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.
The Anko calendar records the taking of a large number of children to
the Chilocco Indian school, near Arkansas City, Kansas. The heavy drafts
made during the term to furnish children for Chilocco and other schools
very considerably reduced the number of pupils in attendance at the
reservation schools; according to the agent's statement, seventy were
thus taken at one time (_Report, 103_). The figure below the winter mark
is intended to represent two wagons filled with children.
Anko notes also that a party of Dakota came down to dance with the
Kiowa, indicated by the feather dance-wand at the side of the winter
mark.
SUMMER 1884
There was no sun dance this summer, and the Set-t'an calendar has only
the figure of a tree to indicate summer, with a figure below intended to
represent an inclosed field, implying that the owner stayed at home.
Concerning this the agent says, under date of August 28:
The Kiowas have danced less this year than usual, and they seem to
have given up their annual medicine dance, for as yet they have
said nothing about it. The holding of this dance has always been a
great occasion and considered one of their most important
ceremonies, for they have believed it absolutely necessary to
secure their health and success in all their undertakings, either
at war or in the chase. They have generally gone out on the plains
from 40 to 60 miles from the agency and been absent from five to
six weeks. On several occasions since the buffalo disappeared, they
have suffered very much with hunger while out, and I hope we have
heard the last of the dance (_Report, 104_).
[Illustration: Fig. 176--Summer 1884.--No sun dance; Hauled freight.]
The calendar of Anko for this summer notes the hauling of government
freight by the Kiowa, including himself, indicated by a figure of a
wagon where the medicine pole would otherwise be. This was in agreement
with a plan inaugurated several years before, by which those Indians
who had suitable teams and wagons--the latter furnished by the
government--were permitted to haul supplies for the agency and were paid
for their labor as an inducement to get them to adopt the white man's
industries. As there was no railroad near at that time, most of the
freight had to be hauled overland from Caldwell, Kansas, a distance of
150 miles. For such labor during this year the Indians received nearly
$8,000, and performed the work cheerfully and in a satisfactory manner
(_Report, 105_).
WINTER 1884-85
The Set-t'an calendar has a house above the winter mark, which is
interpreted to mean that the Kiowa camped all winter on the Washita near
Set-k`opte's house, just above the agency. This was the fact, but
another informant suggests that the original intention was to record the
event that the Kiowa about this time began to build houses for
themselves. On this subject the agent says at this time:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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