Traditions of the Arikara

by George A. Dorsey

FOOTNOTES:

[70] Told by Strike-Enemy.

70. HOW THE MEDICINE-ROBE SAVED THE ARIKARA.[71]

A long time ago I joined a war-party. We went south, into the western part of the Sioux country, known as Nebraska. We came to an old village site. At this village site we found four large mounds where there had stood the four lodges of the bundle lodges. On the east side was a mound. The old men sat down by this mound and smoked. The oldest of the men told us that once the Arikara lived here; that while they were having their medicine ceremonies in one of these lodges a Sioux or one of some other tribe came and went through the village.

Now, there was one lodge where all the people, except one young woman who had just married, had gone to see the medicine-men’s ceremony. While she was keeping the fire up and had the entrance fast, she saw at the top of the opening a man, an enemy, peeping down and looking at her. She sat and watched the enemy. He crawled from the lodge, then dug in the side of the lodge. She kept running around, until she went to the fire and poured water over it, so that the fire went out. After a while her husband came. She told him about the enemy. The young man accused his wife of having her lover around. The next day the young man went to the timber and gathered a lot of dried willows and some dry grass. This he took to his lodge. He placed the dry wood by the entrance. That evening the young man hid in the lodge, and allowed his wife to remain in the lodge as before. When it became dark, the enemy came and looked through the opening he had made the night before. The enemy then walked to the entrance and found the entrance open. So he walked in. The husband then arose from his hiding place. He caught the enemy from behind, so that he held his arms. The woman took the grass and willow limbs and threw them upon the hot coals, so that there was a big blaze. She then went out and screamed, “My man has an enemy in our lodge!” The men ran into the lodge, and there was the young man, holding on to the enemy. The enemy was overpowered, and a seat was given him.

The man had long hair. His face was painted. Bunches of medicine were tied upon his head. On his right arm was tied a rattlesnake skin. On his left arm was tied the shell of a turtle. The tail was upon it. The man made signs and said: “Next month, all of you people will be killed by the southern tribe of Indians. You make fun of me, but it is true. I came to capture a woman.” The man was then taken to the Awaho-bundle’s lodge. There they had singing. In a few days the man was placed upon a scaffold of four ash timbers, and his hands and feet were tied with strong buffalo strings. He was left upon the scaffold to die, but the man was a wonderful man, for he shook his arms and the strings became loose. The people saw it, and they tied him again. Every time the man shook his arms he broke loose. One of the old priests was selected to stab the man to death. The man was left upon the scaffold, and his body dried.

One night as the medicine-men were having their ceremony this man who had been put upon the scaffold came into the lodge. All the medicine-men ran out of the lodge. Word was sent to the man who was the keeper of the wonderful robe.[72] He went into the lodge and found the dead man lying upon a buffalo robe. The man wrapped the dead man in the robe and packed him to the river. He threw him into the river, saying, “You wonderful man, I throw you into the river, and your bones shall stay here.” The man went to the lodge. Sweet grass and wild sage were burned in the lodge. The medicine-men then resumed their performances. In about a month the medicine-men’s ceremony was over. Each medicine-man took his medicine things to his lodge and wrapped them up.

The month came to an end and the Indians looked for the enemy. One fine day the Indians saw the Sioux coming from over the hills. There were so many that the people became scared. The keeper of the holy robe sat down in his lodge. The men were going out to meet and fight the enemy. The enemy were so numerous that the medicine-man with the holy robe and the robe’s belongings made medicine-smoke, then laid down the gourd [rattle]. He took the robe and wrapped it about his body, the hair side turned out. The inside had the sun, moon, and stars upon it. He then took an eagle wing in his left hand, the gourd in his right hand, went out and climbed upon the top of his lodge. By this time the enemy were close to the village. This man upon the lodge then shook himself, and shook the robe towards the sun, then he closed the robe. While he was doing this the enemy noticed some of their men fall off from their horses, bleeding from their lungs and seeming to be out of their heads. The enemy saw the man upon the lodge. They became scared. A shout was heard. The enemy gave way and ran; for the power of the man was so great that whoever came under his power ran into the village, powerless to defend himself. The enemy gave way, and there was great slaughtering. The village was saved.

The wonderful man went into his lodge and made sweet-smelling smoke, passed his robe over the smoke several times, then wrapped it and hung it up. The gourd was then passed over the smoke and hung up by the robe. The medicines were then passed over the smoke and put away. The man had red clay all over his body while going through this performance. He also passed smoke all over his body, and said: “I am satisfied. Our village is saved. The enemy are killed. Scalps will be brought in, so we can have great rejoicing.” Scalps were brought, and there was great rejoicing. There were three different kinds of scalp dances given by the women. One was a dance learned from the Cheyenne, another from the Grosventre, and another from the Pawnee. Of course, they had their own scalp-dance, but these three were the best dances.

Some years after, some of the Sioux visited the Arikara, and they told of the strange man, and that he was a Wichita. The Sioux also said that at that time many tribes had got together to annihilate the Arikara.