BULL. 30] 



BUSK 



177 



men. The "old men's tobacco" i? also 

 prepared on the first day. 



Second day: At about 10 o'clock the 

 women perform the gun dance, so called 

 from the men tiring guns during its con- 

 tinuance. At noon the men approach 

 the new tire, rub some of its ashes on the 

 chin, neck, and belly, and jump head- 

 foremost into the river, and then return 

 to the square. Meantime the women 

 busy themselves with the prejiaration of 

 new maize for the feast. Before the 

 feast begins, the men as they arrive rub 

 some of the maize between their hands 

 and then on the face and chest. 



Third day: The men sit in the square. 

 Fourth day: The women, who have 

 risen earh' for this purpose, obtain some 

 of the new fire, with which they kindle 

 a similarly constructed pile of logs on 

 their own hearths, which have previously 

 been cleaned and sprinkled with sand. 

 A ceremony of ash rubbing, plunging 

 into water, etc., is then performed by 

 them, after which they taste some salt 

 and dance the "long dance." 



Fifth day: The 4 logs of the fire, which 

 last only 4 days, having been consumed, 

 4 other logs are similarly arranged, anci 

 the fire kindled as before, after which 

 the men drink the black drink. 



Sixth and seventh days: During this 

 period the men remain in the town square. 

 Eighth day: In the square and outside 

 of it impressive ceremonies are carried 

 on. A medical mixture concocted by 

 stirring and beating in water 14 kinds of 

 plants (the modern Creeks use 15), sup- 

 posed to have virtue as physic, is used by 

 the men to drink, to rub over their joints, 

 etc., after the priests have blown into it 

 through a small reed. Another curious 

 mixture, composed chiefly of the ashes 

 of old corncobs and pine I)oughs, mixed 

 with water, and stirred by 4 girls who 

 have not reached puberty, is prepared 

 in a pot, and 2 pans of a mixture of white 

 clay and water are likewise prepared after- 

 ward by the nien. The chief and the 

 warriors rub themselves with some of 

 both these mixtures. After this 2 men, 

 who are specially appointed, bring flow- 

 ers of old men's tobacco to the chief's 

 house, and each person present receives 

 a portion. Then the chief and his coun- 

 selors walk 4 times around the burning 

 logs, throwing some of the old men's 

 tobacco into the fire each time they face 

 the E, and then stop while facing the w. 

 When this is concluded the warriors do 

 the same. The next ceremony is as 

 follows: 



At the miko's cabin a cane having 2 

 white feathers on its end is stuck out. 

 At the moment when the sun sets a 

 man of the Fish claii takes it down and 

 walks, followed by all spectators, towanl 



Bull. 30—05 12 



the river. Having gone half way, he 

 utters the death-whoop, and repeats it 4 

 times before reaching the water's edge. 

 After the crowd lias thickly congregated 

 at the bank each person places a grain 

 of old men's tobacco on the head and 

 others in each ear. Then at a signal re- 

 peated four times they throw some of it 

 into the river, and every man at a like 

 signal plunges into the water to pick up 

 4 stones from the bottom. With these 

 they cro.ss themselves on their breasts 

 4 times, each time throwing 1 of the stones 

 back into the river and uttering the death 

 whoop. They then wash themselves, 

 take up the cane with the feathers, return 

 to the square, where they stick it up, 

 then walk through the town visiting. 

 After nightfall comes the mad dance, 

 which conclude-i the puskila. 



The 4 days' busk, as performed at Od- 

 shiapofa (Little Talasse), as witnessed 

 by Swan, whose account seems to have 

 been really made up bv McGillivray 

 (Gatschet, Creek Migr. Leg., i, 181, 1884), 

 adds some details concerning the dress of 

 the fire maker, the throwing of maize and 

 the black drink into the fire, the prepa- 

 ration and use of the black drink, and the 

 interesting addition that any provisions 

 left over are given to the fire maker. 

 Other travelers and historians, as Adair, 

 Bartram, and Milfort, furnish other items 

 concerningthe ceremony. Bartram says: 

 " When a town celebrates the busk, hav- 

 ing previously provided themselves with 

 new clothes, new pots, pans, and other 

 household utensils and furniture, they 

 collect all -their worn-out clothes and 

 other despicable things, sweep and cleanse 

 their houses, squares, and the whole town, 

 of their filth, which with all the remain- 

 ing grain and other old provisions, they 

 cast together into one common heap and 

 consume it with fire. After having taken 

 medicine, and fasted for 3 days, all the 

 fire in the town is extinguished. Dur- 

 ing this fast they abstain from the grati- 

 fication of every appetite and passion 

 whatever. A general amnesty is pro- 

 claimed, all malefactors may return to 

 their town, and they are absolved from 

 their crimes, which are now forgotten, 

 and they are restored to favor." Ac- 

 cording to Gatschet (op. cit., 182) it 

 appears that the busk is not a solstitial 

 celebration, Ijut a rejoicing over the first 

 fruits of the year. The new year begins 

 with the busk, which is celebrated in 

 August, or late in July. Every town cel- 

 ebrated its busk at a period independent 

 from that of the other towns, whenever 

 their crops had come to maturity. In 

 connection with the busk the women 

 broke to pieces all the household utensils 

 of the previous year and replaced them 

 with new ones; the men refitted all their 



