110 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [Bull. 195 



In connection with the present-day Ghost dance Hand game a 

 dance, known simply as the "Gourd dance," is performed. Two 

 persons, male or female, dance at a time, carrying large gourd rattles 

 in the right hand. Choreographically the dance is much like the 

 Heduska, except that the dancers shake their gourds in time with 

 the drum. This dance, according to LMD, was borrowed from the 

 Pawnee at the same time as the Ghost dance Hand game. He 

 mentioned, however, that the Ponca had previously possessed a 

 Gourd dance of their own. This probably refers to the dance of the 

 "Make-no-flight" society, mentioned below. 



Another Ponca "Ghost dance," apparently a predecessor of that 

 described above but not connected with it in any way, is described 

 by James O. Dorsey (1884 a, p. 353). He writes: "Wandxe-iddeSema 

 are those who have supernatural commimications with ghosts .... 

 The dancers made their bodies gray, and called themselves ghosts." 



The Ponca had many warriors' dancing societies besides the Heduska. 

 Since most of these are described at some length by both Dorsey 

 (1884 a) and Skinner (1915 c) they will be treated quite briefly here. 

 Each had its characteristic costume, songs, customs, and roster of 

 officers. These warrior society dances, like the dances in present- 

 day Western European society, were introduced, enjoyed a period 

 of great popularity, and then were abandoned. Perhaps only two 

 or three would be active at one time. There was apparently a rough 

 sort of age grading in the societies, but it was not as clearly defined 

 as in other Prairie-Plains groups. The Tokdla dancing group was 

 apparently made up of the youngest warriors, the Heduska and 

 Make-no-flight of slightly older, seasoned men, the Mawddani of 

 middle-aged and older veterans, and the Iskd-iyuha of old men and 

 chiefs who had retired from military affairs. 



The Tokdla warriors' society or dance was described by Big-goose, 

 one of Skinner's informants, as being, along with the Sun dance, 

 Heduska, and Not-afraid-to-die, one of the oldest Ponca dances 

 (1915 c, p. 783). Dorsey (1884 a, p. 354), however, states that it was 

 borrowed from the Dakota. Since the name means "kit fox" in 

 Dakota and is meaningless in ^igiha, it would appear that Dorsey 

 is correct. 



Dorsey is the authority for the statement that the Tokdla was 

 composed of young warriors originally (1884 a, pp. 354-355). This 

 group had a traditional rivahy with the Mawddani or "Mandan" 

 warriors' society which sometimes resulted in wife stealing of the 

 type so well known among the Crow (Skinner, 1915 c, p. 788). In 

 later years the society disappeared, and its dance became a mere 

 bm-lesque. PLC remembered it only as a "silly dance" performed 

 to work up enthusiasm for the HedalSka. Choreogi'aphically it was 



