DORSET.! THE BUFFALO — THE BEAR — THE WOLF. 477 



they raiseil their children. They did mauy strange things. Therefore when a man 

 lan hardly be wounded by a foe, the people believe that the former has seen the 

 buffalo in dreams or visions, and on that account has received mysterious help from 

 those animals. All such men who dream of the buflalo, act like them and dance the 

 burtalo (bull) dance. And the man who acts the buflalo is said to have a real buft'alo 

 inside him, and a chrysalis lies within the flat jiart of the body near the shoulder- 

 blade ; on account of which the man is hard to kill ; no matter how often they wound 

 him. he docs not die. As the ))coplo know that the buffalo live in earth lodges, they 

 never dance the buffalo dance in vain. 



THE T.\TA>;(iXA.SKII{VA^ liR MYTHIC BUPF.VLO. 



^ 241. It is said that a mythic buffalo once attacked a party of Indians, killing one 

 of them. The others fled and climbed a tree, at whicli the buffalo rushed many 

 times, knocking ott' piece after piece of the tree with his liorns till very little oi it 

 was left. Then one of the Indians lighted some finder and threw it far off into the 

 tall grass, scorching the buffalo's eyes, and seriously injuring his horns, causing the 

 hard part of the latter to slip off, so that the animal could no longer gore any one. 

 But as he was still dangerous, one of the men determined to tight him at the risk of 

 his own life, and so he .slipped down from the tree, armed with a bow and some 

 arrows. He finallj' gave the buft'alo a mortal wound. Then all the men came down 

 the tree and cut up the buft'alo after flaying him. They were about to carry off the 

 body of their dead couirade in a robe, when they were obliged to climb a tree again 

 because another mythic buft'alo had appeared. He did not attack them, but went 

 four times around the body of the slain man. Then he stopped and said, "Arise to 

 your feet." All at once, the dead miin came to life. The buffalo addressed him, 

 saying. " Hereafter you shall be mysterious, and the sun, moon, four winds, day and 

 night shall be your servants." It was so. He could assume the shape of a tine 

 plume, which was blown often against a tree, to which it stuck, as it waved repeat- 

 edly. 



THE BEAK. 



^242. The A.ssiniboin address prayers to the bear.' They offer it sacrifices of to- 

 bacco, belts, and other esteemed objects. They celebrate feasts in its honor, to obtain 

 its favors and to live without accidents. The bear's head is often preserveil in 

 the camp during several days, mounted in some suitable position and adorned with 

 scraps of scarlet cloth, and trimmed with a variety of necklace collars, and colored 

 feathers. Then they offer it the calumet, and ask it that they may be able to kill 

 all the bears they meet, without accident to themselves, in order to anoint them- 

 selves with his fine grease and make a banquet of his tender flesh. 



THE WOLF. 



§243. Smet says, "The wolf is more or less honore'd among the 

 Indians" (/. e. the Assiniboiii) "Most of the womenrefiise to dress its 

 skin for any purpose. The only reason that I could discover for this 

 freak is. that the wolves sometimes go mad, bite those they meet and 

 give them the hydrophobia. It is doubtless to escape this terrible dis- 

 ease aud to avoid the destructiou of their game, that the Indians make 

 it" (the wolf) "presents, and otter it supplications. lu other cases, he 

 is little feared." The "little medicine wolf" is in great veneration 

 among the Assiniboin. As soon as an Indian hears his barks, he counts 

 the number; he remarks whether his voice is feeble or strong, and from 



'Smet, Western Missions and Missionaries, p. 139. 



