142 Anthropological Papers American Museum of Natural History. [Vol. XXI, 



While Medicine-crow was in the sweatlodge, his wife had been preparing a feast. 

 This was announced by a herald. Then the members of the adopting chapter said, 

 " Let us take our medicines to his tipi and give him some." They went over there 

 with their drums; these drums are owned by certain individuals. The medicine-bags 

 were smoked with ise incense, then all the medicines were taken out. Medicine-crow 

 had had a number of horses saved for this occasion; for each medicine he selected 

 out of those exposed, he paid one horse. He also picked out one bag. Three songs 

 were sung, and three times he pretended to put the medicines into his bag. This he 

 finally did at the fourth song. This is how he became a member of the Otter chapter. 

 Thenceforth the Otters treated him as one of their own family. At a later period 

 he had a vision of strawberries (see p. 117) in accordance with which he modified 

 the ritual and the chapter came to be called after the Strawberry. 



THE CANDIDATE'S PREPARATION. 



Except for the time of initiation Arm-round-the-neck's experiences 

 seem typical. Sits-on-the-bear offered him money, comforters and meat, 

 thus inducing him to be adopted into the Weasel chapter. This happened 

 in the spring, but the initiation did not take place until autumn. In 

 the interim Arm-round-the-neck and his wife were taken to a Tobacco 

 dance four times. On the first three evenings they received food and looked 

 on while the dance was performed by the members. On the fourth night 

 my informant was given two songs and his wife received two, according 

 to the usual procedure. The song-givers were Dek'oc, Coyote, Crooked- 

 nose, and Long-ears. On this occasion the couple were at last allowed to 

 dance in the following fashion. Arm-rround-the-neck stood on the right 

 side of the first song-giver and danced with him; then he danced 

 similarly with the second song-giver, a different song being intoned 

 each time. His wife, in corresponding manner, danced with the two 

 other song-givers. 



Child-in-the-mouth and Gray-bull were prepared in much the same 

 fashion but during the winter, the initiation being consummated in the 

 spring according to ancient usage. 



Cuts-the-picketed-mule was not initiated together with her hus- 

 band, though into the same chapters. During the preparatory period 

 she was taken into a lodge, where the dance was held on four consecu- 

 tive nights. She had to dance on the last night when she received the songs. 

 She had brought in some buffalo robes, two bottles of whisky, and other 

 gifts. She was pregnant at the time arid was bashful, not knowing 

 how to dance; she was trembling all over. The members all made 

 fun of her. 



