378 THE ORIGIN OF MEDICINE CEREMONIES OR POWER. 
The man learned many mysterious things from the Buffalo, and the 
Buffalo gave him power to travel without growing tired and to capture 
many ponies. The man was told to sing the song at dawn as the Buffalo 
had done. Theman returned to his home, and when the dawn came in 
the east he sang the song about the Buffalo coming with good message 
to the man. After that the man when on the war-path always had suc- 
cess in capturing ponies. 
99, THE BUFFALO MEDICINE WAR SHIELD.’ 
One time a boy went upon a hill and looked down upon the village and 
saw many young men talking to young girls. He had tried to do the 
same thing, but the girls did not seem to care for him, though he did not 
know why. While he was thinking of the different girls to whom he 
had tried to talk, and who would have nothing to do with him, he began 
to cry, for it seemed that none of these girls would ever have him, and he 
had no one to love him or make a home for him. As he continued to 
think he arose and left the place where he was and went to another hill 
farther from the village. There he stood upon the high hill and began 
to cry. While he was crying he called to the gods in the heavens and 
said that he cried because he had no woman to love him, not even a sister. 
After a time he stopped crying and wandered away, and was gone for one 
winter. No one knew where he went. 
In the spring he came back again, but when he was close to the village 
he made up his mind that he would not enter it, for he had no sisters nor 
relations where he could go to make his home. He climbed a high hill, 
and looking about he saw a big herd of Buffalo not far away. The boy 
ran after them, and as they crossed the ravine he saw among the Buffalo 
a woman. The boy called the woman and she stopped. Then the boy 
said, ‘‘Woman, I am all alone; I would like to marry you.’”’ The woman 
said that she was willing; that he could be her husband. Then the boy 
went with the woman to the place where the Buffalo were. When they 
reached the Buffalo, the uncle of the woman came and spoke to the boy 
and said, ‘“‘I want a scalp and some blue beads to give to the Buffalo.” 
The boy went back to the village and entered the chief’s tipi. He told 
the chief that he had come after scalps and beads, and that he wished 
that he would give them to him. The chief sent a man through the 
1Told by Big-Crow, Skidi. This story relates to the origin of a medicine war 
shield, the power of which, however, is finally taken away from the owner because 
he disobeys the injunctions placed upon him and does not keep the taboo. 
