The Red Cloud chief., 1903-09-25
cTEWSOME INDIAN CHARM
rts los. Led the Cheyenne braves
,p Leave the wnrpntb.

90 Leave the wnrpntb.
~ MI the grcwsome things In the
a. .Ional museum the necklace present
co.. several years ago by Captain John
g.. purkc OF the United States army
stands %uncqualcd AZ Il monument 10
rrlan cruelty and superstition. THIS
roctlace consists first Of all of n long
huckekin cord made by rolling up n
.qrop strip OF akin and sewing it along
.,,o border so that throughout its en-.
.,-o length IL will measure something
ovcr IN inch In circumference, or abou
y third of an inch In diameter. This
cylinder of buckskin Is covered with
bcadwUrk so that no part of the skin Is
exposcd The beads are sewcd on In
rather tasteful patterns. the colors OF
which are white and blue. \ thin buck
skin string Is attached TO either end of
this thick, bead incrustcd cord. by
means Of which the cylinder is tied
about the neck of the wcHror.
Hanging from the undcrSidc of this
necklace and running throughout It's
entire length are twelve human fingers
and several small tlint nrrowbcads Of
peculiar shape and workmanship at
tachcd by buckskin strings. In the
middle Of the necklace depend three
small medicine bags made of the
tanned hide or skin of human beings.
These bags contain charm stones and
other parnphernalia of the medicine
man.
The human fingers, forming the most
conspicuous feature of the necklace.
are complete. having been cut or be-
tween the middle Joint and the knuc-
kle. They have been dried In such
name rs to preserve their natural
color, finger nails, etc, and look as
fresh as though they had been re-
moved only n few hours.
During General Crooks campaign
against the Sioux and Cheyennes In
1876 the Fourth cavalry and n detach-
ment of Indian scouts under Colonel X.
G. Mackenzie surprised and stormed
the chief town and principal strong
hold Of the C~heycnnes. During or,
rather. after this engagement n of
the Indian scouts, Baptiste Pouvier,
better known as Rig Bat. entered the
lodge of the chief medicine a Of the
deserted village, and among other
things that the medicine man had over
looked in his hurried fight from the
town the scout found this curious neck
lace. Big Bat gave the necklace tC
Colonel Burke. who later turned 1t over
to a student of Indian religions ana su
perstitions. and he In turn presented II
to the National museum.
Subsequently something Of the his
tory Of this necklace vas learned. TIT
fingers were those Of famous enemies
noted for their superior courage an(
bravery whom the Cheyennes hat
killed In battle during their variouI
wars. while the human skin Of whicl
the medicine bags were made was ais
taken from the bodies Of enemies slail
n battle. The necklace Is very old an,
a looked upon by the Cheyennes a
thing endowed with miraculous pow
ers. Prior to its capture by Big Bat
had belonged to a famous medicin
man Of that tribe, who had never a
lowed any white man to lay eyes on Il
and its loss put n very sudden an
abrupt end to the Cheyenne war. TIL
Cheyennes tried hard to get 1T bacl
Offering a large sum Of money and
great many horses for It's return, bu
this was refused, and since then tn
Cheyennes have remained ut peac
with the whites Washington Post.