174 Anthropological Papers American Museum of Natural Ristory. [Vol. XXI, 



lation until the Tobacco is harvested. Bull-chief said that after the 

 planting the members do not eat the soft bones (marrow?) of beef lest 

 there be tooth prints on the harvested Tobacco. Likewise they abstained 

 from wild celery and bull's testes lest the Tobacco berries be yellow and 

 spoiled. After the plants have come out there must be no shinny play- 

 ing or the Tobacco will break down. On the other hand it is lucky, 

 according to Gray-bull, to be the first to eat young deer meat after the 

 planting since the first member to do so will have a big crop. Ralph 

 Saco, of the Bighorn District, mentioned a taboo somewhat different 

 from those previously mentioned. During the period defined the 

 members should not sing Weasel, Otter, or any other Tobacco songs 

 except such as refer to the Tobacco itself; otherwise they will have a 

 poor crop. The members dance rather frequently at this time in order 



to make the plant grow faster. 







After the planting comes the inspection. There is some discrepancy 

 in the several accounts but practically all agree that there are properly 

 four visits to the garden for the purpose of investigating how the 

 Tobacco is getting along. I will follow one of Gray-bull's narratives. 



Four days after the planting the husband of the Medicine-bearer 

 returns to look at the garden; sometimes he is accompanied by his wife, 

 regularly by a chief or famous warrior, who looks at the Tobacco first. 

 On this point Arm-round-the-neck said that the inspectors took with 

 them scouts who had seen the enemy and dispatched these towards the 

 garden when the party had got close to it. The scouts went, looked 

 and returned to their companions, hallooing as on a war party. They 

 tell the rest that the Tobacco is coming up well. On returning to camp. 

 Gray-bull continues, the inspector reports to the Mixers accordingly, 

 and they sing songs of rejoicing. Several days later the man who sang 

 at the second halting-place in the procession to the garden goes to 

 inspect and tells the Mixers on his return what he has seen. They again 

 sing songs of joy. A third man goes about twelve or fourteen days later 

 and generally finds the plants about two inches high. He goes back 

 and tells the Mixers that the Tobacco is coming up very well, and they 

 sing songs of joy. A fourth man goes from twenty to forty days after 

 his predecessor and reports to the Mixers that the Tobacco is growing 

 well. After the return of each inspector there is a Tobacco dance. 



From other accounts it would appear that the Mixers went to 

 inspect each time. Crane-bear says he went to the garden seventeen 

 days after the planting and returned to inspect it with a uniform interval 



