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SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION—BUREAU OF ETHNOLOGY.

A STUDY OF SIOUAN CULTS.

BY

JAMES OWEN DORSEY.

CONTENTS.

Page.
CHAPTER I.—Introduction[361]
Definitions of “Cult” and “Siouan”[361]
Siouan Family[361]
Authorities[361]
Alphabet[363]
Abbreviations[364]
CHAPTER II.—Definitions[365]
Alleged belief in a Great Spirit[365]
Phenomena divided into human and superhuman[365]
Terms for “mysterious,” “lightning,” etc.[366]
Other Omaha and Ponka terms[367]
Significance of personal names and kinship terms[368]
Myth and legend distinguished from the superhuman[368]
CHAPTER III.—Cults of the Omaha, Ponka, Kansa, and Osage[371]
Beliefs and practices not found[371]
Omaha, Ponka, and Kansa belief in a wakanda[372]
Seven great wakandas[372]
Invocation of warmth and streams[372]
Prayer to wakanda[373]
Accessories of prayer[373]
Omaha and Kansa expressions about wakanda[374]
Ponka belief about malevolent spirits[374]
An old Omaha custom[375]
The sun a wakanda[376]
Invocations[376]
The offering of tobacco[377]
The Ponka sun dance of 1873[378]
The moon a wakanda[378]
Berdaches[378]
Stars as wakandas[379]
The winds as wakandas[380]
Invocation[380]
Kansa sacrifice to the winds[380]
Osage consecration of mystic fireplaces[380]
The thunder-being a wakanda[381]
Omaha and Ponka invocation of the thunder-being[381]
Thunder-being invoked by warriors[382]
Ictasanda custom[383]
Kansa worship of the thunder-being[385]
Subterranean and subaquatic wakandas[386]
The indaȼiñga[386]
Other Kansa wakandas[387]
Omaha invocations of the trap, etc.[387]
Fasting[390]
Mystic trees and plants[390]
Iȼa‘eȼĕ[392]
Personal mystery decorations[394]
Order of thunder shamans[395]
Generic forms of decoration[397]
Specific forms of decoration[398]
Corn and the buffalo[403]
Other Omaha mystery decorations[403]
Kansa mystery decorations[405]
Omaha nikie decorations[407]
Omaha nikie customs[410]
Governmental instrumentalities[411]
Omaha and Ponka taboos[411]
Fetichism[412]
Fetiches of the tribe and gens[413]
Omaha tribal fetiches[413]
Osage tribal fetiches[414]
Kansa tribal fetiches[415]
Personal fetiches[415]
Sorcery[416]
Jugglery[417]
Omaha and Ponka belief as to a future life[419]
Kansa beliefs respecting death and a future life[421]
CHAPTER IV.—┴ciwere and Winnebago cults[423]
Authorities[423]
Term “Great Spirit” never heard among the Iowa[423]
The sun a wakanta[423]
The winds as wakantas[423]
The thunder-being a wakanta[424]
Subterranean powers[424]
Subaquatic powers[424]
Animals as wakantas[425]
Apotheoses[425]
Dwellings of gods[425]
Worship[425]
Taboos[426]
Public or tribal fetiches[427]
Private or personal fetiches[427]
Symbolic earth formations of the Winnebago[427]
Personal fetiches[428]
Dancing societies[428]
The Otter dancing society[429]
The Red Medicine dancing society[429]
The Green Corn dance[429]
The Buffalo dancing society[429]
┴ɔiwere traditions[430]
Belief in a future life[430]
CHAPTER V.—Dakota and Assiniboin cults[431]
Alleged Dakota belief in a Great Spirit[431]
Riggs on the Taku wakan[432]
Meaning of wakan[433]
Daimonism[433]
Animism[433]
Principal Dakota gods[434]
Miss Fletcher on Indian religion[434]
Prayer[435]
Sacrifice[435]
Use of paint in worship[438]
The unkteḣi, or subaquatic and subterranean powers[438]
Character of the unkteḣi[438]
Power of the unkteḣi[439]
Subordinates of the unkteḣi[439]
The mystery dance[440]
The miniwatu[440]
The Wakiⁿyaⁿ, or thunder-beings[441]
The armor gods[443]
The war prophet[444]
The spirits of the mystery sacks[445]
Takuśkaŋśkaŋ, the Moving deity[445]
Tunkan or Inyan, the Stone god or Lingam[447]
Iŋyaŋ śa[448]
Mato tipi[448]
The sun and moon[449]
Nature of concepts[449]
The sun dance[450]
A Dakota’s account of the sun dance[450]
Object of the sun dance[451]
Rules observed by households[451]
The “u-ma-ne”[451]
Rules observed by the devotee[452]
Tribes invited to the sun dance[452]
Discipline maintained[452]
Camping circle formed[453]
Men selected to seek the mystery tree[453]
Tent of preparation[454]
Expedition to the mystery tree[455]
Felling the tree[456]
Tree taken to camp[457]
Raising the sun pole[457]
Building of dancing lodge[458]
The Uuȼita[458]
Decoration of candidates or devotees[458]
Offerings of candidates[459]
Ceremonies at the dancing lodge[460]
The dance[460]
Candidates scarified[460]
Pieces of flesh offered[462]
Torture of owner of horse[462]
End of the dance[462]
Intrusive dances[463]
Captain Bourke on the sun dance[464]
Berdaches[467]
Astronomical lore[467]
Day and night[467]
The dawn[468]
Weather spirit[468]
Heyoka[468]
The concepts of Heyoka[468]
Heyoka feast[469]
Story of a Heyoka man[469]
Heyoka women[471]
Iya, the god of gluttony[471]
Ikto, Iktomi, or Unktomi[471]
Ćaŋotidaŋ and Hoḣnoġića[473]
Anuŋg-ite[473]
Penates[475]
Guardian spirits[475]
Beliefs about the buffalo[475]
Prevalence of the beliefs[475]
Origin of the buffalo[476]
The Tataŋgnaśkiŋyaŋ, or Mythic buffalo[477]
The bear[477]
The wolf[477]
Horses[479]
Spiders[479]
Snake lore[479]
The double woman[480]
Deer women[480]
Dwarfs or elves[481]
Bogs[481]
Trees[482]
Customs relating to childhood[482]
Puberty[483]
Ghost lore and the future life[484]
Meaning of wanaġi[484]
Assiniboin beliefs about the dead[485]
Ghosts not always visible[485]
Death and burial lore[485]
Why the Teton stopped burying in the ground[486]
Importance of tattooing[486]
Ceremonies at the ghost lodge[487]
Good and bad ghosts[489]
Intercourse with ghosts[489]
Ghost stories[489]
The ghost husband[489]
The solitary traveler[489]
The ghost on the hill[489]
The Indian who wrestled with a ghost[489]
The man who shot a ghost[492]
Assiniboin beliefs about ghosts[492]
Prayers to the dead, including ancestors[493]
Metamorphoses and transmigration of souls[493]
Exhortations to absent warriors[493]
Mysterious men and women[493]
Gopher lore[496]
Causes of boils and sores[496]
Results of lying, stealing, etc.[497]
Secret societies[497]
Fetichism[498]
Public or tribal fetiches[498]
Ordeals, or modes of swearing[499]
Sorcery and jugglery[499]
Omens[500]
Bodily omens[500]
Animal omens[500]
Omens from dreams[500]
CHAPTER VI.—Cults of the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Sapona[501]
Authorities[501]
Alleged belief in a Great Spirit[501]
The great mystery a modern deity[501]
Polytheism[502]
Worship[502]
Fasting[502]
Sacrifice[502]
The Okipa[502]
The Daḣpike[503]
Cult of the Yoni[505]
Absaroka fear of a white buffalo cow[505]
Mandan cults[506]
Mandan divinities[506]
Guardian spirits[507]
Mandan belief about serpents and giants[507]
Thunder lore of the Mandan[508]
Astronomical lore[508]
Mystery objects and places of the Mandan and Hidatsa[508]
The mystery rock[508]
Dreams[510]
Oracles[510]
Fetiches[510]
Folklore[511]
Sorcery[511]
Jugglery[512]
Ghost lore[512]
The future life[512]
Four as a mystic number among the Mandan[513]
Hidatsa cults[513]
Hidatsa divinities[513]
Animism[514]
Worship of the elements, etc.[514]
Serpent worship[514]
Fetiches[515]
Tribal fetiches[515]
Personal fetiches[515]
Oracles[516]
Dreams[516]
Berdaches[516]
Astronomical lore[517]
Food lore[517]
Four souls in each human being[517]
Sorcery[517]
Disposal of the dead[518]
Hidatsa belief as to future existence[518]
Sapona cults[518]
CHAPTER VII.—Concluding remarks[520]
Peet on Indian religions[520]
The author’s reply[521]
Cults of the elements[522]
The four quarters[524]
Symbolic colors[527]
Colors in personal names[533]
The earth powers[534]
Earth gentes[534]
The fire powers[534]
Fire gentes[536]
The wind-makers[536]
Wind gentes[537]
Each quarter reckoned as three[537]
Names referring to other worlds[537]
The water powers[537]
Water people[538]
Cautions and queries[538]
Composite names[539]
Personal names from horned beings[541]
Names derived from several homogeneous objects or beings[542]
Return of the spirit to the eponym[542]
Functions of gentes and subgentes[542]
The “Messiah craze”[544]
Epilogue[544]

ILLUSTRATIONS.

PLATEXLIV. Siouan tents (A,tent of Ԁejequta; B, tent of Mazi-jiñga (man in the sun); C, tentof Heqaga; D,tent of Kaxe-ȼaⁿba’s father; E, tent of Hupeȼa,and Agaha-wacuce)[361]
XLV.Camping circle at the time of the sun dance[454]
XLVI. The dancing lodge[458]
XLVII.Scarification of candidates (1, Okáska nażin; 2, Ptepa kin waći)[460]
XLVIII.The sun dance[462]
XLIX.A suspended devotee[464]
L.The double woman[480]
FIG.156.George Miller’s personal mystery decoration[394]
157.A variant of Fig. 156[394]
158.Robe of Wanukige[395]
159.Tent of Wanukige[396]
160.Robe of Ȼaqube[396]
161.Robe of Ԁahe-ʇap‘ĕ[397]
162.Generic decoration referring to night, etc.[397]
163.Tent of Aⁿpaⁿ-ska, Sr.[398]
164.Robe of Aⁿpaⁿ-ska, Sr.[399]
165.Tent of Mazi-jiñga (ghost vision)[399]
166.A tent of Nikuȼibȼaⁿ[399]
167.Another tent of Nikuȼibȼaⁿ[399]
168.Blanket of Cuʞa maⁿȼiⁿ[400]
169.Tent of ┴esaⁿ; vision of a cedar[401]
170.Tent of ┴esaⁿ; sun and rainbow vision[401]
171.Cornstalk decoration of the tents of Fire Chief and Waqaga[402]
172.Robe of Ni-ȼactage[403]
173.Duba-maⁿȼiⁿ’s father’s tent[403]
174.Maⁿtcu-naⁿba’s tent[403]
175.Wackaⁿhi’s tent[404]
176.Tent of an unknown Omaha[404]
177.Tent of ┴ebi‘a[405]
178.Tent of a Kansa who had an eagle vision[405]
179.Kansa decorated tent[406]
180.Kansa decorated tent[406]
181.Maⁿze-guhe’s robe[406]
182.Maⁿze-guhe’s tent[407]
183.Duba-maⁿȼiⁿ’s father’s blanket[407]
184.Iñke-sabĕ tent decoration[408]
185.Iñke-sabĕ tent decoration[409]
186.Waqaga’s robe[409]
187.Sacred tent in which the pole was kept[413]
188.Bear Butte, South Dakota[449]
FIG.189.The “u-ma-ne” symbol[451]
190.Eagle-wing flute[455]
191.The tent of preparation and the dancing lodge[459]
192.The ghost lodge[487]
193.The Ȼatada gentile circle[523]
194.The four elements, etc.[523]
195.Kansa order of invoking winds, etc.[525]
196.Tsiɔu (Osage) order of placing the four sticks, etc.[525]
197.Paⁿɥka (Osage) order of placing the four sticks, etc.[526]
198.Kaⁿe (Osage) order of circumambulation[526]
199.Showing how the Osage prepared the scalp for the dance[526]
200.Omaha lightnings and the four quarters[527]