394 



A STUDY OF SIOUAN CULTS. 



societies of such meu are the following: Te d^aq'edfg, Those having 

 superhuman communications with the Buffalo; the Ma"tn (Ifaq'i-dft', 

 Those having interviews with the Grizzly Bear; the I"ta"'<l(j-a" tan'jja 

 dfaq'^dfe, Those having interviews with the Panther; and the .Iaw6 

 dfaq'edfP, Those having interviews with the Beaver. There were 

 doubtless other orders, but they are unknown to the author's Kwapa 

 informant, Alphonsus Valliere, of the Wajinjia or Bird geus.' 



PERSONAI, MYSTKKY DECORATIONS. 



§ 44. The Omaha and Ponka have certain personal mystery decora- 

 tions, some of which are worn on garments, and others appear on 



the tents of their owners. The 

 makers and wearers of such 

 decorations must be members 

 of one of the orders of shamans. 

 George Miller's father, Little 

 Soldier, used to wear a buffalo 

 robe decorated in the style 

 shown in Figs. 156 and 157. It 

 was his personal mystery deco- 

 ration, which no one else could 

 use. Even members of his gens 

 (the Ictasanda, a Thunder and 

 Reptile gens) feared to imitate 

 it. The father ijromised to paint 

 this decoration on four white 

 blankets for his sou George, but he died before he could paint the 

 fourth one. 



George received the first one when 

 he was about seventeen years of age. 

 Before he married he had worn out 

 three. He still has the right to dec- 

 orate and wear the fourth blanket, 

 according to his father's intention. 

 He could decorate other white blan- 

 kets in this style, and wear them, if 

 he wished, but he could not transmit 

 to any one of his children (the grand- 

 children of Little Soldier) the right 

 to make and wear such a decoration, 

 unless George himself should here- 

 after see the objects in a dream or 

 vision. 



The right to use such designs on 

 a buffalo robe, blanket, tent, etc., must originate with one who has had 



iThis Kwapa information was obtained in January, 1891, some time after the preparation of the 

 greattr part of this paper. In such a combiuatiuu as d«f the <p is scarcely heard. 



Flo. 156. — Georjie ililler'a personal mystery decoration. 



riu. I J 



A VUli.iiiL ul 1 1 



