74 Field Columbian Museum — Anthropology, Vol. IV, 



forefinger to the ground, then to his tongue and talcing a bite of root. 

 Hdwkan passed the bag over the rising incense, and gave it to Thiyeh, 

 who opened it, disclosing the sacred belt. 



This was in the form of an apron of buckskin, about ten inches in 

 width and fourteen inches in length, fastened to a buckskin thong by 

 its upper and narrow edge, by being passed over the thong once and 

 held in position by means of buckskin strings. This thong was really 

 the belt proper and terminated at each end in five strands or fringes, 

 each of which was wrapped with uncolored porcupine quills. The 

 larger piece of buckskin, or apron, also terminated at its base with 

 many strands or fringes, perhaps twenty in number, wrapped also with 

 porcupine quills. At the upper corners of the apron, on each side, 

 were two small loops, about three-quarters of an inch in length; these, 

 also, wrapped with porcupine quills. Hdwkan now offered the follow- 

 ing prayer: 



hawkan's prayer. 



"My Father, have pity upon us! Remember that we are your 

 children since the time you created the heavens and the earth, with a 

 man and a woman! Our Grandfather, the Central-Moving-Body, who 

 gives light, watch us in the painting of the belt which our Father 

 directed, as it is before us! Now speak to your servant who is to wear 

 the belt! Look at her with good gifts, and may she do this for the 

 benefit of the new people (children), so that this tribe shall have 

 strength and power in the future! I am poor in spirit, and therefore 

 ask you, Spiritual-Beings, to help us, that this belt may be clean and 

 be an element of mercy for the people. We cannot cease praying to 

 you, my Father, Man-Above, for we desire to live on this earth which 

 we are now about to paint on this occasion. We have given this belt 

 to the sweet smoke for our purity hereafter. May our thoughts reach 

 to the sky, where there is holiness! Give us good water and an abun- 

 bance of food." 



Wdtanah opened the bag of red paint, from which Hdwkan applied 

 five pinches to the apron, beginning first in the upper and right-hand 

 corner, followed by the lower right-hand corner, then the lower left- 

 hand corner, then the upper left-hand corner, and then in the center, 

 the apron being so placed that the first application of the red paint 

 was in the direction of the southeast. Wdtanah and Thiyeh then 

 applied pinches of red paint in exactly the same manner. Then 

 Thiyeh poured with her thumb and forefinger thin lines of paint here 

 and there over the apron and rubbed them in with her hands. 



There had also been removed from the leathern case at the time 



