The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-06-24

derives sign which he considers infalli-
BILE and which shows him whether the
good or bad spirits are in the ascendency.
II the medicine is good. portions are tied
up in little huckskin bags and hung to the
hair of the Indian and the members of
his family, to the name and tail of his
horse, and to different articles of house
hold goods and implements of chase or
wa. Should the mixture result in a fail
ure or in bad medicine the whole is care
fully buried outside of the camp and the
project abandoned.
Individual medicine is peculiarly the
property of the owner No one else can
be benefited by it, and if any one else at
tempts to take it it is supposed to work
Injury to the one so offending. No Indian
ever coveted any other Indians medicine,
and no Indian ever attempted to examine
the medicine of a dead enemy. If the
special ingredient that was learned
Through the fasting and seclusion became
known to any one IL Immediately lost its
power for good and often became an in
strument against the owner.
While the individual medicine has
nothing to do with the movement of the
globe, and has no influence beyond the
immediate owner, there is another medi-
cine which belongs to the entire tribe.
Ihls is mysterious something that is
looked upon with as great reverence as
ever did the ancient Hebrew upon the ark
of the covenant. This medicine is not
worshipped, but it is looked upon as the
abiding place of the spirits who are
friendly to the tribe, and whose influence
directs and guides the chief and medas in
their labors. The presence of this fetch
prevents the influence of bad spirits and
draws good influences to the village or
tribe.
During times of quiet and peace the
tribal medicine is in charge of the head
Chief whose duty it is to see that the
sacred receptical is properly guarded
against proclamation at the hands of out
slders. When war is on the head media
OF the tribe takes charge of the fetch and
carries 1t to the front. He uses it in all
of his divinations and incantations, and
1t IS through its influence that he hopes
to obtain the aid of the good spirits who
hover near the tribe and overcome the in
ftuences of the bad spirits who are in
league with the enemy. This tribal med
icine is simply an extension of the
individual medicine, and the chief in
gredlent here, too is secret, and
again, the method of making or pre-
pairing it is the secret. Whichever it
may be, if the secret is known beyond
those intimately connected with the MAX
ing, the potency is lost, and a new fetch
The power of the media is generally
measured by the potency of the medicine
which he makes for the tribe Probably
the greatest medicine chief ever known to
Indians of the plains was Medicine Ar
row. He was Cheyenne warrior, who
fairly electrified his tribesmen and the
enemies of his tribe by the wonderful
daring he displayed and the immunity
from danger which attended his exploits
After he had fully established a most en-
vlable reputation he announced that his
good fortune was brought about by a
medicine arrow which he made. He
was at once elevated to the position of
chief media, and then initiated several of
the other medas into the mystery of ar
rowmaking. A number of these arrows
were made underImost awful solemnities,
and each media was sworn, with the most
dreadful oath known to the tribe, never
to reveal the process by which the won
derful arrows were made When a suffi-
Gent number were made the bundle was
wrapped n skins and tightly tied to-
gether This bundle was then deposited
in small box or trunk made of rawhide
This bundle became the medicine of the
Cheyennes, and since it's introduction
nothing could change the belief of the
tribe that all the good fortune that has
befallen them has flowed directly from
the rawhide box and its mysterious bundle
of arrows. Some years ago a band of
PawneeS made a raid upon the Cheyenne
village where the sacred bundle was de-
posted and carried it away. Immedi-
ately CONSERVATION reigned. Medicine
Arrow was then at the acme of his power
and influence. He refused to make an
other bundle. but insisted that the tribe
must recover it's medicine or suffer I'M
told evils. He predicted that unless the
sacred bundle was brought back all the
benefits would go to the Pawnees and the
Cheyennes would be doomed to destruc-
ton. 1t was impracticable to enter into
a war with the Pawnees, as that tribe
was considered superior in the number of
fighting men, so negotiations were en-
tered into, and the sacred bundle was
finally redeemed by the payment of 800
ponies.
Nothing in recent years has been so
marked as the decadence of the great
mountain tribe, the Utes, since the loss of
their tribal medicine. This was small
stone image, probably of Toltic or Aztec
origin. which had been found by one Of
the old medals many years ago. The le-
gend of the image is that the media was
fasting in the mountains for the purpose
of obtaining power which would bring the
tribe through time of trouble and tribu-
latlon. While he was undergoing the
necessary ordeal he displaced a bit of
stone and uncovered the ancient relic
OF course, his superstitious nature led
him TO believe that it was direct gift
from those above, and he took it to the
village, where he was received with all
the ven era ton possible.
Immediately following the discovery
the fortunes Of the tribe changed, and
from wandering band they grew to a
rich and powerful tribe. which held sway
over all the mountain region in Colorado
and Utah. About ten or twelve wears
ago a small band of Arapa hoes raided the
village of Utes where the image was
guarded, and, in plundering the camp
found the fetch and carried it away.
The loss was soon discovered, and pow
erful war party of Utes went in hot
chase after the raiders. The Arapa-
hoes were captured and every man
killed, but the image was lost and
never recovered. Note the SEQUEL.
Immediately following the loss the
Utes began to have trouble. The White
river Utes made war on the government
and were sent from their reservation to
Utah. Ourah, the great chief, died and
his band was'divided up. The great tribe
that once ruled all the mountains was
divided into small bands, and today is
scattered and almost a remnant. The
Utes attribute all their misfortunes
directly to the loss of the image. and if
any of the prospectors should accidentally
find the fetch in the mountains they
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