﻿FLETOHER-LA 
  FLESCHE] 
  TRIBAL 
  GOVERNMENT 
  215 
  

  

  The 
  term 
  wano 
  n 
  'Tcathe 
  was 
  used 
  in 
  reference 
  to 
  murder, 
  or 
  to 
  any 
  

   act 
  which 
  caused 
  personal 
  injury 
  to 
  another, 
  even 
  if 
  it 
  was 
  unpre- 
  

   meditated. 
  In 
  the 
  latter 
  case 
  the 
  act 
  would 
  be 
  condoned 
  by 
  gifts 
  

   made 
  to 
  the 
  injured 
  party 
  or 
  his 
  relatives. 
  Deliberate 
  murder 
  was 
  

   punished 
  by 
  banishment. 
  When 
  the 
  knowledge 
  of 
  such 
  a 
  deed 
  was 
  

   brought 
  to 
  the 
  notice 
  of 
  the 
  chiefs, 
  banishment 
  was 
  ordered, 
  the 
  

   offender 
  was 
  told 
  of 
  the 
  decision 
  and 
  he 
  obeyed. 
  Banishment 
  was 
  

   four 
  years, 
  unless 
  the 
  man 
  was 
  sooner 
  forgiven 
  by 
  the 
  relatives 
  of 
  

   the 
  murdered 
  man. 
  During 
  this 
  period 
  the 
  man 
  had 
  to 
  camp 
  outside 
  

   the 
  village 
  and 
  could 
  hold 
  no 
  communication 
  with 
  anyone 
  except 
  his 
  

   nearest 
  kindred, 
  who 
  were 
  permitted 
  to 
  see 
  him. 
  He 
  was 
  obliged 
  to 
  

   wear 
  night 
  and 
  day 
  a 
  close-fitting 
  garment 
  of 
  skin, 
  covering 
  his 
  body 
  

   and 
  legs, 
  and 
  was 
  not 
  allowed 
  to 
  remove 
  this 
  covering 
  during 
  his 
  

   punishment. 
  His 
  wife 
  could 
  carry 
  him 
  food 
  but 
  he 
  was 
  obliged 
  to 
  

   live 
  apart 
  from 
  his 
  family 
  and 
  to 
  be 
  entirely 
  alone 
  during 
  the 
  period 
  

   of 
  his 
  exile. 
  

  

  It 
  was 
  believed 
  that 
  the 
  spirit 
  of 
  a 
  murdered 
  man 
  was 
  inclined 
  to 
  

   come 
  back 
  to 
  his 
  village 
  to 
  punish 
  the 
  people. 
  To 
  prevent 
  a 
  mur- 
  

   dered 
  man 
  from 
  haunting 
  his 
  village 
  he 
  was 
  turned 
  face 
  downward, 
  

   and 
  to 
  impede 
  his 
  steps 
  the 
  soles 
  of 
  his 
  feet 
  were 
  slit 
  lengthwise. 
  

   The 
  return 
  of 
  a 
  spirit 
  to 
  haunt 
  people 
  was 
  called 
  wathi'hide, 
  "dis- 
  

   turbance." 
  Such 
  a 
  haunting 
  spirit 
  was 
  supposed 
  to 
  bring 
  famine. 
  

   To 
  avert 
  this 
  disaster, 
  when 
  a 
  murdered 
  man 
  was 
  buried, 
  besides 
  the 
  

   precautions 
  already 
  mentioned, 
  a 
  piece 
  of 
  fat 
  was 
  put 
  in 
  his 
  right 
  

   hand, 
  so 
  that 
  if 
  he 
  should 
  come 
  to 
  the 
  village 
  he 
  would 
  bring 
  plenty 
  

   rather 
  than 
  famine, 
  fat 
  being 
  the 
  symbol 
  of 
  plenty. 
  Even 
  the 
  rela- 
  

   tives 
  of 
  the 
  murdered 
  man 
  would 
  treat 
  the 
  body 
  of 
  their 
  kinsman 
  in 
  

   the 
  manner 
  described. 
  

  

  The 
  sentence 
  being 
  passed 
  on 
  a 
  murderer, 
  the 
  chiefs 
  at 
  once 
  took 
  

   the 
  Tribal 
  Pipes 
  to 
  the 
  family 
  of 
  the 
  murdered 
  man 
  and 
  by 
  gifts 
  

   besought 
  them 
  to 
  forego 
  any 
  further 
  punishment 
  upon 
  the 
  family 
  of 
  

   the 
  murderer. 
  If 
  they 
  accepted 
  the 
  gifts 
  and 
  smoked 
  the 
  pipe, 
  there 
  

   was 
  no 
  further 
  disturbance 
  connected 
  with 
  the 
  crime. 
  (See 
  seventh 
  

   grade, 
  p. 
  205.) 
  

  

  The 
  offense 
  of 
  wathi'hi, 
  that 
  of 
  scaring 
  off 
  game 
  while 
  the 
  tribe 
  was 
  

   on 
  the 
  buffalo 
  hunt, 
  could 
  take 
  place 
  only 
  by 
  a 
  man 
  slipping 
  away 
  

   and 
  hunting 
  for 
  himself. 
  By 
  this 
  act, 
  while 
  he 
  might 
  secure 
  food 
  for 
  

   his 
  own 
  use, 
  he 
  imperiled 
  the 
  food 
  supply 
  of 
  the 
  entire 
  tribe 
  by 
  fright- 
  

   ening 
  away 
  the 
  herd. 
  Such 
  a 
  deed 
  was 
  punished 
  by 
  flogging. 
  Sol- 
  

   diers 
  were 
  appointed 
  by 
  the 
  chiefs 
  to 
  go 
  to 
  the 
  offender's 
  tent 
  and 
  

   administer 
  this 
  punishment. 
  Should 
  the 
  man 
  dare 
  to 
  resist 
  their 
  

   authority 
  he 
  was 
  doubly 
  flogged 
  because 
  of 
  his 
  second 
  offense. 
  Such 
  

   a 
  flogging 
  sometimes 
  caused 
  death. 
  Besides 
  this 
  flogging, 
  the 
  man's 
  

   tent 
  was 
  destroyed, 
  his 
  horses 
  and 
  other 
  property 
  were 
  confiscated, 
  

   and 
  Ms 
  tent 
  poles 
  burned 
  ; 
  in 
  short, 
  he 
  was 
  reduced 
  to 
  beggary. 
  

  

  