﻿FLETCHER-LA 
  FLESCHE] 
  THE 
  QUEST 
  OF 
  FOOD 
  275 
  

  

  making 
  but 
  one 
  piece 
  without 
  divisions. 
  Under 
  such 
  circumstances 
  

   no 
  portion 
  would 
  be 
  given 
  to 
  the 
  newcomer 
  nor 
  would 
  any 
  be 
  

   demanded. 
  This 
  manner 
  of 
  taking 
  home 
  the 
  deer 
  saved 
  labor 
  to 
  the 
  

   women, 
  as 
  the 
  meat 
  was 
  nearly 
  ready 
  to 
  hang 
  on 
  the 
  wa'mo 
  n 
  shiha, 
  

   or 
  "rack," 
  for 
  jerking. 
  

  

  The 
  rules 
  for 
  butchering 
  and 
  dividing 
  the 
  flesh 
  of 
  the 
  antelope 
  and 
  

   bear 
  were 
  the 
  same 
  as 
  observed 
  with 
  the 
  deer. 
  

  

  te'une, 
  or 
  annual 
  buffalo 
  hunt 
  

  

  When 
  the 
  crops 
  were 
  well 
  advanced 
  ami 
  the 
  com, 
  beans, 
  and 
  melons 
  

   had 
  been 
  cultivated 
  for 
  the 
  second 
  time, 
  the 
  season 
  was 
  at 
  hand 
  for 
  

   the 
  tribe 
  to 
  start 
  on 
  its 
  annual 
  buffalo 
  hunt. 
  Preparations 
  for 
  this 
  

   great 
  event 
  occupied 
  several 
  weeks, 
  as 
  everyone 
  — 
  men, 
  women, 
  and 
  

   children 
  — 
  moved 
  out 
  on 
  what 
  was 
  often 
  a 
  journey 
  of 
  several 
  hundred 
  

   miles. 
  Only 
  the 
  very 
  old 
  and 
  the 
  sick 
  and 
  the 
  few 
  who 
  stayed 
  to 
  care 
  

   for 
  and 
  protect 
  these, 
  remained 
  in 
  the 
  otherwise 
  deserted 
  village. 
  

   All 
  articles 
  not 
  needed 
  were 
  cached 
  ami 
  the 
  entrances 
  to 
  these 
  recep- 
  

   tacles 
  concealed 
  for 
  fear 
  of 
  marauding 
  enemies. 
  The 
  earth 
  lodges 
  

   were 
  left 
  empty, 
  and 
  tent 
  covers 
  and 
  poles 
  were 
  taken 
  along, 
  as 
  during 
  

   the 
  hunt 
  these 
  portable 
  dwellings 
  were 
  used 
  exclusively. 
  Foracentury 
  

   ponies 
  have 
  superseded 
  dogs 
  as 
  burden 
  bearers. 
  The 
  tent 
  poles 
  were 
  

   fastened 
  to 
  each 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  pony 
  by 
  one 
  end; 
  the 
  other 
  trailed 
  on 
  the 
  

   ground. 
  The 
  parfleche 
  cases 
  containing 
  clothing, 
  regalia, 
  the 
  food 
  sup- 
  

   plies, 
  and 
  the 
  cooking 
  utensils, 
  were 
  packed 
  on 
  the 
  animal. 
  Travoix 
  

   were 
  used, 
  supporting 
  a 
  comfortable 
  nest 
  for 
  the 
  children, 
  some 
  of 
  

   whom, 
  however, 
  often 
  found 
  places 
  among 
  the 
  household 
  goods 
  on 
  

   the 
  pony's 
  back. 
  Men 
  and 
  women 
  walked 
  or 
  rode 
  according 
  to 
  the 
  

   family 
  supply 
  of 
  horses. 
  Between 
  the 
  trailing 
  tent 
  poles, 
  which 
  were 
  fast- 
  

   ened 
  to 
  a 
  steady 
  old 
  horse, 
  here 
  and 
  there 
  rode 
  a 
  boy 
  mounted 
  on 
  his 
  

   own 
  unbroken 
  pony, 
  for 
  the 
  first 
  time 
  given 
  a 
  chance 
  to 
  win 
  his 
  place 
  

   as 
  an 
  independent 
  rider 
  in 
  the 
  great 
  cavalcade. 
  Many 
  were 
  the 
  droll 
  

   experiences 
  recounted 
  by 
  older 
  men 
  to 
  their 
  children 
  of 
  adventures 
  

   when 
  breaking 
  in 
  their 
  pony 
  colts 
  as 
  the 
  tribe 
  moved 
  over 
  the 
  

   prairies 
  on 
  the 
  hunt. 
  Much 
  bustling 
  activity 
  occupied 
  the 
  house- 
  

   holds 
  in 
  anticipation 
  of 
  the 
  start. 
  Meanwliile 
  a 
  very 
  different 
  kind 
  

   of 
  preparation 
  had 
  been 
  going 
  on 
  for 
  months 
  in 
  the 
  thought 
  and 
  

   actions 
  of 
  the 
  man 
  who 
  had 
  determined 
  to 
  seek 
  the 
  office 
  of 
  watlio"-' 
  , 
  

   or 
  director 
  of 
  the 
  hunt. 
  He 
  had 
  been 
  gathering 
  together 
  the 
  mate- 
  

   rials 
  to 
  make 
  the 
  washa'be, 
  or 
  staff 
  of 
  that 
  office. 
  These 
  consisted 
  

   of 
  an 
  ash 
  sapling, 
  two 
  eagles 
  (one 
  black, 
  one 
  golden), 
  a 
  crow, 
  a 
  swan 
  

   skin, 
  a 
  dressed 
  buffalo 
  skin, 
  two 
  pieces 
  of 
  sinew, 
  a 
  shell 
  disk, 
  a 
  copper 
  

   kettle 
  (formerly 
  a 
  pottery 
  cooking 
  vessel), 
  and 
  a 
  pipestem. 
  These 
  

   articles 
  were 
  all 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  difficult 
  to 
  obtain, 
  and 
  represented 
  a 
  

   determined 
  purpose 
  and 
  labor 
  on 
  the 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  man 
  and 
  his 
  family. 
  

  

  