﻿FLETCHER-LA 
  FLBSCHE] 
  WARFARE 
  405 
  

  

  misfortune 
  placed 
  the 
  lives 
  of 
  the 
  survivors 
  in 
  jeopardy. 
  Realizing 
  

   the 
  trouble 
  he 
  had 
  brought 
  on 
  himself 
  and 
  his 
  companions, 
  the 
  

   leader 
  secretly 
  returned 
  to 
  the 
  tribe 
  and 
  went 
  to 
  his 
  father, 
  one 
  of 
  

   the 
  chiefs, 
  for 
  help. 
  The 
  chief, 
  approaching 
  his 
  son, 
  bade 
  him 
  and 
  

   his 
  companions 
  to 
  strip 
  off 
  all 
  their 
  clothing 
  and 
  put 
  clay 
  on 
  their 
  

   heads, 
  and 
  in 
  this 
  guise 
  publicly 
  to 
  enter 
  the 
  village. 
  They 
  

   were 
  met 
  by 
  the 
  people 
  with 
  taunts 
  and 
  angry 
  words; 
  the 
  only 
  

   reply 
  of 
  the 
  returning 
  warriors 
  was 
  to 
  lift 
  their 
  hands 
  in 
  an 
  appeal 
  

   for 
  mercy. 
  They 
  were 
  driven 
  through 
  the 
  village 
  by 
  the 
  incensed 
  

   people 
  but 
  through 
  the 
  influence 
  of 
  the 
  chief 
  they 
  escaped 
  serious 
  

   consequences 
  as 
  murderers. 
  At 
  last 
  the 
  chief 
  declared 
  that 
  they 
  

   had 
  been 
  sufficiently 
  humbled 
  and 
  punished 
  for 
  their 
  disobedience 
  

   to 
  tribal 
  law. 
  Gifts 
  had 
  to 
  be 
  made 
  to 
  (he 
  relatives 
  of 
  the 
  deceased 
  

   member 
  of 
  the 
  party. 
  In 
  olden 
  times 
  members 
  of 
  an 
  unauthorized 
  

   war 
  party 
  which 
  had 
  lost 
  any 
  of 
  its 
  number, 
  on 
  their 
  return 
  were 
  

   forced 
  to 
  strip 
  themselves, 
  put 
  clay 
  on 
  their 
  heads 
  and 
  faces, 
  

   crawl 
  on 
  their 
  hands 
  and 
  knees 
  to 
  the 
  lodges 
  of 
  the 
  principal 
  chiefs, 
  

   and 
  there 
  cry 
  for 
  mercy. 
  During 
  the 
  last 
  century 
  a 
  man 
  well 
  on 
  

   toward 
  high 
  rank 
  as 
  a 
  chief 
  yielded 
  to 
  temptation 
  and 
  joined 
  an 
  

   unauthorized 
  war 
  party. 
  He 
  returned 
  successful, 
  but 
  his 
  progress 
  

   toward 
  chieftainship 
  was 
  arrested 
  and 
  during 
  the 
  lifetime 
  of 
  Big 
  

   Elk 
  (p. 
  83) 
  the 
  man 
  was 
  not 
  allowed 
  to 
  meet 
  with 
  the 
  chiefs 
  or 
  to 
  

   take 
  any 
  part 
  in 
  tribal 
  affairs. 
  Other 
  instances 
  could 
  be 
  given 
  of 
  

   the 
  debasement 
  of 
  men 
  who 
  joined 
  unauthorized 
  war 
  parties, 
  even 
  if 
  

   successful. 
  

  

  AUTHORIZATION 
  OF 
  A 
  WAR 
  PARTY 
  

  

  When 
  a 
  man 
  wished 
  to 
  lead 
  a 
  party 
  out 
  on 
  aggressive 
  warfare, 
  

   either 
  to 
  avenge 
  an 
  injury 
  received 
  or 
  to 
  obtain 
  booty 
  from 
  an 
  enemy, 
  

   it 
  was 
  his 
  duty 
  to 
  go 
  to 
  the 
  keeper 
  of 
  a 
  wai 
  n 
  'waxuh< 
  , 
  or 
  Sacred 
  Pack 
  

   of 
  War, 
  and 
  invite 
  him 
  to 
  a 
  "feast." 
  The 
  term 
  "feast" 
  is 
  used 
  

   in 
  a 
  limited 
  sense 
  only; 
  it 
  does 
  not 
  imply 
  a 
  sumptuous 
  meal 
  but 
  a 
  

   repast, 
  always 
  very 
  simple 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  food, 
  partaken 
  of 
  in 
  honor 
  of 
  an 
  

   action 
  or 
  a 
  person. 
  This 
  feast 
  had 
  to 
  be 
  repeated 
  four 
  times. 
  After 
  

   the 
  fourth 
  feast 
  the 
  keeper 
  of 
  the 
  Sacred 
  Pack 
  opened 
  it 
  before 
  the 
  

   would-be 
  leader, 
  explained 
  to 
  him 
  his 
  duties, 
  instructed 
  him 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  

   rites 
  he 
  must 
  perform 
  morning 
  and 
  evening 
  and 
  how 
  to 
  organize 
  and 
  

   conduct 
  his 
  party 
  as 
  to 
  scouting 
  and 
  attacking 
  the 
  enemy. 
  Xot 
  

   infrequently 
  some 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  sacred 
  birds 
  was 
  given 
  the 
  leader 
  to 
  

   carry 
  on 
  the 
  war 
  path 
  and 
  on 
  his 
  return 
  he 
  was 
  required 
  to 
  take 
  it 
  

   back 
  to 
  the 
  keeper 
  of 
  the 
  pack. 
  

  

  Besides 
  the 
  birds, 
  there 
  were 
  certain 
  charms 
  concealed 
  in 
  small 
  bags 
  

   in 
  these 
  packs 
  thatwere 
  believed 
  to 
  help 
  the 
  leaderand 
  his 
  men. 
  What 
  

   these 
  little 
  skin 
  bags 
  contained 
  was 
  a 
  secret 
  not 
  imparted 
  even 
  to 
  the 
  

   man 
  to 
  whom 
  they 
  were 
  loaned. 
  Generally 
  these 
  (■harm 
  bags 
  were 
  

   put 
  into 
  a 
  pouch, 
  which 
  was 
  carried 
  by 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  party. 
  When, 
  how- 
  

  

  