510 A STUDY OF SIOUAN CULTS. 



they howl, lament, and make loud entreaties, often for many days together, to the 

 Omahank-Naniakshi. Another "medicine establishment" consisted of a eoujde of 

 human figures, very clumsily made of skins, fixed on jioles, and representing, as was 

 told to Maximilian, the sun and moon, but in his opinion, probably the Omahank- 

 Numakshi and the Old Woman that Never Dies. 



§ 331. If a Maiulan posses-ses a ''medicine pipe" (i. e., what the Omaha 

 and Pouka call a niniba weawa",) he sometimes decides to adopt a 

 " medicine son. " The young man whom he is to choose appears to him 

 in a dream ; but it is necessary that he should be of a good family, or 

 have performed some exjiloit.' 



§ 332. Dreams aft'ord the motives for many of their actions, even for the penances 

 which they impose on themselves. They think that all which appears in their 

 dreams must be true. Before they became acquainted with firearms, a Mandan 

 dreamed of a weapon with which they could kill their enemies at a great distance, 

 and soon after the white men brought them the first gun. In like manner they 

 dreamed of horses before they obtained any. In many cases the guardian spirit is 

 revealed to the fasting youth in a dream. If the Lord of Life makes him dream of a 

 piece of cherry wood or of an animal, it is a good omen. The young men who follow 

 such a dreamer to the battle have great confidence in his guardian sjjirit or " medi- 

 cine. "^ 



§ 333. The Maudau and Hidatsa consider the large gray owl a mys- 

 tery bird, with whom they pretend to converse and to understand its 

 attitudes and voice. Such owls are often kept alive in lodges, being 

 regarded as soothsayers. They have a similar opinion of eagles.^ 



FETICHES. 



§ 334. The skin of a white buffalo cow is an eminent fetich in the 

 estimation of the Mandan and Hidatsa. The hide must be that of a 

 young cow not over 2 years old, and be taken off complete, and tanned, 

 with horns, nose, hoofs, and tail. It is worn on rare occasions. 



When the owner wishes to sacrifice such a skin to the Omahank- 

 Numakshi or to the Numank-Machana, he rolls it up, after adding some 

 artemisia or an ear of corn, and then the skin remains suspended on a 

 pole until it decays.^ 



Besides the white buffalo skins hung on tall poles as sacrifices, there 

 were other strange objects hung on tall poles near the villages of the 

 Mandan and Hidatsa. These figures were composed of skin, grass, 

 and twigs, which seemed to represent the sun, moon, and perhaps the 

 Omahank iNumakshi and the Numank-Machana. The Indians resorted 

 to them when they wished to petition for anything, and sometimes 

 howled for days and weeks together."^ 



For a reference to trees and stones, see § 348. 



'Travels • • • in North America, p. 370. 'Ibid, pp. 382, 386. 'Ibid.pp. 383, 403. 



«Ibi(I, pp. 371, 372. = Ibid., p. 372. 



