FIRST FLOOR, SOUTHWEST PAVILION 



23 



Blackfoot 

 Tipi 



Indians." Buffalo flesh was their chief food, and buffalo skin they made 

 into garments. A buffalo paunch was used 

 for cooking and buffalo horns were made into 

 various implements of industry and war. The 

 spirit of the buffalo was considered a power- 

 ful ally and invoked to cure sickness, to ward 

 off evil and to give aid in the hunt. Wherever 

 the buffalo herds led the way, the Indians 

 moved their tents and followed. With the 

 extermination of the buffalo the entire life of 

 the Plains Indians was revolutionized. 



In the center of this hall is a genuine Black- 

 foot Indian tipi with a painting of an otter on 



one side. This tipi belonged to 



a medicine man of that tribe, 



who claimed to have miraculous 

 assistance from the otter. 



There were numerous societies among the 

 Plains Indians which included practically all 



grown Indians. A special dance 



was required prior to entering 

 these societies. The costumes worn on such 

 occasions are shown in this hall. There were 

 other dances connected with their religious 

 ceremonials, the best known and most important of which is the sun dance 



illustrated by a model at the left of the tipi. The sun dance 



was held annually in the early summer in fulfillment of a 

 vow made during the preceding winter by some member of the tribe who 

 wished a sick relative to recover. The dance involved great physical 

 endurance and excruciating self-torture, lasting three days, during which 

 time the dancers neither ate nor drank. 



At the entrance to the tower room is a genuine medicine pipe, held in 



awe by the Indians and dearly parted with; also the contents 



of a medicine pipe bundle. The contents of another medicine 



bundle, belonging to a. learned man of the tribe (medicine 

 man), together with the headdress which he wore when visiting the sick, is 

 in a case near. 



The Plains Indians are noted for their picture writing on skins and for 

 their quillwork which has now been superseded by beadwork. [See Guide 

 Leaflet No. 15.1 



Societies 



A beaded moccasin from 

 the Indians of the Plains, 

 (Gros Ventre) 



Sun Dance 



Medicine 

 Pipe 



