134 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [Bull. 194 



a boy unless he gave so much attention to the girls that he neglected 

 other duties. Cases of rape were common. The offender might be 

 severely whipped by the girl's brothers or the man's sisters might try 

 to restore good relations by expressing regrets and giving her house- 

 hold a horse or other valuables. The young man would lose face as 

 it was considered cowardly to force a woman into sexual relations 

 against her wUl. 



It was at this age, when the young boys were getting into mischief 

 and just before they were old enough to go on war expeditions as 

 camp tenders, that they joined the Stone Hammer society. At the 

 age of 12 to 15, boys organized and bought the society from the older 

 boys who were ready to buy the next higher one. As members of the 

 Stone Hammer society they were expected to confine their mischief to 

 those times when the society was meeting. They would announce 

 their meetings in advance so that all would hear; then those who failed 

 to protect their food were likely to lose much of it during the night. 

 The society owned a stuffed mouse to which they prayed, asking it to 

 help them find the best food. The leader would tie the mouse in his 

 hair before going out on a raid for food. The members would grease 

 their bodies to make seizure difficult, paint their bodies with the dis- 

 tinctive society markings, and tie up their hair in a knot. If a lodge 

 door was securely barred, entrance was often made down the chain 

 suspended from the smokehole or poles were removed from the side of 

 the lodge. Old people would often place their meat between robes on 

 the bed so that they would waken if someone attempted to move it. 

 Frequently old men would stay up aU night talking and smoking 

 around the fire with the meat in a conspicuous place near them to 

 encourage the boys to attempt to slip in quietly and remove it. This 

 was considered good practice for stealing horses when older. Other 

 households would set up various traps to warn them that prowlers 

 were at hand. This was considered good training for entering a Sioux 

 camp undetected when out raiding horses. 



When one was caught stealing, his hands were tied in back of him 

 and around one of the large lodge posts. His associates would return 

 to the lodge where the society had its headquarters to report the 

 misfortune. The society would collect goods and follow the leader 

 to the lodge where its member was being held prisoner and form a 

 circle around him crying. The old people would scold them severely 

 for attempting to steal their best meat. Then the boys would offer 

 some of their goods to free their member. A high price was always 

 set, not expecting that it would be paid, but not infrequently the boys 

 paid up without dickering. Old women would warn them that the 

 next time they would keep them tied up longer and it would cost them 

 more to get their member back. It was understood that if the boys 



