208 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETIINOLOGY [bull, ei 



dream, and in my dream one of these small round stones appeared to me and told me 

 that the maker of all was Wakarj'tagka, and that in order to honor him I must honor 

 his works in nature. The stone said that l)y my search I had shown myself worthy 

 of supernatural help. It said that if I were curing a sick person I might ask its assist- 

 ance, and that all the forces of nature would help me work a cure. 



Soon after this dream Brave Buffalo found on the top of a high butte 

 his first sacred stone, which is still in his possession. About a month 

 later he fomid several others, one of which is in the possession of the 

 writer (pi. 29). This is almost a perfect sphere. On one side is a 

 number of dots, the groupuig of which suggests a tiny face, a charac. 

 teristic pointed out l)y Brave Buffalo. The stone is dyed red with 

 native dye. The color, which is a favorite color of Brave Buffalo, 

 has no significance. The stone, surrounded by eagle down, is kept 

 in a wrapping of red cotton cloth. It was said that " there is some- 

 thing between the eagle down and the stone, because when sur- 

 rounded by eagle down, it can not get away." The stone can be 

 sent on errands of observation by its owner, and when not in use is 

 imprisoned by the downy eagle feathers. 



Brave Buifalo said that he had cured many illnesses by means of 

 this stone, which he said is ''a brother of the first stone" he found. 

 He said further that he "had no authority to secure its sisters, but 

 that it was good to have several brothers of the origmal stone to 

 cooperate with it. " He " can feel if he is near a relative of the origi- 

 nal stone" and always secures it. These relatives he may give 

 away if he so desires, but the original stone has been seen by very 

 few except the sick persons in whose treatment it has been used. 

 (See p. 211.) 



Concerning the nature of the sacred stones, Brave Buffalo said: 



It is significant that these stones are not found buried in the earth, but are on the 

 top of high buttes. They are round, Like the sun and moon, and we know that all 

 things which are round are related to each other. Things which are alike in their 

 nature grow to look like each other, and these stones have lain there a long time, 

 looking at the sun. Many pel:)l)les and stones have l)een shaped in the current of 

 a stream, but these stones were found far from the water and have been exposed only 

 to the sun and the wind. The earth contains many thousand such stones hidden 

 beneath its surface. The thunderbird is said to be related to these stones [see p. 158] 

 and when a man or an animal is to he punished, the thunderbird strikes the person, 

 and if it were possible to follow the course of the lightning, one of these stones would 

 be found embedded in the earth. Some Ijelieve that these stones descend with the 

 Lightning, but I believe they are on the ground and are projected downward by the 

 bolt. In all my Life I have been faithful to the sacred stones. I have Lived according 

 to their requirements, and they have helped me in all my troubles. I have tried to 

 qualify myself as well as possil^le to handle these sacred stones, yet I know that I 

 am not worthy to speak to Wakag'taglca. I make my request of the stones and they 

 are my intercessors. (See p. 88, footnote.) 



