. Bulletin. Ethnology. Ewers] THE HORSE EST BLACKFOOT INDIAN CULTURE 201 a small party of "Architliinue" warriors with "Bows and Arrows, & bone spears and darts.'' Informants described the war lance as 5 or more feet in length, consisting of an iron head 6 inches to 12 inches long, bound to the end of a wooden shaft. At intervals the shaft was wrapped with otter fur to serve as grips, and pendent feathers were attached to the end of the pole. Warriors criticized others who used long lances, saying they were cowards.*^ By grasping the shaft with both hands the warrior brought
. Bulletin. Ethnology. Ewers] THE HORSE EST BLACKFOOT INDIAN CULTURE 201 a small party of "Architliinue" warriors with "Bows and Arrows, & bone spears and darts.'' Informants described the war lance as 5 or more feet in length, consisting of an iron head 6 inches to 12 inches long, bound to the end of a wooden shaft. At intervals the shaft was wrapped with otter fur to serve as grips, and pendent feathers were attached to the end of the pole. Warriors criticized others who used long lances, saying they were cowards.*^ By grasping the shaft with both hands the warrior brought it down with a quick, oblique down- ward stroke, which combined thrusting and swinging. The weapon could kill or cripple an opponent if skillfully used (fig. 29). Inform- ^^^^ Figure 29.—Method of wielding the lance by a mounted warrior, Blackfoot. ants said the lance was last used in warfare by the Piegan in their battle with the Gros Ventres and Crow in ; War clubs, generally carried under the warrior's belt at one side when not in use, were of several types. Although both wooden and elkhorn clubs were used by the Blackfoot in my informants' youth, ** Weasel Tall was told the Crow had a similar attitude. He cited the instance of a brave Crow warrior taking the long lance of a fellow tribesman, breaking it In two and returning It to him, saying that half that lance was sufficient for a courageous man. ** The literature reveals that southern Plains tribes made more extensive use of lances in mounted warfare than did the Blackfoot. Direct contacts with Spanish-Mexican soldiers, who were trained and skilled lancers, may have encouraged greater use of this weapon by those tribes. Pfefferkorn (1949, p. 146) observed that the Apache, who raided into Sonora In the middle 19th century, used many lances taken from slain or captured Spaniards. He noted the Apache could "guide the spear more skillfully when they are on foot than when they are mounted, for, because t
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