266 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [Bull. 194 



It takes a man who does much fasting and buys many gods to go to war often 

 without losing his luck." 



I replied, "I had a dream from the time Sitting Elk gave the NaxpikE and I 

 believe that I will have good luck. In my dream I and one other went out looking 

 for the enemy. I killed one enemy but as we were coming back the enemy 

 attacked us and shot my partner through the bowels so that blood was flowing. 

 At that time a doctor came along and said, 'It will not take long to cure that 

 man' so I think it is all right for me to follow my dream." 



My father replied, "I do not think that was a very good dream. You say 

 that one was shot while still another came to do the doctoring. There are so 

 many instructions and you have to rely on so many others, I am afraid that you 

 will not be successful." 



After that I did not lead any war parties, for my father was skillful in those 

 things. "I do not want you to stop your fasting; you might get a dream. Then 

 when the enemies attack the village, you might win over one of them," he said. 



When I was 28 or 29 my clan brother, Corn Smut, was giving the NaxpikE 

 [Sun Dance] so I fasted to help him out. When the third day was over nearly all 

 the fasters were gone, for it was hard to do. Two Bulls was hanging from the 

 buffalo hide tied at the top of the post and I thought what a hard thing it was to 

 suffer that way. All this time the older men were telling the young men to stick 

 to it and not leave until the ceremony was over, that it was their own fault if 

 they gave up and so were always poor. The old men would say, "Those who 

 fast much and are patient while they suffer are the ones who will be successful 

 and respected by the people. When you move to the winter camp you can see 

 many poor people walking and carrying their things on their backs; their children 

 are barefooted. We do not like to see that. If you young fellows stick to your 

 torturing, you will be successful, have many good horses, and plenty of food. 

 You will not have to suffer like those who have nothing and do nothing for the 

 people. You can tell those who have most patience by their property, fine wives 

 and healthy children, and their nice clothing." 



On the fourth day. Spotted Bear was to be tortured but when his fathers cut 

 the skin, he was afraid and in pain so they took the thongs out and sent him 

 home. Only Corn Smut, who was giving the ceremony, and I were left fasting. 

 Two of my fathers were singers so I went to them — Red Basket and Walking Chief 

 of the Waterbuster clan — and asked them to cut my skin. Red Basket said, 

 "That is the way to have a god. Run as fast as you can and pull hard on the 

 rope." 



He sang his holy songs of the Spotted Eagle, praying all the time that I would 

 be successful. He said to his gods, "I want you to give my son, Wolf Chief, a 

 good dream tonight." Then they put the thongs through my flesh. My clan 

 relatives paid him for his prayers. 



Older men standing around said, "Put your head back and do not be afraid." 

 Then the different men began to sing their sacred songs. 



Then the singers for the NaxpikE sang the flrst song while I put my head back. 

 I pulled as hard as I could while I looked up at the buffalo head in the fork of the 

 post. At first it was hard to do; I had nothing in my stomach; I was dizzy. They 

 told me to get up and walk around while they sang the second song so I got up 

 from my hands and knees and began running around the pole. It seemed that my 

 throat was going to close and I could not walk I was so weak. I could hear the 

 holy songs but I could not distinguish one person from another. I sat still for a 

 while until I was able to breathe normally when my fathers came to me to remove 

 the sticks but I said to them, "I am going to try once more to go around that post." 



The singers said, "We will go down to the river for a drink and a bath and leave 



