Page 58, l. 4: “Tossing in a blanket.” The blanket tossing game has been found among widely separated peoples. In Don Quixote, we are told how Sancho Panza unwilling participated in the game.
Page 66, l. 6: “Every Hidatsa belonged to a clan.” The clan was, nevertheless, relatively weak among the Hidatsas, its functions apparently having been usurped at least in part by the age societies. (The Black Mouths were an age society. See chapter V).
In many tribes a man was forbidden to marry within his clan.
Page 68, l. 25: “He was a great medicine man.” The story of Snake Head-Ornament is a good example of the tales told of the old time medicine men. Snake Head-Ornament’s friendship for the bull snake would seem uncanny even to a white man.
Page 73, l. 1: “In old times we Indian people had no horses.”
At the time of America’s discovery the Indians had domesticated the llama in the Peruvian highlands; the guinea pig, raised for food by many South American tribes; turkeys, and even bees, in Mexico; dogs, developed from wolves or coyotes, were universally domesticated among the North American tribes.
Indian dogs were used as watch dogs and as beasts of burden. Dog flesh was eaten by many tribes. An edible, hairless variety of dog, bred by the Mexican Indians has become extinct.
Page 77, l. 23: “My grandmother brought in some fresh sage.” The sage was a sacred plant.
Page 81, l. 10: “Our dogs dragged well-laden travois.” Older Indians say that a well-trained dog could drag a load of eighty pounds on a travois.
Page 85, l. 6: “The big tendon ... we Indians call the eetsuta.”[34] When dried this tendon becomes hard, like horn; and arrow points and even arrow shafts were carved from it.