had long-fringed sleeves and beautiful sky blue quills across the shoulders. The new dress had no sleeves. Instead there was a beaded skin cape that covered the tops of my arms. From beneath the cape hung many ermine tails. The soft fur would keep me warm in the coldest weather. I also had white leggings and moccasins.
As we worked, Alighting Dove told me about her son. He was so swift, she said, that he could run down a buffalo without a horse. He was so strong that he could lift a grizzly bear above his head. He was so brave that he did not hide behind rocks or trees in
battle, but rode up to the enemy and dared them to fire at him.
I bowed my head and kept silent. He was also a man without shame, I thought. He had eaten with Swan Necklace and slept in the same tipi. Yet he killed his guest to get a rifle.
When the dress was finished, Alighting Dove called me to the fire. She motioned for me to sit down. Then she took a bone needle and held it in the flame until it glowed. Swiftly, she grabbed my ear and thrust the needle through.
I screamed with pain and grabbed for my ear.
Alighting Dove caught my hand. She shook her head and motioned for me to be still.
Three bright drops of blood fell on my fingers.
Alighting Dove placed a greased stick in the hole to keep it open. Then she did the same to the other ear.
This time I sat quietly and did not make a sound, even when the hot needle went through my ear.
With words and signs, Alighting Dove told me that all Assiniboins had holes in their ears. When the holes were healed I could marry Charging Hawk.
My ears healed too fast. Several times I picked at the wounds to keep them raw. In spite of all I could do, the redness disappeared and the flesh was smooth.
The Assiniboins held a great feast to celebrate the wedding of their chief's son. Fires blazed in the camp.
Drums beat, whistles shrilled, and flutes made soft noises.
After the feasting and dancing and singing, Charging Hawk and I would go to a new tipi. The skins that covered it were painted with buffalo and butterflies, kingfishers and antelope. When I looked at it, I thought of Swan Necklace and my heart was sad.
My sorrow did not show. I put on my new clothes. From my ears hung bangles of silver and blue stones brought from lands far to the south. Alighting Dove said they had cost Charging Hawk three horses.
Because I had no parents to exchange gifts with them, Red Elk and Alighting Dove stood on either side of me and asked for the Great Spirit's blessing. At my feet Charging Hawk laid a beautiful ermine blanket, as white as snow and as soft as a cloud. No one in the tribe had such a beautiful blanket.
"This is our marriage blanket," said Charging Hawk.
"It is beautiful," I said, though my lips were so stiff it was hard to form the Assiniboin words.
Charging Hawk grasped my hands while Red Elk spoke of the wife's duty to her husband and the husband's duty to his wife. He asked the Great Spirit to send us many sons.
The men nodded and the women smiled.
Someone filled a stone pipe with tobacco and
passed it around. Each man took a deep breath and handed it to his neighbor.
Charging Hawk drew deeply on the pipe and blew out the smoke. Then he got to his feet and began to dance. He sang to the beat of the drum and danced about the circle of seated men. He grasped one of the warriors by the hand and pulled him to his feet. Together they danced and sang. One by one, the other men joined them. At last all the men were dancing and singing. The women clapped their hands.
The dancing lasted far into the night. Smoke from the pipes and the fires filled the cold night air. The smoke was so thick that it was hard to see across the circle of dancers.
No one paid any attention to me. I waited. When the dancing grew wild and the voices loud, I snatched the ermine blanket and crept away from the circle.
I crawled through the line of tipis, stopping only to take a rifle and bullets from the tipi of Red Elk. Once I
As we worked, Alighting Dove told me about her son. He was so swift, she said, that he could run down a buffalo without a horse. He was so strong that he could lift a grizzly bear above his head. He was so brave that he did not hide behind rocks or trees in
battle, but rode up to the enemy and dared them to fire at him.
I bowed my head and kept silent. He was also a man without shame, I thought. He had eaten with Swan Necklace and slept in the same tipi. Yet he killed his guest to get a rifle.
When the dress was finished, Alighting Dove called me to the fire. She motioned for me to sit down. Then she took a bone needle and held it in the flame until it glowed. Swiftly, she grabbed my ear and thrust the needle through.
I screamed with pain and grabbed for my ear.
Alighting Dove caught my hand. She shook her head and motioned for me to be still.
Three bright drops of blood fell on my fingers.
Alighting Dove placed a greased stick in the hole to keep it open. Then she did the same to the other ear.
This time I sat quietly and did not make a sound, even when the hot needle went through my ear.
With words and signs, Alighting Dove told me that all Assiniboins had holes in their ears. When the holes were healed I could marry Charging Hawk.
My ears healed too fast. Several times I picked at the wounds to keep them raw. In spite of all I could do, the redness disappeared and the flesh was smooth.
The Assiniboins held a great feast to celebrate the wedding of their chief's son. Fires blazed in the camp.
Drums beat, whistles shrilled, and flutes made soft noises.
After the feasting and dancing and singing, Charging Hawk and I would go to a new tipi. The skins that covered it were painted with buffalo and butterflies, kingfishers and antelope. When I looked at it, I thought of Swan Necklace and my heart was sad.
My sorrow did not show. I put on my new clothes. From my ears hung bangles of silver and blue stones brought from lands far to the south. Alighting Dove said they had cost Charging Hawk three horses.
Because I had no parents to exchange gifts with them, Red Elk and Alighting Dove stood on either side of me and asked for the Great Spirit's blessing. At my feet Charging Hawk laid a beautiful ermine blanket, as white as snow and as soft as a cloud. No one in the tribe had such a beautiful blanket.
"This is our marriage blanket," said Charging Hawk.
"It is beautiful," I said, though my lips were so stiff it was hard to form the Assiniboin words.
Charging Hawk grasped my hands while Red Elk spoke of the wife's duty to her husband and the husband's duty to his wife. He asked the Great Spirit to send us many sons.
The men nodded and the women smiled.
Someone filled a stone pipe with tobacco and
passed it around. Each man took a deep breath and handed it to his neighbor.
Charging Hawk drew deeply on the pipe and blew out the smoke. Then he got to his feet and began to dance. He sang to the beat of the drum and danced about the circle of seated men. He grasped one of the warriors by the hand and pulled him to his feet. Together they danced and sang. One by one, the other men joined them. At last all the men were dancing and singing. The women clapped their hands.
The dancing lasted far into the night. Smoke from the pipes and the fires filled the cold night air. The smoke was so thick that it was hard to see across the circle of dancers.
No one paid any attention to me. I waited. When the dancing grew wild and the voices loud, I snatched the ermine blanket and crept away from the circle.
I crawled through the line of tipis, stopping only to take a rifle and bullets from the tipi of Red Elk. Once I
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