The review. [volume] (High Point, N.C.) 1908-19??, 1913-11-20
SUPERSTlTlONS OF THE CROW
INDIANS

oOk LINZ I\<iNO VI ALL wv w
INDIANS
(Wm. L. Chenery in Chicago Even
ing Post)
The old medicine man had been
persuaded almost to the point OF
selling his buffalo shield, memorial
of many generations. Before the
tipi where he and the white. man
had passed hours in barterng a
great crowd of Grow Indians was
assembled. Finally The temptation
offered was too great and the In
dams handed over the relic.
The white man took't the worn
buffalo hide ID his hands and began
to examine it. First he noticed the
rope which bound the package 1t
was moven from buffiIo hair, a pro-
cess of passing generations. Then
with care he united the rope, un-
wound the buffalo hide and took the
old shield, torn, punctured with ar
row tips, painted and adorned with
"medicine skins" and began to eA-
anime the prize. Suddenly possess
ed by the desire to make an immedi-
ate payment, he placed the shi Id
on the ground and reached for his
socket.
Instantly an angry shout arose
from all the buck assembled. Men
and women then began to use their
most evil curses on the unfortunate
visitor
Bdffled and at a loss to understand
1.-The sudden, uproar, the white man
grabbed the shield and Insisted on
his right to it. Finally the hubbuh
Quoted down and Carlisle student
who was acting as interpreter, said
excitedly:
doctor, you have done wrong,
YOU have not acted right to these
people. They Say a terrlable storm
v i'll come to them. You put the
medicine shield on the ground. Mis-
, fortune will come.
Dr.. S. Chapman SlmmS, assis.
tant curator of anthropolgv at the
Field Museum, the white trader Of
, the incident, continues the story:
Il knew many of the Crow taboos
and naturally had tried to observs
them. This one was strange to me
Tie indians had used the OLD shl> X
; to produce rain when their crop:
needed it. They touched tile rim
, only to the ground.
"After much disputing they le
me have the relic, and |. stare
. away toward the agency. In ADO
q three hours after the uproar as tn
: weather would have it, the wors
, storm of years did visit the reserva
a lion. Only the day betor
q the sky had been lloudless
9 That storm blew down every tiE
" for miles; il broke every window
in the government agencys In
i shield was The last p! ever ob,alne
h from the Grows. .
: "In all had cell. cted about :
10 90 sbie:ds-the Field museum Ia
% the most extensive collection in t!
w world-but never again could II
!. duce them to part with Shields.
Such are the difficulties ~h't
Il arise when men of different clvllZ
m ton attempt to trade.
~ Mr.. Limms made lis first visit
IF the Grows on the Big Horn al
% Little Big Horr and on the Yeslo'
40 stone river during the SIMMER al
no winter of 1901, AMI Since then |
~ has visited the people numefo
or times in the continuation OF
" work. A remarkable collection
he1 costumes ard weapons at the he
No museum represent his efforts amo
ne them.
p. The Grows name is the suh]'
of several stories. Their ehem
tell one version of how them ca'
~ to get the appellatio1, while III
-, themselves give another more co
an pIimentary. A Cheyenne indian
b. the authority for this one:
liz When the Chevenns first met
!Crows, a pet medicine crow