DonsEr.l CANNIBALISM, FEASTS, ETC. 273 



the last ones arriving finding places near the host. Two young men who 

 take out the meat, etc., from the kettles, have no fixed places for sitting. 

 They give feasts to get horses and other presents, to win a reputa- 

 tion for generosity, and perhaps an election to the chieftainship ; also 

 for social and other purposes. 



The Mandan feast. — The following is an account of a feast given by 

 the Mandan dancing society : "When the food has been prepared the 

 crier or herald calls for those to come to the feast who take part in the 

 dance. To bad men he says, ' Do not come to the feast at which I am 

 going to eat,' and they stay away. Should the guests be slow in com- 

 ing, the last one who arrives is punished. He is compelled to eat a 

 large quantity of food, G, 8, or 10 pounds. The others sit waiting for 

 him to eat all that has been placed before him, and as they wait they 

 shake the rattles of deer-claws and beat the drum. This is not a 

 sacred rite, but an amusement. If the man finds that he cannot eat all 

 in his bowl, he looks around the circle and finds some one to whom he 

 gives a blanket, shirt, gun, or a pair of leggings, with the rest of the 

 food saying, ' Friend, help me (by eating this). ' Should the second 

 man fail to eat all, he in turn must make a present to a third man, and 

 induce him to finish the contents of the bowl. Sometimes horses are 

 given as presents. Should a man come without an invitation, just to 

 look on, and enter the lodge of his own accord, he must give presents 

 to several of the guests, and depart without joining in the feast. When 

 one smokes, he extends the pipe to another saying, ' Smoke.' The sec 

 ond man smokes without taking hold of the pipe. Should he forget 

 and take hold of it, all the rest give the scalp-yell, and then he* is 

 obliged to make a present to some one present who is not one of his 

 kindred. Should one of the men make a mistake in singing, or should 

 he not know how to sing correctly, as he joins the rest, they give the 

 scalp-yell, and he is compelled to make a present to some one who is not 

 one of his kindred. If one of the guests lets fall anything by accident. 

 he forfeits it and cannot take it up. Any oue else can appropriate it. 

 While at this feast no one gets angry; all must keep in a good humor. 

 None but old men or those in the prime of life belong to this society." 



Sometimes the guests danced while they were eating. All wore deers' 

 tail head-dresses, and carried rattles of deers' claws on their arms. One 

 drum was used. There was no fixed number of singers; generally there 

 were six. Each one danced as he stood in his place, instead of moving 

 around the lodge. There was no special ornamentation of the face and 

 body with paint, All wore good clothing. The Omahas danced this 

 Mandan dance after the death of Logan Fontenelle. 



Those who boil sacred food, as for the war-path, pour some of the 

 soup outside the lodge, as an offering for the ghosts. 



§ 112. Sleeping customs.— They sleep when sleepy, chiefly at night. 

 There are no sacred rites connected with sleeping. Adults occupy that 

 part of the lodge next to the door, having their beds on each side of it. 

 3 eth IS 



