72 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [Ball. 195 



that the tribal history was kept fresh in the people's minds by being 

 retold at gatherings, which were held at regular intervals. Mistakes 

 were corrected by older men. 



Messages were conveyed by several different means. Lewis and 

 Clark speak of setting the prairie afire to attract the attention of 

 Indians on the Missouri, "this being the useal [sic] Signal" (Lewis 

 1904, vol. 1, p. 11). The use of this method of communication by 

 the Ponca was confirmed by PLC and OK. 



A heliograph signaling device consisted of a trade mirror set in a 

 carved wooden frame. According to PLC the Ponca used sheets of 

 mica for these heliograph mirrors before the days of the trade mirror. 

 Later these mirrors became a favorite article of Heddska dance para- 

 phernalia. They also appear in old photographs as a part of the 

 paraphernalia of Ponca Sun dancers (see pi. 17, a). 



Messages to other tribes were carried by ambassadors who were safe 

 from molestation. They transmitted the message verbally if they 

 knew enough of the alien tribe's language. Otherwise the sign lan- 

 guage was used ( JLR) . 



Ponca numeration is based on the decimal system. The Ponca 

 numerical terms are as follows: 



Numeral Ponca term Meaning of Ponca term 



1 wiaktsi one 



2 nampa two 



3 4a-h4i three 



4 duha four 



5 s&tq, five 



6 s&pe six 



7 pSdqba seven 



8 peddbdi eight 



9 spka nine 



10 gMbq ten 



11 agdiwi add one (to ten) 



12 sdpe-nampa two sixes 



13 ag4i-4dhdi add three 



14 agdi-duha add four 



15 agM-sdtc^ add five 



16 ag4i-sd,pe add six 



17 agdi-pMqha add seven 



18 agM-pe4ab4i add eight 



19 ag4i-sdka add nine 



20 g44bq-nampa two tens 



21 g4^bq-nampa gidi wiaktsi two tens plus one 



22 g46bq-ndmpa gidi ndmpa two tens plus two 



(The numerals proceed in this fashion to 30.) 



30 g46bq-dd-b4i three tens 



(31, 32, etc. are formed by adding terms, as with 21, 22, above.) 



40 g46bq-d'dba four tens 



50 g4^bq-sdiq five tens 



60 g44bq-sdpe six tens 



70 g44bq-pe4qba seven tens 



