Section 1

5
CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THE
MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN INDIAN
HEYE FOUNDATION
VOL. XVII
CROW INDIAN MEDICINE BUNDLES
BY
WILLIAM WILDSCHUT
Edited by JOHN C. EWERS
SECOND EDITION
NEW YORK
MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN INDIAN
HEYE FOUNDATION
1975 ^HSO/v^
JUL 2 0 2000
wildschut: crow medicine bundles
Frontispiece
CHIEF ROTTEN BELLY S SHIELD
THE MOST FAMOUS CROW INDIAN WAR MEDICINE
CAT. NO. 11/7680. DIAM 24 IN.
CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THE
MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN INDIAN
HEYE FOUNDATION
VOL. XVII
CROW INDIAN MEDICINE BUNDLES
BY
WILLIAM WILDSCHUT
Edited by JOHN G. EWERS
SECOND EDITION
NEW YORK
MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN INDIAN
HEYE FOUNDATION
1975
Library of Congress Card Number 74-33115
CONTENTS
PAGE
Foreword vii
Introduction i
Concepts of the Diety and of Supernatural Powers . . i
Origins of Medicine Bundles 4
Dreams 4
The Vision Quest 6
Medicine Bundle Covers and Contents 9
Testing the Medicine Bundle 12
Transfer of Bundles 14
Classification of Crow Medicine Bundles 16
The Collection of Crow Medicine Bundles 18
Sun Dance Bundles 20
Origin of the Sun Dance Bundle 20
Number of Crow Sun Dance Bundles 25
Two Leggings' Sun Dance Bundle 26
Sees- the-Tent- Ground's Sun Dance Bundle 29
Other Sun Dance Effigies 30
Conjectural History of the Sun Dance Bundle 33
War Medicine Bundles 34
Crow Leadership 34
War Honors and Insignia 37
Acquisition of War Medicine Bundles 39
Types of War Medicine Bundles 40
Hoop Medicine Bundles 43
Origin of the Hoop Medicine Bundle 43
Bull Show's Hoop Medicine Bundle 47
White Shirt's Hoop Medicine Bundle 47
Arrow Medicine Bundles 48
iii
IV CONTENTS
PAGE
Origin of the Arrow Medicine Bundles 48
Arrows from Arrow Medicine Bundles 51
Individual War Medicine Bundles 51
Two Leggings' War Medicine Bundle 51
Fat's War Medicine Bundle 53
Big Shoulder's War Medicine Bundle 54
Long Otter's War Medicine Bundle 55
Iron Fork's War Medicine Bundle 56
Big Forehead's War Medicine Bonnet 58
Buffalo Bull's War Medicine Shirt 60
Sees-the-Living-BuU's Moccasin Bundle 61
No Tears' Wolf skin War Medicine 63
Shields 65
Hump's Shield 67
Red Woodpecker's Shield 68
Yellow Brow's Shield 70
Rotten Belly's Shield 71
Miniature Shields 73
Skull Medicine Bundles 76
The Braided Tail Skull Medicine Bundle "]"]
The White Child Skull Medicine Bundle 79
Other Skull Medicine Bundles 80
Skull Bundle of Takes-Back-Twice 80
Skull Bundle of Never Dies 81
Pretty Blanket's Skull Medicine Bundle %z
Strike's-the-Hat's Skull Medicine Bundle 84
The Rotten Belly Jaw Medicine 86
Tooth and Hair Medicines %^
Rock Medicine Bundles 90
Powers Attributed to Rock Medicines 91
Ornamentation of Rock Medicines 93
Origin Legends 94
Opening of Rock Medicine Bundles 97
Ceremony of the Singing of the Cooked Meat 98
CONTENTS V
PAGE
Opening of Individual Rock Medicine Bundles 104
Little Nest's Rock Medicine Bundle 105
Smells' Rock Medicine Bundle no
Big Sky's Rock Medicine Bundle 112
Pretty Coyote's Rock Medicine Bundle 113
Medicine Pipe Bundles 114
Origin of the Medicine Pipe Society 114
Ceremony of the Medicine Pipe Society 119
Rotten Belly's Medicine Pipe Bundle 120
Pipe-holders' Pipe Bundles 121
Standing Bull's Medicine Pipe 122
Pretty Coyote's Medicine Pipe 122
Love Medicine Bundles 123
Weasel Moccasin's Love Medicine Effigies 123
Travels' Love Medicine Robe of Elkskin 123
Fog's Love Medicine Robe of Elkskin 125
Standing Elk's Love Medicine Flute 126
Flat Lip's Love Medicine Flute 129
Long Tail's Love Medicine Flute 129
Long Tail's Love Medicine Effigy and Headdress .... 130
Old Crow's Love Charming Belt 130
Elk Love Medicine of Short's Wife 130
Antelope Love Medicine Power 131
Witchcraft Medicine Bundles 133
Healing Medicine Bundles 136
Slippery Eyes' Snake Medicine Bundle 136
Long's Buffalo Medicine Bundle 139
Buffalo Tail Wound-Treating Medicines 140
Buffalo chip Medicine of Big Ox 141
Medicine for Treating Barren Women 142
Medicine for Treating-Women's Diseases 142
Big Forehead's Wolf Medicine 143
Dream Origins of Herb Medicines 143
Stomach Kneaders 144
VI CONTENTS
PAGE
Buffalo Hunting Medicines 146
Historical and Comparative Survey. By John C. Ewers .... 147
The Prehistoric Crow Indians 147
Evidence of Medicine Bundles in the Prehistoric Period 149
The Archeological Evidence 149
The Evidence of Mythology 151
Crow Medicine Bundles in the Early Historic Period . 152
Medicine Bundles Among Other Upper Missouri Tribes 155
Sun Dance Bundles 155
War Medicine Bundles 157
Arrow Medicine Bundles 158
Shields 158
Skull Medicine Bundles 159
Rock Medicine Bundles 160
The Medicine Pipes 161
Pipe-holders' Pipes 162
Love Medicines 163
Witchcraft Bundles 164
Healing Medicine Bundles 165
Hunting Medicine Bundles 166
Adoption of "White Men's Magic" as Crow Medicines 167
Conclusions 169
Editor's Bibliography 174
ILLUSTRATIONS
Plate I. frontispiece
Plate II. facing page 30
Plate III. facing page 80
Plate IV. facing page 120
Figures follow bibliography
FOREWORD
The late Robert H. Lowie, foremost student of the Crow Indians, has defined Crow medicine bundles simply as "wrapped-up aggregations of sacred objects." To the average white man, the miscellaneous assortment of strange-appearing objects contained in many of these bundles is meaningless. But to the student of American Indian culture these same materials are rich in sym- bolism. They are the objective expressions of the traditional religious beliefs and practices of a vigorous and deeply religious people.
Scattered references to the sacred bundles of the Crow Indians have appeared in the writings of white men for more than 150 years. In fact, Fran9ois Larocque, who traveled with the Crows during the summer of 1805, mentioned their medicine bundles in his Journal, the earliest known account of the life of these Indians. However, the systematic study of the role of medicine bundles in Crow Indian religion was not initiated until the first decade of the present century. In the year 1907, Dr. Robert H. Lowie of the American Museum of Natural History commenced intensive field studies among the Crow Indians during which he directed his attention primarily to the social and religious aspects of their culture. These studies culminated in the publication of a series of excellent technical papers on various aspects of traditional Crow life. Three of them dealt with medicine bundles. The Sun Dance of the Crow Indians (Lowie, 1915), described the sun dance bundle. The Religion of the Crow Indians (Lowie, 1922), described a number of different types of medicine bundles. And Minor Ceremonies of the Crow Indians (Lowie, 1924), included an account of the medi- cine pipe ceremony. Nevertheless, Lowie collected very few of the Crow medicine bundles he described in his writings.
In the year 1918, WiUiam Wildschut, a business man of Billings, Montana, near the Crow Reservation, began to take a serious interest in collecting ethnological materials among the these Indians. As had Lowie before him, Wildschut became espec- ially interested in Crow religious life. Probably Lowie's publica- tions furnished valuable leads in his collecting, for we know that Wildschut read Lowie's works and that he purchased for the col-
Vlll FOREWORD
lections of this museum some of the most important medicine bundles described by Lowie.
From the owners of the bundles he collected, as well as from other Indians who possessed knowledge of them, Wildschut ob- tained information about the origin, history and uses of these sacred objects. Among his informants he numbered two of the most highly respected Crow chiefs, Plenty Coups and Two Leg- gings. Jasper Long of St. Xavier, on the Crow Reservation, served as Wildschut 's interpreter during the nine years he spent in field research.
Wildschut was very patient in his work with the older Indians. His correspondence with the late George G. Heye, during the period of his Crow fieldwork, repeatedly mentioned his satisfaction at being able to purchase a particular bundle for this museum's collection after two or even three years of negotiation with its Indian owner. Even so, there were Indians who were unwilling to part with their sacred bundles for the reason that they were still very important to them in their religious life.
By 1927 William Wildschut had collected more than 260 Crow Indian medicine bundles. This is by far the largest and most representative series of such bundles preserved in any depository. It probably is the largest single collection of medicine bundles from any Plains Indian tribe.
Over the years Wildschut learned of and collected examples of types of medicine bundles which were not reported in Lowie's writings on the Crow Indians. Among them were the dramatic skull bundles which were not mentioned in the writings of any other student of Crow Indian culture. He also collected from Indian informants, not alone a large body of information regarding medi- cine bundles in general, but, more importantly, data on the origin, history and uses of particular bundles. A small portion of this information appeared in six short, illustrated articles written by Wildschut and published in this museum's Indian Notes series during the years 1925 and 1926. (See the bibliography at the end of this monograph). In 1927 William Wildschut wrote for this museum a lengthy manuscript on the Crow Indians the greater part of which dealt with the subject of medicine bundles.
William Wildschut passed away in 1955. Two years later I asked John C. Ewers, formerly Associate Curator of Ethnology at the U. S. National Museum, who had engaged in extensive field work among the Indian tribes of the Upper Missouri region, to
FOREWORD IX
read Mr. Wildschut's Crow manuscript with the view of determining the desirabihty of editing significant portions of it for publication by this museum. We agreed that Wildschut's material on medicine bundles represented a distinct contribution which should be publish- ed along with photographs of bundles in the museum's collections, which Wildschut collected and which he described or referred to in his manuscript.
In preparation for editing the Wildschut manuscript Mr. Ewers examined the collection of Crow medicine bundles in this museum and re-examined the literature on the Crow Indians and neigh- boring tribes of the Upper Missouri. In editing the manuscript for publication Mr. Ewers has reorganized and condensed portions of it. He also has provided detailed descriptions of the contents of some important bundles mentioned in Wildschut's correspondence but not fully described in his manuscript. Where these interpola- tions occur, they are set between brackets, and are further identified by the Editor's initials, JCE. The footnotes are, ob- viously, Mr. Ewers', and he has written a concluding chapter tracing the history of Crow medicine bundles and the relationships of the Crow bundles to those of other tribes of the Upper Missouri as revealed by studies of the literature.
Finally, the museum is deeply indebted to Dr. T. Dale Stewart, Curator of Physical Anthropology at the U. S. National Museum, for his careful examination and report upon the two skulls in the skull medicine bundles, and the Rotten Belly jaw medicine.
E. K. Burnett September i960
INTRODUCTION
IT is well known that bundles composed of sacred objects, be- lieved to have possessed magical powers, were in use among the many tribes which inhabited the western Great Plains. Not only did the Crow Indians own a great many of these bundles, but it would seem that their bundles were more varied and served a greater variety of purposes than those of any neighboring group. These medicine bundles were such an integral part of Crow Indian religious life that it would be impossible to discuss them without first considering the basic concepts of traditional Crow Indian religion.
CONCEPTS OF THE DIETY AND OF SUPERNATURAL POWERS
All informants agree that the Crow Indians believe in one supreme being who was the creator of everything. Under the in- fluence of Christian missionaries, who wished to give the Crows a word which would bring to the Indian mind the white man's con- cept of God, the supreme being has become known by the name of Akhatekdia, "He Who Does Everything." In earlier times the Crow concept of the supreme being was expressed by the term Bahkoore-Mahishtsedah, which is, Hterally, "Above Keep His Eyes Yellow", and is more freely translated "The Above Person with the Yellow Eyes", "The Great Above Person," or "The White Man Above." Mahishtsedah, "His Eyes Yellow," is the Crow name for the white man. Hence the translation "White Man Above."
A still earlier name for the supreme being appears in the Crow creation legend which was related to me by Chief Two Leggings. It is Eehtreshbohedish, meaning "Starter of All Things," commonly translated "First Worker."^
^ In 1862 Robert Meldrum, a fur trader who had lived among the Crows for 35 years and probably knew these Indians better than any other white man, told Lewis Henry Morgan that the Crows recognized a Great Spirit whose name meant "Who made it." (Morgan, 1959. p. 172). Edward S. Curtis translated the name of the Crow diety "He First Made All Things." Curtis claimed the Crows believed that "He is composed of all the vapory elements that existed before the world was formed by him." (Curtis, Vol. IV. 1909. p. 52).
2 CROW INDIAN MEDICINE BUNDLES
It was First Worker who gave to all things, organic and in- organic, a purpose and a power. Thus the Indian, who is visited in his dream or vision by a personified animal, plant, rock or spirit, accepts this visitant as his sacred helper in life, but he never forgets that it was First Worker who originally imparted to his sacred helper the power attributed to it. This power, known among the Crows as Maxpe, and commonly translated "medicine," was given in greater or lesser degree to all things. According to Crow belief it could be bestowed by a supernatural helper upon an individual Indian for the purpose of assisting him throughout his earthly life.
Only in their most important ceremonies and in their quests for visions did the Crow Indians offer their prayers directly to First Worker. Generally they prayed to the supernatural beings seen in their visions and represented in their individual medicine bundles.
The Crow Indians also believe that beyond the tangible world there is a supernatural one in which the beings are divided into two clans. One is called the "Without Fires." To this clan belong the sun, moon, stars, and thunder; all the animals that live in the water and on the earth, and the little whirl- winds that one fre- quently sees dancing over the prairies, but not the wind. This clan also includes the souls of the dead and dwarfs (although the latter are thought to live like human beings and to use fire for cooking). The chief of the "Without Fires" is Old Man Coyote.
The other clan is composed of the supernatural earth and every- thing that springs from it — all of the plants, flowers, trees and rocks. The Earth clan has four chief spirits, wind, fire, water and the earth itself. The earth is regarded as our mother. From it is born our body and to it the body returns after death. Wind is our breath (corresponding to the soul) and after death it returns to the "Other Side Camp." Our words are our breath. They too are con- sidered sacred.
The "Without Fires" clan is itself divided into two clans, al- though the members of these clans are not specifically stated and may vary from time to time. These clans are very fond of gambling and their stakes are those human beings whom they have adopted and who are called their children. When one of these supernatural beings loses, the life of his adopted child is forfeited, and the child is "eaten" by the winning clan. Although the Crows use the expres- sion "eaten" in explaining their concept of the absorption of the soul of the dead by the winning clan, no idea of cannibalism is
INTRODUCTION 3
involved. Cannibalism was obnoxious to the Crows. They did not eat pieces of the liver or the heart of their enemies, and they be- lieved that anyone who attempted to do so would be punished by having his mouth twisted.
The Crows believe that death on the battlefield is most honorable. The soul of one who so dies is dressed with all the honors of a warrior and becomes one with the supernatural being who won him, to live a most honored life in the "Other Side Camp.** The clans of the "Without Fires" have a servant, a spirit in human form with pine trees growing from the lower lids of his eyes, who arranges war parties, brings the enemies together, and leads the souls of the dead to the winning clan where they are "eaten," absorbed or adopted by this clan. He is the nearest approach to the concept of an evil spirit known to the Crows. If no one is killed in a battle he returns to his supernatural home, disappointed and tired. The Crows call him Istseremurexposhe.
Old age is the next honorable death. Although it ranks lower than death on the battlefield, it generally is preferred. Survival to old age proved to the Crow that his supernatural protector was powerful, a good gambler, and fond of his child. When death finally overtakes the aged Crow he goes to the "Other Side Camp" where he lives in peace and happiness, as one with his supernatural helper.
Early death, not on the field of battle, was attributed to one of two causes. Either the supernatural father was not a powerful one and gambled away the life of his adopted child, or the Indian offended his guardian by failure to observe the taboos associated with his medicine or in some other way, causing the father to send his servant to take the Ufe of his child. Although the souls of those who died early passed to the "Other Side Camp," they were of lower rank there.
Lowest on the list of the dead were the suicides and the murderers. Their souls could not enter the "Other Side Camp," but roamed the earth as ghosts. Besides these ghosts of the dead, Aparaaxe, the Crows recognize the Maxuerete, spirits who never entered a living body. The Crow conception of them is vague. A third class of ghosts are the Ashuesherete, the ones "who have no hair on their heads," generally identified with the porcupines. Although ghosts are feared by the Crows, they are recognized as being capable of becoming a person's medicine.