SOCfAL 0R3ANIZA.TI0N I'M 



in aeed of food, horses, ot anything whatsoever, was 

 certain to receive some material assistance from those 

 who had an abundance. Among most tribes, the lavish 

 giving away of property was a sure road to social distinc- 

 tion. Vet. the real aristocrats seem to have been those 

 with great and good deeds to their credit. The Dakota, 

 Blackfoot, Cheyenne, and no doubt others, had a more 

 or less definite system for the grading of war deeds, 

 among the highest being the u eoup," or the touching 

 of an enemy. Curiously enough, this touching as well 

 as capturing a gun was regarded by the Blackfoot, 

 at least, as deserving of greater rank than the mere 

 taking of an enemy's life. The Teton-Dakota, on the 

 other hand, while recognizing the high value of the 

 coup, also put great stress on the taking of a scalp. 

 Running off, or stealing the horses of another tribe, 

 was also a worthy feat among all these Indians. Among 

 most tribes, it was customary at feasts and other 

 gatherings for men to come forward and formally 

 " count" or announce their deeds and often the quali- 

 fications for various posts of honor and service were 

 the possession of at least four coups. 



The social importance of such deeds naturally de- 

 veloped a kind of heraldry of which the picture writing 

 of the Plains tribes is an example. It was usual to 

 record one's deeds on his buffalo robe, or on the sides 

 of a tipi (Fig. 38). The Dakota had special rules for 

 wearing eagle feathers in the hair, by which one could 

 tell at a glance what deeds the wearer had performed. 

 The Mandan, Assiniboin, and perhaps others, had 



