178 Field Columbian Museum — Anthropology, Vol, IV. 



tion. We eat the animals, drink the tea of weeds, herbs, roots, and 

 barks of trees, and eat the fruits of all kinds, and thus we have the 

 impulse to propagate our kind. 



When the Father (heaven or sky) told the moon (son) that he 

 was glad to have a grandchild from his daughter-in-law, it happened 

 unexpectedly. "My daughter-in-law, I think it is not wise for you to 

 give birth in that way ; so you shall have ten moons in which you shall 

 have a birth, so that you may know from the beginning to the final 

 occurrence," said the sun; that is to say, from connection to birth. 

 The blood shall be followed by a child. There shall be a discharge 

 of blood for four days, making one month bloody (left out), then eight 

 months counted, as without blood, then the last month (tenth) is very 

 bloody; from the small finger of the left hand to that of the right. To 

 enable her, she was told, to count her husband (moons) by the fingers. 

 So after the flow (one month) the woman counts the moons until the 

 ninth month. If she does not have the flow, she then informs her 

 husband and mother about it. Then the woman is pregnant. The 

 Indians are very fond of boiling the blood of animals to drink, for the 

 fact that they are all descended from it. 



XII.— Offerings-Lodge Songs. 



All the songs have similar tunes, in accordance with the noises in 

 nature. They come from different persons, who hear them in their 

 dreams, but do not see the Offerings-lodge. It is the Lodge-Maker 

 who sees the lodge constantly in his dreams, but he seldom hears or 

 knows any song. When some one has made a vow for an Offerings- 

 lodge, one or two songs are introduced. Some of the songs contain 

 words, calling upon some spirits or gods, but most of them are made 

 up by the singers. Some of the songs originated from other tribes, 

 but they are not harmonious. Those that contain the words arouse 

 the feelings of all the people, as well as the dancers. For instance: 



"My Father, my Father, surely I am a different man!" 



"Look down upon me!" 



"The Sun will surely be merciful to us!" 



"The Young-Bull stands still!" 



But the majority of the songs are almost meaningless, or are 

 intended to try to divert or distract the attention of the dancers, and 

 are of a joking nature. Such are: 



"Old-Turkey, now useless, looks across the lodge!" 



"That short man struck his wife's face secretly!" 



"Secretly, there is good time!" 



