial privilege. 

 Like other privileges of this sort, it dates back to a revelation of certain 

 modes of procedure, songs, and regalia by a supernatural power. Parti- 

 cipation in the benefits of this primary vision could, however, be secured 

 through adoption by the visionary himself . or by those ceremonially 

 descended from him by successive adoptions. The visionary and his 

 ceremonial descendants, as denned, constituted the original Tobacco 

 society (bacusud). New visions by members of this fold led to the segre- 

 gation of chapters, all sharing the right to plant Tobacco but distin- 

 guished by ceremonial details and songs. The same result was also 

 achieved by independent visions of the Tobacco granted to outsiders, 

 who were thereby empowered to start new lines of descent. 2 



From what has been said it follows that membership in the Tobacco 

 society differs from membership in, say, the age-societies of the Hidatsa 

 or Mandan, where the candidates purchase societies outright, the sellers 

 thereby renouncing all privileges connected therewith. In the Tobacco 

 society the adopting individual remains a full-fledged member regardless 

 of the heavy initiation fee and irrespective of the number of novices 

 adopted by him. However, there are various prerogatives, connected 

 with the society but not with membership as such, that are bought 

 outright. Among these may be mentioned the ownership of the adop- 

 tion lodge, the privilege of mixing the Tobacco prior to sowing the seed, 

 and the mode of painting. Such privileges are inalienable except by 

 sale, but may be allowed to lapse. Thus Gros Vent re-horse had been 

 learning the art of mixing from Breath and Lump-on-the-lower-part-of- 

 t he-forehead but his masters died before he was thoroughly trained. 

 Accordingly he mixed once, but found that he had forgotten some of the 



'Curtis, IV, 01 . Old-dog, however, said that the s t 'ew of the plant was formerly smoked after being 

 greased . 



-Sin' c some of the origin accounts assume a knowledge of the ceremonial now followed, they will be 

 presented after the description of the ceremonies. 



