164 TRADITIONS OF THE ARIKARA. 
marks upon the shirt. It is fringed upon the sleeves and body with 
ermine. You are now a young chief. See that you are always brave 
and as you strike enemies and scalp them make marks upon your shirt, 
so that these chiefs who are present here will be proud that you wear 
their shirt. When you come to old age this shirt will be covered with 
many marks, representing your deeds in battles.” After this ceremony 
I again joined other war-parties. I gave many scalps to my grand- 
father. When the enemy attacked our village I wore my shield, and 
though the enemy shot at me I was never hit. When the battle would 
be over there would be young men brought in from the battlefield 
wounded. . 
Another time my people had what is now known as the “sun 
dance.” My grandfather took me in and placed me upon the ground. 
He spoke to the old warriors, and said: ‘“Medicine-men and warriors, 
I bring this young man into this lodge. I want you, medicine-men, to 
paint him and place this lariat rope upon the pole, and cut upon his 
back so that he will swing. Warriors, in cutting upon his back, tell 
of your great deeds, so that my grandson will overtake your great deeds 
in his life and become a great man. I have many ponies to give you, 
and his mother and relatives will give you presents.” Two of the medi- 
cine-men arose and painted my body. Then one of the medicine-men 
spoke, and said: “Warriors, the young man is ready to be cut upon 
the back.” One warrior arose and came to where I lay. This warrior 
told of his great deeds, then cut me upon my right shoulder-blade. It 
hurt, but I kept courage. The next man then came and put a stick 
through the cut and tied it with the buckskin string. The next warrior 
came and told of his great deeds, then cut upon my left shoulder and 
ran the stick through, tying the buckskin. Each of these men received 
a fine pony from my friends, also all the gifts brought in by my friends. 
The warriors now pulled the lariat rope, so that I now swung about 
four feet from the ground. I swung there one day and one night. One 
of my related warriors seeing me swing there so long arose, and said: 
“Medicine-men and warriors, this is the youngest man ever brought 
into such a lodge as this. I have a present of a fine racing pony for 
him. Now cut these strings.” When he said this, many of my friends 
came in and spread presents of robes and other presents. No sooner 
would the giver place the presents than some one would come and take 
them away. A warrior arose and came where I hung. He told of fight- 
ing a duel with a Sioux and how he had cut him up with a knife. This 
man’s name was Bloody-Knife. He cut the strips of skin, and I fell 
to the ground. I was taken out of the lodge. Then I was fed with 
