no 



LIEUTENANT MICHLER S REPORT. 



the willow-bark ; tliey tip the ends of the cords with hits of red flannel; the girdle is then 

 made of cords of the same kind, only variegated with different colors, red, white, and blue. 

 When they lie down to sleep, they strip and cover themselves witl 



beneath 



The hair of both males and 



men 



wear it very long, as it is considered a great ornament, and braid it in rolls ; the latter are 

 used for the purpose of securing their bows, arrows, and clothes above water when swimming 

 a river. The women do not wear it as long as the men. They speak of one of their celebrities, 

 now dead, with great respect, as the warrior with the very long hair. Both sexes paint ; the 

 usual colors are vermilion, black, and blue. A very few are tattooed ; this operation is per- 

 formed by pricking the skin with the sharp point of a flint, and sprinkling in the wound the dust 

 of charcoal. Very few ornaments are used. The chiefs of the various bands seem to have 

 a di55tinct official badge, consisting of pearl-shells suspended by rings from the nose. Both 

 men and women are passionately fond of glass beads. 



names 



are verv pretty. 



Ma 



There appears to be no marriage ceremony. If a man and woman like each otlier^ they live 

 together ; if they afterwards disagree they can separate, provided there be no children, and 

 even then they can marry again should both parties consent. Unmarried women are taken 

 care of by the tribes ; children can go from one hut or family to another, and will be fed and 

 cared for as belonging to the tribe. Nor do they have any funeral ceremonies. When a death 

 occurs they move their villages, although sometimes only a short distance, but never occupying 

 exactly the same locality. The dead is burned ; the body, dressed and surrounded with all the 

 personal effects, is placed upon a funeral pile and consumed. No disposition is ever made of 

 the ashes. A feast is celebrated, and if the deceased is possessed of any horses they are killed 

 and eaten ; his possessions are said to be bad, and are burnt or destroyed. The female relations 

 of the departed mourn for many days, manifesting their grief by tearing out their hair, cuttmg 

 their bodies, and destroying everything they possess, not even saving a vestige of their gar- 

 ments. If any member of the tribe should kill anotherj whether in the heat of battle or in 

 cold blood, he returns to his home and atones for the necessity of having been compelled to 



; on such occasions he eats no meat — only 

 vegetables — drinks only water, knows no woman, and bathes frequently during the day to 

 purify the flesh. 



Among these tribes they have a ceremony for celebrating the arrival of a virgin to the age 

 of puberty. When the old women ascertain the fact, the whole tribe collect together and 

 celebrate the occasion with a feast. The applicant for womanhood is placed in an oven or 

 closely covered hut ; this is made by digging a hole, in which they lay heated stones, covering 



moon 



upon 



then thrown upon 



the stones, and when completely steamed and saturated with profuse perspiration, she plunges 

 into the river and takes a bath. This process is kept up for three days, maintaining a fast all 

 the time. The feast celebrated, the girl is considered a woman^ and is ready for marriage ; 



maidens 



however, do not generally marry early. They become fully developed at about twelve 

 or fourteen, and grow so rapidly that in a few years they look coarse and fat. Previous to a 

 birth, the mother leaves her village for some short distance and lives by herself until a month 



born 



assembles 



