28 SMITPISONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 77 



With my knife I scrape the inside of the gourd, 

 Scrape it smooth and clean like a cup ; 

 I put the medicine into this cup — 

 Ashes of the little bird and red tree-juice, 

 Now I tie the cover on tightly, 

 Put it in my trunk and tell nobody. 



Every night for eight nights I take the gourd out of my trunk, 

 The smooth round gourd, with top tied on so tightly, 

 I put cocoa beans on a little fire and smoke the gourd, 

 Singing this song while the smoke curls around it — 

 " Little bird, I saw you 



And I knew you would be a good bird to catch a turtle, 



That is why I shot you. 



Now if you do not tame the turtle 



Everyone will say you are not a good bird. 



But I know you will tame the turtle, 



Then I will make lots of money 



To buy a gun, a shirt, and many things I like." 

 After the eighth night of singing my partner comes, 

 We go down to my canoe, 



I put the gourd carefully in the middle of the canoe, 

 I have a long pole, a spearhead and a line, 

 The spearhead will be fastened on the pole 

 And with it I will spear the turtle. 



(B) Now I am talking to the medicine in the gourd and saying, 

 " When we get out to the ocean 

 I will send you down under the water, 

 I will send you down to attract the turtle. 

 When you get to the bottom of the water 

 You must put on your pretty blue dress 

 So the turtle will come to you. 

 Change your dress many times, 

 If the turtle has on a yellow dress 

 You must put on a yellow dress. 

 If the turtle has on a white dress 

 You must put on a white dress. 

 If the turtle has on a blue dress 

 You must put on a blue dress, 

 You must do this to attract him. 

 When you get the turtle 



Bring him up to the canoe and I will spear him. 

 Tell the turtle that the man who sent you is not going to kill him, 

 Tell the turtle I will only take off his shell and send him back where 



he came from, 

 So you will catch many turtles for me, 

 And everyone will say you are a good bird." 



