Section 15

Most informants agreed that no restrictions were placed upon the number of invited guests. Yet some stated that in ancient times only ten such sticks were distributed and they were handed to the most famous medicine men in the tribe. Not all those in- vited were rock medicine owners. However, Coyote Runs and Mrs. Medicine-is-Her-Medicine agreed that none but rock medicine owners were entitled to participate in the ceremony.
Early on the day of the ceremony the invited guests assembled in the tipi of the feast-giver, each canying his supply of meat. Here aU joined in pounding the meat, which was then spread on a large rawhide. The feast-giver meanwhile had prepared the fat and dried chokecherries. After all the meat was pounded, the feast-giver sang four songs, holding his right hand, palm down, over the meat and lowering the same after each song, until, when the fourth song was finished, he touched the meat. He then fash- ioned the form of a bear with the meat, being careful that the head of this form faced the mountains. Again four different songs were sung. Then the feast-giver pressed with his knuckles the image of a bear track on the shoulders of this bear, after which he poured grease over these tracks.
Usually each guest reserves a small supply of meat which he places in front of him. Although these individual servings are not
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shaped in any particular form, bear tracks are pressed into them and the tracks filled with grease.
Then the meat is further mixed with grease and dried cho- kecherries and the feast-giver sings a song of joy. Next one of the guests shapes the mixed meat into one large, square piece and as many smaller ones as there are guests. The larger piece is called Macehce, meaning "The first big one." The smaller ones are round.
This ends the preliminary ceremony, and the guests leave for their respective lodges. The feast-giver then calls women thoroughly to clean his tipi and to arrange it for the ceremony proper. During the "Singing of the Cooked Meat" the tipi is pitched so that the opening faces the mountains. A log is placed near the opening and is covered with a well-tanned buffalo calfskin, hair side uppermost, upon which the rock medicine bundles are to be placed. Between this robe and the center of the lodge is placed the pemmican. In front of this are put four buffalo chips. Between these and the central fire a smudge is made.
When the guests arrive each returns his invitation stick to the feast-giver, and as soon as the entire number of sticks sent out are returned, the ceremony begins. All the guests and their wives enter the tipi to the left of the feast-giver. As each man arrives he sits down to the left of the previous arrival while his wife takes her place directly behind him. Before taking their places, however, each smudges his bundle and then places it upon the tanned buffalo robe, turned so that the front of each bundle faces the opening of the tipi and the mountains. No one is allowed to pass in front of these bundles.
When all the guests have arrived a pipe is passed and the men smoke in the usual ceremonial way. The leader then opens the ceremony by purifying his hands and the buffalo rattle (used in the ceremony) over a smudge of finely cut shreds of bear root (esah) and sweetgrass. The rattle is carried in the left hand first. The top part is first held over the smudge, then the handle. This action is repeated four times. The feast-giver then places the rattle, together with an eagle wing in front of the person sitting on his left. In the singing which follows, the eagle wing is held in the right hand and moved in imitation of an eagle in flight, while the songs are accompanied by the rattle held in the singer's left hand. No drums are used in this ceremony.
After purifying his hands, the feast-giver then takes from the row of medicine bundles the one belonging to the first singer.
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smudges the bundle, points it, with a short prayer, to the east, west, south and north, and places it in front of the owner. The wife of the singer then gives presents to the feast -giver, and the first singer unwraps his bundle, presses the medicine to his heart, kisses it, and utters a prayer. Two Leggings said that the prayer he gave in the ceremony many years ago was, "You sun, moon and stars; you trees, water and monsters that dwell therein; I am going to sing. Old Man Father, no need for me to mention, for you know I made a sweat -bath for you at a certain place. I am going to sing. Old Man Father, I have sacrificed to you. I am going to sing. I will sing for you. Give us health, happiness and long Hfe."
The singing then began. The singer's medicine is suspended by a thong around his neck. He holds the rattle in his left hand, the eagle wing in his right. Accompanied by his wife he sings the songs belonging to his bundle.
Mrs. Medicine-is-Her-Medicine recited two sets of four songs each which belonged to the rock medicine bundle of her husband. White Head:
First set of songs :
ist song: (A song without words). 2nd song: "I am a rock medicine." 3rd song: (A song without words). 4th song: "I am a rock medicine."
Second set of songs :
ist song: "Look at my rocks."
2nd song: "Look at my rocks."
3rd song: "There in the mountains, look at them."
4th song: "There in the mountains, look at them."
After singing the songs belonging to his bundle the owner may sing as many of his own medicine songs as he wishes. This number, however, seldom exceeds seven. The most sacred medicine songs are sung, those received in dreams or visions. A rock medicine owner who is a member of the Fox or Lumpwood Society will also sing one or two songs belonging to that organization. A scout may sing a wolf song, and if one of the singers has been a pipe- holder all the lights in the lodge are extinguished while he sings in total darkness. During this period of darkness the pipe-holder is supposed to sing all of his medicine songs. This darkness re- produces the conditions under which a pipe-holder prays when about to enter enemy country. Then he consults his medicine in a
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brush shelter or hut covered with the warriors' robes so that all light is excluded. There, in total darkness, he hopes to receive a vision. Several sun dance songs also are sung during this ceremony. It is the singing of these most sacred and powerful songs, so rarely heard, that makes this ceremony one of the most important among the Crows.
After the first singer has finished his songs, he passes his bundle to the next person on his left. As the medicine passes from one to the other, it is held in both hands and each one present presses it to his heart with a prayer for good luck, health and happiness; kisses the rock, and passes it to the next one on his left. The bundle is handed to both men and women, and even to children who may be present. As it is passed a bead or two is given to it and the hope for good luck is voiced. Some people donate feathers, hoofs, beaver tails, etc. The feast-giver is given blankets and larger donations, including horses.
Finally the bundle again reaches the owner, who replaces it on the buffalo robes. Then the next singer's turn comes. He re- ceives the rattle and eagle wing from the first singer on his right and the rock medicine belonging to him from the feast-giver. Whereupon the same performance is undertaken again — prayer, singing, passing of the medicine etc., with his bundle.
All the rock medicine bundle owners present are not required to open their bundles unless they wish to do so. If the owner of a certain bundle does not wish to open it, his turn simply passes to the next man on his left.
When every rock medicine bundle owner present, who desires so to do, has opened his bundle in this fashion, a rock medicine owner who has the bear for his medicine seats himself in front of the pemmican and sings four bear songs. Then, taking two of the meat balls in his hands, he squats between the first two guests, crosses his arms at the waist, and passes the food to those in front of him. He repeats this action until he has served everyone present with meat.
The eating of this meat concludes the ceremony, which prob- ably has lasted all through the night .*^
*" Lowie gave several accounts of the "Cooked Meat Singing" (as he termed it) by different informants which agree in general with Wildschut's description of this ceremony. However, unlike Wildschut, Lowie did not indicate that he had ever attended one of these ceremonies himself. (Lowie, 1924. pp. 349-355).
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OPENING OF AN INDIVIDUAL ROCK MEDICINE BUNDLE
Some years ago the writer was present at the opening of a rock medicine bundle owned by Gray Bull, a Crow Hving in the Pryor District. This bundle was opened specially for the writer's benefit, after suitable gifts had been made.
The bundle was wrapped in the usual buffalo rawhide cover. Gray Bull took it from the place where it hung on the west wall of his cabin, and then locked the cabin door so that no stranger might enter during the opening ceremony. I sat on the right of Gray Bull. Next to me were his wife, then two more women. On the left side of Gray Bull sat two male relatives, two boys about eight and twelve years old, and Gray Bull's daughter-in-law.
Gray Bull's wife had brought some Hve embers and placed them before her husband. He sprinkled some sweetgrass on them. After loosening the ties of his bundle. Gray Bull uttered a short prayer. Then he held the bundle three times in the incense arising from the smouldering sweetgrass, moving the bundle up and down. He then opened the bundle, carefully removing its numerous cloth wrappings, took the medicine and held it once again over the smudge, pressed it to his heart, kissed it, and uttered another prayer. He examined the rock carefully and showed great sur- prise, while an animated conversation among all those present followed.
Gray Bull then handed the medicine to me to inspect it care- fully. The stone itself was one of the most interesting rock medi- cines of the many I have seen. It bore the perfect image of an old woman, with distinct eyes, nose, and opened mouth. Its face was wrinkled and bore an expression of surprise. The base of the rock was wrapped in buckskin dyed red, and from it were suspended numerous fringes covered with beads.
The cause of Gray Bull's surprise and of the conversation which followed I was informed was this : The bundle had not been opened in three years. When last opened, according to those present, the mouth showed some teeth. These had disappeared. According to Mrs. Turns-Back-Twice, who knew this medicine as a child, the rock then showed few wrinkles, and at each suc- cessive opening it had worn a more aged expression.
This particular bundle is a household charm, to be opened only in case of illness or a serious scarcity of food. When the necessity for opening occurs. Gray Bull invites all his relatives
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and gives a feast. After the bundle is opened each one present takes the rock effigy, prays to it, and kisses it.
Gray Bull finally announced that he had been willing to open his bundle for the white man because he felt that my interest was sincere and was not idle curiosity. However, he would not entertain the idea of parting with his bundle for any consideration.*^
LITTLE NEST S ROCK MEDICINE BUNDLE FIGURE 68
The most powerful rock medicine among the Crows is owned by Little Nest. In his Religion of the Crow Indians (pp. 388-389) Dr. Lowie refers to two rock medicines, one said to have been found by Sees-the-BuU's-Member's wife, the other by Medicine Crow's mother. However, these were the same woman, and both references are to this bundle.
Its origin is accounted for as follows :
This rock medicine was found by One-Child- Woman, wife of Sees-the-Living-Bull, mother of Medicine Crow, and stepmother of Little Nest. Sees-the-Living Bull, when still a young man, was married to two women. One of them, One-Child- Woman, he neglected, and she finally became so desperate that she decided to leave him.
Taking her robe and leading her favorite horse, she left camp and went toward the mountains. When some distance from camp she turned her horse loose, saying to it, 'T am going to die on this prairie, but you may roam wherever you wish."
She traveled on foot along what is now called Fishtail Creek. Finally she reached the top of a hill where she rested for a while. Suddenly she noticed a glittering object not far away, and she walked to it. Coming close she noticed that it was a remarkable rock with several faces marked upon it. Yet she knew that no Indian had made it. One of these faces resembled her husband, so she thought. Another face was that of a buffalo, a third the face of an eagle, and the fourth resembled a horse. The human face pointed east and the stone was lying in a small depression, surrounded by small stones.
*^ Lowie (1922. p. 388) may have referred to this rock medicine bundle of Gray Bull's as "a little stone on which might be seen or imagined a face. This had been found by a little child and according to my authority had since then grown to twice its original size."
I06 CROW INDIAN MEDICINE BUNDLES
One-Child- Woman realized she had found a remarkable rock which was undoubtedly a powerful medicine. She sat down near the rock and cried. Then she picked it up, and upon closer ex- amination found that it carried marks of horse and buffalo tracks. Carrying the rock with her she descended the hill. There she found a buffalo wallow and a quantity of buffalo wool. She picked up the wool, wrapped the stone in it and fastened it under her dress against her chest.
Slowly she walked toward camp until she was met by her father, Mad-Bull-Wolf, who was out looking for her. He knew that his son-in-law had neglected her and he had suspected some- thing was wiong. He put his daughter on his horse and returned with her to his own tipi. There One-Child- Woman gave the rock she had found to her father. Next morning Mad-Bull- Wolf exam- ined the rock carefully and told his daughter that she had un- doubtedly found a great medicine. He kept the medicine rock, but advised her to return to her home, think about the rock, pray to it, and she would have no more trouble with her husband.
Now Sees-the-Living-BuU in his young manhood was a great gambler. In the days that followed, his wife, One-Child- Woman, noticed that he had lost nearly all his property. She then told her husband about the remarkable rock she had found and where it was kept in her father's lodge. Upon hearing this Sees-the- Living-Bull went to his father-in-law's tipi and, finding no one there, took the medicine down from its resting place and carried it to his own tipi, where a big gambling game was in progress.
After returning with the rock medicine Sees-the-Living-BuU's luck changed. He won every succeeding game. He then was sorry that he had handled the rock so roughly and took great care of it. His father-in-law advised him to take the stone with him and go to the mountains to fast. This he did.
For three days and nights he fasted in vain. But on the mor- ning of the fourth day he saw a vision. He seemed to waken and saw around him a circle of light. Then he heard a voice telling him that he now possessed a great medicine. He was told to make the stone into a rock medicine bundle, to open that bundle only when the moon was full or when the birds migrated in spring or fall. He also was told that he would become a leader of war parties and a camp leader; that he would have good luck and live to be an old man.
All of these prophesies came true. Sees-the-Living-Bull be-
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came a pipe-holder and a camp leader. He also became a very powerful medicine man. He had dreams in which he saw the coming of cattle and the buildings of the white man in his country long before these things took place. He ceased going to war when he was about 50 years of age. But he made medicine for Red Bear, a famous medicine man, and for Two Leggings. When he became very old he divided his horse herd, and told his relatives he had done so because he had been so instructed in his dream. "I always had plenty of everything", he said, "but now I am soon going to the 'Other Side Camp'. Believe in this rock medicine and you will always be happy and you will never want for the necessities of life."
In October, 1922, after the writer had endeavored for several years to see this bundle opened. Little Nest agreed to open it for his benefit. He deferred the date four days so that the opening ceremony would coincide with the full moon. At the appointed hour the writer, together with Little Nest, his wife. Two Leggings, and Tom Leforge, Sr., gathered in one of the rooms in Little Nest's house, situated about three miles south of Wyola, on the Crow Indian Reservation. Leforge acted as interpreter, and much credit is due to him for his efforts in arranging the bundle opening. Little Nest said that it had never before been shown to any white man.