Calendar history of the Kiowa Indians. (1898 N 17 / 1895-1896 (pages 129-444))Mooney, James
History
Calendar history of the Kiowa Indians. (1898 N 17 / 1895-1896 (pages 129-444))
Mooney, James
Kiowa Indians; Kiowa language -- Glossaries, vocabularies, etc.
_Íătä'go Dahótal-de K'ádó_, "Sun dance when the Ute killed us," or
_Ä'yädaldä P'a K'ádó_, "Timber-hill river (Medicine-lodge creek) sun
dance." The dance this summer was held on Medicine-lodge creek, near
where the treaty had been made, this, as has been said, being a favorite
place for the purpose. The Cheyenne and Arapaho also frequently held
their sun dance in the same neighborhood, but not in connection with the
Kiowa, although they always attended the Kiowa dance in large numbers.
The Comanche had no sun dance of their own, but sometimes joined with
the Kiowa. On one occasion they tried to get up such a dance, but the
attempt was a failure.
This summer was signalized by a disastrous encounter with the Ute, in
which two of the three _taímes_ of the Kiowa were captured. On the
Set-t'an calendar this battle is indicated by the figure, above the
medicine lodge, of a man holding out the red stone war-pipe, which was
sent around as an invitation to the warriors to join the expedition. On
the Anko calendar it is indicated by flying bullets about the medicine
lodge.
This battle was the most disastrous in the history of the Kiowa tribe
since the memorable massacre by the Osage in 1833. The impression made
was perhaps even greater, for the reason that their sacred palladium
captured on this occasion has never since been recovered.
[Illustration: FIG. 143--Summer 1868--Ute fight.]
In the previous winter Pá-tadal, "Lean-bull" (alias Poor-buffalo), who
is still living, had led a small party against the Navaho beyond the
head of the South Canadian. On reaching the salt beds on that river,
near the line between Texas and New Mexico, they met some Navaho coming
on foot to steal Kiowa horses. A fight ensued, resulting in the death of
one Navaho and one Kiowa, the latter being Pá-tadal's stepson. The
father thirsted for revenge, and at the next sun dance he sent around
the pipe to all the warriors of the tribe to enlist them for a great
expedition against the Navaho. A large number responded, perhaps two
hundred, including some of the Comanche, and placed themselves under his
leadership. Among these was Set-dayá-ite, "Many-bears," the son
(nephew?) of Ansó'te, the medicine keeper. To render victory more
certain and complete, he asked and obtained permission from his father
to carry with the expedition the two smaller _taíme_ images, viz, the
small "man" figure and the "bear kidney." These were sometimes carried
to the field, but the larger one, the "woman," which the tribe still
retains, was never allowed to leave the home camp. Set-dayá-ite carried
one and intrusted the other to his friend Pá-guñhéñte, "Hornless-bull."
According to another story, Pá-guñhéñte's medicine was one which
belonged to himself and had no connection with the _taíme_, although it
was a smaller image of similar appearance. However, Pá-guñhéñte was
killed and his medicine captured, together with the other.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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