Chapter 15
M. R. HARRINGTON — SACRED BUNDLES OF THE SAC AND FOX INDIANS. 151
sion apparently of the one just given, which is set forth here as nearly as possible as he wrote it (being merely rearranged) with the Indian words in his own spelling:
There were only five different bundles in the Sac tribe in early times, but after a while there were more bundles branched off from these, war bundles and namesake bundles. PTtoski (Pi toe ka h’) was the name of the man who got the first bundle, after mourning (fasting) twelve days. It did not come through a dream in the night, but just as if someone was talking to him in the daytime.
This person (who spoke to him) told Pitoski to go and pick certain herbs, and that when he had his herbs gathered he would be told what to do. Then he was told: “Go over two mountains and you will see two buffaloes standing heads together; when you get there you must skin the tails from both the bull and the cow, and cut the long hair from the right foreleg of each — then you must take their heads, the skull of each one.” These buffaloes talked to him, and one of them said, “I am giving you all my power: you must not be afraid of anyone hurting you, and you will not be harmed. You must put the buffalo bull’s head on your head. And here is power I shall give you: you will be known when this is seen; one horn, on the right side shall be red, the one on the left, black.” He was then told he must get a hawk, a small darting hawk, and after this was skinned he was told to get one more bird, the swallow. “Now,” said the voice, “I will show you how to make your medicine.” So he put all this together and made the bundle. The swallow was fixed to tie on the top of his head.
After the bundle was made, Pitoski ’s father came to him. “Father, I have had an awful experience from God,” he said. “What can it be, son?” asked the father. “I want you to tell me.” “I have made a bundle,” was the reply. “He showed me how to make a bundle.” “Well, my son, that is why I have asked you to mourn (fast); it is for yourself, for your own good.”
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“Now,” Pitoski said, “I am going to quit mourning. Father, I am going home, and I am going to take my bundle with me to the place where we live.” After he had brought the bundle to his place, he did not go away again for quite a while. (But) After a time, it seemed as if he had no more faith in his bundle. “Say, father,” he said, “I have no more faith in this thing that I have made; it does not go as I was told.” And so he started off again because he had no faith in his bundle.
He went to some wilderness and fasted four days. “Yes, this bundle is all right,” someone told him. “You should have done as you were told.” At this time, after he had been out four days, he was given paint, red and black. “Paint yourself in this way,” he was told: “a zigzag line over the right eye, then a cross made of double lines on both arms, the left breast and the stomach, and a cross of single zigzag lines on the legs above the knees, and the calves of the legs the same; then a round spot on the forehead, on the palms of your hands, and on the inside of your feet just below the instep. Now you must also have a whistle to tie around your neck, and when you get the medicine and paint you must put (some of) it inside the whistle, and you must put this same medicine paint on your arrows and on your war club if you have one. Then if you ever (so much as) scratch an enemy with your arrow you will kill him.”
Then the whole family and the tribe knew that he had been given a bundle, and the whole tribe went to mourning (fasting); some mourned four days and some eight days; then those that mourned found out that this man Pitoski had been given this bundle by the Spirit. Someone spoke to the mourn- ers and told them, “I have given Pitoski this great power, he cannot deny it. That is the place to which you now must look. He has the bundle I have given him, you must go to this bundle and make known what you need.”
(Later) Pitoski was told, “Now if you give a feast you must hunt deer or bear or turkey, but you must put dog meat
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11. R. HARRINGTON — SACRED BUNDLES OP THE SAC AND POX INDIANS. 153
first; dog is the head of all meats. Do as you are told and follow this.
“From this bundle you will find your narfies and clans; and hereafter, before your children are named they must fast for a certain number of days before they are entitled to names.”
After this bundle was completed the people appointed four more men to mourn and find out the truth about the bundle, for there had not been anything given to them by the dream (vision). One stayed out four days, the rest eight days, but they could not find out anything, only about this same bundle. ‘‘You cannot get any more now. The bundle was given to Pftoski, and you should look to his bundle (to get yours). He has told you the truth.”
(Something seems to have been omitted at this point, but it is evident that the men must have finally gone to “Pftoski” and received bundles from him.)
These first bundles that were given to the Sac Indians were called or named after each man who had received one: first the Pftoski bundle, then the Pi to Id m&, Nf m& ko m&, Ml cho Id mft (Bad Chief), and M4 shf w & wfsquf.
"Now,” they were told, “some of these men must not eat turkey at the feasts for their bundles, and you must be careful about the Bad Chief (M& cho Id md) bundle.” This name means really not-powerful chief, he was just a common chief without special power of any kind. “You must be care- ful to sacrifice for his bundle a young buffalo calf. Just give him head or horn, that is just the same as if you were giving him medicine.”
After Pftoski had given these medicines away, his father came. “Well, father,” he said, “these spirits have given me truth. The men sent out to mourn have found it to be so.”
“Well, son,” was the answer, “that is why I have done as I have to you — so that you could find more power. I have abused you in your younger days so that you could get power to help yourself and the rest of us. I am glad you have found out that you have this power, and now have faith in your
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bundle. And this is why you should wear your whistle at your neck — so everyone may know you have had power given to you.”
“Now, father,” was the answer, "I am through. I will even quit fasting. After I had been out mourning the rest of the tribe found out that by mourning I was given power, so they began mourning too, so as to get power also.”
“Feasts must be given for your bundles,” said Pitoski to the four men. “First you must have fire and Indian tobacco; then you want dog first of all meats — dog will be chief leader of all meats in your feasts. Pitoldm& and M&cho- kim& do not eat turkey, and you must watch this. PitokimA, you must get a pair of yearling buffalo horns and make a head band, and put these horns on it; and also get a young buffalo tail — this you shall wear in your feast dance. And NimA- komfi is another that must not eat any turkey. And when it is time to open a bundle and there are one or two or more of you there you must help one another, and put it back together after opening.”
Now, as was said before, the names of their first owners were given to most of the bundles, Pitoski, MAcholdmA, Nimfi- komi, and Ktoldmi. But the MdshiwAwisqu! was also (later) given to Pitokima, who gave it to Tekumse, 1 and gave him authority to keep it, and told him not to mourn any more, for he too had also been given power.
“This is what I want you to do — you must have your mind on your tribe and keep them together and not let any- thing happen to them. If any one of you gets hurt we have given you power to cure him, or cure them if any are sick. This is how you will be convinced that you have been given true power. If you are called upon to help you must always do so, even when people are hurt by accident in the tribe. In such cases you must doctor them and your power will help you just the same as if they had been wounded by the enemy.
1 It seems hardly likely that the Shawnee chief Tecumseh is meant here. I think from what follows that Keokuk is meant.
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