STEVENSON.] 



SONGS. 123 



The cotton shirt and trousers are then douned and the scalp is 

 carried to the scalp-house (a cavity iu the earth covered with a mound 

 of stone) and deposited with food for the spirit of the departed euemj'. 

 Again returning to the ceremonial chamber, fast is broken for the first 

 time during the day, when a feast, which is served by the female rela- 

 tives of the victor, is enjoyed. After the meal they go to the river and 

 remove all evidences of the paint upon their bodies. Continency is 

 observed four days. 



The few songs of the cult which the writer was able to collect are 

 direct invocations for rain, or for the presence of zoomorphic beings in 

 ceremonials for healing the sick, a few words sufficing for many unex- 

 pressed ideas. The epic ritual of the Sia is so elaborate that much time 

 and careful instruction are re(iuired to impress it upon the mind, and the 

 younger men either have not the mind necessary for the retention of 

 the ritual or will not tax their memories; therefore the web of Sia myth 

 and religion is woven into the minds of but few. 



The aged theui-gists were eager to intrust to the writer the keeping 

 of their songs, which are an elaborate record of the lives of their mytliic 

 heroes and of the Sia themselves. 



The Sia sometimes adopt the poet's license in their songs and alter 

 a word; for example, the name for "badger" is tuo'pi, but is changed 

 in the sko'yo song for rain to tupi'na, because, they say, the latter word 

 renders the stanza more rhythmical. And, again, different words are 

 synonymously used. 



The his'tiiin and quer'ranna have each a similar song of petition for 

 rain, this song having been given to the his'tiiin by the sun. It will be 

 remembered that the name of this society indicates the knives or 

 arrows of lightning given to the heroes by their sun father. 



SONGS. 

 A RAIN SONG OF THK SHU'-WI CHAI'AN (SNAKE SOCIETY). 



1. Hen'-na-ti 2. Hen'-na-ti shi'-wan-ua 



Ile'-iish He'-Jish shi-waii-na 



Pur'-tu-wish-ta Pur'-tu-wish-ta shi-wan-na 



Kow-mots KQw-mots shi'-wan iia 



Kash'-ti-arts Kash'ti-arts shi'-wan-na 



Ka'-chard Ka'-chard shi'-wan-na 



(1) Translation: — Hennati, white iioating masks, behind which the 

 cloud people pass about over ti'iii'a for recreation; He'iish, masks like 

 the plains, behind which the cloud people pass over ti'ni'a to water the 

 earth; Piirtuwishta, lightning people; Kowmots, thunder people; 

 Kashtiarts, rainbow people; Ka'chard, rain, the word lieing used in 

 this instance, however, as an emphatic invocation to the rulers of the 

 cloud i)eople. 



(2) Shi'waima, people. 



