﻿FLETCHER-LA 
  PLBSCHE] 
  THE 
  QUEST 
  OF 
  FOOD 
  283 
  

  

  Tent 
  of 
  the 
  White 
  Buffalo 
  Hide. 
  The 
  Seven 
  Chiefs, 
  the 
  watho 
  n 
  ', 
  

   the 
  Washa'be 
  subgens 
  of 
  the 
  Ho 
  n 
  'ga, 
  and 
  sometimes 
  a 
  few 
  of 
  the 
  

   leading 
  men, 
  were 
  present. 
  All 
  wore 
  the 
  buffalo 
  robe 
  in 
  ceremonial 
  

   fashion. 
  On 
  this 
  occasion, 
  though 
  the 
  subgens 
  prepared 
  the 
  food 
  

   they 
  could 
  not 
  partake 
  of 
  it 
  — 
  the 
  buffalo 
  tongue 
  was 
  their 
  tabu. 
  

   Their 
  position 
  was 
  that 
  of 
  host; 
  they 
  were 
  acting 
  for 
  the 
  White 
  

   Buffalo, 
  of 
  which 
  they 
  were 
  the 
  keepers, 
  and 
  tribal 
  etiquette 
  de- 
  

   manded 
  that 
  at 
  a 
  feast 
  the 
  host 
  should 
  not 
  eat 
  any 
  of 
  the 
  food 
  

   offered 
  his 
  guests. 
  Those 
  who 
  were 
  permitted 
  to 
  eat 
  at 
  this 
  feast 
  

   took 
  their 
  food 
  in 
  the 
  crouching 
  attitude 
  observed 
  at 
  the 
  initial 
  

   council 
  when 
  the 
  watho 
  n> 
  was 
  authorized 
  and 
  the 
  route 
  to 
  be 
  taken 
  

   on 
  the 
  hunt 
  determined. 
  Sometimes 
  the 
  boys 
  gathered 
  more 
  than 
  

   the 
  twenty 
  tongues 
  required 
  and 
  if 
  the 
  supply 
  was 
  more 
  than 
  suf- 
  

   ficient 
  for 
  the 
  feast 
  they 
  received 
  a 
  portion, 
  as 
  did 
  other 
  persons. 
  

   The 
  feast 
  being 
  a 
  sacred 
  one, 
  the 
  consecrated 
  food 
  was 
  prized, 
  as 
  it 
  

   was 
  believed 
  to 
  bring 
  health 
  and 
  long 
  life. 
  A 
  share 
  was 
  sometimes 
  

   begged 
  and 
  the 
  portion 
  received 
  was 
  divided 
  among 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  

   people, 
  who 
  ate 
  of 
  it 
  in 
  the 
  hope 
  that 
  they 
  might 
  thereby 
  secure 
  to 
  

   themselves 
  the 
  promised 
  benefits. 
  The 
  tongues 
  and 
  heart 
  were 
  

   boiled; 
  only 
  the 
  chiefs 
  and 
  the 
  watho 
  n 
  ' 
  were 
  present 
  during 
  the 
  

   cooking. 
  

  

  After 
  the 
  feast 
  the 
  Washa'beto 
  11 
  subgens 
  of 
  the 
  Ho 
  n 
  'ga 
  sang 
  the 
  

   ritual 
  of 
  the 
  White 
  Buffalo 
  Hide. 
  The 
  Hide 
  was 
  mounted 
  on 
  its 
  

   frame 
  and 
  occupied 
  the 
  place 
  of 
  honor 
  in 
  the 
  back 
  of 
  the 
  tent 
  facing 
  

   the 
  east, 
  while 
  the 
  chiefs 
  and 
  the 
  watho 
  n 
  ' 
  muffied 
  in 
  their 
  robes 
  sat 
  

   with 
  bowed 
  heads 
  and 
  smoked 
  the 
  peculiarly 
  shaped 
  pipe 
  belonging 
  

   to 
  the 
  Hide. 
  

  

  THE 
  WHITE 
  BUFFALO 
  HIDE 
  

  

  The 
  manner 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  ritual 
  of 
  the 
  White 
  Buffalo 
  Hide 
  was 
  

   obtained, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  Sacred 
  Pole, 
  has 
  been 
  recounted 
  (pp. 
  

   247-250). 
  When 
  the 
  old 
  man 
  Wako 
  n 
  'mo 
  n 
  thi 
  n 
  (fig. 
  60) 
  had 
  completed 
  

   the 
  rituals, 
  he 
  agreed 
  to 
  deliver 
  the 
  White 
  Buffalo 
  Hide 
  to 
  the 
  writers 
  

   the 
  following 
  spring 
  or 
  summer. 
  He 
  desired 
  to 
  have 
  this 
  sacred 
  

   object, 
  which 
  had 
  been 
  so 
  long 
  his 
  care, 
  with 
  him 
  during 
  one 
  more 
  

   winter 
  and 
  until 
  "the 
  grass 
  should 
  grow 
  again." 
  He 
  kept 
  the 
  Hide 
  

   in 
  a 
  tent 
  set 
  apart 
  for 
  its 
  use 
  that 
  was 
  pitched 
  near 
  his 
  little 
  cabin. 
  

   He 
  used 
  to 
  go 
  and 
  sit 
  near 
  it 
  as 
  it 
  hung 
  on 
  a 
  pole 
  tied 
  up 
  as 
  a 
  bundle. 
  

   There 
  he 
  would 
  muse 
  on 
  the 
  memory 
  of 
  the 
  days 
  when 
  it 
  presided 
  

   over 
  the 
  hunt 
  and 
  its 
  ritual 
  was 
  sung 
  by 
  him 
  and 
  his 
  companions 
  

   while 
  the 
  chiefs 
  smoked 
  its 
  sacred 
  pipe 
  and 
  the 
  people 
  feasted 
  on 
  the 
  

   product 
  of 
  the 
  chase, 
  enjoying 
  peace 
  and 
  plenty. 
  It 
  was 
  hard 
  for 
  

   the 
  old 
  man 
  to 
  adjust 
  himself 
  to 
  the 
  great 
  changes 
  that 
  had 
  taken 
  

   place. 
  He 
  realized 
  that 
  his 
  years 
  were 
  few, 
  that 
  the 
  other 
  sacred 
  

   articles 
  belonging 
  to 
  the 
  tribe 
  were 
  in 
  safe 
  keeping, 
  and 
  he 
  said: 
  "It 
  

   is 
  right 
  that 
  the 
  Hide 
  should 
  go 
  and 
  be 
  with 
  the 
  Pole, 
  as 
  it 
  always 
  used 
  

  

  