296 OMAHA SOCIOLOGY. 



decorated their horses. Some were armed with guns ; others with bows 

 and arrows. The former loaded their weapons with powder alone; the 

 latter pulled their bow-strings, as if against foes, but did not shoot the 

 arrows. 



The tlaps of the skins in front of the long tent were raised from the 

 ground and kept up by means of the isag<j;e or forked sticks. Within 

 the long tent were seated the chiefs (ten of them? — see above) and (lie 

 two keepers of the sacred tents. The chiefs had made four grass fig- 

 ures in the shape of men, which they set up in front of the long tent. 



After the young men assembled they rode out of the circle and went 

 back towards a hill. Then they used to send some one on foot to give 

 the alarm. This man ran very swiftly, waving his blanket, and saying, 

 " We are attacked!" All at once the horsemen appeared and came to 

 the tribal circle, around which they rode once. When they reached the 

 Weji n cte and Ictasauda teuts they dispersed, each one going wherever 

 he pleased. Then the occupants of the long tent took the places of the 

 horsemen, being thenceforth regarded as Dakotas. As soon as the 

 horsemen dispersed the pursuers of the foe started out from all parts 

 of the tribal circle, hastening towards the front of the long tent to 

 attack the supposed Dakotas. These pursuers evidently included many 

 of the horsemen. They shot first at the grass figures, taking close aim 

 at them, and knocking them down each time that they fired. Having 

 shot four times at them, they dismounted and pretended to be cutting 

 up the bodies. This also was done four times. Next the pursuers 

 passed between the grass figures and the place where the "^a" had 

 been, in order to attack the occupants of the long tent. Four times did 

 they fire at one another, and then the shooting ceased. Then followed 

 the smoking of the two sacred pipes as tokens of peace. These were 

 filled by a member of the Hanga geus and lighted by some one else. 

 (See Sacred Pipes, § 17.) They were carried first to the chiefs in the 

 long tent, and then over to the young men representing the pursuers. 

 Here and there were those who smoked them. The pipes were taken 

 around four times. Then they were consigned by the keeper of the pole 

 to one of the men of his sub-gens, who took them back to their owu 

 tent. When he departed he wrapped around them one of the offerings 

 made by the brave men to the sacred pole. He returned the bundle to 

 the keeper of the pipes without saying a word. 



The writer has not been able to learn whether the ;e-sa n -ha was ever 

 exposed to public gaze during this ceremony or at any other time. 

 Frank La Fleche does not know. 



After the anointing of the pole (and the conclusion of the sham fight) 

 its keeper took it back to its tent. This was probably at or after the 

 time that the sacred pipes were returned to the Inke-sabe" tent. 



The tent skins used for the covering of the long tent consisted of those 

 belongiug to the two sacred tents of the Hanga, and of as many others 

 as were required. 



