19221 



SKINNER, THE SAUK AND lOWAY INDIANS 



finding of oil on Sauk lands in recent years has made them well to do, 

 and the automobile, player piano, victrola, and other luxuries are seen 

 everywhere. Yet the Sauk are still conservative in the matter of re- 

 ligion, for in the rear of many of the houses may be seen bark lodges, 

 such as that shown in figure 1, in which still hang the gens sacred bun- 

 dles and within whose shelter, ancient rites are still carried on. In not 

 a few instances the older members of the family dwell in these houses, 

 or in the round mat wigwams, such as the one shown in figure 2. Such 

 wigwams were used as regular winter dwellings in olden days. Small 



Fig. 2. — A Sauk Indian winter lodge covered with mats, made of the cat-tail 

 rush. Near Avery, Oklahoma. 



lodges for the reception of women undergoing their menses are still 

 frequently found as adjuncts to modern dwellings, and bough arbors or 

 shelters abound. 



Even in cases where all members of the family are users of the nar- 

 cotic peyote and are members of the accompanying religious cult, the 

 people seem to cling to the beliefs and relics of the past and are no more 

 willing to sell their sacred objects than are the professing pagans. In 

 fact, in recent years, the users of peyote seem to have somewhat recon- 



