140 AMERICAN ANTHROPOLOGIST [n. s„ i, 1899
the Dakota or Sioux. Their tribal " medicine " is a bundle of sacred arrows in the keeping of one of the southern bands. They are a proud, warlike people, who have left a strong impress on the history of the plains. The Arapaho, numbering in all about 1800, are also in two divisions, the larger body living with the Cheyenne in Oklahoma, while the northern division resides with the Shoshoni on a reservation in Wyoming. The Grosventres of Montana, formerly associated with the Blackfeet and numbering now about 700, are a detached band of Arapaho. Unlike their allies, the Arapaho are of accommodating temper, disposed to pattern from our civilization, while the Cheyenne are strongly con- servative. Their "medicine" is the "flat pipe," in the keeping of the northern division. As yet there has been no extended study of either of these interesting tribes, although some good linguistic work has been done among the Cheyenne by the Men- nonite missionary, Petter. The two tribes are devoted to the ghost dance and are considered the most expert sign-talkers on the plains. (See plate VIII.)
From their reservation in western Montana came a delegation of Flatheads (S//£sA), the historic tribe of De Smet and Ravalli, accompanied by several Spokdn (Si' nqom? ti) and Coeur d'AlSne {Ka'lispil\ the three tribes being closely associated and cog- nate, speaking nearly similar Salishan dialects and having the same dress and general appearance. Despite their name, the Flatheads do not, and never did, have flat heads. This paradox- ical statement is explained by the fact that the Indians of the Columbia region, most of whom formerly compressed the head by artificial means, considered their heads thus treated as pointed, and contemptuously applied the term " flat-heads " to their neighbors in the mountains, who had not the custom, but allowed the skull to retain its natural shape. The early travelers adopted the name without understanding the reason of its application, and thus it came that the one tribe which despised the practice was supposed to be above all others addicted to it.
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