50 TRUE STORIES OF THE HEAVENLY BEINGS. 
made. A few years afterwards the other young man started up the 
medicine-men’s dance. He taught young men whom he selected and 
he had many followers. The people increased and became numerous. 
11. HOW THE PEOPLE GOT THE CROW-LANCE.* 
Many years ago a number of men went on the war-path. On the 
way the leader of the war party told them that it would be the duty of 
every man to look out for a raccoon; that before they should get far into 
the country of the enemy they must make a sacrifice of the raccoon. For 
many days they traveled south. One of the men went off by himself. 
He came to a ravine. He traveled up the ravine. In the night he did 
not return. Early in the morning this man followed the ravine. By 
sunrise he saw a raccoon sleeping upon a tree. He took an arrow from 
his quiver and shot it through the side. The raccoon fell down from 
the tree. The man then pronounced it holy. He put the raccoon upon 
his back and traveled west. In the evening he came to the men in the 
main body of the people. When he came to the people he told them 
that he had the raccoon which the leader wanted. The leader was satis- 
fied. He told the people that in order to have a ceremony they must 
find a country with thick timber. Scouts were sent out and after a while 
they returned and said that they had found a nice place. The people 
went to the timber and there they made the sacrifice of the raccoon. The 
raccoon was burned up. Some of the people in the crowd said that the 
burning of the raccoon was wrong; that they had never seen a raccoon 
burned; that it should have been roasted and eaten by the people. Some 
of these men being afraid returned to their country. The others went on. 
Now, the man who made the sacrifice was one day sent out as a scout. 
The main body of the warriors had gone slowly and by noon had reached 
a high hill. They were seated upon the hill when they saw the man 
coming as if with good news. As he came over a hill, and went into a 
bottom land, the warriors on top of the hill heard shouting and yelling. 
Scouts were sent over to another hill to investigate and the scouts lay 
upon the hill where they could see the man and the enemy attacking 
him. The enemy killed the man and went away. After they were gone 
a short distance the scouts saw that they were not human beings, but 
that they were Crows and Coyotes. The scouts went back and told the 
leader what had happened. Some of the people said: ‘‘The people 
_1Told by Leading-Sun, an old Kitkehahki medicine-man. The tale relates the 
origin of the so-called crow-lance which is the standard of the Crow-Lance Dance, 
the lance itself being symbolic of the north wind, who is supposed to act in behalf 
of hunting parties in driving buffalo to them. 
