MICHELSON] OWL SACRED PACK OF THE FOX INDIANS a1 
It has the nature of a manitou, 
It has the nature of a manitou; 
In between the ears, 
In between the ears; 
It has the nature of a manitou, 
It has the nature of a manitou, 
It has the nature of a manitou.! 
After (these songs) are used, then everyone, as many as are seated 
inside, smoke. The gourds are not rattled; they merely sing. Those 
celebrating the gens festival do not smoke. And after they have 
smoked, they begin eating sweet (foods), maple-sugar cakes, maple 
syrup, hazelnuts, strawberries. And then those giving the feast 
sing. . 
My body has the nature of a manitou, 
My body has the nature of a manitou, 
My body has the nature of a manitou, 
My body has the nature of a manitou.? 
They begin to move their mouths, 
YO, the manitous; 
They begin to move their mouths, 
YO, the manitous; 
In the middle of the sky, they move their mouths up and down, 
YO, the manitous; j 
They begin to move their mouths, 
Yo, the manitous.* 
You soul, you soul, you soul, you soul, 
Are half the nature of a manitou; 
You soul, you soul.* 
We shall eat, my people, 
Where I go, 
As I go as a manitou, 
As I go as a manitou; 
We shall eat, my people.® 
The drum is beaten when these four songs are used and when they 
eat the sweet_(foods). Those invited eat according to their gentes; 
different gentes are not to eat together; the gentes of each kind eat 
together. And people belonging to the Bear gens are invited first, 
then (those) of any other (gens); only those belonging to the Bear 
gens are invited first. Any women and children eat who do not 
belong to the gens giving the feast. 
Now the wailing songs: 
Just for fun we make them cry, 
We make the people cry; 
To be sure it is; 
The people we make cry; 
Just for fun we make them cry.® 
4The song shows that the soul is a spirit, and could be seen in person if it willed it. 
©The inner meaning of the song is that when the people go to war, they can always find game and 
things to eat, because Black-Rainbow was blessed. 
6 The metrical structure of this song is not altogether clear. All the songs called “‘ wailing-songs’’ are 
used by children when they fast. The meaning of this song is that a large number of the enemy has 
been killed. : 
