290 PICTURE-WRITING OF THE AMERICAN INDIANS. 
The whites know that there are four black flags of God; that is, four 
divisions of the earth. He first made the earth soft by wetting it, then 
cut it into four parts, one of which, containing the Black Hills, he gave 
to the Dakotas, and, because I am a woman, I shall not consent to the 
pouring of blood on this chief house (or dwelling place), i. e., the Black 
Hills. The time will come that you will remember my words; for after 
many years you shall grow up one with the white people.’ She then 
circled round and round and gradually passed out of my sight. I also 
saw prints of a man’s hands and horse’s hoofs on the rocks [here he 
brings in petroglyphs], and two thousand years, and one hundred mil- 
lions of dollars ($100,000,000). I came away erying, as I had gone. I 
have told this to many Dakotas, and all agree that it meant that we 
were to seek and keep peace with the whites.” 
(NorE By Dr. CorBusiER.—The Oglalas and Brulés say that they, 
with the rest of the Dakota nation, formerly lived far on the other side 
of the Missouri River. After they had moved to the river, they lived 
at first on its eastern banks, only crossing it to hunt. Some of the 
hunting parties that crossed at leugth wandered far off from the rest 
and, remaining away, became the westernmost bands.) 
Pl. xxr A. The record shown by this figure dates from the appear- 
ance of The-Woman-from-Heaven, 901 A. D.; but the Dakotas were a 
people long before this. The circle of lodges represents a cycle of 
thirty years, from the year 901 to 930, and incloses the “legend” by 
which this period is known. All the tribes of the Dakota nation were 
encamped together, as was then their custom, when all at once a beau- 
tiful woman appeared to two young men. One of them said to the 
other, ‘‘Let us catch her and have her for our wife.” The other said, 
‘““No; she may be something waka"” (supernatural or sacred). Then 
the woman said to them, ‘I came from Heaven to teach the Dakotas 
how to live and what their future shall be.” She had what appeared 
to be snakes about her legs and waist, but which were really braids of 
grass. She said, “1 give you this pipe; keep it always;” and with the 
pipe she gave them a small package, in which they found four grains 
of maize, one white, one black, one yellow, and one variegated. The 
pipe is above the buffalo. She said, “I am a buffalo, The White-Buf- 
falo-Cow. I will spill my milk all over the earth, that the people may 
live.” She meant by her milk maize, which is seen in the picture drop- 
ping from her udders. The colored patches on the four sides of the 
circle are the four quarters of the heavens (the cardinal points of the 
compass). In front of the cow are yellow and red. She pointed in this 
direction and said, ‘‘When you see a yellowish (or brownish) cloud 
toward the north, that is my breath; rejoice at the sight of it, for you- 
shall soon see buffalo. Red is the blood of the buffalo, and by that you 
shall live. Pointing east [it will be noticed that Battiste has placed 
the east toward the top of the page], she said, “This pipe is related to 
the heavens, and you shall live with it.” The line running from the 
