After slowly advancing nearly to the central post, they retired
backward, again advanced, a little farther than before; this was
repeated several times, each time advancing a little farther, until
they crowded upon the spectators, drew their revolvers, and
discharged them into the air.
Soon after, the women rushed forward with a shrieking yell, threw
their blankets violently upon the ground, at the feet of the
retiring dancers, snatched them up with the same tremulous shriek
that had been before produced, and retired; which closed this part
of the entertainment. The ornamented shields used on this occasion
were afterwards hung up with the medicine.[28]
These may be the shields which are associated with the _tai´me_. Later,
after the sacred doll has been brought into the lodge, they are either
hung with it on the cedar screen as Battey observed,[29] or on stakes
set up outside the dance lodge to the west, i.e., behind the image,
where Martinez saw them. No offerings are made to them there. It is
incumbent on a _tai´me_ shield owner to dance with the associates
(_g.uołg.uȧt`_) in every sun dance so long as he continues to own the
shield. He is not considered one of the associates however. Shield
owners always help the image keeper when he asks their aid. They must
also assist his captive substitute when officiating in a sweatlodge. A
shield owner cannot sell his shield, but he may give it to his son in
anticipation of his death, receiving presents in return. Otherwise, on
the death of its owner the shield is placed on his grave. Should a son
or nephew dream of it, he has the right to make a duplicate with the
help of the doll owner in order to keep it in the family. However, if
any other man dreams of it and wants to make the duplicate, he must pay
the owner.[30] The shield is usually hung outside of its owner's tipi.
The shield owners "must not eat buffalo hearts, or touch a bearskin, or
have anything to do with a bear." Like the associates, "they must not
smoke with their moccasins on,[31] or kill, or eat any kind of rabbit,
or kill or touch a skunk."[32] These shields are used only in war as
their owner's personal medicine: no offerings are ever made to them.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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