Chapter 11
M. R. HARRINGTON — SACRED BUNDLES OF THE SAC AND FOX INDIANS. 143
second returning song. When he arrived he found that his father had prepared the dirty water for him.
Again the young man stayed two days at home and on the morning of the third day told his father that he was going to start out once more into the wilderness. Four days again he fasted, and on the morning of the fifth, the Great Manito spoke to him saying, “I have now given you what will be the dependence and strength of you and your people. You will soon receive the last final medicine.” When he went to his camp that night and lay down to rest, he began to wonder as to what all these things he had gathered might be, and what he was supposed to do with them. Next morning also he pondered on the things that had happened and on the articles he had in his possession. While he was thus thinking the Great Manito spoke: “Make your way northward until you come to a mountain; this you must climb, and wait upon its summit for further directions.” He had reached this point and was lying waiting when once more the Manito spoke: “Two bands of Thunders will visit you when the sun stands overhead.” At last they came amid rain and wind, the trees blowing down before them, and circling around alighted all around him, the black Thunders facing south, and the white ones north. After they had alighted the sky was perfectly clear. The black Thunders were Ac' kac ak, and the white ones Kic' ko uk. The black Thunders spoke first, and told him to cry no more; then the white ones told him not to grieve. The black ones then gave him a round object made of bone, which turns blue in the winter, and is said to repre- sent the sky, and the white ones explained it to him, saying, “This is the strong power of all the Thunders. It was taken from the sky and is very powerful, and we have given it to you because the Great Manito told us to do so, and told us to help you. You, yourself, must keep and take care of this Ki ce kw' (sky) to be your guide and strength and help. In war you will use this, so the enemy cannot defeat you. Now we have finished the errand of the Great Manito. We want
Digitized by kjOOQle
144 UNIVERSITY MUSEUM — ANTHROPOLOGICAL PUBLICATIONS VOL. IV.
you to keep this gift and love it and open it in different sea- sons; it will change color according to the season. Now you must go home.” So he started homeward.
As he walked along he began to think of his collection. “How shall I know what to do with these things?” he won- dered. At once the Great Manito spoke to him: “I will now explain to you about these things, and you can finish the work I expect you to do. When you get home your father must get some young men to kill four dogs and cook them. When they start to boil the dogs you must spread the black wolf hide, and then arrange upon it the other things.” When he reached home and had followed his instructions, he called to his father to come and sit beside him, and told him that he had been given these things because he had fasted so long. For the first time he unwrapped the first bag or bundle he had brought, and found inside a number of spotted fawn skins for wrappers to put on the various powerful objects he had obtained, together with two white deer skins. Then the Great Manito told him just what each article was intended for. “Take up that raven 1 first, and lay it upon the wolf hide; then split it and prepare it to use as a head band. Then the hawk skin — split that the same as the other (PI. XXX, D), and the bird hawk as well; then place the raven to the right, and the other birds to the left, while the bone, gift of the thun- ders, goes on the right of the raven. The piece of hide from the head of the buffalo you must place to the right of this again, and the arm bands made of the skin of its forelegs to the right and left respectively of the piece from the head, and back of the headpiece, the tail. Then, still going to the right, the east medicine root must be laid down, then the south, the west and the north roots in order. Cut the white deer hide in four pieces for the medicine. Then cut a little off each of the roots, and upon these four piles scrape a little of the 'sky bone,’ scraping it four times in all. Make these piles of medi-
1 This may have been an ivory-bill or pileated woodpecker instead of a raven, due to error of interpretation.
Digitized by tjOOQLe
