SWANTON] IM)IAX TI{lI?i:S OF 'IIIK LOWKIJ M ISSISSI I'l'l VAI.I.KV 129 



S|>eec'lU'S in tlirir liiiii to nil tlif wnrriurs lliiit tlu-y ;:«) with tiifiu \n r;iitse 

 sc'al|ts, iuul to i'ii;,Mu'i' tiif yoiint,' iiicii t(i aecoiiipiiiiy tiu'iu in tinier tn dhlain 

 fjlory, ami to let tiicii- ii,iti<iii sec that they anticiitatc the a^*^ of real warriors, 

 ami that they will somi iiccoiiic sn< li by their triorioiis exploits. 



This fOiiiK'il beiiij: over ami the deteriiiinatio:i for war l)einf; taken, all the 

 warriors j;o to hnnt ami brinj; back iranie to tlie lionse of (he irreal war chief 

 in order to make tlie war feast, wliich nmst last three days, as well as the war 

 dance. But before descril»ing this feast and the dances whicli must follow it, 

 it is necessary to {live a description of the calumet of war. It is of the same 

 material and of the same shape as the peace calumel with the exception of the 

 color of the feathers, which are those of an aquatic bird called the Qamingo 

 [flainaut). The head of this bird is bald as if the scalp had been carried away. 

 Its feathers are grayish while, which, l)eing dyed red, are not of a very deej) red. 

 The tufts and tassels which surmount them are black. The ]iipe of the calumet 

 is covered with the skin from the neck of a buzzard wiiich is as black as a 

 blackbird and as large as a turkey. That is the caliunet and tlie symbol of war. 



The natives distinguish their warriors into three classes, namely, the true 

 warriors, who have always ai)i)eared to have courage. The ordinary warriors 

 are the second class. The third is formed of the ai)prentice warriors. They 

 also divide our w^arriors into two classes, the true warriors and the young 

 warriors. The first are the settlers, the greater part of whom were in the 

 service on arriving, and as they know- the stratagems of the natives they 

 foresee them and do not fear them. On the other hand, they give the name 

 of yoimg warriors to the soldiers of tlie regular troops, because ordinarily old 

 soldiers are not sent to Louisiana, and these young soldiers are ignorant of the 

 stratagems which the natives employ in time of war. 



The feast being prepared, all the warriors rei)air thither. Lei us see what 

 their arms and disposition are. They are daubed (or painted) over part of their 

 bodies in different colors from head to feet. For their entire clothing they have 

 only a belt through which passes the breechcloth and where hang the bells, the 

 rattles, and the colocynths. It is also to this belt that the war club is fastened. 

 They have in the left hand a buckler, the bow in the right hand, and the arrows 

 in a quiver which is a skin sack. The buckler is made of two round i)ieces of 

 bison leather bound together, of a diameter of a foot and a half. This buckler 

 is almost confined to those of the north. One does not see it among those of 

 the south. 



The war feast takes place in a plain, the grass of whicli has been cut over a 

 sufficiently large space. Kach one repairs thither armed and with the outfit 

 I have .just described. Tlie war calumet is planted in the middle of the 

 assembly at the end of a pole from 7 to S feet tall. The dishes are ranged in 

 a circle of 12 to 15 feet in diameter. There is thus enough space left between 

 them when the warriors are very numerotis. This diameter is sometimes 20 

 feet. We are going to see what is tlie arrangement of the dishes, which are 

 not made of clay, but of hollowed wood. 



In the midst is the largest dish of all in which is a great dog roasted whole. 

 This dish is at the foot of the caliuiiei. Plic other dishes are arranged by threes, 

 although circularly. In one is coarse meal cooked in fat broth, in another is 

 boiled deer meat, and in the third roasted deer. Hetween every three dishes 

 is a space of 2 feet to give passageway to go and take some of the dog, which 

 is the dish with which the w'ar feast is begun. The meal serves as bread. 

 It is coarse because warriors ought not to be delicate. They eat the dog also to 

 indicate the care with which a warrior ought to follow his war chief. They 

 83220— Bull. 43—10 



