How many will you slay to make all of those things?” “The Sioux respect every living thing and never take an animal’s life needlessly. We will kill only what we need to survive.” “When does the buffalo hunt take place?” “When we are settled on the plains, many tribes will join us in celebration of the Sun Dance. Afterwards, we will hunt together.” Cecile’s thoughts were suddenly filled with the remembrance of Rain Woman’s description of a buffalo hunt. Daring braves dart in and out of the charging herd, forcing the buffalo into a circle. Other braves wait to shoot until the animals are close enough. Once they’ve slain a sufficient amount, the women are expected to help butcher. When Rain Woman first told the story, Cecile couldn’t imagine handling the entrails of a dead animal. So far she managed to escape butchering anything, but she supposed the deer hides she’d been scraping were good preparation for what was to come.
