﻿Fletcher-la 
  flesche] 
  TBIBAIi 
  GOVERNMENT 
  213 
  

  

  so 
  to 
  speak, 
  of 
  the 
  family. 
  Food 
  was 
  required 
  for 
  the 
  "feasts" 
  of 
  the 
  

   members, 
  and 
  gifts 
  were 
  expected 
  as 
  a 
  part 
  of 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  ceremonies. 
  

   All 
  these 
  had 
  to 
  be 
  drawn 
  from 
  the 
  surplus 
  store, 
  a 
  store 
  that 
  had 
  to 
  

   be 
  created 
  by 
  the 
  skill 
  of 
  the 
  man 
  as 
  a 
  hunter 
  and 
  by 
  the 
  industry 
  of 
  

   the 
  woman. 
  No 
  one 
  gave 
  feasts 
  or 
  made 
  gifts 
  which 
  left 
  (he 
  family 
  

   in 
  want 
  of 
  food 
  or 
  of 
  clothing. 
  

  

  At 
  the 
  anointing 
  of 
  the 
  Sacred 
  Pole 
  a 
  supply 
  of 
  meats 
  of 
  the 
  cut 
  

   called 
  tezhu' 
  (see 
  p. 
  273) 
  was 
  expected 
  from 
  every 
  family 
  in 
  the 
  tribe 
  

   except 
  from 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  Ho 
  n 
  'ga 
  subgens, 
  that 
  had 
  charge 
  of 
  the 
  Pole 
  

   and 
  its 
  ceremonies. 
  While 
  there 
  was 
  no 
  penalty 
  attached 
  to 
  the 
  non- 
  

   fulfillment 
  of 
  this 
  tribal 
  duty, 
  as 
  it 
  was 
  considered, 
  yet 
  from 
  a 
  series 
  of 
  

   coincidences 
  a 
  belief 
  had 
  grown 
  up 
  that 
  a 
  refusal 
  would 
  be. 
  punished 
  

   supernaturally. 
  

  

  These 
  customs 
  in 
  reference 
  to 
  gifts 
  made 
  as 
  watlii 
  n 
  'ethe 
  show 
  that 
  

   the 
  people 
  had 
  progressed 
  to 
  the 
  recognition 
  that 
  something 
  more 
  

   was 
  required 
  of 
  a 
  man 
  than 
  merely 
  to 
  supply 
  his 
  own 
  physical 
  needs; 
  

   that 
  he 
  had 
  social 
  and 
  public 
  duties 
  to 
  perform 
  and 
  must 
  give 
  of 
  his 
  

   labor 
  to 
  support 
  the 
  chiefs 
  and 
  keepers, 
  officers 
  who 
  served 
  and 
  

   promoted 
  the 
  general 
  welfare 
  of 
  the 
  people. 
  

  

  Offenses 
  and 
  Punishments 
  

  

  The 
  authority 
  of 
  the 
  chiefs 
  and 
  social 
  order 
  were 
  safeguarded 
  by 
  

   the 
  following 
  punishment: 
  

  

  Within 
  the 
  Tent 
  Sacred 
  to 
  War 
  was 
  kept 
  a 
  staff 
  of 
  ironwood, 
  one 
  

   end 
  of 
  which 
  was 
  rough, 
  as 
  if 
  broken. 
  On 
  tliis 
  splinted 
  end 
  poison 
  

   was 
  put 
  when 
  the 
  staff 
  was 
  to 
  be 
  used 
  officially 
  for 
  punishment. 
  In 
  

   the 
  pack 
  kept 
  in 
  this 
  tent 
  was 
  found 
  a 
  bladder, 
  within 
  which 
  were«four 
  

   rattlesnake 
  heads, 
  and 
  with 
  them 
  in 
  a 
  separate 
  bundle 
  the 
  poison 
  

   fangs 
  (fig. 
  47; 
  Peabody 
  Museum 
  nos. 
  4S262-3). 
  These 
  were 
  probably 
  

   used 
  to 
  compound 
  the 
  poison 
  put 
  on 
  the 
  staff. 
  As 
  men's 
  bodies 
  were 
  

   usually 
  naked, 
  it 
  was 
  not 
  difficult 
  when 
  near 
  a 
  person 
  in 
  a 
  crowd 
  

   to 
  prod 
  him 
  with 
  the 
  staff, 
  making 
  a 
  wound 
  and 
  introducing 
  the 
  

   deadly 
  poison, 
  which 
  is 
  said 
  always 
  to 
  have- 
  resulted 
  in 
  death. 
  This 
  

   form 
  of 
  punishment 
  was 
  applied 
  to 
  a 
  man 
  who 
  made 
  light 
  of 
  the 
  

   authority 
  of 
  the 
  chiefs 
  or 
  of 
  the 
  wain'waxube, 
  the 
  packs 
  which 
  could 
  

   authorize 
  a 
  war 
  party, 
  such 
  a 
  person 
  being 
  a 
  disturber 
  of 
  the 
  peace 
  and 
  

   order 
  of 
  the 
  tribe. 
  The 
  punishment 
  was 
  decided 
  on 
  by 
  the 
  Coun- 
  

   cil 
  of 
  Seven 
  Chiefs, 
  which 
  designated 
  a 
  trustworthy 
  man 
  to 
  apply 
  the 
  

   staff 
  to 
  the 
  offender. 
  Sometimes 
  the 
  man 
  was 
  given 
  a 
  chance 
  for 
  

   his 
  life 
  by 
  having 
  his 
  horses 
  struck 
  and 
  poisoned. 
  If, 
  however, 
  he 
  

   did 
  not 
  take 
  this 
  warning, 
  he 
  paid 
  the 
  forfeit 
  of 
  his 
  life, 
  for 
  he 
  would 
  

   be 
  struck 
  by 
  the 
  poisoned 
  staff 
  end 
  and 
  killed. 
  

  

  Thieving 
  (wamo 
  n 
  'iko 
  n 
  ) 
  was 
  uncommon. 
  Restitution 
  was 
  the 
  only 
  

   punishment. 
  Assaults 
  were 
  not 
  frequent. 
  When 
  they 
  occurred 
  

   they 
  were 
  settled 
  privately 
  between 
  the 
  parties 
  and 
  their 
  relatives. 
  

  

  