Howard] THE PONCA TRIBE 125 



The Peyote ritual is the only religious ceremony of an aboriginal 

 nature still performed by the Ponca. As noted earlier, it came to the 

 Southern Ponca from the Cheyenne in 1902. Shortly thereafter the 

 Southern Ponca carried it to the Northern band of their tribe. EBC 

 stated that the Northern Ponca also had one "fireplace" or ritual 

 which was introduced by the famous Winnebago leader, John Rave. 

 This was a "cross" or "big moon" type ceremony. The Cheyenne 

 ritual was the "half moon" or "basic Plains" rite which has fewer 

 Christian features. 



The general form of the Peyote meeting is as follows: About 8:30 

 p.m. the worshipers file into the tipi where the ceremony is to be 

 held, and take their places. There is an opening prayer by the 

 leader, then a general praying by all the members while smoking 

 prayer cigarettes (cigarettes are not used in the Winnebago ritual). 

 Peyote {Lophophora williamsi) is then distributed, usually in the 

 form of dried "buttons." This is eaten, as a sacrament, by the 

 peyotists. After this the singing begins. Each person sings four 

 songs, accompanied by the gourd rattle, which he shakes, and the 

 water drum, which is played by the man on his right. 



At midnight there are prayers by the leader and a ritual drinking 

 of water. The singing, interspersed with prayers, then continues 

 until dawn, at which time a ceremonial breakfast of parched corn, 

 fruit, and other native foods is eaten. The four closing songs are 

 then sung by the leader and the meeting is ended. Most of the 

 members loiter about the tipi until noon of the following day, at 

 which time the host serves them a dinner. 



Readers interested in a more complete account of the ceremony 

 than it is possible to include here are referred to Weston La Barre's 

 excellent work, "The Peyote Cult" (1938), in which both Peyote 

 rituals used by the Ponca are described in some detail. 



At the present time the Peyote religion is still flourishing among 

 the Southern Ponca. Peyote meetings are usually held on Saturday 

 night so as not to conflict with the workweek of those who have jobs. 

 However, the Northern Ponca have not held Peyote meetings since 

 the early forties. EBC, the last Northern Ponca leader resident in the 

 Niobrara area, died in 1950. I am told, however, that another North- 

 ern Ponca, who lives among the Yankton Dakota, stiU runs an oc- 

 casional meeting for that group's peyotists. 



SPORTS AND GAMES 



Next we turn to sports and games. It may seem odd to some that 

 sports and games should be considered in the same chapter with 

 religion, dances, and ceremonies. It will become evident in the dis- 

 cussion, however, that these sports and games were very often (though 



