312 CALENDAR HISTORY OF THE KIOWA [eth.ann. n 



In tbe early spring a large war party, accompanied by women, as was 

 sometimes the custom among the Kiowa, started for Texas, along the 

 trail which runs south through the Panhandle, crossing the Xorth Cana- 

 dian near Kiowa creek and passing on by Fort Elliott. While singing 

 the "travel song" on a southern head stream of Wolf creek the tree 

 tops returned the echo. The phenomenon was a mystery to the Indians, 

 who ascribed it to spirits, but it may have been due to the fact that 

 just south of the camp was a bluff, from which the sound may have been 

 echoed back. The figure over the winter mark is intended to indicate 

 the sound above the tree tops. 



When a man wishes to gather a small war party he sends around to 

 invite those who may desire to join him. On the night before he 

 intends to start he sits alone in his tipi, having previously bent a long 

 stick, like a hoop, around the lire hole; then he begins the Gua-daf/ya 

 or travel song, beating time upon the hoop with another stick which 

 he holds in his hand. When those who intend going with him hear the 

 song, they come in one by one and join in it, beating- 

 time in the same way with sticks. The women also come 

 in and sit behind the men, joining in the song with them, 

 but without beating time; after some time the leader 

 invites them to come outside, to a buftalo hide, which 

 the men surround and each holds it up with one hand 

 while they beat time upon it with the sticks. The 

 women and those who can not reach the hide stand be- 

 hind and all sing together. The song is sung at inter- 

 vals during the march. It has words with meaning and 

 is different from all their other songs; the first singing 

 by the leader is the signal that he intends to start the 

 next day; the pipe was sent around only for a very large 

 Fio. 132-winter War party. 

 1862-63— Tree- j^ contributor to the Montana Historical Society gives a 

 op win er. humorous account of a rawhide dance by a party of pack- 

 ers on Columbia river, in 1858, when the tribes of that region had 

 combined against the whites. The account is of interest as showing 

 that the dance was found from the Columbia to the Rio Grande: 



About dark some seveu or eight canoes loaded with Yakima warriors landed near 

 our camp. They were painted and rigged up in first-class war style and just spoil- 

 ing for a fight. Our few Indian jiackers and the iuterpvetev took the situation in 

 and suggested that we hluff them. 8o wo built a large camp fire out of sage brush 

 and greasewood, and all of us, the Major iucluded, formed a circle, and with one 

 hand holding a rawhide, with a stick in the other, batted that rawhide and yelled 

 and danced until we were nearly exhausted. This act, the interpreter said, was 

 intended to show these Yakimas that we were not afraid of them and were ready to 

 give them "the best we had in the shop," and to my utter surprise when I turned 

 out in the morning not a canoe was to be seen. It wiis a complete blutf. They had 

 taken the hint and gone away during the night. I must confess I filt pleased, and 

 BO would anyone, from the fact that there is less danger in thumping the rawhide 

 as a bluff than trying to dodge their bullets {Montana, 2). 



