A Móra Ferenc Múzeum Évkönyve: Studia Historiae Literarum et Artium, 1. (Szeged, 1997)

Nagy Imre: „The Black Came over the Sun...” Lame Bull’s spiritual oeuvre

In the published literature there are no references to Lame Bull's vision or visionary helpers, but we have an unpublished story about him, collected by Truman Michelson in 1931-32, and now preserved in the collection of the National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.. Since it has never been published or mentioned before, and because it contains much important new information about Lame Bull, I quote it in its entirety: LAME BULL - True story. Happened at Kinfisher, 40 years ago. At Kingfisher, fourty (sic) years ago. Lame Bull called together several men, including four medicine men to sing for him. A hole was dug in the ground, about two and half feet deep and a yard around. Lame Bull went into this hole [and] sat down in it. He was bound with rawhide at his feet and hands, and in front of him were placed a medicine rattle on his right, and a whistle on his left. Several men carried a large heavy stone and covered the hole with it, while Lame Bull was inside. Then some willows were erected and covered with a cloth, covering the stone. These men sat in a circle, and the four medicine men were amongst them. The medicine men sang the medicine songs four times, [and] after each time, smoking the pipe. Then the fifth time they sang. While they sang their fifth song, the stone fell just on the outside of the circle. It came down with such a force that it trembled the earth. The men did not see it come out of the covered place, because this happened at night but there was a full moon. Lame Bull called the men to come and feel his body accept(sic) [except?] the top of his head. The men found an opening on the covered willow sticks at his back, and one by one each felt his body from his back, feeling upward. They found that he had transformed into a buffalo. His skin was the hide and hair of a buffalo. He had buffalo ears and horns. He warned the men not to touch the points of his horns. Then after each had felt him, they went back and sat down. The medicine men sang again and the spirits came unto him, and loosened him from the rawhide which bound his hands and feet. Then he appeared out of the hole and its covering. Some food had been prepared and it was brought to the men, and they ate. Lame Bull had for his medicine bag a lizzard (sic) hide, which he always spit medicine [on] and the lizzard (sic) hide would come to life. He also had the empty shell of a large snapping turtle, and also an otter hide. These he would spit medicine on, and they would come to life and walk around in his tipi. He was one of the most powerful Cheyenne Indian medicine men. Lame Bull, when a young man, had two warts on each side of his head, on his temple. He would rub these warts and his face would transform into a bullcalf face, and the warts would form into small horns (Michelson files, NAA 3220: Lame Bull, emphasis added). The above event happened about 1890, near Kingfisher, Oklahoma, and illustrates how Lame Bull performed a special shamanistic rite, related to the so-called „shaking 71