SACRED TRADITIONS AND CUSTOMS. 473 
in war. At length they completed all that was sacred. And these who had made 
themselves chiefs, they who were the first rulers, talked to the people. ‘Respect ye 
these two tents which ye have made sacred. When the tribal circle is formed, they 
shall standin the middle. Indeed, make it a rule to give to them whatsoever very good 
things you have. And desire even the chieftainship from us,” said they, addressing 
the young men. “In that event you will be stout-hearted. If any of you give many 
presents to strangers, you may paint your children’s foreheads. I you acquire this 
privilege by becoming very poor, you will be great men, and future generations will 
keep up the customs as long as the tribe shall last.” 
II.—They spoke of removing the camp to go on the buffalo hunt. When they came 
back and told about the bufialoes, they used to give good robes to the pole of the 
sacred tent. When they surrounded a herd, they used to gather together the buffalo 
tongues for the tent. When the buffaloes were killed, the chiefs said, “Ye two young 
men, you will gather buffalo tongues and place them at the sacred tent.” The young 
men used to thrust one end of their bows through the tips of the buffalo tongues, and 
carry them along by means of the bow-strings, which they put in front of them, next 
to their chests, the bows being on their backs. They were the very first ones to reach 
the lodges again. When they reached home in the evening, they used to cook. The 
chiefs assembled, wearing robes with the hair outside, and entered the sacred tent, 
where they ate after putting the food in the lower corners of their robes. He whose 
sacred thing it was, Hafiga, he who had made the feast, sat singing as the others ate. 
TI1.—When a man continues to fear unseen danger, they go out as scouts. The 
chiefs assemble. An old man calls: ‘‘I who move wish you to learn about the land 
for me!” Forthwith fifty or sixty young men go to the sacred tent of the Weji"cte. 
The young men go as scouts, running atound the circle of tents. At length they come 
back to report, perhaps, that they detected the presence of men. And they regard 
this service as fully equal to going on the war-path. They come back by making a 
detour, and perhaps they flee. 
: 1V.—When they killed a great many buffaloes they usually started homeward. At 
length the chiefs assembled, and spoke of making a sacred thing. They cooked a 
piece of dried buffalo meat at the two sacred tents, that they might assemble for the 
ceremony. The chiefs collected about a hundred young men, who were stripped to the 
waist and who sat in a circle around the two tents. Some of the men here and there 
were considered brave, so they wore robes and had on gay shirts. When they had 
eaten all the food the feast was ended. As the brave men followed the line of the 
tents, they were snatching bent tent-sticks from those who dwelt in small tents. And 
the owners did not refuse, nor did they ask why the braves tried to deprive them of 
their tent-sticks. They carried the sticks which they had taken back to the sacred tents. 
They made a long tent, using the sticks as long as they lasted. They made the prin- 
cipal sacred thing (i. e., they placed the pole) in the middle of the tent. They asked 
each first-born child for a piece of dried buffalo meat. An old man called about two 
hundred children by their names. “O grandchild, wherever you are standing, even 
though you bring but one thing, you will put it yonder on the ground for me, at a 
short distance.” When they collected the dried meat all beheld it. They spread it 
