TOTEM
The Totem of the whole nation of Woodcraft Indians is the White Buffalo head, symbolized by the Horned White Shield.
Each band needs a totem of its own in addition. This is selected by the Council, and should be some- thing easy to draw. Each brave adds a private totem of his own, usually a drawing of his Indian name.
The first of these tribes took as its Totem a Blue Buffalo, and so became the Blue Buffalo Band, and Deerfoot, the Chief, uses the Blue Buffalo totem with his own added underneath.
Any bird, animal, tree or flower will do. It is all the better if it have some special reason.
One Tribe set out on a long journey to look for a totem. They agreed to take the first living wild thing that they saw and knew the name of. They travelled all one day and saw nothing to suit, but next day in a swamp they startled a Blue Heron. It went off with a harsh cry. So they became the “Blue Herons,” and adopted as a war-cry the croak of the bird and its name — “Hrrrrr— Blue Heron.” Another band have the Wolf totem. Another, the Flying Eagle, and yet another the Snapping Turtle.
