DExsMOREl TETON SIOUX MUSIC 151 



Removing tlic outer bark from trees, they took long, thin layers of 

 the inner bark for streamers, coloring these with the juice of the 

 grapes and berries. The tree for their sacred pole was carefully 

 selected, and was brought home with much pomp and ceremony. 

 Boys with good voices were assigned the part of singers and seated 

 themselves around an old pan. A hoop was sometimes covered 

 with a bright handkerchief or cloth; this more nearly resembled the 

 Sun-dance drum in appearance, but the pan was considered more 

 satisfying. The torture was imitated by thrusting a stiff cactus- 

 spine through a boy's skin; this was fastened to the pole by means 

 of a very frail tliread. When his movements in dancing broke this 

 thread the boy was considered released. 



Thus the boys of the tribe were trained in their play to become 

 the men of the future. 



The desire of children to imitate the actions of older people is 

 further illustrated by the children's Games of War contained in 

 Bulletin 53, pages 137-139. These games included a sham fight on the 

 part of the boys, while the little girls sang of relatives who had been 

 wounded while on the warpath. 



