CHAPTER IX. 

 PROTECTIVE INDUSTRIES. 



WAR CUSTOMS. 



§ 182. The Indians say that Ictiuike was he who taught their ances 

 tors all their war customs, such as blackening the face. (See myth of 

 Ictiuike and the Deserted Children in Contributions to N. A. Ethnol- 

 ogy, Vol. VI, Part I.) 



Origin of loars. — Wars generally originated iu the stealiug of horses 

 and the elopement of women, and sometimes they are in consequence of 

 infringing on the hunting-grounds of one another. When a party of 

 warriors go on the war-path they do not always go after scalps only; 

 the object of the expedition may be to steal horses from the enemy. If 

 they can get the horses without being detected they may depart without 

 killing any one. But should they meet any of the people they do not 

 hesitate to attempt their lives. If the followers or servants fail to bring 

 away the horses it is the duty of the leaders to make an attempt. 



§1S3. Mode of fighting unlike that of nations of the Old World. — War 

 was not carried on by these tribes asitis by thenations of theOld World. 

 The (pegiha and other tribes have no standing armies. Unlike the Six 

 Nations, they have no general who holds his office for life, or for a given 

 term. They have no militia, ready to be called into the field by the 

 government. On the contrary, military service is voluntary in all cases, 

 from the private to the commanders, and the war party is usually dis- 

 banded as soon as home is reached. They had no wars of long dura- 

 tion; in fact, wars between one Indian tribe and another scarcely ever 

 occurred; but there were occasional battles, perhaps one or two in the 

 course of a season. 



DEFENSIVE WARFARE. 



§ 184. When the foe had made an attack on the Omauas (or Poukas) 

 and had killed some of the people it was the duty of the surviving men 

 to pursue the offenders and try to punish them. This going iu pursuit 

 of the foe, called nika-^iqg ^6, was undertaken immediately without 

 any of the ceremonies connected with a formal departure on the war- 

 path, which was offensive warfare. When the Ponkas rushed to meet 

 the Brule and Ogala Dakotas, June 17, 1872, Huta n -gi'hna n , a woman, 

 ran with them most of the way, brandishing a knife and singing songs 

 to incite the men to action. The women did not always behave thus. 

 They generally dug pits as quickly as possible and crouched in them 

 in order to escape the missiles of the combatants. And after the fight 

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