DENSMORE] TETON SIOUX MUSIC 319 



When asked why the crow was honored by the society, Eagle 

 Shield said : 



We want our arrows to fly as s^vift and straight as the crow. The crow is always the 

 first to arrive at the gathering of tlie animals in the Black Hills. The reason why the 

 Black Hills were so long unknown to the white man was that Wakag^tagka created 

 them as a meeting place for the animals. Tlie Indians had always known this and 

 regarded the law of Wakag'tagka concerning it. By this law they were forbidden to 

 kill any of the animals during their great gatherings. In the Black Hills there is a 

 ridge of land around which is a smooth, grassy place called the "racecourse."' This is 

 where the animals have the races, during their gatherings. Even small animals like 

 the turtle are there. The crow is always first to arrive, and the other birds come 

 before the animals, wliile insects and creatures like the frog travel slowly and arrive 

 last. Sometimes it takes 10 years for all the animals to arrive, as they come from 

 long distances and camp wherever winter overtakes them. 



Eaglo Shield said further that among the Teton of Standing Rock 

 the Crow-owners society had originally but 10 members, but that later 

 it became a large organization to which only successful warriors could 

 belong. Such men of distinction could be admitted by making the 

 request of the leader and giving a feast to the members of the society. 



A special tent in the village was used by this society as its meeting 

 place. Eagle Shield said, "the village was full of noise, wdth chil- 

 dren shouting at their games and women singing and dancing, and 

 the members of the Kai)gi'yuha liked to spend the evenings in their 

 lodge, singing and enjoying themselves." Over the door of this lodge 

 was hung the "Crow lance" in its wrappings. According to Eagle 

 Shield, this lance was decorated with a crow skin next to the lance 

 head. Before a fight the lance was unwrapped and passed over the 

 smoke of burning sweet grass. When stuck in the ground during a 

 fight it marked a place froni which the members of the society could 

 not retreat unless they took the lance with them.- 



When going to war each man carried his crow-skin "necklace" in a 

 rawhide case (pi. 44), and before putting it around his neck he 

 passed it over the smoke of burning sweet grass. Feathers for head 



1 This is undoubtedly the mound referred to by Clark in the Original Journals of the Lewis and Clark 

 Expedition, vol. 1, pp. 121-123. Clark writes, under date of August 25, 1S04, as follows: "Capt. Lewis 

 and Myself concluded to go and See the Mound . . . which the Indians Call Mountain of little people or 

 Spirits. . . . The Surrounding Plains is open Void of Timberandleaveltoagreatextent,hencethewind 

 from whatever quarter it may blow, drives with unusial force over the naked Plains and against this 

 hill; the insects of various kinds are thus involuntaryly driven to the Mound by the force of the wind, or fly 

 to its Leeward Side for Shelter; the Small Birds whoes food they are, Consequently resort in great numbers 

 to this place in Surch of them; Perticularly the Small brown Martin of which we saw a vast number hovering 

 on the Leeward Side of the hill, when we approached it in the act of catching those insects; they were so 

 gentle that they did not quit the place untill we had arriv^ within a flew feet of them. 



One evidence which the Ind^ give for believeing this place to be the residence of Some unusial Sperits 

 is that they frequently discover a large assemblage of Birds about this Mound [this] is in my opinion a 

 Sufficient proof to produce in the Savage Mind a Confident belief of all the properties which they ascribe 

 [to] it. 



2 Cf. Wissler (op. cit., p. 24): "When attacking the enemy they were required to thrust the lances into 

 the ground and not leave the spot unless released by some of their party pulling up the lances. . . . Th« 

 lances are short and covered with otterskin; at the top there is an eagle feather and at the other end, a spear. 

 Near the spear Is (,sic) fastened the neck and head of a crow." 



