120 THE WINNEBAGO TRIBE [eth. axn. 37 



off on the upper surface. The beaming tool is then grasped in both hands and pushed 

 away from the user against the grain of the hair over the skin where it lies on the 

 smoothed surface of the stick or log. This process is the same as that followed by the 

 Northern Ojibway and Eastern Tree. TheYiext step is to stretch the skin on a square, 

 upright frame. A fleshing tool is then brought to bear, although the beamer is often 

 made to answer this purpose. \\'hen the skin has been fleshed, it is soaked in a 

 mixture of deer's brains and water. Xo gi'ease is added. This preparation is kept 

 in liquid form in a pail and lasts some time. After remaining in the brain fluid for 

 a time, the skin is taken out and thoroughly washed. Then it is taken by the tanner — 

 who is always a woman — and dried. 'WTiile the skin is drying, it 

 is rubbed with a wooden spatula to make it flexible. It is now 

 ready for the last step — smoking. For this process it is first sewed 

 up into a cylindrical shape, and the upper end is tied together to 

 form a bag. By this closed up]ier end it is then suspended over a 

 - shallow hole from a stick dri\en oliliquely into the giound at an 

 angle of about 4.5 degrees. In the hole a fire is built with dried 

 wood. The open lower edge of the skin bag is pegged or fastened 

 to the ground about the edge of the hole. 



Games and Amusements 



,;;^*'''"^%|?.. Lacrosse was the favorite game of the Winnebago. 



M D -W This was generally playeil on ceremonial occasions. 



■^J-'.. ,.'<^ Whenever played, the two divisions of the tribe, the 



••f;«;«Jj;iv' WangEre'gi and the Mane'gi, were pitted against each 



other. There were two kinds of lacrosse, one played 



by men and the other played by women; these differed 



in a number of particulars. 



Men's lacrosse. — Tlie men's game was called tcabo- 



• nino' nugis 'hi¥isl¥ . There were either 12 or 22 men 



on each side, placed in the following manner: Two, 



one of each side, stood in front of the arched sapling 



which constituted one of the goals {wak'a'rani) ; these 



^c%si'*4t°GUK were called woixHygra. There were, of course, two 



ff' w^ngeT^gT^d? goals, each about 10 feet high, one at each end of the 



o^f'raanrg'i^fdt field. About midway between the goals a small 



whi'^rbai'i"'" mound was made from which the ball was throwni. 



thrown. rppj^ ^j. ^.^ygQ^y nien, as the case may be, covered the 



ground between the mound and the two men stationed at each 



wak'a'rani. Tlte lacrosse stick was called tcahonadu'gis, and the ball 



used either tci-oko' nMlra or ira^'in'^'na. The object of the game was 



to put the ball through the goal four times. At the beginning of 



the game the ball was tlii-own straight into the ah- from the mound. 



(For plan of the game, see fig. 27.) 



Ceremonial lacrosse. — The following description of a ceremonial 

 lacrosse game was given by a member of the Bear clan : 



The WangEre'gi and the Mane'gi people were to play lacrosse. So the WangEre'gi 

 took an in\-itation stick and attached some tobacco to it and sent it to the Mane'gi 

 people. Thus they fixed a day for the contest. The contest was to be in four days. 

 In the meantime both sides were to get ready, for some might be without balls or 

 sticks, etc. Then the WangEre'gi said, "We are the fleeter and will therefore go and 



