1920.] Lowie, Crow Tobacco Society. 113 



rales and refrained thereafter from exercising the prerogative. In other 

 instances a wife's death was given as the reason for not participating. 

 The privileges were not hereditary, though they might be purchased 

 from a parent. This probably applies to the two or three cases in 

 which a transfer from father or mother to child is mentioned in the follow- 

 ing pages. 



Of the three local divisions of the Crow 1 the Min^septre (River 

 Crow) planted Tobacco separately; the Erarapfo sometimes joined the 

 Many Lodges. 



Assemblages for dancing occurred throughout the year, though more 

 frequently after the planting ceremony. 



When a Tobacco dance took place in the old days, it was obligatory 

 on members to participate. Gray-bull says that if any of them did not 

 come they were thrown into the river as a punishment. This, it is 

 interesting to note, is a practice of the modern Hot dance clubs 2 , though 

 according to my informants, it was not in vogue among the older mili- 

 tary organizations. It was further customary that if a Tobacco member 

 struck his wife all the women of the society would throw the offender 

 and other men into the creek, while if a woman similarly abused her 

 husband she and other women would meet with the same fate at the 

 hands of the male members. In case a member did not sing at a Tolbacco 

 dance the men would pour water on the women if a woman was at fault, 

 and vice versa. Also any men who came late had to submit to this treat- 

 ment; Gray-bull once had water poured down his shirt in the winter- 

 time. 



CHAPTERS OF THE SOCIETY. 



Informant H agree that long ago there were only a few chapters but 

 that as a result of individual visions new ones originated. In some of 

 these cases there ensued a complete separation of the visionary and his 

 followers, in others they imposed the minor variations on the entire 

 body or, failing that, remained as a somewhat differentiated subdivi- 

 sion of the chapter. With three local divisions of the Crow in the old 

 days and constant quests of visions for one reason or another the con- 

 ditions were favorable for the springing up of an indefinite number of 

 chapters and I do not flatter myself with having ascertained the names 

 of all of them. The sense of solidarity between the several chapters is 

 strong and the variations are of so subordinate a character as compared 



'Lowie, (a), 183. 



'This series, vol. XI, 205. 



