444 BURKAL' (»l' AMKIUl'A.N Kl' 1 1 N ()1.()( ; V [mi.i,. ci 



of a inairH arm. Tliis was tunicd wronij; sidi' out. lasU'iiod -with a stick, and lied 

 at one end. The brains were put into it. and the liver and Inimp were tied in a 

 bundle with it. The paunch was turned wrong side out and the heart, kidneys, and 

 fat were put into it. The lower backbone was split and later would be chopped for 

 boilinjj; to extract the grea.se." 



Kach hunter usually provided two horses for biiniiinf^ home llic nicat of one buffalo. 

 Tlii.«nieat was divided into eight portions, as follows: ( I) The ouler "■ blanket of flesh"; 

 (2) I lie hump, brains, and liver; (S) the intestines and small split bones; (1) the inner 

 "blanket of flesh"; (5) the slabs of ribs; ((>) the front fpiarters; (7) the hind quarters; 

 (8) the hip bones and backboncv 



If the hide had been split for a rob(> It was cu.stomary to put half the hide on each 

 horse, then to lay the "outer blanket of flesh," which is in one piece, on the horse, 

 and the inner "blanket of flesh," which is in two pieces, on the other horse, then to 

 pile on the other bundles of meat but not tie them, as the ends of the hide were folded 

 over and held them in place. If tlie hide had been removed in one j)iece for a tent, 

 it was made into an additional bundle, and the hunter packed it separately. 



A few women who were good riders usually went with a hunting party to help herd 

 the pack horses until the men had the meat ready to load. After the hunting party 

 returned to their camp the women finished cutting np the meal, the long strips for 

 drjdng being cut with the grain of the meat,. These long strips were hung in the 

 open air and when thoroughly dried were pounded and mixed with wild cherries, or 

 with the fat of the animal. Meat prepared in this way was kept for an indefinite 

 length of time and constituted a staple article of food among the Sioux. 



The following song is a mcdicinc-man's song to secure buffalo in 

 time of famine. Siya'ka said tliat ]\o liad knowji of its successful 

 use in tliis connection. 



The medicine-man painted a buffalo skull with red and ])lue 

 stripes and laid beside it a filled pipe on a ])ed of fresli sage.' It 

 was believed that "the skull turned into a real buffalo and called 

 others." This song was sung in the dark. In the song it is the 

 buffalo who speaks. Siya'ka said that in the old days, after tliis 

 ceremony on the part of the medicine-man and tlie singing of tliis 

 song, the buffalo came near the camp and thus the famine was 

 relieved. 



1 See p. 185, footnote. 



