WAIL As in the tribal stage warfare is the chronic condition, so to the war was the chief glory. seorn of death the highest virtue, and eowardiee the greatest crime. Among ex treme Northern tribes the principal weapons were the knife, (-limb. and lance. To these were added farther south the bow and arrow. and the hatchet or tomahawk. The bow and arrow were practical ly universal, but the lance and shield as a rule were used only by the equestrian trihes of the open plains and the desert Southwest, the tiinher people finding them a hindrance to active move meat. Aside from the shield, defensive armor was not commonly used, excepting among tribes of the Alaskan coast, who had protective cui rasses of ivory plates, wooden slats, or of a very tough hide. The bow was selected wood, fre quently reenforeed with sinew along its entire length. and strung with a sinew cord. The Gulf tribes had also blowguns of cane for hunting. The club was of stone or wood, in the latter case being sometimes supplemented with a piercing blade of flint or iron. The shield of the plains warrior was of the toughest buffalo-hide, cut and decorated according to the spirit dream of the maker, and given to the recipient under the most solemn vows of lifelong tabus and sacred obligations.
In some tribes the direction of all that per tained to war belonged by hereditary right to cer tain clans or towns. Thus among the Creeks the privilege belonged to the people of the so-called 'red towns,' while on the other hand the 'white towns' had sole direction of peace negotiations. The prairie warriors had military orders with different degrees, the member being advanced from one to another by gradual steps. Thus the Kiowa had six orders, beginning with the 'Rab bits' or boys in training, and ending with a se lect body of ten tried and veteran warriors.
Service in any particular expedition was en tirely a matter of individual choice, and the au thority of the leader rested solely upon the vol untary obedience of his followers. On the plains
the invitation was usually given by sending around a war-pipe, which every volunteer was expected to smoke. The going and the home-com ing were attended with numerous ceremonies, and a successful campaign was celebrated with tho scalp-dance, in which the women carried the cap tured scalps and sang the praises of the victors.
Indiscriminate massacre was the ordinary rule; but prisoners were frequently taken, either for torture, slavery, or adoption into the tribe. In the East the decision of the prisoner's fate was usually left. to the women. If adopted, he was taken into a family and became thenceforth a full member of the tribe. If condemned to death, he met, his fate with all the courage of his Indian training. On the plains captives were seldom tortured, but were more often taken into the tribe, being rarely, however, so completely admitted to membership as in the East. Along the Pacific Coast. from Alaska to California regu lar slavery existed. The practice of scalping the slain enemy was probably universal north of Mexico, excepting among certain tribes of Cali fornia, the scalp being kept. as a trophy or offered in sacrifice to some tribal medicine. It. was not, however, the only or even the chief evidence of the warrior's courage. His standing depended upon the number of his coups or brave deeds against. the enemy, of which careful record was kept in the tribe. A man was entitled to 'count eciap' (French, a stroke) not. only for killing or scalping an enemy, but also for being the first to touch an enemy in the charge, for reselling a disabled comrade, or for stealing a horse from a hostile camp. Thus three warriors might count coup upon a single slain enemy—viz. the one who killed him, the one who first touched the body with his coup-stiek or weapon, and the one who secured the scalp. In many tribes it was cus tomary to feast upon the flesh of one of the slain enemy after a notable victory.