64 THE SIA. 



great mountain a white deer. The deer was passing toward the south, 

 and he said to himself, "Why can not the Sia catch deer?" And look- 

 ing to the west, he saw a yellow antelope on the summit of a high 

 mountain. He, too, was passing to the south, and Po'shaiyanne .said 

 to himself, "Why can they not catch antelope?" And he looked to 

 the south, and saw on the great mountain of the south a sheep, which 

 was also passing to the south, and he looked to the east, and there, on 

 a high peak, he saw the buflfalo, who was passing to the south; and 

 then, looking all over the earth, he saw that it was covered with rab- 

 bits, rats, and all kinds of small animals, and that the air was filled 

 with birds of every description. Then, returning to the ti'amoni, he 

 said : "My mother, my father, why do your children say they can catch 

 no game? When I lir.st looked to the mountain of the north I .saw the 

 deer, and to the west I saw the antelope, and to the south the moun- 

 tain sheep, and to the east the buifalo, and the earth and air were filled 

 with animals and birds." The ti'iimoui inquired how he could see all 

 over the earth. He doubted Po'.shaiyanne's word. Then Po'shaiyanne 

 said : "In four days I will go and catch deer for you." " Well," said the 

 ti'amoni, " when you bring the deer I will believe. Until then I must 

 think, perhaps, you do not speak the truth." 



For three days the men were busy making bows and arrows, and 

 during these days they observed a strict fast and practiced coutinency. 

 On the fourth morning at sunrise Po'shaiyanne, accompanied by Ma'a- 

 sewe and tTyuuyewe, who came to the earth to gTeet Po'shaiyiinne, 

 and the men of the village, started on the hunt. They ate before leav- 

 ing the village, and after the meal Po'shaiyanne asked: "Are you all 

 ready for the hunt?" And they replied: "Yes; we are ready." Po'- 

 shaiyanne, Ma'asewe, and tJyuuyewe started in advance of the others, 

 and when some distance ahead Po'shaiyiinne made a fire and sprinkled 

 meal to the north, the west, the south, and the east, that the deer might 

 come to him over the roads of meal. He then made a circle of meal, 

 leaving an opening through which the game and hunters might pass, 

 and when this was done all of the men of the village foi'med into a 

 group a short distance from Po'shaiyanne, who then played on his 

 flute, and, holding it tipward, he played first to the north, then west, 

 then south, and then east. The deer came over the four roads to him 

 and entered the great circle of meal. Ma'asewe and tJyuuyewg called 

 to all the people to come and kill the deer. It was now before the 

 middle of the day. There were many deer in the circle, and as the 

 people approached they said one to another : " Perhaps the deer are 

 large; perhaps they are small." 



(The deer found by the Sia in this world are quite different from those 

 in the lower world. Those in the lower world did not come to this 

 world; they are called sits' ta-ne, water deer. These deer lived in the 

 water, but they grazed over the mountains. They were very large, 

 with great antlers. The deer in this world are much smaller and have 

 smaller antlers.) 



