NAMES. 337 



dozen names, in well-fought combats ; yet lie is known to 

 all plains tribes and to the whites by the title which he 

 got from having his face badly burned by an explosion 

 of powder when a young man. 



Some of the names are expressive of early pecu- 

 liarities, others of utter contempt; but it is a curious 

 fact that, however opprobrious the common title by 

 which a warrior is known, he is almost sure in his 

 maturer years to acquiesce in and accept it. The names 

 adopted by the warriors themselves are intended always to 

 be expressive of some particular action or situation, and are 

 generally adopted from the known habits of animals with 

 which they are familiar. Thus a warrior who, brought 

 to bay, has finally beaten off his enemies and escaped, 

 names himself Standing Bull. Another goes off alone 

 on an expedition, from which he returns with stories of 

 successful rapine, and calls himself Lone Wolf. 



Girls are generally named by the mothers, and 

 frequently have fanciful titles, meaning or indicating 

 some thing which the mother may think worthy of com- 

 memoration, as the Hebrew women of the Old Testament 

 named their children. This name is liable to be lengthened 

 by affectionate diminutives, or contracted into a nick- 

 name, but it is not changed as the names of the boys. 

 Married women do not take the names of their husbands, 

 or change their own titles in any way. There are no 

 equivalents for Mrs. and Miss, and in the name, title, or 

 designation there is nothing to show whether a woman 

 is married or single. 



When on reservations, or thrown into comparatively 

 close contact with whites, the male Indian is very prone 

 to take to himself some 6 white' name ; and at a military 

 post in the close vicinity of Indians there is always a 

 lazy lot of Franks, and Bills, and Jims, loafing as 

 an occupation, living by constant and unblushing beg- 

 gary, and ready to prostitute their wives or daughters 

 for a drink of whisky. 



