448 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [Bull. 194 



to cut and trim posts and rails. When constructing the corral, men 

 of the four-clan moiety dug the postholes and brought in the posts 

 and rails for the right half of the enclosure looking into the corral 

 from the cliff while the three-clan moiety constructed the other half. 

 Large trees with forked limbs were used as posts. About 2 feet of 

 each fork were retained and the forked end was set into the ground 

 to give the posts strength and stability so that pressure from the 

 animals against the wall would not draw the posts out of the ground. 

 The rails were fastened to the posts with strips of green buffalo hide 

 which contracted when dry. Eight piles of stones were placed in a 

 funnel-shaped arrangement reaching up to the entrance to the corral. 



Eight young men, selected for their skUl and bravery, stood behind 

 these rockpUes and jumped up at the proper moment to drive the 

 animals over the cliff. Three men, wearing wolf hides to conceal 

 their identity, were selected to move the animals off of the range to 

 the funnel-shaped entrance. When the animals did not move ui the 

 proper direction, smoke from small fires was used. 



The eagle trapper with his snare stood on a high hill in full view of 

 the activities and out of the path of the buffaloes. The impersonator 

 of Blood Man and the other nine headmen kept out of sight in the 

 trees with the rest of the people. The man with the snare made 

 movements as though snaring the animals, singing the Snare song 

 and praying to the Black Bears to bring the buffaloes into the corral 

 without injury to the young men. 



The speed of the animals accelerated as they approached the corral. 

 Once the herd was past the outer stones, the men concealed there 

 stood up and waved their robes and the animals broke into a gallop. 

 When they were a little farther into the funnel the next opposing pair 

 jumped up. The most hazardous positions were occupied by the 

 last men on each side of the entrance to the corral. They could not 

 stand until the front of the herd was even with them or the animals 

 might turn, double back, mill around, or break away. When properly 

 timed, the front of the herd was moving rapidly and directly toward 

 the opening of the corral, at the instant that the animals in front 

 sighted the corral and sharp cliff. Then the pressure of those to the 

 rear forced the vanguard over the cliff, and the dust from the first 

 animals concealed their descent into the corral. 



Crows Heart told of the time Black Shield had a corral. Then 

 the animals were wedged in so closely that a stray yearling that 

 had broken away from the herd came over the cliff whUe the people 

 were gathered around the corral, fell onto the backs of the other 

 buffaloes wedged in there, climbed from the buffaloes' backs over the 

 corral wall, and ran away. This caused everyone to laugh heartily. 



