ANOINTING THE SACRED POLE SHAM FIGHT. 



295 



the Inke-sabS gens for the two sacred pipes. These were taken by the 

 Hanga man to the long tent for future use. In the mean time, the prin- 

 cipal pieces of the ia were cut by the keeper of the Wacabe tent in 

 pieces as wide as one hand, and as long as from the elbow to the tips 

 of the fingers (fully eighteen iuches). These pieces of fat were mixed 

 with red clay, and then the compound was rubbed over the sacred pole. 

 Some say that throughout this ceremony sacred songs were sung : "A n/ - 

 ba i^augfgqti waa n/ g£i n i," They sat singing throughout the day. (See 

 § 143 for what Frank La Fleche says on this point.) When the anoint- 

 ing was completed the remaining ^a were collected, and divided among 

 the Hanga people who could not eat the tongues. Sometimes the 

 chiefs received one apiece; and the keeper of the pole asked for one, 

 two, three, and sometimes four, 

 which he gave to the kindred of his 

 wife, as he could not eat that part 

 of the buffalo. 



According to some, the keeper 

 of one of the Hanga sacred tents 

 prayed over the sacred object which 

 was tied upon the pole, extending 

 the palms of his hands towards it. 

 Then every one had to be silent 

 and keep at a certain distance from 

 the long tent. Inside that tent 

 were seated twelve men in a row. 

 (The writer suspects that ten chiefs, 

 one from each gens, and the two 

 keepers of the Hanga sacred tents 

 were the occupants of the long tent. 

 See below.) When the presents poieTandro^Tof 

 were made to the sacred pole, o( ^f end 

 young girls led horses and brought 



blankets to the two sacred men, and were allowed to touch the sacred 

 pole. The wife of a former trader at the Omaha Agency, when very 

 sick, was taken in a wagon to witness the praying before the sacred 

 pole, in hope that it might cause her recovery. 



§ 152. The sham fight. — After the pole was anointed, the chiefs spoke 

 of pretending to engage with enemies. So a member of the jja n ze gens 

 (in modern times Mitcaqpe-jinga or Maja n 'ha-£i n held this office) was 

 ordered by the keeper of the pole to summon the stout-hearted young 

 men to engage in the combat. Mitcaqpe-jinga used to go to each brave 

 man and tell him quietly to come to take part in the fight. According 

 to some he proclaimed thus : "Ye young men, decorate yourselves and 

 come to play. Come and show yourselves." Then the young men as- 

 sembled. Some put on head-dresses of eagles' feathers, others wore 

 ornaments of crow feathers (and skins of coyotes) in their belts. Some 



Fig. 25.— Showing positions of the lone tent, the 

 ' %sl " within the tribal circle. 

 1, The tent; 2, The pole ; 3, The rows 



