16 TRADITIONS OF THE ARIKARA. 
eating it, will grow and also multiply.” Then Mother-Corn also said, 
“I will have to divide up things among you people,” for here at this 
place they had had their village for some time. Mother-Corn now re- 
turned to the heavens. 
They made games at this place. The first game they played was 
the shinny ball and four sticks. The land was marked out by four 
sticks, which enclosed an oblong extending from east to west. Each 
side tried to force the ball through the other’s goal. When one side 
was beaten it immediately began to kill those of the other side. At 
other places they had long javelins to catch a ring with. The side that 
won began to kill the people who were on the other side, and whose 
language they could not understand. All this was done while Mother- 
Corn was away, up in the heavens. 
When Mother-Corn returned from the heavens she brought with 
her a man who said that Nesaru was displeased with their doings; that 
now he was to give them rules and laws to go by; and that the people 
were to select a man whose name should be Nesaru, chief. 
After a man had been selected as chief the man and Mother-Corn 
sat down and she commanded that all the animals and people should 
come to her. The man with Mother-Corn stood up, and said, “I shall 
go off. I amsstrong.” This man came back with a scalp. “This,” he 
said, “the chief must have, and this other bunch of hair, for the man 
who takes the most scalps and captures the most enemies shall become 
a chief. You must put the scalp on your right arm. The next scalp 
you take, put upon your left anm; the next scalp put on the right breast ; 
the next put on the left breast; the next put on the right leg; and the 
next put on the left leg. Now, that man becomes a chief.” 
Mother-Corn then made a bundle, made songs, made the ritual, 
and gave the people the ceremonies. The medicine-men were instructed 
by the man, and also were taught sleight-of-hand, and were told to 
make a village. 
They did not stay long in the village, for Mother-Corn led them 
away on through the country to what is known as the Republican 
River, in Kansas, where there is only one mountain. Here they were 
to make their village, for Nesaru had placed roots and herbs for the 
medicine-men. All the people now moved on, and the Awaho people 
came last; for the others had gone on and had their ceremonies, but 
the Awaho people, coming last, received the ceremonies from Mother- 
Corn. 
At this place, while the ceremonies were going on, Mother-Corn 
had the people offer smoke to the different gods in the heavens, and 
