8. Ta-pa-taj-je.—This band must not touch deers' heads, neither must they wear deer-skin mockasins. Many of the individuals of this band are partially gray haired. This change of the hair, which they consider as a deformity, is attributed to a violation of the abovementioned laws prescribed by their medicine.
The second division, or tribe Ishtasunda, is subdivided into five bands.
1. Ta-pa-eta-je.—This band does not touch bison heads.
2. Mon-eka-goh-ha, or the earth-makers.—Of this band was the celebrated Black Bird. They are not forbidden the use of any aliment; and are said to have originated the present mode of mourning, by rubbing the body with whitish clay.
3. Ta-sin-da, or the bison tail.—This band does not eat bison calves, in the first year of the age of that animal.
4. Ing-gera-je-da, or the red dung.—This name is said to have originated from the circumstance of this band having formerly quarrelled, and separated themselves from the nation, until, being nearly {50} starved, they were compelled to eat the fruit of the wild cherry-tree, until their excrement became red.
5. Wash-a-tung.—This band must not touch any of the reptilia class of animals.
Each of these animals, or parts of animals, which the bands respectively are forbidden to touch or eat, is regarded as the particular mysterious medicine of the band collectively, to which it relates.
This singular, and, to us, absurd law, of interdiction, is generally rigidly observed; and a violation of it, they firmly believe, will be followed by some signal judgment, such as blindness, gray hairs, or general misfortune. Even should the forbidden food be eaten inadvertently, or but tasted through ignorance, sickness they believe would be the inevitable consequence, not only to the unfortunate individual himself, but involving his wife and children also.
The name of one of the bands of the Puncaw nation is Wa-jaja, corresponding to the name which the Osages acknowledge, which is Waw-sash-e.