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Field Columbian Museum
Publication 99
[ropological series vol. ix, no. i

THE CHEYENNE

George A. Dorsey

Curator, Department of Anthropology

I. CEREMONIAL ORGANIZATION

Chicago, U. S. A.

March, 1905

Life

■■''•*'

Field Columbian Museum -
Publication 99
Anthropological Series Vol. IX, No. 1

CD

CD

THE CHEYENNE

BY

George A. Dorsey
Curator, Department of Anthropology

I. CEREMONIAL ORGANIZATION

Chicago, U. S. A.

March, 1905

THE CHEYENNE

BY

George A. Dorsey
I. SOCIAL ORGANIZATION

INTRODUCTORY NOTE.

The following brief and imperfect account of the Cheyenne social
organization was obtained as part of my studies of the Cheyenne
Sun-Dance, which, in turn, are part of a comparative study on this
ceremony among the Plains Tribes I began in 1901. The Cheyenne
Sun-Dance will form the subject of Part II. of this volume. These
notes on the organization of the Cheyenne are given in this form
because opportunity for further and more extended observation does
not now seem possible.

The Cheyenne, while considered in many ways the most conser-
vative of the tribes of the plains, are rapidly losing their social organi-
zation, and the time will soon arrive when it will cease to have
any meaning to the tribe as a whole. This organization was not
unlike that of the Arapaho, and was formerly strictly adhered to.

The accounts of the societies, the myths of the origin of the same,

and the story of the medicine-arrows are given, with but slight changes,

as they were obtained through Richard Davis, a full -blood Cheyenne,

as interpreter The colored illustrations were made direct from

drawings made by Richard Davis or other Cheyenne artists; the pen

drawings were made from diagrams drawn by Richard Davis.

George A. Dorsey.
March, 1905.

CONTENTS.

Page
Ceremonies.

i. The Prophet's four great Medicine- Arrows i

2 . The Keeper of the Medicine- Arrows - - - - - -n

3 . The four assistant Medicine- Arrow Keepers - - - - 1 1

4. The Medicine-Men - - - --- - - -12

5. The four ex-Chiefs and the forty Chiefs - - - - - 12

6. The five original Warrior Societies - - - - -.-15

7. The Red-Shield Warriors - - - - - - - -16

8. The Hoof- Rattle Warriors - - - - - - - 18

9. The Coyote Warriors - - - - - - - -19

10. The Dog-Men Warriors ------ . . 2Q

11. The Inverted or Bow-String Warriors ----- 24

12. Owl-Man's Bow-String or Wolf Warriors ----- 26

13. The Medicine or Sun Dance - - - - - - -30

II. Myths.
14

The Origin of the Cheyenne - - - - - - -34

The Origin of the Cheyenne -*- - - - - "37

The Origin of the Buffalo and of Corn - - - - - 39

The Origin of the Medicine-Arrows - - - - - -41

The Origin of the Sun-Dance ------- 46

III. Conclusion ----------- ^0

ILLUSTRATIONS.

Plate Page

I. The Medicine- Arrow — Camp Circle - - - - - - 7

II. The Election of Chiefs — Camp Circle - - - - - 12

III. Diagram of Chief's Lodge - - - - - - -13

IV. Diagram of Chief's Lodge - - - - ---13

V. Diagram of Chief's Lodge - - - - - - - -13

VI. Warrior's Shirts - - - - - - - - 15

VII. War Bonnets - - - - - - - - - -15

VIII. Fig. 1. Red-Shield Warrior - - - 17

Fig. 2. Hoof-Rattle Warrior - - - - -,''■*- -17

IX. Fig. 1. Coyote Warrior --------20

Fig. 2. Dog-Men Warrior - -'■'•'- - - - -20

X. Fig. 1. Inverted or Bow-String Warrior - - - - - 24

Fig. 2. Inverted or Bow-String Warrior - - - - - 24

XL Fig. 1. Wolf Warriors - - - 28

Fig. 2. Wolf Warriors -------- 28

XII. The Cheyenne journey to the North ------ 47

XIII. Erect-Horns selects a Companion ------ 47

XIV. They discover the Sacred Mountain ------ 48

XV. They receive instruction from the Great Medicine - - - 48

XVI. They leave the Mountain, followed by Buffalo 48

XVII. The ancient Cheyenne Camp-Circle ------ 49

Fig.

The Medicine-Arrows - - - - - - -- - 4

Sacred Lodge during the Arrow Ceremony - - - - - 8

3. Diagram of Arrows, Offerings, etc. ------ g

4. Shield of Red-Shield Warrior - - - -."--- - -17

5. Hoof-Rattle Warrior Musical Instrument ----- 18
Wolf-skin worn by Wolf Warrior - - - - - - -27

I. CEREMONIES.

i.— THE PROPHET'S FOUR GREAT MEDICINE-ARROWS.

Two or three thousand years ago, in the Cheyenne tribe, a boy
was born, who, from babyhood, possessed great intellectual power.
He not only had supernatural powers, but he was a prophet from the
beginning of his life. This boy grew into manhood, and lived to be
four hundred years old. He claimed to have received his powers
and to have come as a messenger from the Great Medicine, who sent
him to teach and organize the Cheyenne, that they "might know,
through him, what to do for their future. This Prophet's name was
Motzeyeuff. The Cheyenne, who then lived like animals, had med-
icine-men who were magicians. They became angry and drove the
Prophet away, because he killed a chief of the tribe who had abused
his playmates because they were skinning a young buffalo that they
had killed to get its hide for a robe for their Prophet.

When the people drove the Prophet away he stayed away from
his tribe for four years. He went to a high mountain, and as he went
near it a door opened for him to enter into the earth, and he entered.
Inside of the mountain he communicated with the Great Medicine.
There were several other men there who represented other nations,
and were there to learn from the Great Medicine. These men con-
sisted of several red-skinned men, one black-skinned man, who was
dressed in Indian fashion, and one white-skinned man, who had long
hair on his chin. All wore long hair on their heads. The Great
Medicine instructed each and every one who was there for four years.

The Prophet received his instructions direct from the Great
Medicine. After four years he returned to his people as a man of
supernatural power, a messenger, and a prophet from the Great Medi-
cine. When he returned he brought with him the buffalo to feed his
people; but the greatest gifts he had for them were the four great
medicine -arrows. The Great Medicine sent these medicine-arrows to
the Cheyenne as an emblem for their future. There were four original
medicine-arrows. These arrows possessed magic, and the Great Medi-
cine decreed that they should produce effects beyond natural powers.
For instance, when this Prophet, or the following Prophets, took the
arrows and held the points towards an enemy, or towards any kind of

2 1 hid Columbian Museum — Anthropology, Vol. IX

animals, they became confused and unconscious. Two of these arrows
possessed power over men, and the other two possessed power
over buffalo and other beasts, and so two of them were
called "man-arrows," and two of them "buffalo-arrows." The
two man-arrows affected even' person. The man-arrow points
killed women if they passed in front of the points, or if the
points were held towards them. For this reason no women
were allowed in the arrow ceremony. Another reason is that
the original Prophet decreed that no women should take part
in the ceremony, or see these arrows. To this day none of the Cheyenne
women know how the arrows look, and every Cheyenne is afraid
to go in front of the points of the two man-arrows. These arrows
were very strong and very effective when the tribe was still in its
free state. If the people were hungry, and had nothing to live on,
all they had to do was to find a herd of buffalo and have the keeper
of the two buffalo-arrows point them towards the herd. The Cheyenne,
who had no horses in those days, could go up to the buffalo and kill
all they desired by means of these arrows. When they did this the
rule was to take everything except the head, and to leave the horns
on, and to leave the backbone attached to the head and the tail.
Every animal killed with the medicine-arrows had to be treated in
that way. These arrows made the buffalo crazy. They had no
will of their own, but would run in a circle until the Cheyenne had
killed all they wanted, and then they would dash off. The Cheyenne
used these arrows to kill all beasts they desired to eat, but only when
they had to do so.

These sacred arrows are somewhat different from ordinary Chey-
enne arrows. They are about thirty-six inches long, one-half an inch
in diameter, round, very straight, with flintstone points. The points
are tied in at the end, and over each of the four arrow points is tied
a covering of white, downy eagle feathers. At the other end are whole
wing feathers of the eagle, split in two, and tied on each side of the
arrows. The shafts are also partly covered with the white, downy feath-
ers of an eagle. All the feathers are painted red. On each of the
four arrows are painted figures of the world, the blue paint meaning
blue heavens, the sun, moon, stars, the red paint meaning the earth.
Buffalo and other animals are also painted. So these sacred arrows
are held symbolic of the Great Medicine, who made the sun, moon,
and! the stars, and the earth. When the great Prophet, the real
Prophet, who brought these four sacred arrows, returned to his people,
he did what the Croat Medicine taught him while inside of the earth,
and to this day the whole medicine-arrow ceremony is performed

March, 1905. The Cheyenne — Dorsey. 3

exactly as the Prophet taught them in the beginning. On the day
the great Prophet returned to his people, he organized the Cheyenne
tribe in order, as follows:

1 . The Prophet.

2. The keeper of the medicine-arrows.

3. The four assistant arrow-keepers,

4. The medicine men.

5. The four chiefs (ex-chiefs).

6. The forty chiefs.

7. The four chiefs of warriors.

8. The five warrior societies.

Each society is composed of one hundred or more male Chey-
enne, from fifteen to forty years old. The societies that the original
prophet organized go by the following names:

The Red-Shield Warriors.

The Hoof -Rattle Warriors.

The Dog-Men Warriors.

The Coyote Warriors.

The Bow-String Warriors.

All of the warriors' . societies are original except the Bow-
String Society. This society was formed after the others.

The original Prophet of the Cheyenne foretold all that has come
to pass. Everything that he foretold has taken place in exactly
the way he said it would. He told the following about the coming
of the white man: "A person who has long hair on chin and on legs,
and carries with him sickness of all kinds, is coming to you in the future.
With him he will bring an animal that has flashing eyes, and a tail
that touches the ground, and one hoof on each foot. This animal
will be restless, and the hairy person will also be restless. Do not
try to be like them. This hairy person will also bring a spotted animal
with horns, big eyes, and a long tail that will touch the ground. This
animal will live on dirt, and will eat anything. If you take after it
and eat it, you will eat almost anything else." He prophesied of the
future of the Cheyenne in this language: "My brothers and children,
and all my people of this earth! Listen and remember my words,
for they are as sharp as the points of the great sacred arrows, and
keep my prophecies of the future in your minds as long as your people
and the earth last, and then the Cheyenne as a people will never
become extinct as long as the blue heavens, the sun, moon, and
earth last. Do not forget your sacred arrows. Remember them
always, and no other. You will renew your sacred arrow sticks four
times."

4 Field Columbian Museum — Anthropology, Vol. IX

The Cheyenne still have two of the original sacred arrows,
and the sticks, or wooden part of these arrows, have never been
renewed. They still have three more times to renew them, accord-
ing to the prophecy. Only the Prophet and the Arrow- Keepers
know the kind of wood that is used in the arrows. Some sixty or
seventy years ago, the medicine-arrow keeper, by carelessness, made
a mistake in performing the ceremony just before an attack was made
upon a Pawnee camp. He did not correct the mistake, and the
result was that they did not affect the camp, and although they
slaughtered the bravest of the Pawnee warriors, an old-time Pawnee
warrior captured the four sacred arrows from the Cheyenne.* A long

Fig. i. The Medicine-Arrows.

time afterward the Pawnee restored two of the arrows to the Chey-
enne.'and kept the other two original arrows. When the Pawnee
would not return the other two arrows, the Prophet and the
Arrow-keeper who lost the arrows made two in imitation of the two
withheld by the Pawnee. The imitation arrows are about three
inches longer, and a quarter of an inch wider, than the original arrows.
(See Fig. i .) This Prophet made these arrows to complete the set,
so that their ritual would be the same as before. The Pawnee
have now the "man-arrows," and our medicine-men claim that the
Pawnee tribe is dying off because they do not know how to treat these
arrows in the way the original Prophet taught the Cheyenne. The
arrows still in possession of the Cheyenne are the two original "buffalo-
arrows," and two "man-arrows" that were made by a later Prophet.
What the original Prophet taught was written on some hard and
strong skin, in Indian picture-writing. This writing was done by

•See "How the Pawn** captured the Cheyenne Medicine-Arrows." Am. Anth. (N. S.» Vol. 5.
pp 644-65*

March, 1905. The Cheyenne — Dorsey. 5

the medicine-men living at the time of the real Prophet. No one
but the Prophet and the medicine-men know about this.

The Cheyenne of to-day perform this Medicine-Arrow ceremony
exactly the way it was performed thousands of years ago. They
perform the ceremony annually. This ceremonial meeting is gener-
ally pledged or vowed by some member of the tribe. According
to the ruling of the original Prophet, this is a religious gathering,
where every family in the Cheyenne tribe must be represented in
the camp. This ceremony means reformation in general, and the
whole tribe, band, family, individual, change for the better. Their
courage and life are renewed. When the man who pledges this
ceremony has set a certain day and place, he goes to the Prophet,
the Arrow-Keeper, and his assistants, and notifies them. They pray
for him, and dress him in a buffalo robe, place a pipe in his hand,
and paint his body red. He then starts out to notify the other
medicine-men. When he reaches the medicine-men he presents
his pipe to them, and then the medicine-men go out and call in all
the warriors. After they are gathered, and the coming event is ex-
plained to them, the pipe is lighted and smoked by every warrior
who desires to go. Every one who smokes it pledges himself that
he will attend the ceremony. The pledger then goes on to visit and
notify the different bands of Cheyenne. He is gone several days,
as there are four large bands in the tribe. When he visits the bands,
each band presents him with some contribution for, the coming cere-
mony. Then he goes back to the Arrow-Keeper, and informs him
that he is ready. The whole tribe then moves, and assembles at
some quiet place selected beforehand, where no other people will
bother them. They put up their camp in a new moon circle, the
space or opening of this circle facing in the direction least likely to
be approached. The space or opening of this medicine -arrow camp
is rather larger than the opening of other camp circles of the tribe.
No one, not even animals, are allowed to pass in front of the open-
ing, for it is sacred as long as the ceremony lasts.

First Day* — The man who makes the ceremony puts his tipi
up in the middle front of the camp. After he puts it up it is then
called the place of sacrifice to the Great Medicine, and the people
take to the tipi calicoes or anything they desire to contribute for this
worship. Usually a half -day is allowed to make these offerings. After
that the assistant medicine-men take these offerings and tie them to-
gether and hang them outside of the tipi, just over the door or en-

*Much of the information here presented was obtained by Mr. Davis daring the ceremony
held on November 24-27, igo2, which was pledged by White Thunder on the death of his wife.

6 Fikld Columbian Museum — Anthropology. Vol. IX.

trance. After this offering has taken place, any person or family may
leave for home, if necessary, but not before. After the offerings are
hung out over the door of the sacrifice tipi, the warrior societies all
congregate in the center of the camp circle, and select a place to erect
the great Medicine- Arrows lodge. After they select the place, they
appoint certain members of warrior societies of good character to go
and get long tipi poles. They also select another set of good warriors
to go and wait upon two men who have lived good lives, and have
been good to their fellow-men. This set of warriors goes to the two
good men and borrows their tipis, which are generally of good size,
to use to cover this sacred lodge. The rule in getting the poles and
the two tipis to be used for the sacred lodge is this: "Take the two
tipis of two good men, who have good characters, have led good
lives, and have always been good to their fellow-men, but never take
a man's tipi to be used in the sacred lodge who has led a bad life,
or who has murdered a member of the tribe." So it is an honor
to a man if the warriors come and take his tipi to use for the Medicine-
Arrow lodge. Any member of the tribe who has committed murder
in the tribe is not allowed to take part in the ceremony. The warriors
proceed and take the two tipis and poles to the center of the camp.
There they put up the great Medicine-Arrow lodge, always facing
towards the opening of the camp circle. The longest tipi poles are
used in this lodge, and also the largest tipi found in the camp is used
to cover it. This lodge is put up in the same style as the regular
Cheyenne tipi, only it is three times as large. Two tipis are used,
and from fifty to sixty poles. These poles are set in the ground so
deep that the wind cannot blow them down. After the lodge is
erected, the medicine-men go inside and clear the ground, and they
make it as smooth as it can be made. They lay sage brush all around
the inside to sit on. After this is done, the medicine-men make
plans for the warriors, who, from now on, and as long as the ceremony
lasts, congregate fifty paces back of the sacred lodge day and night.
Each society takes turns in keeping order in the camp while the
ceremony goes on inside the sacred lodge.

Second Day. — In the morning the man who makes this ceremony
takes with him three other men. They go to the sacrifice tipi, and
bring all of the offerings to the sacred lodge, and place them inside
at the altar, where the medicine-men are already sitting. After
they put them down they come out in single file, one behind the
other. In every case the ceremonial master leads. He is naked, and
his body is painted red, and he has a buffalo robe on. The other three
men who follow him once wore buffalo robes, but they go without

FIELD COLUMBIAN MUSEUM.

ANTHROPOLOGY. PL. I.

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THE GREAT MEDICINE AR-
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OFFtRING TIPI

I 'OfHl UTM

Pl. I. The Medicine-Arrow Ceremony Camp-Circle.

March, 1905. The Cheyenne — Dorsey. 7

them now. They come out of the lodge in file, and walk slowly
to the Arrow-Keeper's tipi, or the home of the sacred arrows. This
tipi always stands out in front of the right wing of the circle.
These four men walk slowly toward it and wail on the way. When
they reach the Keeper's tipi they halt, and then move four times
forwards and backwards, and the fourth time they go into the tipi.
The Keeper of the arrows lives in this tipi, and is there when they
enter. They sit down and he prays for them, and turns the four
medicine-arrows over to these four men. These medicine-arrows
are wrapped in red fox skin, tanned with the hair on. The tanned
side is turned out, while the hair side is on the inside, next to the
arrows. After they receive this bundle these four men come out of
the tipi, the leader coming first with the bundle on his left arm, the
fox head pointing up. When the four men get outside in front of
the Arrow-Keeper's tipi, they stand in file. The leader prays before
starting back. Then he proceeds to the sacred lodge, with the other
three walking behind him very slowly, and they all wail on the way
back. See Plate I. They halt four times on the way. They always
enter the sacred lodge from the right' side. As soon as the great
medicine-arrows are taken into the lodge the warriors assemble at the
back of the sacred lodge. There they decide what society shall
keep order that day and that night. No one but the medicine-men
are allowed inside of the lodge after the arrows are taken in. When
the medicine-men have started to prepare the altar and open the
sacred arrows, they notify the warriors, who then start out by twos,
with sticks and clubs in their hands. They go through the whole
camp, and allow no one to play or make any kind of loud noise.
They establish warrior's order. They go by pairs at a distance
about one hundred yards apart. They keep on walking until sun-
down. Then another set of warriors relieves them for the whole
night. In this way they keep order day and night. While these
warriors are walking their beat and keeping order, food is served to
them three times a day back of the sacred lodge. Some are eating,
while others are out on their rounds. No women are allowed outside
of the tipis as long as the warriors are out, only men who have to get
water or wood are allowed to be out.

If the medicine-men who are inside of the sacred lodge find that
the feathers of the medicine-arrows are in need of repair, they renew
them or repair them, but they never renew the wooden shafts of the
arrows. The medicine-men claim that the original arrows are not
of wood, or else they would not have lasted so long. Others say
they must be of wood, for the real Prophet would not have prophesied

8 I •' i i-.i-d Columbian Museum -Anthropology, Vol. IV

that they should renew their arrow sticks four times. If the feathers
are to be renewed, a steady, healthy, clean, good man is appointed
l>v the medicine-men to tie the feathers and handle the sacred arrows.
When removing the arrows from the bundle, the points are held
towards the camp-circle opening, where no one is sitting or standing.

• GREAT MEDICINE MEN& PLACE

^

Fir, s, s.htimI Lodge during the Arrow Ceremony.

If any part of the feathers of the arrows is to be renewed, it is done on
the third May. All medicine-men who go there do not stay all the
time, but take turns, just as the warriors do; but the man who makes
the ceremony is there with the Prophet and assistant Keepers all the
time.

Third Day. — The medicine-men prepare small, long, round willow
. about one yard long. These they split in two. Sometimes

March, 1905. The Cheyenne — Dorsey. 9

these sticks number several hundred, or even a thousand. Each one
of these sticks represents a Cheyenne family. Even those who are
not present are represented by these sticks. See Fig. 2. They do
not keep these sticks; they are only prepared to count with, and are
thrown away after the ceremony. In front, and on each side of the
altar, an incense fire is kept continually burning to the Great Med-
icine, to bless every Cheyenne family represented in the ceremony,
and each stick is held over the burning incense. This continues all
day of the third day and night, and part of the fourth day. While
this incense is burning all the medicine-men in the whole camp pre-
pare and improve their med-
icines in their tipis. All of
their medicines are of herbs.
Three or four medicine-men
come together to arrange
these medicines, and they
also go through their own
ceremonies.

Fourth Day. — When the
family sticks are finished,
usually in the afternoon, the
man who has pledged the
ceremony sends one of the
warriors to get a pole from
one of the camps. This pole
is forked, about five feet

long, by three inches through, and is pointed at the other end, so
it may be thrust into the ground. The warrior brings this pole,
and takes it to the medicine-men. The assistant Arrow-Keepers
take the four sacred arrows and tie them together against the pole
so that they point upward and downward. The two original med-
icine-arrows have their points up towards the sky, while the imitation
arrows have their points directed downwards. After they are tied
on this pole, the pledger takes the pole and comes out from the
medicine-lodge, holding it and the arrows vertically. He goes for-
ward to a distance of one hundred yards from the great Medicine-
Arrow lodge, and halts and puts the pointed end of the pole in the
ground. (See Fig. 3.) He wails as he comes from the lodge. After he
puts the pole into the ground so that it will stand firmly, he returns
to the lodge and brings out the red fox-skin wrapper, and lays it down
beside the pole. He goes very slowly, and wails all the time.
When he returns to the lodge the medicine-men come out and bring

Fig. 3. Diagram of Arrows, Offerings, etc.

io Field Columbian Museum — Anthropology, Vol. IX.

the offerings and lay them down beside the pole and the wrapper.
When the offerings are brought out from the Medicine-Arrow
lodge, all males of the tribe, from the oldest men to the youngest
boy baby, go to see these ancient arrows hanging outside in the
air for inspection. Every male knows how these medicine-arrows
look, and in case the medicine-men who renewed the feathers did
not tie them like the original they would know, but the medicine-
men do not often make mistakes. Here the boys bring offerings
again, and lay them beside the other offerings. All males view
these arrows, and when every male in the Cheyenne tribe has seen
them, the warriors go to work and take the original Medicine-
Arrow lodge down and erect another lodge over the place where the
pole with the medicine-arrows is standing, in front of the arrow-
lodge. This is called the Prophet's lodge. They use the same poles
and the same two tipis, only they get a third tipi, for they use three
tipi coverings to cover the Prophet's lodge, while the Medicine-Arrow
lodge has only two tipi covers. They make the Prophet's lodge
larger, so that it can accommodate every medicine-man in the tribe.
When this Prophet's lodge is up they bring the medicine-arrows
out from it and take them back to their home where the Keeper lives.
On the night of the fourth day all the medicine-men and the Prophet
go to the newly erected Prophet's lodge. Here they sing four of
the most sacred songs. They are the same sacred songs that the
original Prophet of thousands of years ago sang to them and taught
them. They sing the four sacred songs as they come in order. After
each song they prophesy, the same as the real Prophet did. They
chant four times, twice before midnight and twice after midnight.
When they have chanted four times the Prophet's lodge is uncovered
at about three o'clock in the morning. The Prophet and the med-
icine-men and the man who is carrying on the ceremony then come
back to where the first offering tipi was. At this place a sweat-lodge
has been erected during the night, after the ceremony is over at the
Prophet's lodge. They all come to this sweat-lodge, and the med-
icine-men go in and take a vapor bath. They wash off their medicine
so that they may go safely among their own people. They chant
four times in this sweat-lodge, and after that they come out. After
the sweat-lodge ceremony is over, and the tipi is uncovered, then the
Medicine-Arrow ceremonv is at an end.

March, 1905. The Cheyenne — Dorsey. ii

2.— THE KEEPER OF THE MEDICINE-ARROWS.

Next to the Prophet comes the Keeper of the great medicine-
arrows, the emblem of the whole Cheyenne tribe. The Keeper is
appointed by the Prophet, or, sometimes, by the warriors. He must
be a medicine-man, and one of the assistant Arrow-Keepers. He
must understand all sacred chants and all rituals pertaining to the
Medicine- Arrow ceremony. Not only this, but he must be of ex-
traordinarily good character, a natural leader, and counselor of the
whole Cheyenne tribe, but not necessarily a chief. The present
Keeper of these medicine-arrows is Little-Man. He was not a chief
at first, but some ten years ago he was appointed a chief, so at the
present time he is a Keeper of the medicine-arrows and one of the
forty chiefs also. His family and his tipi are held sacred because the
medicine-arrows hang in his tipi. His tipi is called the home of the med-
icine-arrows, and he is the father of them because he cares for them.
He makes a vow that he will take good care of them in order to pre-
serve them. In the Cheyenne camp, which is made in a horseshoe
circle, the Keeper's tipi stands out in front of the other tipis about one
hundred yards on the right wing of the circle. No nuisance is allowed
around the Keeper's tipi at any time. In former times the Keeper's
wife walked and carried the medicine-arrow bundle on her back when
the Cheyenne were traveling. Later on, after the white man came
to this country with horses, she rode on horseback, but still had the
bundle tied on her back. The Keeper as a medicine-man does not
have to take part in the ceremony, if he can get another medi-
cine-man to assist him. If a Keeper of the medicine-arrows does
not give satisfaction, then all the warriors come together and hold a
council, and appoint another Keeper. They go in a body and get
the bundle and give it to the man they have appointed.

3.— THE FOUR ASSISTANT MEDICINE-ARROW KEEPERS.

The medicine-arrow Keeper has four regular assistants. These
four assistants are the only ones who may handle the arrows. All
other medicine-men have to reach this degree. Whenever the regular
annual Medicine- Arrow ceremony takes place, and when the medicine-
arrows have been brought into the sacred lodge, these four men are
there to inspect the four medicine-arrows. If any of the eagle feathers
that are on the arrows need renewing these four assistants are the
ones to do the work. The feathers are from the eagle. Every other
article used on the great medicine-arrows comes from the buffalo, the

la In id Columbian Museum — Anthropology, Vol. IX.

glue, the sinew, and the paint, which is made from the buffalo blood.
In order to comply with the original Prophet's requirements, to use
buffalo sinew, glue, and blood on these great medicine-arrows, the
Cheyenne have this day in their possession from eight to ten pounds
of dried buffalo blood, four to five pounds of buffalo glue, and about
forty pieces of buffalo sinew. These are to be used by these four
men only, and only in the Medicine-Arrow ceremony and no where else.

4.— THK MEDICINE-MEN.

The medicine-men come next in order. These men are all doctors
who give medicine to the sick. They usually have contributed
many ponies or goods to the arrow ceremony. They contribute
toward this worship in order to be taught how to perform certain parts
of the Medicine-Arrow ceremony. If any one of these men has been
loyal and has a good memory and has contributed more than the
other men, he will some day be appointed as one of the assistant
Keepers of the sacred arrows. There are thirty to forty of these
medicine-men, representing different bands of Cheyenne. They are
usually old men, and are the only ones who can go inside the great
Medicine- Arrow lodge and assist the Arrow-Keeper and his four assis-
tants to perform the ceremony the way the original Prophet taught
them. These men, the Arrow-Keeper, his assistants, and the Prophet
are the only ones allowed to perform this great Medicine-Arrow
ceremony.

5.— THE FOUR EX-CHIEFS AND THE FORTY CHIEFS.

When the chiefs have become old, and weary and worn, and realize
that they cannot live much longer they hold council and select a
place and date, and send messengers to the different bands to invite
even' one to come to the place where all the Cheyenne people must
gather to have new chiefs appointed. When the Cheyenne have
assembled in a circular camp, a large lodge is put up in the center of
the circle facing the opening of the camp. See Plate II. This lodge
is similar to the Medicine-Arrow lodge. It has from forty to fifty poles
and two tipi covers are used. It is twice as lafge as a good-sized Chey-
enne tipi. After it is put up, the ground inside is made smooth and
all weeds and grass are removed. Then all the old chiefs come to this
lodge to hold council. They sit in a circle about the inside of the lodge.
After they are seated they send for the forty sticks that are tied
in a bundle and kept by the medicine-arrow Keeper, fastened

Pl. II. The Election of Chiefs-Camp-Circle.

FIELD COLUMBIAN MUSEUM.

ANTHROPOLOGY, PL. II.

THE 44-CHEYEN/iE CHIEFS SACRED LODGE -
ERECTED TflE PAV TMEY APPOI/1T MEW CHIEFS

>A"^1

or SCAB

©V

e^1

PltlO COLUMBIAN MUSEUM

ANTHROPOLOGY. PL. III.

v

-§^ja fit W-

*«£ TOUR ASSISTANT*
^^O'C/Nt ARROW ^tn

1 THE ANCIENT MAGICIAN

2 THE PROPHET

4 THE 5VN DANCE PRIEST
3 THE ANIMAL DANCE PRIE5T

Pl. III. Diagram of Chiefs' Lodge.

HELD COLUMBIAN MUSEUM.

ANTHROPOLOGY, PL. IV.

•if, -f^if

RtPRlSlNTiMG Tut TMIRO om SCABBY BANO
BLTT SEATED LAST IN Tut LOOCt

Pl. IV. Diagram of Chiefs* Lodge.

FIELD COLUMBIAN MUSEUM.

ANTHROPOLOGY. PL. V.

C^rRo*Thtsc^v

^v

Pl. V. Diagram of Chiefs' Lodge.

March, 1905. The Cheyenne — Dorsey. 13

on the medicine-arrow bundle. These sticks are about eighteen
inches long by one-half inch in diameter, pointed at one end so that
they may be put into the ground. Every stick is painted red. They
are called "chief sticks."

After they take this bundle of "chief sticks" into the chief's
lodge and place it in the center, the lodge becomes sacred. The old
chiefs seat themselves again inside the lodge and direct the four
assistant Arrow-Keepers to open the chief's bundle and take the
sticks out. These four men sit at the front inside of the lodge.
They take each red stick and name it to represent one of the new
chiefs. They stand these in a row, first in front of the four medi-
cine-men. See Plate III. When they place these in the ground
in a row, then all of the old chiefs elect five good men to represent the
five bands of Cheyenne whose camps come in this order in the circle,
beginning at the right end of the circle, see Plate IV., as follows:
Aorta band, Hairy-Men band, Scabby band, Half-Cheyenne band,
Dog-Men band. The old chiefs proceed to the first or Aorta band.
They get their man and bring him direct to the lodge in the center
of the circle. They take him into the lodge and place him at the
right end of the council circle which represents the whole camp.
After he is seated they take one of the red sticks and stand it up
directly in front of him. See Plate V. All the old chiefs go
out together to get these new chiefs, except the four medicine-men,
who give them directions. They proceed to get the next man from
the Hairy-Men's band, but when he goes into the lodge he is seated
about two-fifths of the distance from the Aorta man on the same
side of the circle. They also put one red stick into the ground
in front of this man. Then they omit the third or Scabby band.
They proceed to the fourth or Half-Cheyenne band and get a man
from that band and bring him and place him opposite the second
man, the representative of the Hairy-Men's band, in the lodge.
They also put up a red stick in front of him. Then they go out to
the fifth or Dog-Men band, select a man and bring him to the lodge.
They take him in and place him at the left end of the council circle
opposite the first or Aorta man. They also put a red stick into the
ground in front of him. Then they go to the third or Scabby band.
After they get a man from this band they bring him to the lodge and
take him inside and place him between the representative of the
Hairy-Men's band and the Half-Cheyenne band; thus he sits oppo-
site the door or entrance of the lodge. They also put up a red
stick in front of him. After these five men, who represent the
five bands, are seated, all the old chiefs, except the four medicine-

14 Field Columbian Museum — Anthropology, Vol. IX.

men, go in a body to get the rest of the thirty-five new chiefs
whom they have decided upon beforehand. They begin at the
right end of the circle and pick out those whom they have already
appointed before going out. They go around the whole camp.
These old chiefs make this trip four times around the camp, each
time bringing a certain number of chiefs. The fourth time they
go around they get the last of the required number of forty chiefs.
The four medicine-men who stay in the lodge put up a red stick in
front of each man as he comes in. Each new chief takes a seat inside
of the lodge corresponding to the position of his camp or band in
the camp-circle. If a new chief's band is located on the right end
of the circle then he must sit on the right end of the council circle
inside of the chief's lodge. After the old-time chiefs have all the
newly elected chiefs seated in the lodge, they smoke the chief's pipe.
After this, one of the four medicine-men, the old-time prophet,
addresses the newly appointed forty chiefs. He says something like
this: "Now, you who are here have been appointed as chiefs to look
after the welfare of all men, women, and children, but in order to
carry yourselves in an orderly manner, you, new chiefs, must select
four men from among these old-time chiefs to be your counselors
and leaders. These four ex-chiefs that you will appoint will be your
advisers." Then the forty new chiefs appoint four ex-chiefs from
among the old-time chiefs whom they think or know will lead them
aright. These four ex-chiefs are generally medicine-men. The forty
new chiefs look to these four old chiefs. Then the two medicine-men
from the four medicine-men address the forty -four chiefs like this:
"Now, listen to me! When the old chiefs wore out, they appointed
you to carry on their leadership. We, who are here representing the
sacred magicians of old and the sacred arrows and the sacred sun.
earth and animals, have this day advised you and placed every man,
woman, and child of the Cheyenne tribe in your care. When it is
necessary you will help not only your own tribe, but all other Indians.
You have been appointed on account of your bravery, character, and
courage. In the future you will cause no disturbance or help to
cause a disturbance among your own people. If another member of
the tribe kills your own brother, take your pipe and smoke it to the
(ireat Medicine, and you will prevent disturbance. Do not notice
your brother's murderer. If your young men look despairing and
lonely, take your pipe and pledge yourself to perform the great Medi-
cine-Arrow ceremony, in order that the Great Medicine will bless you
and your people, because of your remembrance of him."

Of these four medicine-men, who are also Medicine-Arrow keepers.

FIELD COLUMBIAN MUSEUM.

ANTHROPOLOGY, PL. VI.

Pl. VI. Warrior's Shirts.

Pl. VII. War Bonnets.

March, 1905. The Cheyenne — Dorsey. 15

one is an old-time magician, the second is the Prophet, or one
who has performed the great Medicine- Arrow ceremony, the third
is one who understands all about the Sun-dance, the fourth is one
who has performed and understands all about the sacred animal
ceremony and dance. When these four medicine-men are through
addressing the new chiefs, then all people come and see them. The
new chiefs go out, give feasts, and give away many presents to the
poor and needy people.

6.— THE FIVE ORIGINAL WARRIOR SOCIETIES OF THE
GREAT PROPHET.

Before the time of the original great Prophet, the Cheyenne were
governed by one chief and a magician who assisted him. Until the
great Prophet brought the four great medicine-arrows to the Cheyenne,
he with his assistants exercised absolute power over them. The
Prophet organized the tribe into bands, instituted the office of chief,
and imposed the rank of warrior on all males of fifteen years and more.
These warriors he grouped into five societies, who, with the chief,
were responsible for the conduct of the tribe. The societies were
called the Red-Shield, Hoof-Rattle, Coyote, Dog-Men's, and Inverted
or Bow-String. Each society was formed by certain medicine-men,
who had been instructed by the original great Prophet, and each
society was controlled by a chief with seven assistants. These were
appointed by the warriors for their courage and bravery in battle.
The warrior chiefs understand all of the songs and their assistants
are councilors among the warriors. The warrior chiefs finally become
chiefs and their assistants become war chiefs. Should a member of
any of the five warrior societies distinguish himself in battle by the
performance of some extraordinary act in behalf of any of his fellows,
he wears thereafter, as a badge of distinction, a buckskin coat adorned
with fringe of hair of the enemy. See Plate VI. The experienced
warrior has presence of mind, is ever on the alert, and is brave, always
protecting his fellows. He wears a war-bonnet, which trails down
his back to the ground, and if he is a distinguished chief or warrior,
he decorates it with eagle feathers tipped with locks of human hair.
See Plate VII. The shirt and war-bonnet are usually worn by the
seven assistants of the warrior societies. Marks of distinction are
conferred upon those who have been brave in encounters with neigh-
boring tribes in open battles or who have led warriors against the
enemy successfully, or who four times have scalped an enemy alive,
or who have rescued one or many times one of his fellows who has been

16 Field Columbian Museum — Anthropology, Vol. IX.

left behind at the mercy of the enemy; but the greatest honor is
accorded to him who leads his fellows to victory after they have been
defeated by the enemy.

The paint, the dress, the songs, and the dances of the members of
the warrior societies are, in general, characteristic for each of the five
societies. Thus each society has its four sacred songs sung to different
tunes, part with words and part without words. Besides these char-
acteristic songs there are four sacred songs for the five warrior societies,
which are sung to the Great Medicine, and each society has its four
battle songs, sung by individual warriors while on the battle-field or
in concert, at a council of warriors. The members of each society
address each other as "friend" or "brother," and they afford each
other mutual protection. When a society desires to take into its
membership a young man they go to him in a body and bring him
into their society.

The Red-Shield, Coyote, and Hoof-Rattle or Dew-Claw societies
admit into their lodge four Cheyenne maidens, usually selected from
the daughters of the forty-four leading chiefs; these maidens the
warriors call sisters. The warriors are not allowed to marry any of
the four maidens of their own society, though they may marry
the maidens of other societies. These maidens are given prominent
places in all dances and they sit in the midst of the circle in front of
the war chiefs in all the councils. The two other societies do not
admit women into their lodges. When the great Prophet directed
the medicine-men to establish the warrior societies he gave them the
privilege, at their own risk, of admitting to their lodge four women,
chaste and clean, and from the very best families. Misfortune will
befall the society who violates the condition. Fearing that through
deceit unchaste women might come into their societies, the Dog-Men
and the Inverted or Bow-String warriors do not admit women. Each
of the existing societies continues to burn incense to the Great Medi-
cine, in order to remind him that they are still carrying out his instruc-
tions which he gave to their ancient ancestors through the great
Prophet.

7.— THE RED-SHIELD WARRIORS.

The Red-Shield society has one chief, called "War-chief of the
Red-Shield Warriors." He has seven assistant war-chiefs, who are
officers and councilors of the society and under whom are from one
hundred to two hundred warriors. They select four maidens whom
they admit into their society. These maidens, who are usually the
daughters of chiefs, are not permitted to marry any of the members

Pl. VIII. Fig. 1. Red-Shield Warrior.
Fig. 2. Hoof-Rattle Warrior.

March, 1905.

The Cheyenne — Dorsey.

17

of their society and are called by the warriors "sisters." These
women occupy a place in the center of the council circle. When the
society gives a dance in the open air the maidens continuously dance
in front of all the warriors, beating upon drums which they carry.
Now the men trot, now they halt, and with bodies bent forward dance
up and down, moving around, and now they hop and skip heavily
along. As they dance each warrior
utters a sort of gutteral sound like that
made by a buffalo on the chase.

The emblem of the Red-Shield so-
ciety is the shield, which is round like
the sun and painted red. Long ago cer-
tain medicines were applied to it, and
the warrior swung it in a circle before
the enemy, so that the enemy's arrows
would hit neither man nor shield. All
shields have their origin in this society,
for the shield was given them by the
great Prophet, who also brought the
medicine-arrows to the tribe. Each
warrior of the society carries a red
shield, as well as a spear, hence the name
Red-Shield. The shields are made of
raw buffalo hide, which is toughened by
being suspended over a fire while it is
yet soft; then a circular portion is cut
from the region of the hip, in such a
manner as to leave the tail, with its hair,
intact with the circular piece. See Fig. 4.
The hair of the circular portion is re-
moved and the skin is tanned, with the tail left on. To test the
strength of the hide for the shields, after it is tanned, the warriors
shoot arrows at it. If their arrows bound back from the hide and
leave it uninjured the hide is fit for use in the shield ; otherwise, not.

Whenever the warriors of this society congregate for a dance or
to hold a council of war they are dressed alike. See Plate VIII. Fig. 1.
Their head-dress consists of the skin, with horns attached, of the
buffalo head, taken generally from a two-year-old. That portion of
the skin lying between the ears and connecting the horns is taken.
The horns are painted red, and in full dress the bodies of the members
are also painted red. Each warrior carries a spear about eight feet
long, with stone point, originally, but with a steel point later; the

Fig. 4. Shield of Red-Shield
Warrior.

i8 Field Columbian Museum — Anthropology, Vol. IX.

entire spear is painted red. The wearing of the buffalo skin with the
attached horns and the shield from the hips, with the tail attached.
gave rise to the name "buffalo warriors." About their waists these
dancers wear a sort of skin belt or skirt, worked with porcupine quills,
and having buffalo dew-claws attached to it, to produce a rattling sound
while dancing. Along the lower edge of the belt are fringes, some
of which hang down below the knees. This skirt-like belt is worn by
every warrior of the society, and is painted red.

8.— THE HOOF-RATTLE WARRIORS.

The Hoof-Rattle society has one head chief and seven assistants
or sub-chiefs. They have over one hundred warriors under them
and four Cheyenne maidens. There is a keeper of the drums and a
keeper of the elk antler emblem, which is formed like a rattlesnake.
Two of the bravest men (See Plate VIII. Fig. 2) carry spears with

crooks at one end, the

— __ _ wood of the handle being

M===:=:5™M/)/l/)))))lll'iMT^ bent around in a semi-

F.G.5. Hoof-Rattle Warrior Musical circumference. These two

Instrument. spears are wrapped as

far as the points with
otter skin. The shaft is further ornamented with two bands of
otter skin about two feet apart, with four pendants of eagle
feathers attached to each band for ornamentation. The spears are
about eight feet long. All of the other warriors carry straight spears
with points, wrapped with otter skin which has been dressed on the
outside. Each warrior carries a rattle. This rattle is a stick about
one foot long, covered with tanned buckskin, to which are sewed or
tied several dry dew-claws of elk, deer, or antelope. The keeper of
the elk horn is the leader in the dancing and singing. The elk
antler used by these warriors is real. It is straight and has a body
about two inches thick and about eighteen inches long. It has
a head and a tail. It is fashioned like a snake. On the top of the
snake's back are grooves cut about half an inch apart. See Fig. 5.
When used for singing and dancing they put one end of this antler
snake on top of a piece of rawhide and hold the snake's tail in the
left hand and with the right hand they hold the shin bone of an ante-
lope and rub it backwards and forwards over the snake's back, thus
producing a loud, shrill sound like that of some animal. They have
four sacred songs, four war songs, and about two hundred dance
songs. One hundred or more warriors sing in unison with the time

March, 1905. The Cheyenne — Doksey. 19

of the rubbing on the elk antler, thus making themselves heard for a
long distance. According to the teachings of the great Prophet this
antler was used to charm the buffalo. Whenever the tribe desired
large herds of buffalo, elk, or deer to come near their camp the war-
riors would come together and chew the herb medicine used in all the
sacred arrow ceremonies and blow it upon the elk antler to make it
effective. Then the keeper would hold the snake effigy by the tail
and draw the scapula toward himself so that the motion was made
from the head to the tail. Having four times made this motion the
buffalo and deer would be charmed and come to them. All the ante-
lope and deer thus affected were killed and their dew-claws taken
for making rattles for the warriors'.

Aside from the rattles, spears, bows and arrows, individuals satisfy
their own desires in the matter of dress. All the warriors of the
various societies hold as sacred the elk antler. When dancing, the
Hoof-Rattlers hold their spears in one hand and their body erect.
They jump up and down, keeping time with the singing and rattle.

9.— THE COYOTE WARRIORS.

The Coyote society derives its name from the fact that its mem-
bers imitate the coyote in their power of endurance, cunning, and
activity. They outstrip their fellow-tribesmen in running long dis-
tances, playing games, etc. There are about one hundred and fifty
warriors in this society, and a head chief, who carries a coyote hide
with the hair left on. The society regards this hide as sacred. Having
put their medicine on the coyote hide as well as on themselves, these
warriors feel light, and can endure and can run a long distance with-
out stopping. The society has a rattle-keeper, who carries a red-
painted gourd with stones inside to make the rattling. In old times
this rattle was made out of buffalo hide, but lately the gourd has
taken its place. This rattle is used to mark time in the dancing
and singing, and its keeper is the leader in the dancing and singing,
and he knows all the songs. The society has four sacred songs, part
of which relate to .the coyote ; four war songs, and about three hundred
dance songs.

When these warriors have a four days' dance they put up their
lodge either in the center or in front of the camp-circle, and just
within the interior of the lodge the coyote hide is placed so that
its head is directed toward the entrance. The chief with his assistants
sit back of the coyote hide. When in view, this coyote hide is placed
in front of the chiefs in the council circle. The four maidens who are

ao Fiblo Columbian Museum-— Anthropology, Vol, IX.

admitted t«» this society, sit in front of the chiefs. Two of the warriors
carry a spear about an inch and a half wide. Between its ends
is stretched a string, which gives the spear the form of a bow. Several
kinds of feathers hang from the spear, and it has a sharp point. See
Plate IX. Fig. i. The other warriors carry straight spears. Each
warrior has two eagle feathers stuck vertically in his scalplock, and
carries a bow and arrows. All members of the society dress alike.
Their bodies and upper parts of their arms and legs are painted yellow,
while the lower arms and legs are painted black. On the breast of
each warrior, suspended by means of a string about the neck, is a
crescent-shaped, black-painted piece of hide. The two eagle feathers
in the hair are always worn and the spear is always carried in their
hand when they are not abroad. When dancing these warriors jump
up and down rapidly, keeping time to the rapid and ever-increasing
time of the music. The four maidens, who are daughters of chiefs,
decorate their dress with elk teeth. Their faces are painted yellow
and they wear two eagle feathers upright in their hair.

In the past the warriors of this society had their hair roached over
the top from front to back to represent a scalplock, the sides of the
head being* shorn of hair. All members of the other societies wore
their hair long. The coyote hide is the emblem of this society, for
in a similar skin the great Prophet brought the medicine-arrows to the
tribe. The coyote was the animal that the great Spirit sent to wander
over the earth, and he was one of the animals that, in early times,
talked to men.

10.— THE DOG-MEN WARRIORS.

The Dog-Men society, termed by the white men "Dog-Soldier"
society, is the largest society among the Cheyenne. It is made up of
males of fifteen years and more, and numbers one-half of the males of
the entire Cheyenne tribe. This society once controlled the whole
tribe. Its members were raiders, and formerly they roamed over the
plains between the Missouri and the Arkansas rivers with the upper
Platte River in Nebraska as their headquarters. The society has one
chief and seven assistants, and several hundred warriors. Of
these the four bravest are chosen to protect the society and the
tribe from the raids of the enemy. These four braves wear over their
left shoulder and trailing down their backs to the ground, a piece of
skin twelve inches wide and eight feet long, decorated with porcu-
pine quills and eagle feathers. The quill work of two of these
streamers is in bright colors with rows of eagle feathers hanging over

Pl. IX. Fig. 1. Coyote Warrior.
Fig. 2. Dog-Men Warrior.

March, 1905. The Cheyenne — Dorsey. 21

the quill work. These scarfs are worn by the two most daring
braves of the society, who have reached a certain rank in the society.
These two also adorn their leggins with human hair. See Plate IX.
Fig. 2. The two other scarfs are narrower and have less quill
work on them. They also have eagle feathers, but the two warriors
who wear these do not adorn their leggins with human hair, for they
are not as brave as the former two. These four warriors when at war
are expected to protect their fellows, and if need be, die for them.
The warriors of this society are appointed to this degree after having
performed a certain number of brave deeds. After their death, others
have to take their places.

All the warriors of this society dress alike. Their head-dress con-
sists of a cap with a few beads worked over the front edge. The
crown is covered entirely with tail feathers of the eagle, and
the sides are covered with the feathers of the hawk and crow.
The feathers are so fastened that they stand erect all over the head-
dress. Suspended by a string around the neck of each warrior is a
whistle of the wing bone of an eagle, which they blow while dancing.
The whistle and string are ornamented with porcupine quills. Each
warrior wears a rattle fashioned in the form of a snake. The body of
the rattle consists of a round stick about a foot long, and one and a
half inches in diameter. It is covered with a narrow strip of rawhide
about three-quarters of an inch wide, into the ends of which are
inserted the head and tailpieces, the headpiece extending out from
the end of the body about two inches. The rawhide is then bound on
the stick, and the whole, excepting the head, which is painted red, is
covered with buckskin. Eyes are made in the head, and an eagle
feather is attached. Over the entire body of the figure are tied rows
of the dew-claws of deer or antelope. All portions of the body
remaining exposed are decorated with quil1 work. The length of
this rattle is about two and a half feet. Grasping these rattles
by the head with their right hand they shake them and measure the
time of their dancing and singing. The belt worn in the dance con-
sists of four skunk skins prepared with the heads left intact, two
heads meeting in front and two at the back. The fur is left on the
skin, and on this side are attached fringes to which are hung dew-
claws throughout.

These warriors carry a bow and arrows. When they dance they
move forward in a stooping position rapidly, bending each leg forward
alternately. This society has between five and six hundred songs,
exclusive of their four sacred songs and four war songs. The society
emblem is the dog, which they regard as sacred, and which they asso-

22 1'ii.i.d Columbian Museum AjctHaopoLOGY, Vol. IX.

te with the origin of the society. The society regards itself as dis-
tinguished ami influential. The whole tribe, and neighboring tribes,
as well, recognize its importance. In former times this society was
distinguished for the great number of captives it held. Indeed, the
old-time warriors claim that three-fourths of the entire Cheyenne
tribe were captives.

The Dog-Men society was organized after the organization of the
other societies, by a young man without influence but who was chosen
by the great Prophet. One morning the young man went through the
entire camp and to the center of the camp-circle, announcing that
he was about to form a society. No one was anxious to join him, so
he was alone all that day. The other medicine-men had had no
difficulty in establishing their societies, but this young man, when
his turn came to organize, was ridiculed; for he was not a medicine-
man, and had no influence to induce others to follow his leadership. A t
evening he was sad, and he sat in the midst of the whole camp. He
prayed to the Great Prophet and the Great Medicine to assist him. At
sunset he began to sing a sacred song. While he sang the people noticed
that now and then the large and small dogs throughout the camp
whined and howled and were restless. The people in their lodges fell
asleep. The man sang from sunset to midnight: then he began to wail.
The people were all sleeping in their lodges and did not hear him. Again
he sang: then he walked out to the opening of the camp-circle, singing
as he went. At the opening of the camp-circle he ceased singing and
went out. All the dogs from the whole camp followed him, both
male and female, some carrying in their mouths their puppies. Four
times he sang before he reached his destination at daybreak. As the
sun rose he and all of the dogs arrived at a river bottom which was
partly timbered and level. The man sat down by a tree that leaned
toward the north. Immediately the dogs ran from him and arranged
themselves in the form of a semicircle about him, like the shape of the
camp-circle they had left; then they lay down to rest; as the dogs lay
down, by some mysterious power, there sprang up over the man in the
center of the circle a lodge. The lodge included the leaning tree by
which the man sat; and there were three other saplings, trimmed at
the base with the boughs left on at the top. The lodge was formed of
the skins of the buffalo. As soon as the lodge appeared all the dogs
rushed towards it. As they entered the lodge they turned into human
beings, dressed like the members of the Dog-Men society. The Dog-
Men began to sing, and the man listened very attentively and learned
several songs from them, their ceremony, and their dancing forms.
The camp-circle and the center lodge had the appearance of a real

March, 1905. The Cheyenne — Dorsey. 23

camp-circle for three long days. The Dog-Men blessed the man and
promised that he should be successful in all of his undertakings and
that his people, his society, and his band would become the greatest
of all if he carried out their instructions. On the fourth day they were
discovered by two Cheyenne, who were looking for the man and for
their dogs of burden. They observed the form of the circle and the
lodge within and saw that it was like the camp-circle of their tribe.
They went so near that within they heard their own language spoken.
They did not enter the lodge, but hurriedly returned to their people,
to tell them what they had seen. On the day after the first dis-
appearance of the man and the dogs, the medicine-men counseled
with the great Prophet, who knew all about it. The great Prophet
told the medicine-men that the man was obeying his commands, and
that this, the fourth day, they might find him with the dogs. The two
Cheyenne, who had hunted four days before finding the new camp,
returned on this day, and when they announced to the people what
they had seen, the whole camp moved to the lodge of the man and
the dogs. As they came into view of the wonderful camp the Dog
lodge instantly disappeared and the Dog-Men were transformed into
dogs. The medicine-men and warriors were by this time very sorry
that they had refused to join this man's society. To express their
sorrow they went in advance to the young man, and asked him to have
mercy upon them and forgive the whole tribe for its treatment of him.
The young man took the pipe and smoked, to show that he had for-
given his people. The young man then instructed them to go to
their own dogs and pitch their tipis according to the position of their
dogs, so that they would make a horseshoe-shaped camp, just as the
dogs had made. Every man became busy and the dogs alone seemed
to be very indifferent as to what was happening. The young man
still remained in the center of the camp, and the next day, according to
his instructions from the Great Prophet, he again asked the warriors
to join his society, and many hundreds of men joined it. He
directed the society to imitate the Dog-Men's dress, and to sing the
way the Dog-Men sang. This is why the other warrior societies call
the warriors of this society "Dog-Men Warriors."

When the Dog-Men society has its four days' lodge put up for a
dance, they repair their head-dresses, reorganize all the warriors, and
should one of the four brave warriors have died or been killed by the
enemy, they name some one to take his place. When the other warrior
societies put up their lodges to dance or for reorganization, they must
place their lodges in the center of the camp-circle; but the Dog-Men
warriors may locate their lodge in the center of the circle or at any big

34 Field Columbian Museum — Anthropology, Vol. IX.

camp not in a circle, as they may desire, provided they can find a tree
that leans toward the north to which they can tie the three saplings
for the erection of their lodge. The lodge is so constructed that the
stationary tree is placed at the back, on the inside and opposite the
entrance. The three movable saplings are trimmed as far up as the
upper branches, which are left. Formerly, buffalo hides were used
for a covering for the lodge, but recently canvas is substituted. The
poles of the Dog-Men's lodge are different from those of the other
societies' lodges. The other societies burn incense to the Great
Medicine, who sent the Great Prophet to establish their societies and
to establish ceremonies in honor of himself. But instead of burning
incense, the Dog-Men put in the center of their lodge an earthen pot
about half full of water, and into this they put a piece of beef weighing
about two pounds, which remains there during the four days' dance.
On the fourth day and before the dance is dismissed, they take the
meat from the pot and pass it around to the members of the society ;
each one bites off a large piece, chews, and swallows it. This they do
in memory of their society's founder, and in memory of the original
dogs who followed the founder out from the camp-circle and induced
the warriors to organize the Dog-Men society. Ever after this all
the original dogs preferred cooked to fresh beef.

ii.— THE INVERTED OR BOW-STRING WARRIORS.

The Inverted Warrior society is but little known throughout the
tribe, although it is the fifth of the warrior societies founded by the
Great Prophet. It was founded when he last appeared in the dress
of the Inverted Warrior with his celebrated bow-spear, and a stuffed
owl tied over his forehead for a head-dress, and a bone whistle tied
around his neck by means of a string. See Plate X. Fig. i. This
society the great Prophet founded on his return after his four years'
absence to the mountain ; but the society was without a chief. Each
warrior was independent of the rest, though all the warriors dressed
alike and were always prepared for war.

The warriors must be of strong physique and very courageous.
A part of the requirements of the society is that these warriors shall
be solemn and stoical. Their bodies and clothing are always painted
red, as well as their buffalo robes. See Plate X. Fig. 2. Each
warrior carries a bow-spear about eight feet long — a perfectly sound,
straight, well-seasoned stick fashioned after the style of a bow. This
bow-spear is flat on the front side and round on the back side, there
being a space in the middle for a handle, which is round. This bow

Pl. X. Fig. 1. Inverted or Bow-String Warrior.
Fig. 2. Inverted or Bow-String Warrior.

March, 1905. The Cheyenne — Dorsey. 25

is two inches wide at the handle and one and a half inches at the
ends. Its buffalo sinew string is one-third of an inch in diameter.
When the bow-string is drawn the bow itself is bent scarcely at all.
At the handle is tightly bound a bunch of sage grass. At one end is
a sharp flint spearhead, about six inches long. Recently steel points
have been substituted. Attached to the other end of the bow, which
is pointed, are a few owl feathers. Suspended from the sides of the
bow are four bunches of magpie feathers, two on either side, for
ornamentation. The bow is painted red, and the spearhead proper
is painted blue. This bow-spear is never unstrung. It is wrapped
with buckskin when not in use, though it is always present with the
warriors, wherever they go. Should they fail to take it with them
at any time it is hung in a tree for safety, or some place where it
could not be found by any one. No one except the members of the
society are allowed to touch or handle the spear; nor are any
women allowed to touch it. The warriors of the society are unmar-
ried. The women have their beds apart from those of the warrior;;.
Their food is cooked separately at home, and is served separately.
Should they be in council with other society warriors their food
is served separately. The close observance of the regulations of
this society by its members gives them a character distinct from
that of the other societies, and they are regarded as pure. They
rejoice in the beauty of nature as the work of the Great Medicine,
who created the rivers, hills, mountains, heavenly bodies, and the
clouds. They are the philosophers among their people.

The following is an explanation of the term "Inverted Warriors."
A medicine still in use among the Cheyenne is used by these warriors,
by means of which their actions and speech are inverted; for in-
stance, the members of other societies ask a question thus: "Father,
will you come here?" but the members of this society ask the question
thus: "Father, you will not come here?" When the warriors of
other societies are all defeated in battle and run from the enemy, the
Inverted Warriors blow their whistles and charge the enemy and fight
until they are killed or defeat the enemy, regardless of the numbers
of the enemy. They usually are naked when fighting in battle.
Their bodies are painted red. On top of their heads is a stuffed
screech-owl. They carry their bow-spears with them. No one is
allowed to pass in front of them. Should they wish to transfer their
spear from one hand to the other they pass it back of their bodies'
When charging the enemy's camp, or when warding off the attack of the
enemy upon their own camp, these warriors charge separately from
the other warriors in the main body, thus performing a flank move-

a6 I hid Columbian Museum — Anthropology, Vol. IX.

ment. No one is allowed to pass in front of them. When the tribe
goes to battle, each society wears its society dress. Before making
a general attack upon the enemy the warriors all stand in a row.
Before them is a row of medicine-men and chiefs, and the medicine-
arrow Keeper who performs the ceremony to the Great Medicine.
He points the sacred arrows at the enemy as taught by the
great Prophet, and thus insures victory to his tribesmen. The
Keeper of the medicine-arrow always charges in front of all, and no
one may charge in front of him. In ancient times the great medicine-
arrows were very effective. When directed towards a warring tribe
they rendered the enemy helpless and without power to resist. Suc-
cess with these arrows against their enemies, according to the old-
time warriors, accounts for the numerous aliens among the Cheyenne
tribe.

12.— OWL-MAN'S BOW-STRING OR WOLF WTARRIORS.

The Bow-String warrior or Wolf Warrior society is the sixth war-
rior society in the tribe. It was founded by a Cheyenne warrior by the
name of Owl-Man. It is not included among those five societies
founded by the great Prophet, but has been founded since the advent
of the white man. This society has one head chief and seven assist-
tants or sub-chiefs, under whom are from one to two hundred
warriors. The members of the society are distinguished for their
gayety, their songs, their dances, and the various colors of their
dress. Each member dresses as he is able, and hence there is no
uniformity of dress. They paint their bodies and the trappings of
their ponies. This is the noisiest and the gayest of all the societies.
It may be joined by any warrior of fifteen years or more. The
society does not seek members to join it, but the warriors come to it
to ask admission.

The following is an account of the way Owl -Man founded his so-
ciety : He was traveling alone, toward the north. While he traveled
he was overtaken by a hard rainstorm which turned into a heavy snow-
storm. Reaching a deep canyon he went into it with his pony for
shelter. The cold increased and the snow fell steadily until an
object could not be seen ten paces away. Owl-Man's clothing was
drenched with rain and frozen stiff; his pony was frozen to death.
He gathered bark from the trees and made a shelter for himself. His
buffalo robe kept him from freezing; when morning came he was
so hungry and cold that he was about to lie down and die. when some
one behind him spoke, and told him to go west until he found another

March, 1905.

The Cheyenne — Dorsey.

27

creek, where there was a lodge. He wrapped himself up in his robe
and started west. As he drew near to the creek he heard a drum
beating, just as if there were a dance going on, and when he came in
view of the creek he saw a lodge. He went directly into' it, and as he
approached, the drumming ceased. By the time he reached the lodge
he could barely move, for his clothing was frozen stiff and his feet and
hands were frozen. When he entered the lodge he found a fire in the
center, and the ground inside was perfectly smooth. At the back of
the lodge was a flat drum. Owl-Man threw himself down and was

Fig. 6. Wolf-skin worn by Wolf Warrior.

unconscious until toward evening, when he revived and sat up. As
he sat there he heard several people all around on the outside of the
lodge talking and telling each other to go in and see him. Owl-Man
peeped through the entrance and as far as he could see there were
wolves approaching the lodge, coming from over the hills, and they
talked his own language. The wolves entered the lodge, and as they
entered they were instantly transformed into human beings. The
lodge was soon filled, and still there remained outside of the lodge
several hundred. After these Wolf-men had taken their seats inside,
an old Wolf-man came in and took his seat in front of the circle and
opposite the entrance. This old Wolf-man began to talk to Owl-Man
as follows: "We have powers of cunning such as no other animals
have, and we have the whole earth for our home. We this dav have

a8 1 iklo Columbian Museum — Anthropology, Vol. IX.

come here to bless you and your people, so that you may live and go
back to your people and show them what we are, and we will instruct
you for the next four days. Our people possess the whole earth, and
our braves do the fighting in companies. We do not allow women to
mingle with our braves. If you allow maidens in your work, take four
maidens, who are to wear belts made of rattlesnake skin." After thus
talking to Owl-Man the old Wolf -man, who claimed to be the chief and
who had a place assigned to him in front of the circle of Wolf-men,
burned incense, and in an instant every Wolf warrior was gorgeously
dressed. The old Wolf-man wore a bear's hide, dressed with the
hair on. All the other Wolf warriors were adorned with wolf
skins, tanned with the hair on, with a hole cut at the back,
big enough to permit the insertion of the head (see Fig. 6),
so that the skins were worn as capes, the head hanging on their
breast and the tail part hanging down their back. See Plate
XI. Fig. i. Their naked bodies were painted yellow and the
extremities of their limbs were painted red. Each Wolf war-
rior had a spear about eight feet long, with a point at one end
made out of flint. These spears were not alike, but they were
trimmed with the feathers of every bird to be found. Two of the
spears had eagle feathers hanging down their whole lengths; these two
spears stood, one at each side of the entrance of the lodge, while
two other spears, wrapped with otter skin, stood in front of the Wolf
chief. The Wolf chief had in his hand a flat drum. Several other of
the Wolf-men also had a small drum. The Wolf-men watched their
chief when he began to burn incense to the Great Medicine. The
Wolf chief held his drum over the burning incense, passing it back-
wards and forwards, first to the east, then south, then west, and then
north. Then he took hold of the drum stick and struck the drum
once, then the second, third, and fourth times. The other Wolf-men
stood watching their chief. They beat their drums and yelled and
whooped with all their might, and they began to sing and dance.
Owl-Man learned about three hundred songs from these mysterious
Wolf-men. They had four sacred songs and four war songs. While
dancing, each warrior got up and took hold of his spear and danced
with it. When they ceased to dance they stood the spears up in
front of them again. Four days they danced. At night, Owl-Man
would fall asleep, and in the morning, when he awoke, all of the Wolf-
men would be gone, but they would soon return and appear in human
form, ready for the dance. On the last day, in the afternoon, Owl-
Man saw four old men coming, who entered the lodge, and each old
man made a speech, telling his exploits to the other warriors. After

Pl. XI. Fig. 1. Wolf Warriors.
Fig. 2. Wolf Warrior.

FIELD COLUMBIAN MUSEUM.

ANTHROPOLOGY, PL. XI.

Fig. i.

Fig. 2.

March., 1905. The Cheyenne — Dorsey. 29

each old man had made a speech, all the men were ordered to go
out and stand abreast in a row, to run a race. One of the men called
out the name of the Wolf society, and they all ran at full speed.
When the warriors returned from the race the four old men entered
the lodge and said to Owl-Man, "Arise and go on your way. In one
and a half days you will reach your people. We have blessed you,
and now, in addition to what we have shown to you, go and teach
your people to be brave. Take this medicine; it is to be put upon
your warriors before they go on the warpath or dance. When they
go outside in the open air to dance they are not to stop dancing till
some old warrior with experience in several battles comes before
them and tells his exploits, the same as we have done. Then you
are at liberty to dismiss the dancers." Then the four old men
started out, and when they were outside the lodge they disappeared
instantly and left Owl-Man sitting out on the prairie, amidst
the four old men who had stepped out of the lodge. There were
now four real wolves running from Owl-Man, who arose and went on
until he found the Cheyenne village.

As Owl-Man came to his village all the people came to see him,
and to inquire how he came through the snowstorm. He told v/hat
had happened. On the first clear day they camped in the form of
a circle, and Owl-Man had his lodge erected in the middle of the
camp. He went to the lodge and had the ground inside made as
smooth as was that of the Wolf-men's lodge that he had visited.
After the lodge was erected he called for young men to come and
join his society. He performed the ceremony exactly as he had been
instructed by the Wolf-men.

Any warrior in the tribe not already a member of one of the five
sacred warrior societies may join the Wolf society. When going
to war, or when about to dance, they put upon their bodies the med-
icine given to them by the original Wolf-men through Owl-Man.
This medicine is still used in the society. When dancing, the warriors
hold their spears and stand erect. They jump up and down very
heavily, and rather slowly. See Plate XI. Fig. 2. This society
alone, of all the warrior societies, dances with guns, and they
shoot blank cartridges. The presence of the guns in the dance in-
dicates that the society was organized after the advent of the
white man with his powder and gun. Some of the brave men
ride their ponies, while other warriors are dancing on their feet.

30 Fibld Columbian Museum — Anthropology, Vol. IX.

13.- THE MEDICINE OR SUN DANCE.

The following is a description of the Medicine-Dance, which
tradition accords to have been given to Erect-Horns: The camp-circle
is formed by the warrior society of the Lodge-maker. On the first
day after the camp circle has been formed, the Priests', or Medicine-
men's tipi is erected in the line of the camp-circle, where all the
medicine-men who have ever made or performed the Sun-Dance are
invited to come. The priests or medicine-men having assembled
within the Priests' tipi, the Lodge-maker appoints a man to act as
chief priest, or master of ceremonies, by giving him a pipe to smoke.
On the second day the Priests' tipi is taken up bodily by women,
one woman taking hold of each tipi pole, and they move it to a point
fifty paces in front of the camp circle. When set down and secured
in its new position, it is cleansed within, and is henceforth called
the "Lone-tipi." The earth is now formed and the pipes are
taken inside and placed in front of the priests. Towards evening a
buffalo skull, which has been lying outside the Lone-tipi, together
with two straight sticks used for stirring the pipes when smoking.
are brought in. and the skull is inverted and placed with its ncse
towards the entrance. The priests then feast. All of the members
of the Lodge-maker's Warrior society are then invited to the feast.
After the feast they rehearse inside the Lone-tipi, and dance
until midnight. Henceforth the chief priest and the Lodge-maker
remain in this tipi.

They decide on the location for the Medicine-lodge, and on the
third day the poles for the Medicine-lodge are cut, and the Medicine-
lodge is erected. In the morning of the third day, at sunrise, a
noted spy of the tribe, dressed, and on horseback, goes through the
entrance of the camp-circle to the place decided upon for the location
of the Medicine-lodge, and tells of his exploits in war. Then there
are placed at the back of the lodge two young willows, two plum-
trees, one four-foot peg, four rainbow sticks, twenty people's sticks,
one long willow dipper, two long forked sticks, all of which had been
brought on the previous day by certain of the medicine-men. Next
the skull is painted and the grass lobes are stuffed in the nasal cav-
ities and eye sockets. Then the Lodge-maker's wife and the Lodge-
maker are painted, pre pa rat <>ry to their entrance into the Medicine-
lodge. Then they paint the arrow of the ccnter-po]<\ and the ceremony
of this arrow is performed. Should the Lodge-maker be a good and
just man. the chief priest blesses him by raising the arrow, point
upward and in front of his mouth, backward and forward, praying

March, 1905. The Cheyenne — Dorsey. 31

that power, plenty, and fortune may come to him. Next the chief
priest takes meat from the ribs of a beef and cuts it in the form of a
star, in the center of which he represents a person ; then with an arrow
he pierces the meat, and lays the meat and arrow aside. The Earth
peg, called the "center-pole peg," is next painted, the point red
and the head black. From a piece of rawhide is cut an image of
an armless man, about twelve inches long, with an eagle breath feather
tied to its head, and a sinew string, about four feet long, attached
to its back. This figure, representing other tribes of people, is called
the "center-pole man," and is suspended from the center-pole.
The sacred pipe, filled with tobacco, is also painted, and is placed
by the side of the painted skull and in front of it. While the
priests and medicine-men are performing the ceremony inside of
the Lone-tipi, and preparing the Lodge-maker and his wife for their
entrance into the Medicine-lodge, the others are bringing to the
place selected for it the center-pole and other poles for its con-
struction.

The Lodge-maker's wife bears the buffalo skull out of the Lone-
tipi, followed by the Lodge-maker with the sacred pipe, the chief
priest, and the other priests. The woman holds the buffalo skull
out to one side and in front of her. She advances slowly in a stooping
position, stops three times to rest, and finally comes to a place about
thirty paces from the Lone-tipi. There all sit in a row, with the
skull directly in front of them. The woman sits directly back of
the skull, the chief priest at her side. To the left of the skull rests
the sacred pipe, to the left of the pipe the incense. Sacrifices and
offerings are brought in and placed by the side of the skull. Every-
thing is ready. The offerings are brought in. The thunder-
bird's nest is tied in the fork of the center-pole, and gifts are tie«1
to its prongs. The human image is attached to the pole, and the
arrow and peg are placed in the thunder-bird's nest. The offerings
are tied to the forks alone. The center-pole is now painted, and the
chief priest and the Lodge-maker step upon it. In the mean time
a hole is dug in the ground to receive it. First the center-pole is
painted with a band of red about six inches wide, then a band of black
of the same width, the bands being about four to five feet from the
surface of the ground after the pole is erect. Of the four top poles,
the two south -poles are painted red, while the two north poles are
painted black, the symbol for clouds.

Everything being in readiness, the woman, the chief priest, and
the other priests all rise and approach the lodge, and they stop im-
mediately back of the skull. As the sacred pipe song is sung, the

3a Fiki-d Columbian Museum — Anthropology, Vol. IX

woman and the chief priest raise the pipe upwards toward the center-
pole, the chief priest makes a prayer, and then the center-pole is
partly raised. Three times again the center-pole is' raised, with the
same accompaniments, and is placed erect in its proper position. The
cross-bars are then placed in the crotches of the encircling forked
poles. The warriors go to the camp and bring back tipis to cover
the sacred lodge. When the cover is in place the warriors go to
their societies to feast and prepare for the dedication of the lodge.
Toward evening the wife of the Lodge-maker brings a bed through
the right side of the lodge, and places it at the back of the lodge,
behind the altar. All the chiefs are invited, and at this time come
to the lodge.

All of the warrior societies take part in the dedication ceremony .
which lasts for two hours. Eight brave men are selected to help
and protect their people, and two of the chiefs make speeches. All
of the priests return and sit around the chief priest, the Lodge-maker,
and his wife. They prepare to drill those who are to take part in
the coming dance, in the hand-and-arm exercise. In this exercise
the right arm is raised twice, then the left arm is raised twice, then
both arms twice. In each exercise they turn first to the right, and
then to the left side. This lasts half of the night. After singing
the sacred pipe song four times, and smoking, the chief priest and
the woman go out. Before they go out incense is burned over each,
which is repeated on their return. While they are out the four
pipe songs are sung, and they smoke. Now they dance till morning.

On the fourth day, or the first day of the dance, the altar is built
around the skull. The Lodge-maker's wife goes out in front of the
lodge and procures earth, which is cut into strips about one and a
half feet long and four inches wide, five pieces in all, and each piece
having grass upon it. These pieces of sod the woman brings in one
at a time, and places them in order, two at the right, and two at the
left; the fifth piece occupies a position at the back of the skull.
Then the brush about the altar is set up, one willow on the right
side, then a plum bush, then small bushes, as they proceed backward
in a circle. On the left, in front of the altar, is a willow and
a plum bush, the same as on the opposite side. Directly in front
of the skull is dug a ditch four inches deep and two feet long,
and from eight to ten inches wide. In the bottom of the ditch
is a layer of sand, upon which are drawn from seven to nine red
and black lines representing roads. Arched over the ditch, from
side to side, are four painted rainbow sticks, with eagle breath-
feathers stuck to them. On one side of the ditch stand ten red

March, 1905. The Cheyenne — Dorsey. 33

sticks, representing the Cheyenne, and on the other ten black
and white sticks, representing other tribes. The red sticks have
downy feathers stuck to them. While the altar is being completed
all the men who are to paint the dancers take them to the chief priest,
that he may put medicine upon them, so that they may succeed in
their work. The Lodge-maker and his wife are painted red. All
the children go to the river and fetch mud to the front of the lodge,
where they mold it into pairs of mud animals, which, when com-
pleted, they set about the base of the center-pole, thus representing
the animals which the ceremony is expected to attract.

The number of days of dancing is determined by the experience
of the chief priest, who must conduct the lodge as he has been in-
structed.

On the afternoon of the fourth or last day of the dance those who
so desire have their breasts pierced and dance tied by a lariat to the
center-pole until the skin of the breast breaks from the weight of
their bodies.

In the closing ceremonies, at evening, several short rites are
performed by the dancers. The tipi cloth of the lodge is raised, and
four entrances are made. Then a scalp, or the downy feather of an
eagle, is tied to a stick four feet in length, which is placed in the
hands of an old-time warrior, who is leader. Then there occurs a
race around the center-pole. The leader runs in advance, swinging
his stick to the right and left, up and down, as he runs. The racers
run out to the south and back, then to the west and back, then to
the north and back, then return to their places, drink, and wash off
their paint. *

II. MYTHS.

14— THE ORIGIN OF THE CHEYENNE

In the beginning the Great Medicine created the earth, and the
waters upon the earth, and the sun, moon, and stars. Then he made
a beautiful country to spring up in the far north. There were no
winters, with ice and snow and bitter cold. It was always spring,
and the wild fruits and berries were everywhere, and great trees
shaded the streams of clear water that flowed all through the
land. In this beautiful country the Great Medicine put animals,
birds, insects, and fish of all kinds. Then he created human beings,
and put them in the country to live with the other animals. Every
animal, both big and small, every bird, both big and small, every
fish, and every insect could talk to and understand the people whom
the Great Medicine had sent to live among them, and they could
understand each other, for they were all friends, and had a common
language. The people went naked. They lived on honey and wild
fruits, and were never hungry. They wandered everywhere among
the animals, and when night came and they were weary, they lay
down on the cool grass and slept. During the days they talked with
the other animals, for they were all friends, and one people.

The Great Spirit created three kinds of human beings: First,
those whq had hair all over their bodies; second, white men, who
had hair all over their heads and faces and on their legs; third, red
men, who had very long hair on their heads only. The hairy people
wore very strong and active. The white people with the long beards
and the wolf were the most tricky and cunning of all in that
beautiful country. The red people were active, and were the swift-
est runners. The Great Medicine taught them how to catch fish, and
they ate the fish. None of the other people knew anything about
eating meat. After a time the hairy people left the north country,
and went south where all the land was barren. The red people
followed the hairy people into the south. The bearded people left
the north country, but no one knew where they went, but it is be-
lieved to-day that they were the ancestors of the white people.

Before the red men left the beautiful land the Great Medicine
spoke to one of their number and blessed him and his people. The

34

March, 1905. The Cheyenne — Dorsey. 35

Great Medicine told this man to go and call all of his red people to-
gether at a certain place. The man called, and the people came,
and it was the first time that they had all come together. When they
were assembled the Great Medicine blessed them, and gave them
some medicine spirit to awaken their dormant minds. From that
time on they seemed to possess intelligence, and to know what to do.
The Great Medicine spoke to one of the men again, and told him
to teach his people to band together, so that they all might work
and clothe their naked bodies with skins of panther and bear and
deer. The Great Medicine gave them power to hew and shape
certain kinds of flint found in the north, and other stone, into any
shape they wanted. They hewed stones into cups, pots, stone axes,
arrow heads, and spear heads. The flint they made into arrow and
spear heads.

After the Great Medicine called the red people together, they
stayed together ever afterwards. They left the beautiful country
and went southward, in the same direction the hairy people had
gone. The hairy people remained naked, but the red people clothed
themselves because the Great Medicine told them to. When the
red men came the hairy people who had gone before had scattered
and made homes inside of high hills, and in caves high up in the
mountains. The red men seldom saw the hairy men, for they were
afraid and always went inside their caves when the red men went
to see them. In their caves they had beds made out of leaves and
skins. They had pottery and flint tools like those of the red men.
These hairy people did not increase, but decreased in numbers, until
they finally disappeared entirely, and to-day the red men cannot
tell what ever became of them. After the red men had left the
north country and gone south where the land was barren, the Great
Medicine again spoke to one of the red men and told him to tell his
people to return north, for the barren southland was going to be
flooded. When they returned to that beautiful land the white-
skinned, long-bearded men and some of the wild animals were gone
from there. They were no longer able to talk to the animals, but this
time they controlled all the animals, and they tamed the panther and
bear and other animals to catch game for them to eat. They in-
creased in numbers, and became tall and strong and active. Again
they left the beautiful land to go south. The water had gone,
and grass and trees had grown, and the land was beautiful like the
northland. For a long time they stayed in the south, but while
they were still there another flood came, and it scattered the red men
here and there. After a time the great waters went down again,

36 Field Columbian Museum — Anthropology, Vol. IX.

and the land was dry, but the red men never came together any
more, but went in small bands, just as they did in the beginning,
before the Great Medicine told them to unite. The last flood des-
troyed almost everything, and the red men were on the point of
starvation, so that they had to start back to their original home
in the north as they had done before. When they reached the north
country they found the land all barren. There were no trees, and
there was not a living animal there, and not a fish in the water.
When the red men looked upon their once beautiful home they
cried aloud and all the women and children wept. This happened
in the beginning, when the Great Medicine created us.

After many hundreds of years, just before the winter season came,
the earth shook and the high hills sent forth fire and smoke. When
the winter season came, there came great floods. All of the red
men and women had to dress in furs and live in caves, for the
winter was long and cold. It destroyed all of the trees, but when
spring came there was a new growth. The red men suffered much,
and were almost famished when the Great Medicine took pity on
them and gave them corn to plant, and the buffalo for meat. From
that time there were no more floods and no more famines. The
people continued to live in the south. They grew and increased in
numbers, and there were many different bands with different lan-
guages, for the people were never united after the second flood.

The descendants of the original Cheyenne who inhabited the
beautiful country in the far north before the winter seasons came
on in this country, and to each of whom the great Prophet came,
had men who were magicians. They had supernatural wisdom.
They charmed not only their own people, but also all animals that
they lived on or ate. It made no difference how fierce or wild
the animals were, if those men used that secret influence on them,
they became so tame that the people could go right up to them and
handle them. This magic knowledge was handed down from the
original Cheyenne, who came from the far north/ To-day Bushy-
Head is the only one who understands that ancient ceremony, and
the Cheyenne of to-day place him in rank equal to the medicine-
arrow Keeper and his assistants.

The magicians of old understood the secret powers only, but
they could not bring forth live buffalo in big herds, and prophesy
like the original medicine-arrow Prophet, who was sent by the Great
Spirit to the Cheyenne, who still celebrate his arrows. It has
been confirmed by nearly all of the old Cheyenne, that about the
time that they were in that beautiful country in the far north the

March, 1905. The Cheyenne — Dorsey. 37

white persons of to-day are the same as the bearded people who
were then there, but when the Great Spirit sent winters it divided
them from the white persons. But the floods that came on after
the winters set in divided the Indian or red people. This is the
reason the Cheyenne give as the cause of the existence of different
tribes speaking different languages.

15.— THE ORIGIN OF THE CHEYENNE.

Many thousands of years ago the Cheyenne inhabited a country
in the far north, across a great body of water. For two or three
years they had been overpowered by an enemy that outnumbered
them, and they were about to become the enemy's slaves, and they
were filled with sorrow. Among their number was a great medicine-
man who possessed a wooden hoop, like those used in the games of
to-day. On one side of the hoop were tied magpie feathers, while
opposite them, on the other side of the hoop, was a flint spear head,
with the point projecting toward the center of the hoop. One
night the great chief told the people to come to a certain place.
When they were assembled he led them away. He kept in advance
of them all the time, and- in his left hand he held a long staff,
and in his right hand he held his hoop horizontally in front of
him, with the spear head of the hoop pointing forward. No one
was allowed to go in front of him. On the fourth night of their
journey they saw, at some distance from the ground, and apparently
not far in front of them, a bright light. As they advanced the light
receded, and appeared always a little farther beyond. They trav-
eled a few more nights, and the fire preceded them all the way, until
they came to a large body of water. The medicine-man ordered
the Cheyenne to form in a line along the edge of the water, and they
obeyed. He then told them that he was going to take them across
the water to another land, where they would live forever. As they
stood facing the water the medicine-man asked them to sing four
times with him, and he told them that as they sang the fourth time he
would lead them across the water. As he sang the fourth time he
began to walk forwards and backwards, and the fourth time he
walked directly into the water. All the people followed him. He
commanded them not to look upward, but ever downward. As
they went forward the waters separated, and they walked on dry
ground, but the water was all around them. Finally, as they were
being led by night the fire disappeared, but they continued to fol-
low the medicine-man until daylight, when they found themselves
walking in a beautiful country.

38 Field Columbian Museum — Anthropology, Vol. IX.

In the new country they found plenty of game to live on. The
medicine-man taught the Cheyenne many things, but they seemed
to be of weak minds, though they were physically strong. Out of
these Cheyenne there sprang up men and women who were large,
tall, strong, and fierce, and they increased in number until they
numbered thousands. They were so strong that they could pick
up and carry off on their backs the large animals that they killed.
They tamed panther and bear and trained them to catch wild game for
them to eat. They had bows and arrows, and were always dressed in
furs and skins, and in their ignorance they roamed about like animals.
In those days there were very large animals. One variety of these
animals was of the form of a cow, though four times as large; by
nature it was tame and grazed along the river banks ; men milked them.
Boys and men to the number of twenty could get upon their backs
without disturbing them. Another variety of these large animals
resembled in body the horse, and they had horns and long, sharp teeth.
This was the most dangerous animal in the country. It ate men, had
a mind like a human being, and could trail a human being through
the rivers and tall grasses by means of its power of scent. Of
these there were but few. In the rivers there were long snakes
whose bodies were so large that a man could not jump over them.

The Cheyenne remained in the north a long time, but finally
roamed southward, conveying their burdens by means of dogs.
While they were traveling southward there came a great rain and
flood all over the country. The rivers rose and overflowed, and
still the rain kept falling. At last the high hills alone could be
discerned. The people became frightened and confused. On a
neighboring hill, and apart from the main body of the Cheyenne,
were a few thousand of their number, who were out of view,
and had been cut off from the main body by the rising water.
When the rains ceased and the water subsided the part who
were cut -off looked for their tribesmen, but they found no sign of
them; and it has ever since been a question among the Cheyenne
whether this band of people was drowned, or whether it became a
distinct tribe. Long afterward the Cheyenne met a tribe who used
many of their words, and to-day they believe that a part of their
people are still living in the north. Nearly all the animals were
either drowned or starved to death. The trees and fruit upon
which the people had formerly subsisted were destroyed. A few
large gray wolves escaped with them, for they had crossed with the
tame dogs. The dogs were so large that they could carry a child
several miles in a dav. After the flood had subsided the senses of

March, 1905. The Cheyenne — Dorsey. 39

the Cheyenne seemed to be awakened. They became strong in
mind but weak in body, for now they had no game to subsist on.
They lived on dried meat and mushrooms, which sustained them
for a long time.

16.— THE ORIGIN OF THE BUFFALO AND OF CORN.

When the Cheyenne were still in the north they camped in a
large circle. At the entrance of the camp-circle there was a deep
spring of water rapidly flowing from out the hillside. They camped
near this spring so that they might get their water easily. One bright
day they were playing the game of ring and javelin in the center
of the circle. The game consisted of a hoop painted red and black
all over, and four throwing sticks which were to be thrown at the
hoop when it was rolled. Two of the sticks were painted red, and
two were painted black. The sticks were three or four feet long,
and were tied together in pairs. The hoop was rolled along the ground,
and as it rolled the red or the black sticks were thrown at it, and the
contestants won accordingly as the black or red portion of the ring
fell upon the black or red sticks as it stopped. The owner of the
stick which matched the color of that portion of the ring that fell on
it won. There was a large crowd of Cheyenne gathered in the middle
of the camp, watching the game. As the players contested there came
from the south side of the camp-circle a certain young man to witness
the game. He stood outside of the crowd to look on. He wore a
buffalo robe with the hair side turned out, his body was painted
yellow, and a yellow painted eagle breath-feather stuck up on top
of his head. Soon there came from the north side of the camp-circle
another young man to see the game, and he was dressed exactly
like the man who came from the south side. He also stood outside
of the crowd, and opposite the first man, to view the game. When
they saw each other they went inside the crowd and met face to face
and asked each other questions. They were unacquainted with
each other, and were surprised when they saw that they were dressed
alike. The crowd stopped playing the game, and steod around to
hear what the two young men said. The man from the south said
to the man from the north, "My friend, you are imitating my manner
of dress. Why do you do it?" Then the man from the north said,
"Why do you imitate my manner of dress?" A last each told the
other the reason for his manner of dress on that day. Each claimed
to have entered the spring that flowed out from the hillside at the
entrance to the camp-circle, where he had been instructed to dress

40 Field Columbian Museum — Anthropology, Vol. IX.

after this fashion. They then told the great crowd that they were
going to enter the spring again, and that they would soon come out.
The crowd watched them as they approached the spring. The man
from the south side reached the spring, covered his head with his
buffalo robe, and entered. The other young man did the same thing.
They splashed the water as they went, and soon found themselves
in a large cave. Near the entrance sat an old woman cooking some
buffalo meat and corn in two separate earthen pots. The woman wel-
comed them thus: "Grandchildren, you have come. I have been ex-
pecting you, and am cooking for you. Come and sit down beside me."
They sat down, one on each side of her, and told her that their people
were hungry, and that they had come to her for their relief. The
woman gave them corn from one pot and meat from the other. They
ate, and were filled, and when they were through the pots were as
full as when they began. Then the old woman told the young men
to look toward the south. They looked, and they saw the land to the
south covered with buffalo. She then told them to look to the west.
They looked, and saw all manner of animals, large and small, and
there were ponies, but they knew nothing of ponies in those days,
for they never had seen any. She then told them to look toward the
north. They looked to the north, and saw everywhere growing
corn. Then said the old. woman to them, "All this that you have
seen shall in the future be yours for food. This night I cause the
buffalo to be restored to you. When you leave this place the buffalo
shall follow you, and you and your people shall see them coming
from this place before sunset. Take in your robes this uncooked corn.
Every spring-time plant it in low, moist ground, where it will grow.
After it matures you will feed upon it. Take also this meat and
corn which I have cooked, and when you have returned to your
people, ask them all to sit down in the following order, to eat outof
these two pots: first, all males, from the youngest to the oldest, with
the exception of one orphan boy; second, all females, from the oldest
to the youngest, with the exception of one orphan girl. When all
are through eating, the contents of the pots are to be eaten by the
orphan boy and the orphan girl."

The two young men went out and obeyed the old woman. When
they passed out of the spring they saw that their entire bodies were
painted red, and the breath-feathers of their heads were painted
red instead of yellow. They went to their people, and they ate as
directed of the corn and the meat, and there was enough for all;
and the contents of the pots was not diminished until it came time
for the two orphan children, who ate all the food. Toward sunset.

March, 1905. The Cheyenne — Dorsey. 41

the people went to their lodges and began watching the spring closely,
and in a short time they saw a buffalo jump from the spring. It
jumped and played and rolled, and then returned to the spring.
In a little while another buffalo jumped out, then another, and an-
other, and finally they came out so fast that the Cheyenne were no
longer able to count them. The buffalo continued to come out until
dark, and all night and the following day the whole country out in
the distance was covered with buffalo. The buffalo scented the
great camp, for they left a long, narrow space where the wind went
from the camp. The next day the Cheyenne surrounded the buffalo.
Though they were on foot they ran very fast. For a time they had
an abundance of buffalo meat. In the spring-time they moved their
camp to low, swampy land, where they planted the corn they had
received from the medicine spring. It grew rapidly, and every
grain they planted brought forth strong stalks, and t>n each stalk
grew from two to four ears of corn. The Cheyenne planted corn
every year after this.

One spring, after the planting of their corn, the Cheyenne went
on a buffalo hunt. When they had enough meat to dry to last them
for a considerable time, they returned to their corn-fields. To their
surprise they found that their corn had been stolen by a neighboring
tribe. Nothing but the stalks remained, not even a kernel for seed;
so it was a long time before the .Cheyenne planted any more corn.
They trailed the footprints of the enemy for several days from their
fields, though the thieves had visited them about one moon before.
They fought with two or three tribes of Indians, but could not trace
the thieves, nor could they learn anything regarding the stolen corn.

17.— THE ORIGIN OF THE MEDICINE-ARROWS.

After the Cheyenne had received their corn, and while they were
still in the north, a young man and young woman of the tribe were
married. The young woman became pregnant, and carried her
child four years in her womb. The people observed the woman with
great interest to see what would happen to her. During the fourth
year she brought forth a beautiful boy. The child's father and
mother died before he was able to take care of himself, and so his
grandmother, who lived alone, took care of him. The Cheyenne
regarded the birth of the child as extraordinary, and they looked
upon him as supernatural. Soon the boy walked and talked. As
soon as the boy could walk he was given a buffalo calf robe to wear,
and was shown how to wear it. He at once turned the hair side of

42 Field Columbian Museum — Anthropology, Vol. IX.

the robe out. At that time the medicine-men were the only ones
who wore their robes in that way.

There were among the Cheyenne certain men of extraordinary
intelligence and superhuman powers. At certain times these great
i medicine-men would come together and put up a lodge, where they
\ would sit in a large circle. They would chant and go through curious
rituals. Each man would rise and by incantation perform before
the crowd as no other man could perform. When the boy was about
ten years old he desired to go and take part in one of the magic dances
given by the great medicine-men. He insisted that his grandmother
go to the chief of the medicine-men and gain for him admission to
the dance. His grandmother told one of the medicine-men of the
boy's desire, and so they let him enter the lodge. When the boy
went into the lodge the chief said to him, "Where do you want to
live?" (Where do you want to sit?) Without ceremony the boy
took his seat beside the chief. He wore his robe, and had the man
who brought him in paint his body red, with black rings around his
face, and around each wrist and ankle. The performance began
at one end of the circle. When the boy's turn to perform came he
told the people what he was going to do. With sweet grass he burned
incense. Through the incense he passed his buffalo sinew bow-string
east, south, west, and north. Then he asked two men to assist
him while he performed. First he had them "tie his bow-string
around his neck, then cover his body with his robe, then pull at the
ends of the string. They pulled with all their might, but they could
not move him. He told them to pull harder, and as they pulled at
the string again his head was cut off and rolled from under his robe,
and his body was left under the robe. They took his head and placed
it under the robe with his body. Next they removed the robe, and
there sat a very old man in place of the boy. They covered the old
man with the robe, and when they removed the robe again, there
was a pile of human bones with a skull. They spread the robe over
the bones, and when it was removed there was nothing there.
Again they spread the robe, and when they removed it, there was
the boy again.

After the magic dance the Cheyenne moved their camp and
hunted buffalo. The wonderful boy and a crowd of other boys went
out by themselves to hunt buffalo calves that might be returning to
the place where they last saw their mothers. They saw five or six
calves, one of which was a two-year-old. The wonderful boy asked
the other boys to surround the calves so that he might kill the two-
year-old. They chased the calves and killed the two-year-old with

March, 1905. The Cheyenne — Dorsey. 43

their bows and arrows. The boys began to skin the buffalo calf
with their bone knives. The wonderful boy told the other boys to
skin it very carefully, for he wanted the skin for his robe. He told
them to skin the whole head, and to leave the hoofs on. While they
were skinning the calf they saw a man coming toward them, driving
a dog team. The man had come to the killing-ground to gather what
bones had been left. When the man saw the boys he went to them.
This man was Young- Wolf, the head chief of the tribe. He said to
the boys, "My children have favored me at last. I shall take charge
of this whole buffalo. You boys can go off, for I have come. You
cannot take this buffalo." All the boys stopped skinning except
the wonderful boy, who told the chief that he wanted only the hide
for his robe, and that the boys were dressing it under his directions.
The chief pushed the wonderful boy aside, but the boy returned
and began skinning again. The chief jerked the boy away, and
threw him down. The boy returned and began skinning again, and
pretended that he was going to skin one of the hind legs, but he cut
the leg off at the knee instead, and left the hoof on. While the chief
was skinning the calf the boy struck him on the back of the head
with the buffalo leg, and instantly killed him. The chief fell to the
ground dead. The boys ran to their camp and told the people what
the wonderful boy had done, and it caused great excitement. All
the warriors assembled and resolved to kill the wonderful boy. They
went out and found the body of their chief, but the wonderful boy
had already returned to the camp with the other boys, and he was
in his grandmother's lodge. The old woman was cooking food for
him in an earthen pot. Suddenly the old woman's tipi was raised
completely by the warriors, who had returned from their hunt for
the wonderful boy. The wonderful boy kicked over the cooking
pot, and its contents went into the fire, and as the smoke rose the
boy, by mysterious means, went up with it, and the warriors saw
the old woman sitting the're alone. As they looked around they saw
the boy walking off toward the east at a distance of about a quarter
of a mile from them. The warriors pursued him, but could not
approach nearer to him, so they gave up the chase. Four times
they chased him without avail. Early one morning, while one of
the young men was out hunting near their camp, he saw the won-
derful boy down in a ravine, warming himself by a fire he had built.
The young man returned to the camp at once, and notified the war-
riors, who immediately went out and surrounded the ravine. They
saw the fire, but the boy had turned into a wolf, and jumped over
a high bluff and ran away, howling at the crowd. They began to be

44 Field Columbian Museum — Anthropology, Vol. IX.

afraid of him, for they could do nothing with him, but they still
watched for him every day. One day they saw him appear on the
top of a nearby hill. Every, one's attention was attracted, and they
went out to see him. He came to the top of the hill five times, and
each time he was in a different dress. First he appeared in the Red
Shield warrior's dress. He had a head-dress made out of buffalo
skin; he had horns, a spear, a red shield, and two buffalo tails tied
on each arm. The second time he appeared in the Coyote warrior's
dress. His body was painted black and yellow, with two eagle
feathers sticking up on his head. The third time he appeared in
the Dog-Men warrior's dress. He had on a feathered head-dress, an
eagle bone whistle, a rattle of buffalo hoof, and a bow and arrows.
The fourth time he appeared in the dress of the Hoof-Rattle warriors.
His body was painted, and he carried a rattle to sing by, also a spear
about eight feet long, with a crook at one end, the end of the shaft
being bent in semicircular form. The fifth time he appeared with
his body painted white, and on his forehead he wore a white owl
skin.

After his fifth appearance the wonderful boy disappeared en-
tirely. No one knew where he went, and he was soon forgotten,
and people thought him dead. He was gone four years. He traveled
alone into the highest peaks of the mountains. As he drew hear to
a certain peak a door opened for him to enter. He passed through
the door into the earth, and the opening closed after him. There
he found men of all tribes, sitting .around in a large circle. Each man
represented a tribe, and had a bundle. There was one bundle present
that was unaccompanied, and as the Cheyenne entered all welcomed
him and pointed him to the unoccupied seat under the bundle that
was wrapped in fox skin. Before taking this seat the head man
explained to him what he would expect of his people if he took the
seat under the bundle, which was going to be his to take back to his
people. The head man told him that he would have to stay here
under the earth with them for four years, receiving instructions;
that he was to become the prophet and counsellor of the Cheyenne.
As the Cheyenne followed his instructions and accepted the bundle
all the men gave thanks to him. The Cheyenne sat down, and when
his turn came to perform his bundle ceremony, they took down his
bundle and went through the sacred ceremonies and sacred songs
of his bundle, all in order. When they opened his bundle for him,
there were four medicine-arrows, each arrow representing something.
They gave the young man instructions concerning the order of the
bundle ceremony, and sacred songs in order, prophecies, magic, and

March, 1905. The Cheyenne — Dorsey. ' 45

material for warfare and hunting, to take back to his people at the
end of his four years' stay.

After the Cheyenne had driven the wonderful boy from their
camp the whole country was visited by a four years' famine. The
people became weak, and were threatened with starvation. All
animals died of starvation. The people ate herbs. One day, as
they were traveling in search of food, five children lingered behind
in search of herbs and mushrooms. While they were eating them
there appeared the wonderful young man who had been driven from
the camp. The young man said, "My poor children, throw away
those mushrooms. It is I who brought famine among you, for I
was angry at your people, who drove me from their camp. I have
returned to provide for you, so that you shall not hunger in the
future. Go and gather for me some dried buffalo bones and I will
feed you." The boys ran and gathered buffalo bones and brought
them to him. The wonderful boy made a few passes over them, and
they were turned into fresh meat, and he fed the children with fat,
marrow, liver, and other parts of the buffalo. When they had eaten
all they wanted he gave them fat and meat and told them to take
it to their people and tell them that he, Motzeyouf, had returned,
and that they should no longer hunger. The boys all ran to the
camp that their parents had made in the mean time. By magic, how-
ever, Motzeyouf reached the camp first. He entered the lodge of his
uncle and lay down to rest, for he was tired. His uncle was sitting
outside his lodge with his wife, and they did not see Motzeyouf enter.
When the Cheyenne heard 'from the boys what had happened, they
became excited. All went to the lodge where Motzeyouf was.
They came to Motzeyouf's uncle and began to question him, but
his uncle knew nothing of what they said. His uncle's wife went
into the lodge to get a pipe, and she saw Motzeyouf lying
there, covered with a buffalo robe. She saw that his robe,
shirt, leggins, and moccasins were painted red. She ran out of
the lodge and told the men that some one was in there. The men
guessed that it was Motzeyouf, and they went inside. The uncle
asked the strange man to sit up, and then all cried over him. The
men observed that Motzeyouf had a bundle with him, and, knowing
that he had power, they asked him what they should do. He told
them to camp in a circle, and have a large tipi put up in the center
of the circle. He called all the medicine-men to bring their rattles
and pipes to him. He went to the tipi that was prepared for the
ceremony, and performed the ceremony and sang the sacred songs,
as he had been instructed. When he came to the .part relating to

46 Field Columbian Museum — Anthropology, Vol. IX.

the fourth arrow, and its song, it was night, and the buffalo had
returned. The buffalo came like the roar of thunder, and it frightened
the Cheyenne. They went to Motzeyouf and asked him what to do.
He said, "Go and sleep, for the buffalo, your food, has returned to
you." The buffalo continued to roar like thunder as long as Mot-
zeyouf sang. The next morning the land was covered with buffalo,
and the people went out and killed all they wanted. From that
time forth the Cheyenne had plenty to eat and great power, owing
to the power of the medicine- arrows.

According to the account of Wolf-chief and his ancestors, the
medicine-arrows are from eighteen to twenty generations old. Mot-
zeyouf brought them from the earth.

18.— THE ORIGIN OF THE SUN-DANCE.

The great Medicine-Dance of the Cheyenne is a devout worship
of the Great Medicine, creator of the universe, ruler of the whole
earth and the heavens, in whose honor are performed, with great
reverence, the rites attendant upon a vow to him. From time im-
memorial the Cheyenne have performed this great ceremony in
honor of the Great Medicine. The great Medicine-lodge proper is
the true symbol of the ancient world, and to this day is so considered
by the old-time Half -Cheyenne (Sutayo), a people distinct and
separate from the Medicine- Arrow Cheyenne, who were the originators
of the dance. This dance represents the creation by the Great
Medicine and the Roaring Thunder of the Above, who is the great
chief of the air and the winds ; it represents the creation of the ancient
animal and vegetable worlds, the earth and all that is on it, the water
and its creatures, the blue sky, the sun, moon, stars, the clouds, the
winds, the thunder, rain, hail, and the rainbow. The great Med-
icine-Dance was performed only in times of pestilence or famine or
great need; for the Great Medicine promised the ancient Cheyenne
that he would replenish the earth and bless the people abundantly
if they would accurately perform the ceremony as he had given it
to them.

In the beginning the Great Medicine, the Dark Clouds, and the
Roaring Thunder revealed this ceremony to Erect-Horns, a medicine-
man who came forth from out the top of a high mountain peak in
the far north. There was famine in all of the northl and. Vegetation
withered, the animals starved, the land became barren and dry, and
the ancient Cheyenne were on the verge of starvation, for they had
no food but dried vegetation and their dogs of burden. They left

/■ '<■

'

; - ■- -v>_.

Pl. XII. The Cheyenne Journey to the North.

Pl. XIII. Erect-Horns Selects a Companion.

March, 1905. The Cheyenne — Dorsey. 47

the country and went farther north in search of food. See PI. XII.
At evening, when it was nearly dark, they made their camp by a
beautiful stream. The several leaders of the tribe went to the side
of the line and sat down in a semi-circle to watch the tribe as it marched
on towards the stream. As they sat watching the old men, the women,
the children, and the dog teams go by, one of the chiefs ordered the
men to go in pairs to certain women whom they admired, and to beg
food of them. As the men formed in pairs the chiefs called out to
the women to pay attention to the men who were approaching
them. One of the men who begged to be fed was a young med-
icine-man. When his turn came to beg for something to eat
he went alone to a beautiful woman whom he admired, and had
selected. See PL XIII. She was the wife of the chief of the tribe.
The woman was pleased with him, and she gave him something to
eat. While she stood waiting for him to finish eating the medicine-
man told the woman to make ready in haste, for he had chosen her
for a special purpose, and wanted her to go with him to the far north.
He told her to take her dogs and camp outfit, for they would be gone
about forty days. The woman consented, and they slipped away
without any one seeing them go.

A day and a night and a day the medicine-man traveled with the
woman, whose five dogs carried the tipi poles and the camping para-
phernalia. The second night they rested. The medicine-man directed
the woman to erect the tipi so that it would face the east, and to make
two sage brush beds. Then he told her that he had received a message
from the Great Medicine of the Above that he should go and bring to
his people the great Medicine-Lodge, the Great Medicine's symbol of
the ancient world, with the promise that, if the people would receive
the ceremony, buffalo and all other animals would make their ap-
pearance, all vegetation would be renewed, and there would be
an end to famine. The next morning they continued their journey,
and in the evening they pitched their tipi. Thus they journeyed
for several days. One day the woman said to the medicine-man,
"Why have you eloped with me? I have yet to receive your atten-
tion." The medicine-man replied, "The medicine-spirits require
your presence with me in order that I may fulfil one of the require-
ments of the great Medicine-Dance of the ancients, that is, to per-
petuate the race through woman. You must be patient until our
return, when I will bestow my affection upon you; but this must not
happen before we enter the mountain to which we are going." Again
they journeyed for several days, until they saw before them a forest,
from whose midst there arose a mountain to the sky; beyond they

48 Field Columbian Museum — Anthropology, Vol. IX.

saw great waters. See PI. XIV. On a beautiful morning they
came to a large rock in front of the mountain. ' They rolled the rock
aside, and found a passage, which they entered. When they had
entered the rock rolled back in its place and closed them in. They
were in the great lodge of the mountain. The spectacle was won-
derful. To-day the lodge is arranged in the same way. There the
medicine-man and the woman received ceremonial instruction from
the great Medicine, and from the Roaring Thunder, who talked to
them from out the top of the mountain peak. See PI. XV. For
four days the great Medicine taught them, and thus he spoke;
"From henceforth, by following my teachings, you and your children
shall be blessed abundantly; follow my instructions accurately, and
then, when you go forth from this mountain, all of the heavenly
bodies will move. The Roaring Thunder will awaken them, the sun,
moon, stars, and the rain will bring forth fruits of all kinds, all the
animals will come forth behind you from this mountain, and they
will follow you home. Take this horned cap to wear when you per-
form the ceremony that I have given you, and you will control the
buffalo and all other animals. Put the cap on as you go from here
and the earth will bless you."

The medicine-man and the woman came forth from the moun-
tain, and as they stepped out the whole earth seemed to become
new, and there came forth buffalo that followed them. See PI. XVI.
As they marched on, preceded by their dogs, the other animals
moved along behind them, and they watched the man and the woman
continually from the rear. When they camped at night the animals
lay down to rest. In the morning the medicine-man put on his
horned cap, and sang the sacred songs taught him while in the moun-
tain, and then he began the journey home, and the animals followed.
For many days they traveled, until the medicine-man knew that
they were near the camp of his people, who were still by the beautiful
stream. Then he halted, took his horned cap from his head, and
all the animals halted. In the morning he went to the camp of his
people, and told them that he had returned with the buffalo, so that
they should no longer suffer from hunger. He at once ordered that
the great Medicine-Lodge dance should be performed, exactly as
it was taught him in the mountain. When the Cheyenne saw the
medicine-man wearing the horned cap, they named him "Erect-
Horns," for when he wore the cap the horns stood erect.

The tribe has preserved the cap to this day, just as the great
medicine-arrows are preserved by the original Medicine-Arrow
Cheyenne, and the man who takes the vow to give the dance wears

Pl. XIV. They Discover the Sacred Mountain.

-

o

« •« .

Pl. XV. They Receive Instruction from the Great Medicine.

Pl. XVI. They Leave the Mountain, Followed by Buffalo.

FIELD COLUMBIAN MUSEUM.

ANTHROPOLOGY, PL. XVII.

Pl. XVII. The Ancient Cheyenne Camp-Circle.

.3J0AI :'.

March, 1905. The Cheyenne — Dorsey. 49

the cap. All the men who have heretofore pledged and performed
the great Medicine-Lodge dance since the time of Erect-Horns have
been leaders of other medicine-dances, and such medicine-men may
become leaders in several dances in succession.

There are two distinct bands of the Cheyenne, the old-time North-
ern Cheyenne, whose symbol is the great Medicine-Dance brought
by Erect-Horns. See PI. XVII. Their language is somewhat differ-
ent from that of the other Cheyenne, with whom they once warred.
The other band is the original Medicine-Arrow Cheyenne, whose
emblem was the great Medicine-Arrows brought by Motzeyouf
(Standing-Medicine), the great Medicine- Arrow Prophet. Standing-
Medicine and Erect-Horns are regarded as messengers from the
Great Medicine and the Roaring Thunder, because of their wonderful
powers and gifts; and they are both represented in the great Med-
icine-Lodge. Of the two forks of the great center-pole of the Med-
icine-Lodge, one represents the Medicine-Arrow Prophet, or Standing-
Medicine, and the other Erect-Horns, the great Medicine-Lodge
dancer.

At a certain time in the progress of the Medicine-Dance, the med-
icine-men direct the children to go and get mud and fashion it into
the form of buffalo two or three inches in height. Those children
who go after the mud return and sit outside the front of the lodge
and make images of buffalo, elk, deer, antelope, and birds, in pairs.
When they have completed the images, they are directed by the
medicine-men to bring them into the lodge and place them around
the base of the center fork. Thus they represent the buffalo and
other animals that the Medicine-Arrow Prophet and Erect-Horns
brought with them from the earth. This the Cheyenne do at every
medicine-dance, hoping that, as in ancient times, the buffalo will
come during the performance of the dance. Long ago, after the
disappearance of the two great medicine-men, the medicine-men
would sing the songs that were taught them by Erect- Horns during
the ceremony, and by the charm of the songs all the animals would
appear, running up to see the lodge.

There was a time when the Cheyenne captured human beings and
tied them to the center-pole as a sacrifice, in order that the tribe might
be blessed and might procure favor.

III. CONCLUSION.

In presenting a resume" of the more important points contained
in the foregoing pages, we may first examine the myths, with the
special idea of seeing how far they account for the rites of the cere-
monies. The first myth, called the Origin of the Cheyenne, is in
reality not an origin myth at all; for not only is the origin of any-
thing not explained, but there is no statement of the facts of begin-
nings. The myth rather may be termed a tale of migration, and
as such presents nothing which may be held to bear directly upon
the social organization. One point in the tale, however, is worth
noting, namely, that which relates to the belief in a hairy race of
men who lived in the Southwest in the caves and cliffs. Such refer-
ences are rather common in the plains mythology. One other inter-
esting fact may be noted in this tale, namely, the distinction implied
between medicine-men as physicians or healers, and medicine-men as
wonder-workers or magicians; a distinction which the Cheyenne still
maintain.

In the second myth presented, also entitled an origin myth, the
scene of the early Cheyenne is again laid in the Far North, across
a body of water. Being hard pressed by an overwhelming body of
the enemy, they are led out of their difficulties by a medicine-man
who makes use of the gaming wheel. Their movement is directed
by fire, which precedes them until they come to a body of water,
whereupon the medicine-man makes a dry path and leads them
south into a country of abundant game. At this time the tribe was
physically strong, but weak minded. The country was infested with
the usual monsters. While continuing southward they were over-
taken by a flood, part of the tribe being cut off and supposed to
exist still in the North. It is impossible from the tale itself to asso-
ciate the culture hero with Motzeyouf, or Standing-Medicine, but it
is not unreasonable to suppose that he was the same.

In the next tale, which explains the origin of the buffalo and
corn, we have presumably the same tale as that which is sometimes
told to explain the origin of the Sun-Dance lodge. Two young men,
dressed alike, encounter each other at a wheel and javelin game.
They compare notes and find that each has visited a spring that

50

March, 1905. The Cheyenne — Dorsey. 51

flows from the hillside near by, where each has received instructions.
Then they entered the spring together and encountered the mythical
grandmother, who gave the magic food which they took to their
people, and that night the buffalo came forth from the mountain.

In the next tale, which relates the origin of the medicine-arrows,
we have an account of the culture hero, who at an early age mani-
fested extraordinary powers as a medicine-man of the wonder-
working type. Continuing, the tale relates how he slew a mean chief,
fled to his grandmother's lodge and made his escape in the vapor
arising from an overturned vessel over the fire. He was pursued,
four times transformed himself into a wolf, and later reappeared at
the camp on five different occasions, each time dressed in a different
costume and his body differently painted. Thus he laid the founda-
tion of the five warrior societies. He then disappeared for a period
of four years, during which time he visited a high mountain peak,
was admitted to the lodge in its center and there, during the four
years, obtained instruction. At the end he was given a bundle
containing the sacred arrows and received full instructions concern-
ing the arrow ceremony. He returned to his tribe, which in the
mean time was slowly starving, and performed the medicine-arrow cere-
mony, which caused the buffalo to appear. This culture hero, called
Standing-Medicine, or Standing Sweet-Grass (Motzeyouf), is also
referred to in No. 2 of this series, in the account of the medicine-
arrow ceremony. There, as here, he is culture hero of a tale which
has a fairly wide distribution over the plains, and is often entitled
The Poor Boy and the Mean Chief. After slaying the mean chief in a
fit of anger, he goes to a mountain and returns with four arrows. He
then organizes the tribe, placing the guardians of the arrows first,
then the medicine-men, the chiefs, and finally the warriors. These
he organizes into five distinct societies. He was not only an organ-
izer, but a prophet, and foretold many things.

The last myth, entitled The Origin of the Sun-Dance, relates to
a culture hero having many elements in common with Standing-
Medicine. This culture hero belonged to the so-called Half -Cheyenne,
or Sutayo band, and later came to be known as Erect-Horns. The
scene of the tale is in the North, where famine prevails. The tribe
is camped in a circle. Being commanded by the chief to perform
a ceremony in pairs, one of the men — the culture hero — selects the
wife of the chief of the tribe, and with her he sets out on a forty-
day journey. During this time they fast and finally arrive at a
forest in the midst of which is a lofty mountain. They enter the
mountain by means of a door, and find that the interior resembles

52 Field Columbian Museum — Anthropology, Vol. IX.

a Sun-Dance lodge. There for four days they receive instructions
from the Great Medicine, and a buffalo cap is given them, which
they are to wear during the ceremony. As they leave the mountain
the earth seems reanimated, and buffalo follow them. They return
to their tribe, who are starving, perform the Sun-Dance ceremony,
and the buffalo appear.

Thus it appears that the tales collectively furnish us an account
of two culture heroes, or one culture hero with two names, who left
the camp, visited a mountain, witnessed a ceremony, obtained a
bundle, returned to the camp and performed a ceremony as it had
been witnessed, with the result that the tribe was rescued from
famine at that particular time and was furnished means for warding
off famine and their enemies in the future. There is no word of
explanation as to why the ceremony was given or how it was origi-
nated in the true sense of the word. Standing-Medicine and Erect-
Horns simply bring to the people a special medicine, in the form
of a ceremony which they had witnessed and in which they had
been instructed by supernatural beings.

From, a consideration of the myths, or the ritualistic side, we turn
to consider the organization, as we find it with its attending cere-
monies and rites. In the first section we have a brief account of
the journey of Standing-Medicine, with a description of the arrows,
two of which are known as "man-arrows" and two as "buffalo-
arrows," so-called from their efficacy in calling buffalo, or in destroy-
ing enemies. Then follows a necessarily incomplete description of
the medicine-arrow ceremony, which may be summarized as follows:

First Day. The pledger, or one who has vowed to make the
ceremony, erects his tipi in the center of. the camp circle. To this
tipi offerings or sacrifices are made. The warrior societies decide
upon the place to erect the medicine- arrow lodge proper. The
medicine-men now occupy this tipi, while the warrior societies police
the camp.

Second Day. The pledger, with three men, removes the offer-
ings from the sacrifice tipi to the medicine-arrow lodge. They then
go to the tipi of the keeper of the medicine-arrow bundle and bring
the bundle to the medicine-arrow lodge. The bundle is opened,
and should they require it, the assistant arrow-keepers prepare the
arrows.

Third Day. Tally sticks are provided, each representing a Chey-
enne family; incense is burned during the entire day in the medicine-
arrow lodge. The medicine-men throughout the camp devote their
time to renovating and preparing their individual medicines.

March, 1905. The Cheyenne — Dorsey. 53

Fourth Day. The bundle of sacred arrows is taken by the assistant
arrow-keepers and attached to a pole which is erected in front of the
medicine-arrow lodge. The presents or offerings are brought out
and laid by the pole. The arrows may now be inspected by every
male of whatsoever age in the tribe. As they are inspected, addi-
tional offerings are made. After the inspection the warriors raze
the medicine-arrow lodge and re-erect it over the present site of the
bundle, and it is now called, the prophet's lodge. The medicine-
arrows are now returned to the arrow-keeper. On the night of this
day all the medicine-men, including the pledger, or prophet, as he
is now called, enter the prophet's lodge and sing the traditional
songs, after which the prophet prophesies. At about three o'clock
in the morning the lodge is uncovered, the keeper and medicine-
men return to the site of the tipi erected on the first day, and known
as the sacrifice tipi, where a sweat lodge has been erected. During
the sweat bath they chant four times and remove their paint, and
the ceremony is at an end.

Sections 2, 3 and 4 of this memoir relate to the duties of the keeper
and the assistant keepers of the medicine-arrows and of the medicine-
men and their relation to the keeper of the arrows.

The next section is devoted to the chiefs and describes the cere-
monies and rites attendant upon the election of new chiefs. The
camp circle is formed. A bundle, known as the chief's bundle, is
opened by the medicine-arrow keepers, and forty tally sticks, known
as the chief's sticks, are erected. The chiefs select five men, one
from each of the important Cheyenne bands. These men are brought
to the lodge and seated in a certain position, a chief's stick being
placed in front of each new member. Then the old chiefs in a body
bring in the other thirty-five men whom they have selected as new
chiefs, the medicine-men erecting a stick in front of each one. All
are now seated and the chiefs' pipe is smoked. Then one of the
four assistant arrow-keepers addresses the newly appointed chiefs
on their duties and instructs them, and appoints four Of the number
of the retiring chiefs, generally medicine-men, to serve as advisors.
These advisors are also the medicine-arrow keepers, and are so
selected that one represents a magic-working medicine-man, the
second a pledger of the arrow ceremony, or prophet, the third a Sun-
Dance priest, and the fourth a pledger of the buffalo ceremony.

The remainder of this memoir, except the last section, is devoted
to the warrior societies. These in general are similar to the societies
of the Arapaho, but are different from the Arapaho in certain fea-
tures. Thus, they are not graduated in rank as are the Arapaho,

54 Field Columbian Museum — Anthropology, Vol. IX.

but a member of any age may become a member of any one of the
societies. Each society is controlled by a chief and seven assistants.
Each society has certain paints, costumes, songs, and characteristic
dances. Four of the societies admit four maidens to their lodge;
these, as a rule, are daughters of chiefs. The first society is known
as the Red Shield Warriors, the name being derived from the fact
that each carries a large red shield of buffalo hide, so cut as to retain
the tail of the- buffalo in the form of a pendant. From the fact
that they wore a head-dress of the scalp of the buffalo they are some-
times called the Buffalo Warriors. The belt of their costume is
suggestive of the Arapaho Lance or Clubboard Society. The lance
which they carry, however, is suggestive of the weapon used by the
Arapaho Tomahawk Society.

Second in order is the Hoof -rattle, or Dew-claw society, so called
because each warrior carried a rattle in the form of a shaft, with
dew-claw pendants. The general emblem of the society was an elk
horn musical instrument, shaped in the form of a snake. This was
held over a piece of rawhide, which acted as a resonator, and the
noise to accompany the songs and dancing was produced by drawing
over it a deer's scapula. The nearest approach to this society among
the Arapaho is the Tomahawk.

The Coyote society, or Coyote Warriors, derive their name from
the fact that the members imitate the coyote and that the emblem
of the society is a coyote skin. This society may be compared with
the Star or Kit-Fox of the Arapaho.

The Dog-men society is said to be the largest among the Cheyenne,
and includes in its number half of the males of the tribe. Formerly
they controlled the entire tribe. They, like the Arapaho Dog-soldiers,
wear scarfs which trail to the ground and represent degrees. Also,
like the Arapaho society of the same name, they wear whistles hung
about their necks and use rattles with porcupine quills and dew-claw
pendants. In the account of the origin of the society it is related
how the society was formed with the assistance of the dogs of the
camp.

The fifth society is known as the Inverted, or Bow-string warriors.
It is peculiar in the fact that it has no chief and there are no degrees.
It is, strictly speaking, a warrior society, and the members are sup-
posed to be always ready for war. The emblem of the society is a
peculiarly constructed bow-spear. The characteristic features of the
society are similar to those of the Lime Crazy society of the Arapaho,
inasmuch as their speech and action reverse the usual order. Another
point of similarity is to be noted in their head-dress.

March, 1905. The Cheyenne — Dorsey. 55

The last society, said to have originated within recent times, was
founded by Owl -man, and is known as the Wolf society. In the
mythological account of this society it is related how Owl-man was
rescued from perishing of cold by wolves, who took him to their
lodge and gave him the ceremony. Each warrior carries a spear
and wears a cape made of wolf -skin.

The last section of Part I. is devoted to the Sun-Dance. Inas-
much as this subject is to receive special treatment in the second
number of this volume, comment is deferred until that time.