pis'kun

A whole pis'kun of fat buffalo just killed; the camp red with meat, and here these old women give me tough bull meat and belly fat to eat.

Blackfoot Lodge Tales George Bird Grinnell 1893

Now the people began to come from the pis'kun, carrying great loads of meat.

Blackfoot Lodge Tales George Bird Grinnell 1893

The butchering was done in the pis'kun, and after this was over, the place was cleaned out, the heads, feet, and least perishable offal being removed.

Blackfoot Lodge Tales George Bird Grinnell 1893

The people had built a great pis'kun, very high and strong, so that no buffalo could escape; but somehow the buffalo would not jump over the cliff.

Blackfoot Lodge Tales George Bird Grinnell 1893

The one who took the buffalo rock, I-nis'-kim, it afterward made strong to call the buffalo into the pis'kun.

Blackfoot Lodge Tales George Bird Grinnell 1893

A line of buffalo chips, each one supported on three small sticks, so that it stood a few inches above the snow, was carried from the mouth of the pis'kun straight out toward the prairie.

Blackfoot Lodge Tales George Bird Grinnell 1893

Deadfalls were used to catch wolves, foxes, and other fur animals, and small apertures in the pis'kun walls were provided with nooses and snares for the same purpose.

Blackfoot Lodge Tales George Bird Grinnell 1893

First killing in war.mauls. medicine pipe.people. pis'kun.scalping. shelter to sleep under. stone knives.

Blackfoot Lodge Tales George Bird Grinnell 1893

You have a pis'kun down there, and must get plenty of fat meat.

Blackfoot Lodge Tales George Bird Grinnell 1893

Once there, the people began to rise up behind them, shouting and waving their robes, and the now terror-stricken animals rushed ahead, and were driven over the cliff into the pis'kun, where all were quickly killed and divided among the people, the chiefs and the leading warrior getting the best and fattest animals.

Blackfoot Lodge Tales George Bird Grinnell 1893