MOONEY] 



KIOWA CALENDAR RECORDS 



909 



learn the truth or falsity of the reports, in order that the Kiowa might 

 be guided by the result on his return. A sufficienl sum of money was 

 raised for his expenses, and he left for the north in September, 1890. 

 Almost the whole tribe had assembled at the agency to witness his 

 departure, and each in turn of the prii .ipal men performed over him 

 a ceremony of blessing, such as has al eady been described. His going 

 and return are both recorded on the calendar previously mentioned. 



In October, 1890, shortly after A'piatan's departure. Sitting Bull, the 

 Arapaho prophet of the Grhost dance, came down from his tribe and 

 gave new impetus to the excitement among the Kiowa. This event also 

 is recorded on the same Kiowc calendar in a well-drawn picture repre- 

 senting a buffalo standing beside the figure of a man (figure S6). It is 

 also indicated less definitely on another calendar obtained from the tribe. 

 Sitting Bull coi Armed, as by personal knowledge, all that had been told 

 of the messiah, 

 and pred i c ted 

 that the new 

 earth would ar- 

 rive in the follow- 

 ing spring. 1891 

 The Kiowa as- 

 sembled on the 

 Washita, at the 

 moutli of Rainy 

 Mountain creek, 

 and here, at the 

 largest Ghost 

 dance ever held 

 by the tribe, Sit- 

 ting Bull conse- 

 crated seven men 



and women as leaders of the dance and teachers of the doctrine by giv- 

 ing to each one a sacred feather to be worn in the dance as the badge of 

 priesthood. Until the Ghost dance came to the prairie tribes their 

 women had never before been raised to such dignity as to be allowed 

 to wear feathers in their hair. After "giving the feather'' to the 

 leaders thus chosen, they were taught the songs and ritual of the 

 dance. At first the songs were all in the Arapaho language, but after 

 the trances, which now began to be frequent, the Kiowa composed 

 songs of their own. 



Among the dreamers and prophets who now came to the front was one 

 who merits more than a passing notice. His original name was Hiiinki. 

 "Eater," but on account of his frequent visits to the spirit world he is 

 now known as Asa'tito'la, which may be freely rendered "The Messen- 

 ger." For a long time he had been in the habit of going alone upon the 

 mountain, there to fast and pray until visions came to him, when he would 



Tig. 8ti — sitting Bull comes down (from a Kiowa calendar). 



