l86 SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION 



impressed and said that if the work were transferred to a place near 

 their home, they would be willing to sing. These Indians are sons 

 of a prominent Winnebago of former times, named Thunder, and 

 they live in what may be called a permanent camp, about five miles 

 south of Galesville. Wisconsin. The writer then proceeded to Gales- 

 ville and went to their camp each day, obtaining many songs there 

 and from a Winnebago living at Trempeleau, a village about lo miles 

 southwest of Galesville. on the Mississippi River. The dwellings of 

 the Thunder family are near the battlefield on which the Winnebago 

 fought a notable battle with the Sioux. The house in which the songs 

 were recorded is shown in figure 210. and figure 209 shows an eleva- 

 tion near the camp which is known as " Sheep's Hill." 



The songs that belong to distinctively Winnebago feasts and cere- 

 monies were the object of special research. The War-bundle feast, 

 held in midwinter, is such a ceremony and 25 of its songs were re- 

 corded, including songs of the thunderbird bundle and the bear, 

 morning star, and spirits of the night bundles. Other distinctively 

 Winnebago groups are the songs of the lUiffalo dance, held in the 

 si)ring, and the songs of the Heruka. Numerous songs of both classes 

 were obtained, the Heruka songs being recorded by David Little 

 Soldier (fig. 211), a son-in-law of Thunder. The Heruka were said 

 to be " bow and arrow spirits." resembling Indians in appearance 

 but small in stature and living in high mountains. Their songs were 

 concerning the power of their bows and arrows, and it was said that 

 they taught the use of these weapons to the Indians. 



The customs pertaining to the use of music in the treatment of the 

 sick were found to be similar to those in other tribes, a doctor receiving 

 songs in his dreams and believing that his power was increased if 

 someone joined him in singing the songs. Thunder dreamed of the 

 Day and of a white butTalo, and the songs used by him in treating 

 the sick were recorded by two of his sons, one of whom, John Thunder 

 (fig. 212), acted as interpreter for the entire work. Another important 

 group of healing songs belonged to the grandfather of John Henry, 

 living at Trempeleau, Wisconsin, who recorded them, and also trans- 

 ferred to the writer a bone whistle blown by his grandfather when 

 singing for the sick. The whistle is made of a wingbone of a wild 

 swan and is etched with figures of a turtle, a deer, a medicine lodge 

 and other symbols of his dreams and his power. Two tones, slightly 

 dififerent in pitch, were obtained by a peculiar manner of blowing the 

 whistle, these tones beinsr recorded tog^ether with the sonss. 



