1921] BARRETT, THE BLACKFOOT INISKIM OR BUFFALO BUNDLE. 83 



While she was thus instructing her husband, he said to her : "You must 

 be sure of what you are doing, so that we will not disgrace ourselves." 

 To this she replied, "Follow my instructions and get the people to re- 

 build the piskun, for I am going to bring the bufifalo." This convinced 

 him that his wife had received a powerful medicine and that she was 

 able to perform a ceremony which would deliver the tribe from starva- 

 tion. He then announced to the people that a buffalo ceremony would 

 be held that night and sent everyone out to Ijegin preparing the corral at 

 the base of the cliff and the stone piles which were used as blinds in the 

 buffalo drive. 



When everything was in readiness for the ceremony, the woman 

 told her husband to announce that the new buffalo ceremony would be 

 celebrated that night and request the old men of the tril^e to come to 

 the ceremonial tipi and bring their rattles. At nightfall she taught the 

 people the l)uffalo songs which she had learned from the buffalo stone. 

 The burden of the first song is as follows : "There are plenty of buf- 

 falo which we are going to have, for I am the powerful buffalo medi- 

 cine." This song was sung repeatedly during the early part of the night 

 and toward morning a second similar buffalo song was chanted. 



Near daybreak the dogs of the village suddenly began to bark, and, 

 upon investigation, the people saw near the village, a big buffalo bull 

 scratching himself against a tree. 



The woman then called for sweet grass, which she used as incense. 

 As the incense was rising she sang a third song and presented her hus- 

 band with the ceremonial fire-tongs : "You are a man, take these fire 

 tongs for they are powerful medicine." She again placed sweet grass 

 on the coals of the altar, and, as the incense rose she sang another song. 

 As she did so, she placed her hands in the rising smoke as if to grasp it, 

 first with the left hand and then with the right, bringing the smoke to 

 her nostrils that she might inhale it. 



She then sang a fourth song and as she did so, she brought the buf- 

 falo stone from the bosom of her dress and placed it on the altar before 

 her. This song repeated the words the buffalo stone had used in calling 

 her when she was gathering wood : "Come here woman and get me. 

 Woman can you not come and take me away, I am the most powerful 

 medicine." She then sang a second verse : "This, my buffalo medicine, 

 always sits in the same place." The people then, for the first time, saw 

 the buffalo medicine stone. 



The entire day following was spent by the people in making further 

 preparations at the piskun and in the village for a big buffalo drive. 



