INDIAN TRIBES OF THE MISSOURI VALLEY. 281 
E-a-cis-to, Scalp Dance. When a war party goes out against the enemy, and returns with 
plenty of scalps, all the village, men, women, and children, join in dancing and singing, 
sometimes for half a day or all night. They also build large fires. The same dance occurs 
among the Dakotas, and is called by them I-wa’ki-cipi. As the description will apply 
to the ceremony among both tribes, I quote from the Dakota Dictionary. ‘This dance 
follows the bringing home of the scalps of their enemies. A circle is formed, on one side 
of which stand the young men, with their bodies painted, with their feathers in their heads, 
and their drums, rattles, and other instruments of music in their hands, while on the 
other side stand the young women, in their best attire, carrying the scalp or scalps stretched 
on a hoop. ‘The war song commences, and the women dance around, sometimes ad- 
vancing towards the men, who are stationary, and then again retreating, and responding 
at intervals to the music in a kind of chorus. If the scalp is taken in the winter, the 
dance is kept up, frequently by day and night, until the leaves grow in the spring. If it 
is taken in the summer, they dance and rejoice over it until the leaves fall off, when it is 
buried.” 
O-ta’-mi-mi-sa’-o, Strong Heart Dance. The young men only join in this dance. The Da- 
kotas call it éan’-te-su-tai/-wa-¢i. 
H-wok-si’-hi-wa-to: Dakota, To-ka’la-wa-ci-pi, the Fox Dance. The Indians make a large 
kettle of soup, and dance for good luck. Only the young, unmarried women, that is, 
virgins, join in this dance. 
Ho-tum’ita’ni-o, Dog Dance ; Dakota, Lhan’-shi-wa-pa’-wa-ci, the Big Owl Dance. The manner 
of performance is the same in both tribes. In this dance, all the male sex, and all the 
virtuous wives join. It is said that not more than four or five women dance. 
O-ho-mi-no'-tohi-o, Soldier Dance; Dakota, Wi’-cis-ka, the White Belt Dance. Among 
the Dakotas, the belt that holds all their hunting apparatus is white. Only the young 
men join in this dance. 
O-tu’-a-ta’ni-o, Bull Head Dance; the same meaning in Dakota, Ta-tay/-ka-pa-wa-G. They 
perform the most violent gesticulations in this dance. The men form a ring, wearing a 
bull’s head in the shape of a mask, imitating the grunt of a bull. ‘Two women stand 
inside the ring. It is the most picturesque and exciting of all their dances. 
Mo’-he-ta’-ni-o, the Elk Dance; Dakota, He-ha’-ka-wa-¢i. This is a sort of Medicine dance. 
All join, men, women, and children. 
Na-ko-yo-su’-is-to, Bear Dance ; Dakota, Ma-to’-wa-ci-pi. A man dreams of having a fight 
with a bear; he awakes in the morning, and if he overcame the bear in his dream, he 
tells his friends, and they all have a dance. Only the males join. The motions and 
grunt of the bear are imitated. 
As we have before remarked, our previous knowledge of the Shyennes and their language 
