1841-’42.—No. I. Feather-in-the-Ear steals horses from the Crows.
No. II. Feather-in-the-Ear stole thirty spotted ponies. The spots are shown red, distinguishing them from those of the curly horse in the character for 1803-’04.
No. III. A Minneconjou Dakota, named Feather-in-his-Ear, stole nineteen spotted horses from the Crow Indians.
Mato Sapa says: A Minneconjou named Feather-in-the-Ear stole nineteen spotted horses from the Crows.
Major Bush, says the same, except that he gives the number as nine instead of nineteen.
A successful theft of horses, demanding skill, patience, and daring, is generally considered by the plains Indians to be of equal merit with the taking of scalps. Indeed, the successful horse-thief is more popular than a mere warrior on account of the riches gained by the tribe, wealth until lately being generally estimated in ponies as the unit of value.
BUREAU OF ETHNOLOGY FOURTH ANNUAL REPORT PL. XXIII
1842-’43.
1842-’44.