178 BUKEAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [bull. 6i 



the major second, and seemingly is sung mth difficulty. The melody 

 contains all the tones of the octave except the sixth and seventh. 



After teaching Brave Buffalo this song the elks gave him numerous 

 instructions. He noticed that every elk had a downy white eagle 

 feather tied on its right horn to indicate that it could run as fast as 

 the eagle flies. He was told to wear a similar feather on his head, 

 and at the time of giving tliis narrative he had a downy eagle plume 

 fastened on the right side of his felt hat. (See p. 248.) The elks 

 told liini to paint his tipi in a manner similar to theirs, yellow out- 

 side with drawings of the crane and the crow on its inner walls, saying 

 that these birds would protect him. This style of painting the tipi 

 he has always carried out. The elks told him further that before he 

 would be fuUy entitled to make a request for help from them he 

 must go through a performance which he himself should devise, by 

 which he would show the people that he was acting under their 

 patronage. 



On reaching home Brave Buffalo made a mask of elk hide, using for 

 this purpose the skin of the head with the horns. He then painted 

 himself yellow and held in each hand a hoop wound A\dth elk hide and 

 decorated with an herb which is much liked by the elks.^ A specimen 

 of this herb was secured and identified as Monarda mollis L., com- 

 monly known as wild bergamot. This was used by the young men 

 chiefly on account of its fragrance. Another variety of the ' ' elk herb " 

 was used by Eagle Shield in his practice of medicine. (See p. 270.) 

 Brave Buffalo made also a hoop (pi. 26, which he said was similiar to 

 the one he carried when enacting his dream. As the flowers of the ' ' elk 

 herb" were not then in season, he used flowers resembling them as 

 nearly as j)ossible, and also such fur as was available. 



Brave Buffalo said that after arraying himself as described he went 

 around the camp, passing close to the tents. Two vii^ins preceded 

 him, carrying his pipe. As he was making this circuit and imitating 

 the actions of the elk, a thought occurred to him: " Now I have done 

 everything as I was directed to do it, and I wish I might show these 

 people that I have the power of the elk. There is a spot of damp 

 ground before me. I wish that when I step on this damp ground I 

 may leave the footprints of an elk." 



A crowd of people followed him, and after he had passed over this 

 spot they saw the footprints of an elk instead of those of a man. 



He was not required to repeat this demonstration, but if another 

 elk dreamer were giving a similar performance and asked him to join 

 he would do so, wearing the same mask as on the first occasion. (See 

 p. 166.) During a demonstration of an elk dream no woman is 



1 This hoop is meatioued in Song 105 and its symbolism described in connection therewith. 



