160 THE WINK^EBAGO TRIBE [eth. ANN. 37 



etc. Then the war leader would secretly tell some one to select a stake (for the Victory 

 Dance) and after a short time all the members of the war party would rush in and march 

 around the entire village striking the scalps that they had tied to sticks. Then they 

 would all go to the place where the stake liad been put up and there they would dis- 

 tribute the wai- prizes to the sisters of the men who had won them and the women 

 would walk around proudly with the prizes around their necks. Then, in the daytime 

 they would dance the Victory Dance and in the evening they would dance the 

 Hok'ixere Dance for four nights. 



Description of a war party. — Informant, member of the Thunder- 

 bird clan. 



If a man wishes to go on the warpath he must fast and be blessed by the spirits in a 

 specific manner. If a man is thus blessed, he gives a feast and announces his intention 

 of leading a war party. The chief always has a representative at such a feast (a mem- 

 ber of the Buffalo clan), and as soon as it is over this man goes to the former and reports 

 to Mm. If the chief thinks that the blessing is insufficient and might cause the death 

 of many men he takes the war leader's pipe and lays it across his path and the war 

 leader is then compelled to abandon his undertaking. This action on the part of the 

 chief is sacred and must be accepted as final. The war leader dare not step across 

 the pipe. Should the chief, however, not do this, then the war leader knew that there 

 was no objection. Usually some members of every clan go along, but especially 

 members of the Thunderbird, Warrior, and Bear clans. 



The action of the war leader is controlled by many rules. He must be the one who 

 has fasted and been blessed with all that is essential for conducting a war party. He 

 must have his food provided for him by the spirits, know the exact location of the 

 enemy, their numbers, and their sex. 



After the war party has traveled for about four days, the men offer tobacco to the 

 leader and he tells them where he is going, the number of the enemy, etc. If, after 

 that, any of the members of the war party do not approve of the undertaking then they 

 place a pipe across his path and the war leader is compelled to return. If nothing is 

 said, then all is well. The war leader always goes ahead of his party and his attend- 

 ants beliind him, followed by the other members of the party. Whenever the chief 

 stops hLs attendants run to Ms side, take his war bundle and place it in front of him. 

 Then the leader sits down, neither turning to the right nor to the left but looking 

 straight ahead. The attendants get two poles and place them on each side of him, 

 bend the ends over to form an arch, on each side of which are placed small oak sticks 

 arranged in a row. Under this structure the war leader stays. Here he sleeps and is 

 fed by Ms attendants. No one is permitted to go ahead of tliis improvised structure. 

 On each side of him two fireplaces are placed, two for the Upper clans and two for the 

 Lower clans. If the war party is traveling westward the two fireplaces on the north 

 side belong to the Lower clans and the two on the south side to the Upper clans. If a 

 man is going on a warpath for the first time, he stays in the rear of the party and has a 

 little fire of liis own. He remains in the rear in tMs way until the battle begins. Then 

 he joins the others. 



A member of the Warrior clan is selected by the war leader to act as guard and he 

 goes back and forth behind him encouraging the men and telling them not to steal 

 away alone or go too far ahead of the party, since that always results in the loss of life. 

 It is for tMs reason that it is not considered correct for a man to try and steal away and 

 perhaps obtain a war honor in this selfish manner. Whenever the war leader stops he 

 tells liis companions what they must do in order to obtain food, all this information 

 ha\ing been provided for ia his blessing. If he tells some one to go to a certain place 

 and kill a deer, he is certain to find a deer at the place specified. Whenever the war 

 leader gets up and steps over Ms war bundle the attendants come and place his war 

 bundle on liis back and he then proceeds on his march, followed by the other members 

 of the party. Whenever he comes to a river he takes some of the tobacco wMch is 



