86 BUKEAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [bull. 53 



their gims, aiming at the places where the Sioux lay asleep. When 

 all was ready one of the warriors blew a quavering note on a tiny 

 whistle, like the call of a waking bird. At this signal the Chippewa 

 fired and then rushed at the tipis, tearing them down and killing as 

 many of the wounded as possible. With a quick slash they severed 

 the head of a Sioux from his body and ran away with it, removing the 

 scalp afterward. Three or four scalps were sometimes cut from one 

 head. The term ''scalp lock," however, was applied to the lock 

 situated just back of the crown. As this is the only spot at which 

 the scalp adheres closely to the skull, the scalp lock is especially diffi- 

 cult to remove, but a skillful warrior could do so with one motion of 

 his knife. He then slipped the end of the hair beneath the string 

 which held his breechcloth, and the scalp dangled at the victor's side. 

 If a war party ran short of provisions the leader selected a place to 

 camp, near a lake. He smoked his pipe, sang his dream song, and 

 smoked again. At length he pointed in a certain direction and said, 

 "A deer is coming there; it is sent to you." Thus the camp was 

 supplied with meat. Ma'djigi'jig said he had known this to occur 

 many times. He stated also that, before attacking a Sioux village, 

 the leader of a war party frequently ''called on the thunderbird to 

 send rain," in order that the Sioux would remain at home, not chang- 

 ing their camp or wandering in the vicinity, where they might detect 

 the approach of the Chippewa. 



THE WAR BADGE 



(By A^KiWEN^zi) 



A'kiwen'zi ("old man") wore proudly the double insignia of his 

 success as a warrior — feathers in his headdress and skunk skins 

 attached to his ankles (pi. 15). Even at his advanced age he was so 

 lithe and agile in the dance that one could readily believe his state- 

 ment that as a warrior he was distinguished for fleetness of foot. 

 Two of his war-honor feathers were won at the memorable fight at 

 Ca'gobens' village (see p. 79). After that fight there were many 

 dead and wounded Sioux lying on the ground. He kicked one of the 

 latter and thus won the right to wear a skunk skin at his ankle. 

 Later, as a member of a war party which pushed far into the Sioux 

 country, he killed a Sioux near the site of the present Sisseton, South 

 Dakota, afterward kicking the body of the slain; thus he won the 

 right to wear his third war-honor feather, and the other skunk skin at 

 his ankle. In June, 1911, A'kiwen'zi was living on the Wliite Earth 

 Reservation. There he and his war comrades frequently joined in 

 social dances with their old enemies, and again smoked the pipe of 

 peace with the Sioux. 



