M. R. HARRINGTON

ILLUSTRATED BY SPECIMENS IN THE GEORGE G. HEYE COLLECTION
PHILADELPHIA
PUBLISHED BY THE UNIVERSITY MUSEUM
1914
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Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Harrington, M. R. (Mark Raymond), 1882-1971.
Sacred bundles of the Sac and Fox Indians.
Reprint. Originally published: Philadelphia: University Museum, 1914. (Anthropological publications/ University of Pennsylvania, the University Museum; v. 4, no. 2)
1. Sauk Indians — Religion and mythology. 2. Fox Indians — Religion and mythology. 3. Indians of North America — Religion and mythology. I. Title. II. Series: Anthropological publications; v.4, no. 2.
E99.S23H3 1983 299'.78 76-43732
ISBN 0-404-15573-1
AMS PRESS, INC.
56 East 13th Street, New York, N.Y. 10003
Reprinted from the edition of 1914, Philadelphia. Trim size and text area have been altered. Original trim: 18.5 x 25.6 cm.; text: 11.8 x 18.3 cm.
MANUFACTURED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
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CONTENTS
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PAGE
INTRODUCTION 125
The Fetish 127
The Amulet 127
The Charm 127
The Sacred Bundle 128
SKETCH OF SAC AND FOX CULTURE 130
THE BUNDLES 132
HISTORICAL REFERENCES 134
MYTHS OF ORIGIN 136
CLASSIFICATION AND USE OF BUNDLES 156
Uses 156
Storage 158
Rules 159
CEREMONIES 160
WAR BUNDLES 167
Detailed Description 171
A Fox “War Medicine” 209
MEDICINE BUNDLES 211
General Medicine Bundles 211
Fetish Bundles 227
Good-Will Bundle 239
Gambling Bundle 242
Hunting Bundles 243
Medicine Against Witchcraft 248
Witch Bundle 248
SEPARATE AMULETS 251
APPENDIX 253
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SACRED BUNDLES OF THE SAC AND FOX INDIANS.
INTRODUCTION.
The use of objects supposed to have mysterious power for magically influencing the affairs and conditions of life seems to have been almost universal among the native tribes of North America. Some groups, as might be expected, show a greater development along this line than others, while considerable variation in the character and use of the “powerful” objects is seen in the various types of culture.
Such facts of development and variation are well brought out in the collection secured by the expedition maintained by Mr. George G. Heye, among the various tribes now residing for the most part in Oklahoma — tribes representing a num- ber of linguistic stocks and types of culture, and formerly widely distributed geographically, but now gathered within a comparatively limited area. During the progress of this work, which was under my immediate charge, we were fortunate enough to obtain a considerable number of these objects, including many of the sacred bundles which were objects of the highest venera- tion. In many cases the tribal religious observances had vir- tually centered about them.
To describe these objects, collected by the Expedition, and to set forth such information as could be obtained concerning
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126 UNIVERSITY MUSEUM — ANTHROPOLOGICAL PUBLICATIONS VOL. IV.
them, is the task I have before me. A complete account, however, is not possible, for not only is our series of “power- ful” objects from any given tribe seldom even approximately complete, but information was not always obtainable, even concerning the specimens we were able to secure. In many cases the owners of the sacred bundles had died, and the younger people inheriting them know little or nothing of their history, use or ritual. In other cases Indians would bring themselves to the point of selling their bundles to get rid of the responsibility of caring for them, but could not be induced to give the information belonging to them, either through fear of the supernatural, or fear of what their tribesmen might say, or merely because they thought that we wanted to make fun of their sacred beliefs. For it must be remembered that the traditions belonging to the bundles are as sacred to the Indian as his Bible is to the orthodox Christian.
Among the tribes from which “powerful” objects were obtained are the Sac and Fox, Pottawattomi, Kickapoo, Dela- ware and Shawnee, representing the Algonkian stock; the Osage, Kaw, Iowa, Otoe and Quapaw (all Siouan); the Caddo and Wichita (Caddoan); the Comanche (Shoshonean) ; the Kiowa (Kiowan); and the Chiricahua Apache (Athapaskan) ; and the Seminole, Creek and Choctaw (Muskhogean). Among the last three, however, such objects are rarely seen.
The concepts underlying the beliefs and customs con- nected with these “powerful” objects, are usually quite obscure and involved, but the basic idea is, apparently, that such objects are endowed with a certain degree of supernatural power, by which they can directly or indirectly influence the phenomena of life, in the interest of their owner. Classification is rendered difficult by the vagueness of some of the concepts;
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