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THE SIOUX.
object of veneration which they regard through life as sacred. They dare not kill it or eat its flesh. The object may be a deer, wolf, bear, buffalo, otter, or some kind of bird; or it may be some part of some animal or bird, in which case only that part is held sacred, and must not be eaten by the person who has adopted it. The violation of
any rules of the clan is always attended with great trouble, such as disease or death.
The Sioux warrior wears his badges and marks of honor on his dress and in his decorations. An eagle's feather with a red spot indicates that the wearer has slain an enemy. A notch cut in the feather, and the edges painted red, indicate that he has cut the throat of an enemy. The feather clipped off and the edges painted red, indicate the same achievement on the part of the wearer. The red hand often seen painted on the robe or blanket of the warrior means that the wearer has been wounded by his enemy. The black hand denotes that he has slain his enemy.
The Indian tribes are much given to the imitation of each other's customs, but the Dakotas have many usages that are peculiar to them. They place the remains of their deceased friends on scaffolds, while the Algonquin tribes in former times invariably buried their dead. Of late years, however, the Sacs and Foxes, Chippewas and some other Algonquin tribes have adopted the Dakota custom of placing the dead on scaffolds. One branch of the Dakota race, the Winnebagoes, as we have seen, practiced both methods, having through their intercourse with Algonquin tribes, partially adopted many of their customs.
