126 An account of the War Customs of the Osages. [February, 



lieutenants and heralds can swim and wash their faces. They 

 resume their march, and by and by they meet a foe whom they 

 attack. Let us suppose that they kill him. The first man who 

 strikes him gets the first honor, and the second honor is given to 

 the next who gives a blow. The scalp is handed to the Hafika 

 captain, who gives it to the Cheezhoo captain, saying, " Mere is 

 that for which you employed me." The corpse is laid with the 

 head to the east. The Hanka captain makes a hole on the right 

 side of the chest into which is thrust the standard with seven 

 feathers of the Hanka men, the feathers pointing to the west. 

 The Cheezhoo makes a hole on the left side of the corpse into 

 which is stuck the principal Cheezhoo standard. The second 

 Maiika standard-bearer places his standard, with six feathers, be- 

 tween the right arm and the chest ; and the second Cheezhoo 

 standard-bearer puts his between the left arm and the side. 



Should they lose one of their own men at this place, they set 

 up the body against a tree or bank, using most of their paint in 

 painting him all over. They break four arrows which they lay 

 by him, and they leave some paint there. After mourning over 

 their own dead, they will mourn for the foe just as if he was a 

 friend. At certain intervals (answering to every two or three 

 hours, as we reckon time), the standard-bearers tell the captains 

 to command the warriors to mourn. Before they reach home all 

 the trophies, including the scalps, are placed on a pole, at which 

 they charge, firing four times at it.^ 



WMien they have lost one of their party they neither eat nor 

 drink till they have poured out food and water for the dead. 

 When they come to a post oak they strip it of the bark for about 

 five feet from the ground ; they paint the tree red, break four 

 arrows and leave them by the tree with some paint. 



When they approach the village, they cannot enter it if they 

 have lost any of their party ; but they must stop, in that case, 

 about one or two hundred yartls from it. The principal m.m of 



' A iiiinilar custom is pr.icliccd I)y the D.ikot.is when they cut down the ]>olc for 

 the sun dance; and the Oin.ilias and l'onk:is charjjeil on the tree ere tlicycut it down 

 for their sacrcl pole, more thin two hundred years ago. The Omahas said that 

 their p )le, on thit occasion, represented an enemy, and a scalp was put on its head 

 in accordance with that notion. A race for a tree also occurs when the Omaha 

 young men go to cut down one for thr dance after the thanksgiving for success in 

 the buffalo hunt. Further investigation of this custom m.ay reveal other interesting 

 facts. 



