71. THE MEDICINE BEAR SHIELD.[73]
I was fourteen winters old when my father died. I did not go to see him buried, for I was feeling very bad. After the people had come away from where my father was buried I went to the place. There was the grave. The people had stuck two forks in the ground and placed a pole across the forks. Then some poles were placed on the sides, and instead of piling stones and dirt over the grave a buffalo robe was spread over it, so that there was no dirt. Stones were placed on the robe where it touched the ground. I cried and cried, and in the evening I fell asleep. I dreamed I had seen a Bear standing by my father’s grave, and I was scared. The Bear spoke, and I always believed that it was my father who spoke to me, and said: “My son, the shield was upon the grave; some one has removed it. Find it; it is yours.” I slept a long time, for when I woke it was nearly daylight. I stood up and cried again, and stood by the grave all day. I was young. There were many enemies in the country, but I did not care. In the evening I saw clouds coming from the west. Soon a rain storm came, but I did not go home. When it began to pour I ran to a steep bank. There was a crevice. I crawled in there and lay down. It was now dark. I did not go to sleep, for I kept my eyes upon the grave. There was a lightning flash. The flash struck near the grave. I saw standing by the grave a Bear, its paws upward toward the sky. It became dark again. I kept my eyes upon the grave. Again the lightning flashed and again the lightning struck by the grave, where I saw the lightning come together and form a circle with a black mark upon the center. On each side of the black mark were black spots, as if the circle had eyes and nose. I watched the circle, and I was satisfied that the black center mark was a Bear. The two marks I saw were Bear’s ears. On each ear I saw branches of cedar and pine. As it was dark the circle gradually disappeared, and I saw in its place a rainbow. Then it disappeared. The rain storm passed, and I crawled out from the place and went to the grave and began to cry. I cried all night, and also the next day. In the evening I fell asleep. In my dream I saw my father, who told me that a shield was placed upon his grave, and that Howling-Wolf had taken the shield from the grave. My father further told me that the shield belonged to me and that I must get it and make another one such as I had seen the night before. He further told me to go home and get the shield.
I awoke in the morning and went home. I asked my people who took the shield from my father’s grave, and they told me that some one had taken it from the grave. I told them who had it, and my mother went to the lodge of the man, who said, “Yes, I took it, but I threw the cover away, for I intended to make a new cover for it.” The frame of the shield was given up by the man to me. I took it home, and I had my people make another cover, a cover I had seen myself upon my father’s grave. You see the picture of the Bear as I saw it. It is throwing up white-dust. The left side of the shield is a Bear’s ear. Inside of it are cedar berries. The right ear has pine cones in it. I hunted, and I killed a deer. The deer skin was tanned and these things were put upon the tanned buckskin—the picture of the Bear and Bear’s ears. On a buffalo hunt I killed a buffalo bull and made the inner shield. This I did by getting the whole breast hide of a bull. After I got it I spread it upon the ground. I took all of the meat off. I then dug a hole and made a big fire in it. When the fire went down and there were only coals and hot stones I spread the hide over the bed of coals and drove stakes around the hide, so that the hide when it shrunk pulled the stakes up. As the hide shrunk it became thick. While hot, I cut around the rim until I got it of the right size. Now a ceremony was in order. Songs were sung while the covering of the shield was being painted as you now see. The red, downy eagle feather was put there for the first lightning, which was very red. The ears were put upon the shield, so the shield would have understanding. There are three songs that are sung when the shield is being made. The shield was made, and I hung it up. In the night I took it into the lodge. Before sunrise I would take the shield and hang it up so that it faced towards the east.
When I saw fifteen winters I joined a war-party. After we had gone several days we saw a Sioux coming. We hid away in a ravine and as he came near where we were I jumped up, holding the shield in front of me. Another man in our party shot and hit the Sioux in the breast. I struck the Sioux with my bow and counted my first coup. I returned to where the Sioux fell, for I had run beyond. I jumped upon the Sioux and took only his scalplock. This I took to my grandfather, who took the scalp to the lodge of the holy bundle. The ceremony of offering the scalp to the gods was performed. After this ceremony the chiefs had their ceremony, and I was made a chief. I was invited to sit among the great chiefs. An old man arose and, taking up a buckskin shirt, called me to him. He put the buckskin shirt upon me. He said: “My son, I put upon you a dress that is white; there are no marks upon the shirt. It is fringed upon the sleeves and body with ermine. You are now a young chief. See that you are always brave and as you strike enemies and scalp them make marks upon your shirt, so that these chiefs who are present here will be proud that you wear their shirt. When you come to old age this shirt will be covered with many marks, representing your deeds in battles.” After this ceremony I again joined other war-parties. I gave many scalps to my grandfather. When the enemy attacked our village I wore my shield, and though the enemy shot at me I was never hit. When the battle would be over there would be young men brought in from the battlefield wounded.
Another time my people had what is now known as the “sun dance.” My grandfather took me in and placed me upon the ground. He spoke to the old warriors, and said: “Medicine-men and warriors, I bring this young man into this lodge. I want you, medicine-men, to paint him and place this lariat rope upon the pole, and cut upon his back so that he will swing. Warriors, in cutting upon his back, tell of your great deeds, so that my grandson will overtake your great deeds in his life and become a great man. I have many ponies to give you, and his mother and relatives will give you presents.” Two of the medicine-men arose and painted my body. Then one of the medicine-men spoke, and said: “Warriors, the young man is ready to be cut upon the back.” One warrior arose and came to where I lay. This warrior told of his great deeds, then cut me upon my right shoulder-blade. It hurt, but I kept courage. The next man then came and put a stick through the cut and tied it with the buckskin string. The next warrior came and told of his great deeds, then cut upon my left shoulder and ran the stick through, tying the buckskin. Each of these men received a fine pony from my friends, also all the gifts brought in by my friends. The warriors now pulled the lariat rope, so that I now swung about four feet from the ground. I swung there one day and one night. One of my related warriors seeing me swing there so long arose, and said: “Medicine-men and warriors, this is the youngest man ever brought into such a lodge as this. I have a present of a fine racing pony for him. Now cut these strings.” When he said this, many of my friends came in and spread presents of robes and other presents. No sooner would the giver place the presents than some one would come and take them away. A warrior arose and came where I hung. He told of fighting a duel with a Sioux and how he had cut him up with a knife. This man’s name was Bloody-Knife. He cut the strips of skin, and I fell to the ground. I was taken out of the lodge. Then I was fed with pounded corn and tallow. A few days after, the Sioux attacked our village and again I counted coup and also struck the enemy. I had an easy time in battle; I think it was because of the sufferings I went through in the ceremony. I danced the sun dance many times after that, but always suffered, for the old medicine-men had died and young men took their places.
FOOTNOTES:
[73] Told by Strike-Enemy.