SWANTON] INDiIANS OP THE SOUTHEASTERN UNITED STATES f 715 



would probably become a great prophet. Certain small roots were 

 also given to it. There were cradle songs in use. In its early years 

 the principal care of the child fell naturally upon its mother, who 

 never struck it, particularly if it was a male, but scratched it 

 with a pin, a needle, or gar teeth to deter it from wrong doing and 

 also to harden it. If scratching was resorted to as a punishment, 

 the skin was scratched dry, otherwise only after it had been soaked 

 in water. The girls remained under the tutelage of their mother 

 and her clan sisters, but the boys were taken in hand by the oldest 

 ancle of the clan or clan group, who maintained a general over- 

 sight of the education of all the young men. He admonished them, 

 lectured them at the time of the busk or other gatherings, and at 

 times resorted to flagellation, in Avhich Bossu says that a carrying- 

 strap was used, but canes were also employed. Menial offices were 

 exacted of those who had not taken part in a war expedition and 

 thereby acquired war honors aiid a war name. War honors were 

 also bestowed upon one who performed the hazardous task of se- 

 curing eagle feathers, and in later times on one who killed many 

 deer. There were regular courses of instruction for prospective 

 medicine men under the supervision of old doctors experienced in 

 the science and practice of the profession. These men Vv^ere also 

 keepers of the sacred lore of the tribe and war leaders are said to 

 have been cliosen from among them, for all do not seem to have 

 confined their attention to medical practice as we understand the 

 term. A careful separation of mien from women was maintained 

 in the houses and at ceremonials. Women made pottery, baskets, 

 mats, spun and wove mulberry bark, grasses, bison and opossum hair, 

 dried and cooked food, did most of the work of preparing skins 

 and making clothing, pounded corn, gathered nuts and acorns and 

 extracted oil from them, shared with the men the cultivation of the 

 town fields and did all of the work on the individual house lots, cut 

 and brought in firewood, sometimes from long distances, though they 

 were often helped in this by the old men, and Romans says that they 

 had most to do with the preparation of the black drink, though 

 this seems doubtful. Besides contributing to the care of the 

 town fields, men hunted, fished, warred, played in the great ball 

 games, led in the ceremonies, built houses, corncribs, and Square 

 Ground structures, felled trees, hollowed out canoes and mortars, 

 made drums, pipes, calumets, ball sticks, axes, arrows, bows, and war 

 clubs, and cut up and brought back meat when game had been 

 killed at a distance from home (Swanton, 1928, pp. 358-367, 

 384-387). 



Chickasaw customs were very similar to those of the Creeks. They 

 also had menstrual huts into which the women retired every month 



