128 Anthropological Papers American Museum of Natural I^istory. [Vol. XXI, 



BLACKBIRD CHAPTER. 



This chapter originated within the lifetime of Gros-Ventre-horse, 

 my informant. There was a man named Breath, whose father had the 

 blackbird for his medicine and gave a stuffed blackbird to his son. 

 Breath was already a member of the Tobacco society and had adopted 

 people into it, who also wanted the blackbird for their medicine. He 

 dreamt a song about the blackbird and distributed stuffed blackbirds 

 among his 'children/ thus founding a new chapter. 



In dancing the members would tie blackbirds to the backs of their 

 blankets, which themselves were black in imitation of the birds. Two 

 kinds of paint were used, according to individual choice. Some painted 

 the face with heavy red paint from the eyes up and with light red from 

 the eyes down, with red ground-paint rubbed on the hair. Others put 

 red paint on the face and one very large black spot on each cheekbone. 



Since there is no head to the chapter at Lodge Grass, Gros-Ventre- 

 horse joined White-man-runs-him in the Weasel chapter. Once an 

 Indian from the Big Horn District came to Lodge Grass to plant in the 

 name of the Blackbird chapter, for members are not obliged to plant 

 in their own district. 



BUFFALO CHAPTER. 



This is a chapter of recent origin, organized about 1907 according 

 to One-horn, while Pretty-enemy puts the date about twenty-six years 

 farther back, which seems more probable. 



Big-shoulder-blade's brother had been killed and he went out on the prairie to 

 fast. On the other side of the Yellowstone he slept on a hill called Ridge-to-the-buffalo 

 or Bear's Lodge. His brother had been sneaking up to the enemy's camp; he was 

 shot near the junction of the Tongue and Yellowstone rivers, tried to get home, but 

 was found dead on the ridge where Big-shoulderblade slept. There he dreamt. The 

 buffalo adopted him and gave him medicine. 



He slept four days on the ridge. Where the sun came up he saw four young men 

 to correspond with the four nights he had spent there. They came up to him, each 

 wearing a buffalo skin cap with horns. The first man had one of these slim un jointed 

 willows. One of the men said, " This is a good strong thing; if you want it, take it." 

 The second one had a straight pipe. One of his companions said, " This is strong too, 

 if you lose the tracks and pour smoke on it, you will find the enemy's tracks." The 

 third man had his cap covered with white dirt; he was one-eyed. " That is good too, 

 but the person who owns it will have only one eye." This was the strongest of the 

 four. The fourth had the horns covered with red paint and the crown also painted red. 

 This one sang a song. "You have been traveling about here for a long time. You will 

 be repaid and take revenge. Sing this song and you shall kill the enemy as a reward." 



