Indian Tribes of the Upper Missouri: Edited with Notes and Biographical SketchDenig, Edwin Thompson
History
Indian Tribes of the Upper Missouri: Edited with Notes and Biographical Sketch
Denig, Edwin Thompson
Assiniboine Indians; Indians of North America -- Missouri River Valley
Having disposed of the chieftainship for the time and separated the
nation into bands, we will now proceed to describe other divisions
which we shall call clans. These are clubs or societies formed by the
young men of different bands or of the same band. There are not many
among the Assiniboin, they being a small nation, but are numerous
among the Sioux and the Blackfeet, bearing the names of Foxes, Foolish
Dogs, Strong Hearts, Bulls, Pheasants, etc. Among the Assiniboin are
first the braves, Na-pa´-shee-nee, Ceux qui sauvent, who are a picked
body of young men, said to be bound by the most solemn promises and
oath never to run from an enemy or leave one of their clan in danger.
They are chosen from all the bands on account of some previous brave
act, and are only known as a body at feasts of their own and on war
expeditions. They wear no badges but dance completely naked in public
and have different songs, different from those of other dances. The
Bulls, Tah-tun-gah, are another of the same kind of clans in the band,
Gens des Canots. Their badge is a bull’s head and horns painted on
their drums, shields, and robes, also in the Bull Dance they imitate
the motions of that animal, his bellowing, and shoot at each other’s
feet with powder. When dancing they wear the head and horns of a bull,
skinned to the neck, the bones taken out, and the skin dried. Into this
the head of the man is thrust, giving him the appearance of half man
and half animal.
THE SNDOO-KAH, “CIRCUMCISED.”—This is a large clan of the band, Gens
des Canots, consisting of at least 100 persons, young and old. They
have not actually had circumcision performed, but these are called so,
and belong to that class who are naturally minus the prepuce. These
assemble once or twice a year and their ceremonies are kept somewhat
secret. They are, however, obliged to display the part alluded to,
to prevent imposition. When wishing to be known in that capacity on
private occasions they paint the tip of their nose red. The end of a
feather painted red or the pod of the plant sketched as the comb root
stuck in their hair is equally significant.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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