1920.] Lowie, Crow Tobacco Society. 189 



eaten when matured. " No ! The seeds will be owned by the Crow Indians. You will 

 tie them up in small bags, and as they increase all the Crow will have some Tobacco 

 later on." He called their ' children ' and said, "Distribute this among yourselves, all 

 shall have of it. You may keep the seed case, use the leaves to smoke." He stood up 

 and said, "Take all kinds of weeds. Before the seventh day I want to sing with the 

 weeds in imitation of the Tobacco to help its growth before the second inspection. 

 We'll sing four songs, the last time raise them up higher. On the seventh day the 

 Tobacco will be that much higher." The words of the songs were as before: 

 Hirawe, con awe diawawik. (Female comrade, where shall I plant?) 

 He told them to have a feast after the song. "After seven days we'll send men there." 

 On the seventh day they went. On coming back they said they had seen a white- 

 flowered plant growing that they had never seen before. They had the same cere- 

 mony then. Twelve days later they were to go again. " Then you'll see it a good deal 

 taller." They went again and reported that all were tall this time. "You'll see it 

 again in fourteen days for the last time. It will be about so high." They moved 

 camp and roamed about. "At the ripening of the berries when the leaves turn yellow, 

 we must take back our seeds." They moved. He said, "Wait till I burn incense." 

 He burnt isk. in the four corners. "Now you may gather it." He sang a song. four 

 times, then he broke the first seed off, then the others did the same, each piling up his 

 own lot. Not all the plants were found to be alike. "As there are two kinds of 

 animals (sexes), this is also of two kinds: long and short. This long kind you'll 

 smoke and keep the seed cases to plant every year. The short kind you shall plant 

 and merely keep (not smoke) ." The Crow kept the short kind, the Hidatsa the longer 

 kind, when they separated. When they got it, he said, "Wait, we'll make another 

 one." A sweatlodge was put up and Tobacco seeds placed on top. Tobacco songs 

 were sung inside. He then prayed to Old-Man-Coyote, the Stars, and other beings. 

 He said, "We are putting up a sweatlodge and are going to sing." He called them 

 and said, "You are all holy and asked us to do this. If any of my children are sick, 

 they will get into the sweathouse and if they get well they shall enter the Tobacco 

 society." There are various causes for joining. Some say, " If I get a good horse this 

 summer, I'll join," or, "If I fare well throughout the winter, I'll join the society." 

 Pregnant women will say, " If I bear a child and it lives, I'll join the society." Young 

 men on the warpath would say, "If I come home in safety and bring back a horse, 

 I'll belong to the society." Even today, if a child is sick, the parents will say, "If 

 it gets well, I'll join the society." The founder said, "This affair belongs to those 

 powers alone. They have supervision of it. They may show you something new; 

 and if so, don't fail to use it also." 



Finally, I will give an abstract of the account furnished by Curtis. 1 



First-worker (Old-Man-Coyote), gave a man created from clay some Tobacco, 

 telling him that if he scattered it against people he was angry with they should be 

 afflicted with sores. The man refused to do this, saying this was a foolish procedure 

 and that he preferred to strike his enemy and to have his enemy's heart turn weak. 

 First-worker then told him that through the Tobacco his people should multiply. 

 In reply to the man's request he gave him a song and the incense to be used in the 

 Tobacco ceremony. The actual institution of the ritual is ascribed by Curtis's in- 

 formants to No-vitals, chief of the Crow seceders from the Hidatsa. 



iCurtis, vol. 4, 61 f. 



