SONGS OF THE ARAPAHO 959 



Ml h.nEY] 



their previous religious tradition having centered about the selcha or 

 flat pipe, to be described hereafter. The pipe, however, was not com- 

 monly carried in the dance, as was the case among the Sioux. In this 

 song, as in many others of the Ghost dance, the lather or messiah, 

 Eesuna'nin, is supposed to be addressing -my children."' ntinisa'na. 

 The tun.- is particularly soft and pleasing, and the song remains a 

 standard favorite. The second reference is to the new earth which is 

 supposed to he already moving rapidly forward to slide over and take 

 the place of this old and worn-out creation. 



2. Si' ICHA II K.I TA WIN! .VA 



S6 icha hei t;i wuni na — E yahe eye, 



Sr icha hei'ta'wuni'na — E'yahe'eye. 



He'suna'nini — Yabe'eye', 



He si'ma nini — Yabe'eye'. 



fjtnitha'wueha'wahaniinina — E'yahe'eye' . 



Utnitha'wueha'wahananina — E yal ye 



1 le sana nini — E yahe eye. 

 He sana nini — E yahe eye. 



Translation 



The sacred pipe tells me— /.' yahe eye ! 



The sacred pipe tells me — E'yahe eye ! 



( >ur lather — Take eye' ! 



< inr father — Tahe'eye ' 



We shall surely lie piit again ( with our friends | — /' yahe ( ije ' 



We shall surely be put again i with our friends) — E'yahe eye ' 



I )ur father — E yahe'eye! 



t )ur father — E'yahe'eye! 



The seicha or flat pipe is the sacred tribal medicine of the Arapaho. 

 According to the myth it was given to their ancestors at the beginning 

 of the world after the Turtle had brought the earth up from under the 

 water. It was delivered to them by the Duck, which was discovered 

 swimming about on the top of the water after the emergence of the land. 

 At the same time, they were given an ear of corn, from which comes all 

 the corn of the world. The Arapaho lost the art of agriculture when 

 they came out upon the buffalo plains, but the sacred pipe the Turtle 

 long since changed to stone, and the first ear of com. also transformed 

 to stone, they have cherished to this day as their great medicine. The 

 pipe, turtle, ami ear of corn are [.reserved among the northern Arapaho 

 in Wyoming, who claim to be the "mother people" of the tribe. They 

 are handed down in the keeping of a particular family from generation 

 to generation, the present priestly guardian being Se'hiwuq, -'Weasel 

 Bear" (from sea, weasel, and wuq, bear; the name has also been ren- 

 dered "Gray Bear," from se, gray, and iniq, bear), of the Basawune'na 

 division. 



The three sacred things an- preserved carefully wrapped in deerskins. 

 and are exposed only on rare occasions, always within the sacred tipi 

 14 eth — PT 2 lil 



