Chapter XII: Conclusion: Of Rites

Now, when the man who started the ceremonies begins to dance, that is a signal for two of the women _aʹckas_, or attendants, to go out and pound corn for hominy or meal, and two of their men colleagues cook it in the kettle hanging on the pole, so that it is ready when the turtle has made its rounds and the meeting is about to close. Then the repast of hominy or corn mush called _säʹpan_ is distributed, and the speaker says, “We will now pray twelve times,” so twelve times they cry “_Ho-o-o!_” as a prayer. Then they feast, using musselshells from the river as spoons, and finally the speaker dismisses them with the words, “This is all for tonight; tomorrow night we will meet again.”

DEPARTURE OF THE HUNTERS

When the next night arrives, approximately the same performance is repeated; and the same the next, with little of interest occurring during the day; but on the fourth morning, the leader who has selected a man for chief hunter, gives him a yard of wampum as pay. This master of the hunt then selects as many assistants as he wants, and he and his crew all gather in the Big House, where they are served about noon with a feast prepared for the occasion by the women of the camp, and the attendants tie sacks of the food to the hunters’ saddles.

When they have finished eating, they arrange themselves in a row, each hunter standing on his left foot and barely touching the ground with the toes of his right, an action whose meaning I have not yet been able to determine.

Then the speaker rises and talks to them, and the Mĭsiʹngʷ‛ who has been seen about the camp from time to time, is in the Big House listening to his words. “When you hunt,” says the speaker, “think of nothing but luck to kill deer.” As he speaks he goes to the west fire and throws into it, six times, an offering of native tobacco; then to the east fire, where he sacrifices six more pinches of the sacred herb—twelve in all. While sacrificing tobacco, he prays to the Mĭsiʹngʷ‛ to drive the deer up, so that the hunters can kill them. As he drops the last tobacco into the flames, he says, “If you kill a deer right away, bring it in tonight; if not, bring in all you kill day after tomorrow.”

What tobacco is left is given to the chief hunter with the words, “When you camp tonight, burn this and ask Mĭsinghâliʹkŭn to let you kill deer.” The reader will remember that Mĭsinghâliʹkŭn, in whose image the Mĭsiʹngʷ‛ is carved, is supposed to have control over the deer, and in fact over all wild animals.

All the hunters that are in the habit of chewing tobacco are now given some for this purpose. When they file out and mount their horses, the Mĭsiʹngʷ‛ follows them and sees them off.

After the hunters have disappeared, the people call the Mĭsiʹngʷ‛ back into the Big House and coax him to dance, while two men volunteer to sing for him.

PRAYER FOR THE HUNTERS

The following evening six men are appointed and given a yard of wampum to divide among them, to go out close to the forked game-pole east of the Big House, intended for the carcasses of the deer, and “pray” there twelve times. The meaning of this, of course, is that they sound the prayer word “_Ho-o-o!_” which is evidently to help the hunters. This night also a yard of wampum is unstrung and scattered on the ground just west of the east fire, and this the attendants must pick up, crying “_Ho-o-o!_” as they do so. For doing this, which is called “picking berries,” they are supposed to keep what wampum they pick up.

RETURN OF THE HUNTERS

If the hunters are lucky and kill a deer the first day, they send one man back with it. As he approaches he fires a gun as a signal of his coming, at which the singers run into the Big House and begin to sing and beat the drum. Then everyone is happy.

In any case the hunters all return on the third day. If they have killed deer, they shoot their guns; if not, they come in very quietly. When the shots are heard, the singers hasten to their places, and, beating the drum, sing a song that is used only on such occasions. Then when the hunters arrive, they feast, and their leader announces the names of those lucky enough to kill a deer. The carcasses are skinned and hung on the deer pole (shown in frontispiece), east of the Big House, and are used in the feasts at the close of every night’s meeting until the gathering disbands.

NEW FIRE

Every night the usual program is repeated until the ninth. On this night a new fire is kindled with the sacred pump-drill called _tuⁿdaʹi wäheⁿʹji manĭʹtowŭk_ or “Fire maker of the Manĭʹtos” (fig. 8), and the ashes of the old are carried out through the west door of the Big House, which is used only for this purpose (among the Unami), and is usually kept closed. The new fire seems to symbolize a fresh start in all the affairs of life.

USE OF CARVED DRUMSTICKS

Also on the ninth night, before the singing begins, they bring out the two ancient drumsticks (_pa kŭⁿdiʹgŭn_) carved with tiny human heads, one male and one female (fig. 11), to use in place of the cruder sticks used before, which are marked only with a rude cross (fig. 12, _a_). At this time, also, twelve prayersticks (_ma‛tehiʹgun_) are distributed—six plain and six striped ones (fig. 12, _b_)—by two of the male attendants, each with six, one man starting from each end of the Big House and proceeding in a trot to distribute the sticks while the drum is beaten, and the people, holding up their hands, cry the prayer word “_Ho-o-o!_”

FIG. 12.—_a_, Plain drumstick used at the Annual Ceremony; _b_, Prayerstick. (Length of _b_, 18.9 in.)]

Both drumsticks and prayersticks are used every night from this time on. If it so happens that the plain sticks do not fall opposite each other (or on opposite sides of the house), they must all be picked up again and redistributed. After this, those who have received a stick raise that instead of their hand, when they repeat the prayer word “_Ho-o-o!_” and carry it when they dance.

TURTLE RATTLES

At this time, too, all who own turtle rattles such as are used in singing the visions (fig. 9), are requested to bring them in to the meeting, when they are placed in a row on the north side, in front of the man who, as the Indians phrase it, “brought on the meeting.” The backs of the turtleshells are all measured with strings of wampum, which are cut off in lengths corresponding with the lengths of the backs.

Then the owners are called to get their turtles and wampum, which is supposed to be their pay for bringing them to the meeting. As each takes up his turtle, he shakes it, and if it does not sound well, then the people laugh, and the owner, abashed, takes his property out of sight as soon as possible.

PHRATRY PRAYERS

Then they call up six men, two from each of the three phratries—Turtle, Turkey, and Wolf. Each goes outside and cries the prayer word “_Ho-o-o!_” twelve times, holding up his left hand. When the first one returns, he is given one yard of wampum, and divides it with the other five. This is done each night until the end.

WOMEN’S NIGHT

The twelfth night is reserved for the women to relate their visions; but before they begin, the speaker orders the attendants to burn cedar-leaves in the two fires, and the people are supposed to inhale the smoke and purify themselves. Then two women are ordered to take, one a little bark dish (_aⁿsiptaʹgŭn_) of red paint (fig. 13), the other a similar vessel of grease, and the two start from the door on the north side of the Temple and go to each person present. One dips her fingers in the paint and touches the color to the person’s left cheek, while her companion similarly annoints the person’s head with a little of the grease. This done, two men attendants take the bark vessels and paint and grease in the same way the twelve Mĭsiʹngʷ‛ faces carved upon the posts of the building, also the drumsticks, the prayersticks, the deerskin drum, and the turtles. A variant has it that both bark vessels contain paint, the customs differing according to phratry.

Each woman who takes part on this night receives a share of the venison, if there is any,—the biggest and fattest buck the hunters kill,—and the attendants cook it for them at the fire outside.