1902.] Kroeber, The Arapaho. 23 



called the buffalo. The last one of the herd he shot with an 

 arrow just at the opening of the corral, and gave it to his 

 father-in-law. It was the ambition of a young man to make 

 presents of this kind to his father-in-law. The people killed 

 the rest of the buffalo. After they began to butcher them, 

 it was found to be best to slit the belly lengthwise, and then to 

 strip back the flanks without cutting them across. Women 

 now began to make wooden pegs for stretching hides. The 

 best tools and methods of work were discovered only by trial. 



When the Arapaho were near the Rocky Mountains, they 

 used snow-shoes for hunting buffalo in winter, when the snow 

 was deep. These snow-shoes were oval and without a point. 

 They were woven of strings of hide, like the netted hoops used 

 to play with. The meat of a buffalo that was killed was packed 

 into the hide, and thus dragged home over the snow. 



If old men are smoking together, and a young man by mis- 

 take enters the tent, they say, "What are you doing here? 

 You ought to be hunting." Then the young man goes out 

 quickly. 



People often went to war because they preferred to be 

 killed in war and leave a good name rather than die old. 

 When a war-party returned victoriously and without losses, 

 they painted themselves black. 



When the Sioux introduced the Omaha dance, they brought 

 a bundle of sticks, cloth, etc., called tceak'ga". This is a sign 

 of friendship. If any tribe refuses it, they will surely be 

 beaten in war by those who offer it. In recounting deeds of 

 war (as is frequently done on ceremonial or social occasions), 

 men told the truth, because if they lied they would surely be 

 killed by the enemy. They even declined coups (blows struck 

 an enemy, a high honor) that were mistakenly ascribed to 

 them by others. Two men once found a (dead) Ute. There 

 was question between them as to who was to strike him first. 

 They pressed each other to take the honor of the first blow. 

 One finally consented. Then they found the body already 

 decomposed, and hence could not lay claim to having counted 

 coup. 



Property was formerly transported on dog-travois. Two 



