Another Edward Curtis photo of a Crow (Apsaroke) man
. He is tethered to the pole with visible leather straps, that hold two sharp stakes which pierce both sides of his chest. He pulls back on the pole, with each tug stretching the skin on his chest like a slingshot. this goes on for 4 days, and he cannot stop until he gets a vision. He is eventually freed, when the flesh is torn off his body and the stakes fall to the ground. In the Lakota version of this, the man blows an eagle bone whistle throughout the procedure. This is not for the faint hearted, and the participants' courage level is off the charts. Meanwhile, you can see blood on his body even from the rear. After this test, for warriors like him, riding into battle is like going to the market

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