mooney] SHORT BULL'S SERMON 789 



Now, there will lie a tree sprout up, and there all the memhers of our religion and 

 the tribe must gather together. That will he the place where we will see our dead 

 relations. But before this time we must dance the balance of this moon, at the end 

 of which time the earth will shiver verj hard. Whenever this thing occurs, I will 

 start the wind to blow. Wo are the ones who will then see our fathers, mothers, and 

 everybody. We, the tribe of Indians, are the ones who are living a sacred life. God, 

 our father himself, has told and commanded and shown me to do these things. 



i >ur father in heaven has placed a mark at each point of the four winds. First, a 

 clay pipe, which lies at the setting of the sun and represents the Sioux tribe. 

 Second, there is a holy arrow lying at the north, which represents the Cheyenne 

 tribe. Third, at the rising of the sun there lies hail, representing the Arapaho 

 tribe. Fourth, then- Ins a pipe and nice feather at the south, which represents the 

 Crow tribe. My father has shown me these things, therefore we must continue this 

 dance. If the soldiers surround you four deep, three of you, on whom I have put 

 holy shirts, will sing a song, which I have taught you, around them, when some of 

 them will drop dead. Then the rest will start to run. but their horses will sink into 

 the earth. The riders will jump from their horses, but they will sink into the earth 

 also. Then you can do as you desire with them. Now, you must know this, that all 

 the soldiers and that race will he dead. There will be only five thousand of them 

 left living on the earth. My friends and relations, this is straight and true. 



Now, we must gather at Pass creek where the tree is sprouting. There we will go 

 among our dead relations. You must not take any earthly things with you. Then 

 the men must take oft' all their clothing and the women must do the same. No one 

 shall be ashamed of exposing their persons. My father above has told us to do this, 

 aud wo must do as he says. You must not be afraid of anything. The guns are the 

 only things we are afraid of, but they belong to our father in heaven. He will see 

 that they do no harm. Whatever white men may tell you. do not listen to them, my 

 relations. This is all. I will now raise my hand up to my father and close what he 

 has said to you through me. [Short Hull : War, 4.) 



The pipe here referred to is the most sacred thing in Sioux mythology 

 and will be more fully described in treating of the Sioux songs. The 

 sacred object of the Cheyenne is the " medicine arrow," now in the 

 keeping of the band living near Cantonment, Oklahoma. The Crow 

 and Arapaho references are not so clear. The Arapaho are called by 

 the Sioux the "Blue Cloud" people, a name which may possibly have 

 some connection with hail. The sprouting tree at which all the believers 

 must gather refers to the tree or pole which the Sioux planted in the 

 center of the dance circle. The cardinal directions here assigned to the 

 other tribes may refer to their former locations with regard to the 

 Sioux. The Cheyenne and Arapaho, who now live tar west and south 

 of the Sioux, originally lived north and east of them, about Red river 

 and the Saskatchewan. 



The most noted thing connected with the Ghost dance among the 

 Sioux is the "ghost shirt" which was worn by all adherents of the 

 doctrine — men, women, and children alike. It is described by Captain 

 Sword in his account of the Ghost dance, given in the appendix to this 

 chapter, and will be noticed at length hereafter in treating of the cere- 

 mony of the dance. During the dance it was worn as an outside 

 garment, but was said to be worn at other times under the ordinary 

 dress. Although the shape, fringing, and feather adornment were 

 practically the same in every case, considerable variation existed in 



