Part 4 (1/2)
In the early and free life of the North American Indian, he was constantly in motion, the various bands of each tribe covering a large area during the year. The hunters, travelers, and war-parties of these widely scattered bands had their well-known codes of signals in the field and on the trail, by means of which it was possible to communicate from a distance. The methods in common use were the smoke, mirror, and blanket signals, all of which could be more readily practiced by the Plains Indians than by those of the woods, for obvious reasons.
There are three distinct kinds of intelligence given in this manner, which may be thus described: First, warning of danger; second, sighting of game; third, general news of importance from another tribe or village. Any person who happens to be in the field and discovers the approach of danger must instantly signal a warning by any means in his power. If he is in full view of the camp or of the individual whom he desires to reach, the blanket method is used.
A blanket or other article of clothing tightly rolled and held with outstretched arms so as to form, with the body, a cross or a capital T, is the primary danger-signal. If the person signaling runs to and fro, it means that the danger is approaching, and if, in addition to these, the blanket is thrown horizontally, it is a call for rescue or signal of immediate distress.
When game is sighted, the game scout runs to and fro; that means a small herd of game, especially buffalo. If he runs in a circle, tossing up his blanket, it denotes a large herd. If he runs back and forth with blanket trailing behind, it indicates bad news. The blanket held straight above the head signifies important tidings from a distance.
Since the mirror came into use among us, each warrior carries with him a small round reflector. With this it is easy to flash a signal into the camp or toward the surrounding hills, upon which it is customary to keep a continual lookout. One long flash is the signal for attention, and as soon as it is answered, you may give the message to be transmitted. One short flash means that game is in sight. Two short flashes means the enemy is in sight. Two short flashes followed by one long one is a call for rescue. Two short flashes and one long followed by two more short flashes means the danger is over. Four short flashes signifies a meeting with a stranger or news from a distance.
The smoke signal is resorted to when no other could be employed, on account of distance or obstacles in the way, such as hills or forest. As this is a long-distance signal, the codes vary among different tribes, so that the intelligence conveyed may not be of equal advantage to the foe. Among the Sioux, it was often used by war-parties, announcing their return and giving news of success or failure; the number of scalps or horses taken might also be indicated.
To make this signal, you must build a brisk fire upon some convenient knoll, and as soon as it is burning freely, smother it with coa.r.s.e green gra.s.s, also heap earth around it so that the smoke may be dense and closely confined. When it has burned long enough to gain attention, check the smoke for an instant by holding a blanket over the fire and then withdrawing it, causing a succession of short puffs, with intervals between. To avoid confusion, it will be well to adopt the code given above for mirror flashes. At night, a signal fire is sometimes kindled.
Since fire is not always easy to control single-handed, the Indian is careful to turn up the earth before he builds his fire, and to have an abundance of green gra.s.s at hand, not only to produce a sufficient volume of smoke, but to put the fire out if necessary.
The drum is used for home communications. When four measured blows are struck, followed by many short ones, it is a call to the council. If every warrior is not present at the second signal, given a few minutes after the first, the Indian ”soldiers” or police will come after the absentees. At all dances, the drum is used to call the dancers together, the third call being accompanied by yelps and the fourth by a real burst of war-whoops. There is a curious variation in the call to the scalp dance, which is something like skipping a stone on new ice. It begins in slow time, with each successive beat shorter, and ending in a mere roll.
There are also many signal calls executed by the voice alone, such as the call to war, the journey and hunting halloos, the good deed calls, and other yodels or musical shouts which are very effective and may be heard at a considerable distance.
XIII-AN INDIAN BOY'S SPORTS
Games with arrows are the most popular Indian sports. If you are camping in the woods, you may like to play the ”Tree Game.”
About a dozen blunt or k.n.o.b-headed arrows are shot up into the branches of a large, wide-spreading tree, in such a manner that they are all caught and hang there in many different positions. Then, at a given signal, the boys begin to shoot them down. Every arrow that a boy brings down is his; each one of his own that gets lodged becomes a ”prize arrow” for the others to shoot at. Now and then an arrow hugs the limb so closely that it can hardly be seen; eventually all the boys aim at this one, and if they are so unlucky as to lose their own arrows without bringing it down, the ”tree wins.”
Wand games are very simple and are played by the younger boys. The wands are from four to six feet long and as big round as a man's little finger. They are merely peeled switches of any kind of shrub, usually the common red willow. To decorate in Indian fas.h.i.+on, you must take off with a sharp knife a long strip of bark; then, having sc.r.a.ped off all the rest, wind your ribbon of bark spirally round the peeled wand. After fastening each end securely, hold it over a smudge fire until it is well smoked. Then remove the strip and you will find a spiral of white against the deep yellow of the uncovered wood. Sometimes two strips are wound in opposite directions, leaving yellow diamonds bordered with white.
The wand is pitched and made to strike at the start upon an inclined mound or a low horizontal bar, from which it should bound with much force and sail through the air like an arrow, sometimes as far as fifty yards. A simple way to give it momentum is to raise the left foot as high as the right knee, rest the side of the wand against the left instep and propel it vigorously.
From two to a dozen boys choose sides. The side winning the toss sends the first wand, and the other side follows, each boy playing in turn for as long as they fail to pa.s.s the first. When they succeed in pa.s.sing it, the first party tries again, and the game continues until one side has spent all its wands, which are gathered up by the winners. Enthusiastic partisans indulge in cheering, dancing and singing to encourage their friends and confuse and dishearten the opposite party, but are not allowed to interfere in any way with the players.
Wand games are played properly in the summer-time; their winter subst.i.tutes are the ”snow-snake” and ”ground arrow.” The former is used only on fresh snow. It is a flat stick five feet long and about an inch and a half wide at the widest point, gradually tapering to half that width at the ”tail” end. The head and neck curve slightly upward and are painted to look as much like those of a snake as possible; the body of the wand is polished and hardened by fire. The Indian boy hurls this mimic serpent into the loose, light snow, where it disappears, to appear again some distance off; again it dives beneath the surface only to come up again, somewhat like skipping a stone on water. The winner is he who can make it travel farthest.
[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 8.]
[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 9.]
[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 10.]
Ground arrows are of two kinds. One kind, called ”mecha,” is made of the short ribs of buffalo or beef cattle. The rib is cut off four inches from the free end, and two small holes bored, into which sticks, the size of a lead-pencil and about a foot in length, are tightly inserted.
The end of each is feathered like an arrow, and they spread out so that the feathered shafts are perhaps nine inches apart. The whole looks much like the white boy's shuttlec.o.c.k.
This ”mecha” is grasped firmly between the projecting shafts, and thrown against a little mound the size of a pillow, made of snow dampened and packed solidly. From this it rebounds, sails off like a bird, strikes the hard crust to bound up again and again, and finally crawls along like a wounded animal. The goal, which is called the ”blanket goal,” is an oblong about six by ten paces in size, drawn on the snow at some fifty yards' distance. Lengthwise of this oblong are drawn six lines, with seven s.p.a.ces between. The outer s.p.a.ces count two, the next four, the next eight, and the center s.p.a.ce counts sixteen, if your ”mecha”
hits it in one throw. Any number may play the game.
The other kind of ground arrow, called ”matka,” is shaped like an arrow.