denio] THE ASSINIBOIN 427 



open the veins of their legs and arms while crying over dead relatives, 

 making large transverse cuts with knives, arrow points, or flints. 

 When they bleed they generally let the blood flow as long as it will 

 without bandage. Cupping is done with a part of the upper end of 

 a buffalo horn, about 2y 2 inches long, and a vacuum is produced by 

 suction with the mouth which, with their powerful muscles and exer- 

 tions, is, of course, double force. It is said to be useful in drawing 

 out the poison of snake bites and is also used for pains and cramps 

 in the stomach, besides for extracting worms, bugs, snakes, etc., as 

 mentioned in the general practice. We believe it may have some- 

 thing of the effect of dry cupping with glasses; they do not, however, 

 scarify before cupping except in cases of snake bites. 



Stoppage of Blood and Healing Art. — For stopping of blood they 

 use cobwebs, dried pulpy fungus, or very fine inner bark of trees. 

 When these are not to be had finely pulverized rotton wood is used. 

 These answer tolerably well when the divided artery is small. They 

 have no good plasters or healing salves. 



Bandages are mostly tied on too tight, with the view of stopping 

 the bleeding and are left too long before being removed, which fre- 

 quently results in gangrene. They are not skillful nor clean in these 

 things, seldom washing a wound. From actual observation, which 

 has been pretty extensive with regard to cuts and wounds of all 

 kinds, we are disposed to believe that their cure does not depend upon 

 any skill in treatment nor care taken of them, but upon their vigorous 

 constitutions, extremely healthy climate, and strictly temperate mode 

 of life, with perhaps a disposition to heal naturally in the absence of 

 scientific knowledge vouchsafed to the ignorant Indian by an all-wise 

 Creator. 



Amputation. — They never amputate a limb, though fingers and 

 toes often undergo that operation. The Assiniboin run a sharp knife 

 around the joint of the finger and snap it off. The Crows do the 

 same, but on other occasions take them off by placing a sharp toma- 

 hawk on the finger, it being laid on a block and the tomahawk being 

 struck with a mallet. Whenever a Crow Indian dies his near rela- 

 tives, male and female, sacrifice each a finger and sometimes two, and 

 the loss of these people by sickness and enemies the last few years 

 having been great, there is scarcely such a thing as a whole hand to be 

 found in the Crow Nation. The men reserve the thumb and middle 

 finger on the left and the thumb and two forefingers of the right hand 

 to use the bow and gun, but all the rest are sacrificed. 



They mostly take them off at the first and second joints, though 

 occasionally lower down. These small amputations are seldom at- 



• In the few cases where the Indians have an arm or leg missing, they have been shot off, 

 or so nearly off as not to come under the head of .imputation, as but IHtle skin or nerve 

 were to be cut. 



