The Colorado statesman., 1911-05-06

been obtained by scientists, as they
are generally buried with their keep
ers."
These sacred bundles are just as
precious from a religious standpoint
to the Indians as they are from
scientific standpoint to the ethnolo-
gist, and are extremely hard to OBJ
tain. They represent the holiest fe-
tish Of a tribe, and so zealously are
they guarded from any profaantion
that they are put in the charge OF
special priest or medicine man. who
keeps them carefully hidden. At GER
tain periods they are opened and the
contents worshiped amid the most
elaborate ceremonies, but even at
these times only the chosen men OF
the tribe are allowed to see the
strangely assorted articles that are
kept in the bundles.
These Usage packs differ greatly
from any that have been found hith-
erto. both as to the texture Of the
various wrappings and also as to the
nature of the articles they contain.
The bundles we're secured for the Ma
tional museum by Francis La Flesche,
an educated Omaha Indian, who is In
the employ of the bureau of Amer
lean ethnology While at work in
Oklahoma he learned of the existence
of such bundles and Immediately
opened negotiations with the Indian
to whose care they had been entrust-
ed. After exercising considerable
/ diplomacy he succeeded in persuading
the Indian to part with them and
brought them to Washington and
turned them over to the bureau OF
ethnology.
One of these was opened with mucn
care by DIR. Walter Hough, one OF the
curators of the National museum. DR..
Hough found the outside wrapping or
sack to be made of rare Indian fab
ric, woven of the silky brow hair OF
the buffalo. This was bound with a
buckskin band decorated with human
scalps. and the leg of an eagle Inside
this was buckskin bag and inside
that a haversack made of a material
resembling Chinese mating
In this haversack were a pipe deco
rated with scalps, a tobacco bag,
braided cord made of woolen fabric
| and a bundle of buffalo bladders
bound with thong ornamented with
scalp. and one other bundle, which
was the most important of all, for 1t
represented the holy of holes" rms
bundle was a buckskin case, to which
was bound a buckskin object resemb-
ling a head band. Inside this bundle
was. found the most sacred object of
the pack-the body of hawk, which
had been mummified and then painted
a brilliant vermillion and green. At
| tached to the tail was circlet OF
human scalps. The body was sus-
pended by a braided band made OF
woolen fabrics, which evidently had
been obtained by the tribe through
trade with other Indians.
One of the three other bundles was
found to contain the tattooing appa-
ratus and materials used by the Usage
Indians. all of which are regarded as
sacred, as the tattooing is religious
ceremony. The other two packs were
similar to the one described, but the
articles each contained were different.
After careful examination by Dr.
Hough and his assistants the bundle
was restored to its proper condition
and carefully stored away, but 1t will
be the subject of long study by the
ethnologists, who are greatly interest
ed in the industrial accomplishments
of the Indians revealed by the con-
tents, as well as in the mystical and
symbolical meanings of the pack and
the various articles it contains.