Chapter 16
M. R. HARRINGTON — SACRED BUNDLES OP THE SAC AND POX INDIANS. 155
If you are true to your bundles they will help you in your battles.”
This MAshlw&wfsqui bundle is a very powerful one, so powerful that no bundle in the other tribes could affect it, and the Sac 1 people became great in war with other tribes. All tribes fought with the Sacs and tried to wipe them out; but only one tribe, the Iowa, helped them. There were four cane whistles in that bundle that were worn by four men in battle. They had so much power that every time those whistles sounded it would make the enemy weak and the Sacs could kill them with clubs. (Here follows a digression concerning Keokuk’s character and services, which will be omitted.)
Keokuk’s bundle has never been taken care of as it should have been, since he died. We (the Sac tribe) are now suffer- ing from the effects of this neglect.
1 This would indicate that the bundle had been given to a Sac, and practically elimi- nates the Shawnee Tecumseh.
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156 UNIVERSITY MUSEUM— ANTHROPOLOGICAL PUBLICATIONS VOL. IV.
CLASSIFICATION AND USE OF BUNDLES.
The sacred bundles of the Sac and Fox can be roughly divided into three classes of differing functions, as follows:
1. Naming or Clan Bundles. — These are sacred bundles whose principal function seems to lie in the ceremonies for the naming of children. We were unable to obtain a specimen of this kind, not only because they were considered clan prop- erty and especially sacred, but because they are still in active use. to-day.
2. War Bundles. — These are sacred bundles containing amulets, charms and other things thought to give magical protection and help in battle. Twenty-two examples were collected from the Sac and Fox, together with one small bundle which seems intermediate between this class and the following.
3. Medicine or Charm Bundles. — These people had many kinds of minor bundles, supposed to aid them in the various other affairs of life, such as hunting, love, gamblihg and even for injuring such of their own tribesmen as happened to offend the holders of the bundles devoted to witchcraft. All of these are classified as medicine or charm bundles, because of the large number of charm medicines and charms they contain, with few amulets and fetishes fewer still. Shapes and sizes are various. Most of these minor bundles serve several pur- poses, however, and may well be described as general bundles. Twelve were collected.
As we were unable to obtain naming bundles, and as they seem never to have functioned as “namesakes” except in the special naming rites of the clans, the meager infor-
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