﻿FLETCHEB-LA 
  FLESCHE] 
  

  

  WARFARE 
  

  

  455 
  

  

  committed 
  its 
  contents 
  to 
  the 
  writers, 
  men 
  drove 
  30 
  and 
  40 
  miles 
  to 
  

   give 
  cautions 
  concerning 
  the 
  handling 
  of 
  this 
  shell, 
  as 
  dire 
  conse- 
  

   quences 
  would 
  follow 
  any 
  carelessness 
  or 
  undue 
  freedom 
  in 
  touching 
  it. 
  

  

  The 
  shell 
  was 
  encased 
  in 
  a 
  sort 
  of 
  leather 
  hag 
  made 
  from 
  a 
  piece 
  

   of 
  dressed 
  skin, 
  folded 
  together, 
  the 
  sides 
  fringed 
  and 
  the 
  fringe 
  hraided 
  

   so 
  as 
  to 
  form 
  the 
  receptacle. 
  This 
  hag 
  (fig. 
  102; 
  Peabody 
  Museum 
  

   no. 
  37557) 
  was 
  always 
  hung 
  in 
  the 
  tent, 
  never 
  being 
  allowed 
  to 
  touch 
  

   the 
  ground. 
  It 
  was 
  believed 
  that 
  should 
  this 
  happen 
  a 
  terrible 
  heat 
  

   would 
  follow, 
  so 
  great 
  as 
  to 
  dry 
  up 
  the 
  water 
  courses 
  and 
  kill 
  the 
  

   fish. 
  Mankind 
  would 
  hardly 
  survive 
  the 
  result 
  of 
  the 
  impact 
  of 
  the 
  

   shell 
  and 
  the 
  earth. 
  When 
  the 
  tribe 
  moved 
  out 
  on 
  the 
  buffalo 
  hunt 
  

   the 
  Tent 
  of 
  War 
  with 
  its 
  

   contents 
  was 
  always 
  taken 
  

   along. 
  The 
  shell 
  was 
  car- 
  

   ried 
  on 
  the 
  back 
  of 
  a 
  boy. 
  

   Promising 
  children 
  in 
  the 
  

   gens 
  were 
  selected 
  for 
  this 
  

   purpose, 
  in 
  the 
  hope 
  that 
  

   the 
  shell 
  might 
  influence 
  

   the 
  boy's 
  dreams 
  or 
  visions 
  

   and 
  so 
  bring 
  good 
  fortune 
  

   not 
  only 
  to 
  the 
  lad 
  hut 
  

   through 
  him 
  to 
  the 
  tribe. 
  

   He 
  was 
  given 
  a 
  pointed 
  

   stick 
  with 
  which 
  to 
  steady 
  

   himself 
  as 
  he 
  walked 
  and 
  

   when 
  he 
  sat 
  down 
  to 
  rest 
  

   he 
  stuck 
  the 
  stick 
  into 
  the 
  

   ground 
  and 
  hung 
  on 
  it 
  the 
  

   bag 
  containing 
  the 
  shell. 
  

   If 
  by 
  any 
  chance, 
  as 
  some- 
  

   times 
  happened, 
  he 
  tripped 
  

   and 
  fell 
  as 
  he 
  ran, 
  he 
  must 
  

   at 
  once 
  utter 
  this 
  prayer: 
  Hei! 
  mo 
  n 
  no 
  n 
  'btlii 
  n 
  , 
  "I 
  have 
  strayed" 
  (as 
  if 
  

   one 
  were 
  lost 
  in 
  the 
  woods). 
  The 
  words 
  are 
  applied 
  to 
  an 
  action 
  

   which 
  may 
  bring 
  disaster, 
  but 
  which 
  is 
  accidental. 
  This 
  acknowl- 
  

   edgment 
  on 
  the 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  boy 
  was 
  supposed 
  to 
  avert 
  the 
  conse- 
  

   quences 
  which 
  would 
  happen 
  if 
  the 
  shell 
  should 
  touch 
  the 
  ground. 
  

   Men 
  who 
  in 
  their 
  youth 
  had 
  carried 
  the 
  shell 
  have 
  told 
  of 
  having 
  

   fallen, 
  thus 
  causing 
  the 
  bag 
  containing 
  the 
  shell 
  to 
  strike 
  stones, 
  but 
  

   because 
  of 
  this 
  prayer 
  no 
  trouble 
  followed. 
  

  

  When 
  the 
  bag 
  containing 
  the 
  shell 
  was 
  examined 
  at 
  the 
  Peabody 
  

   Museum, 
  it 
  was 
  opened 
  by 
  being 
  cut 
  at 
  the 
  back, 
  as 
  the 
  skin 
  was 
  

   too 
  stiff 
  and 
  old 
  for 
  the 
  ends 
  to 
  be 
  unbraided 
  and 
  it 
  was 
  desirable 
  

   to 
  preserve 
  the 
  outward 
  appearance 
  of 
  the 
  bag. 
  Tt 
  was 
  photographed 
  

  

  Fig. 
  103. 
  Bag 
  opened 
  to 
  show 
  Sacred 
  Shell. 
  

  

  