M. R. HARRINGTON — SACRED BUNDLES OF THE SAC AND FOX INDIANS. 241

Contents.— An unusually fine woven bead work sack with patterns in nine different colors and shades, size 6f" x 4§' r . It enclosed: An imitation bear claw made of horn, with two perforations; a woven sack of blanket ravelings, pale green and red, 4\” x 4", in which were three pieces of some rough root and three others recognized as calamus, a double package containing in one side some small roots and brownish flat seeds, in the other a few very small seeds, black and lustrous, a brass thimble containing a buckskin packet of friendship or love medicine, and a package of roots. A smaller woven sack seemingly of buffalo wool, ravelings and fibre (Indian hemp?), was also found in the bead-work pouch, and yielded a tiny packet of red magic paint, a package of finely divided mineral substance with glistening specks resembling mica, another of slender black roots, and a slim bead of shell resem- bling wampum, but twice the length. All the preceding were stored in the bead sack.
Woven sack, 3§" x 4f", mainly of buffalo wool and (Indian hemp ?), contains a cloth package of pieces of root and a mixture of pounded herbs wrapped in a fragment of a Washington newspaper of the year 1860; five little packets of cloth and paper enclosing herbs and roots, one of them yield- ing also a packet of magic paint; a pouch of red trade cloth, itself containing two spherical objects, one gray, one white, resembling marbles; a long purple shell bead of the variety known as “Dutch wampum;” a red mescal bean; a package of herb mixture; a wad of light hair from some animal, per- haps a white buffalo; a package of mica-like substance wrapped in a strip of red and a strip of blue calico; some whitish earthy substance done up in calico; three cloth and paper packages herbs and roots; and three loose pieces of root.
Cloth sack containing two buckskin packets herb medi- cine, an empty thimble and fourteen oval glass beads.
Two cloth packages containing vegetable medicines — roots, barks, and seeds.
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242 UNIVERSITY MUSEUM — ANTHROPOLOGICAL PUBLICATIONS VOL. IV.
Gambling Bundle.
Bundle 2/6374.
This bundle, known as Ta ne di' wa skwe, was also obtained from Ki ma wa ta pa, a man of the Sac division. Informing me that bundles of this class had at one time been abundant among his people, he confessed that he was unable to tell me anything concerning its origin. As to its use, he told me the following:
When there is “big gambling” and the owner decides to take part, he addresses the bundle, praying for success, and then, taking out a little of the paint that has been mixed with herbs of supposed mystic potence, paints the figure of a cross upon each cheek. Some of the herbs are then reduced to pulp by chewing and blown upon the body and hands of the gambler, and upon his cards and money, if these are used. This is supposed to charm the cards and to bewilder one’s opponent and “draw” his money or other stakes away from him. But the gambler using this medicine must keep his “heart good” throughout the game, for if he allows himself to become angry the charm will be reversed and luck turn against him. It is said that a gambler who is known to use this medicine is often teased and insulted by his opponents, in the hopes of arousing his temper and spoiling his luck.
The outer cover is a much worn oval cloth bag 13" long by 7j" at its widest part. Its attractive decoration was made by cutting cotton cloth of different colors into rhombus and triangle forms, which were then stitched together to form pat- terns, the technique but not the materials being similar to the more common forms of ribbon applique. Within this was a rough sack made of squares of different patterns of calico sewed together after the fashion of a “crazy quilt,” which in its turn contained the magic paraphernalia, as follows:
Tail of black-tail deer, with string for attachment to the
hair.
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