STEVENSON.) RITES WITH CHILDBIRTH. 139 



said: "The child i.s yours; I make it a gift to you." The writer then 

 returned tlie child to the doctress, and the grandfather proceeded to 

 arrange the cradle, which has a transverse ridge, provided with a niche 

 for the neck. Two bits of calico, folded several times, were laid on the 

 blaidcet, and on this a piece of white cotton. The infant was placed 

 nude upon its bed, and a piece of white cotton was laid over it from the 

 neck to the lower part of the abdomen, extending on either side of the 

 body and passing under the arms, the ends of the cloth being folded 

 over the arms and tucked in on the inner sides. Tlie little sheet was 

 laid over the child, and the blanket folded around it ; and then it was 

 strapped to the cradle, which was deposited to the left side of the 

 mother, on a white sheepskin. The ear of corn which had been such 

 an important element previous to tlie birth was laid Ijy the right side 

 of the child. The grandfather, taking his seat at the foot of the cradle, 

 deposited before him the three medicine bags which had been used in 

 the ritual previous to the birth, and, holding his eagle jihimes in his 

 right hand, repeated a prayer. Two loosely twisted cords of native 

 cotton, which had been prepared by the father of the infant immediately 

 after the birth of the child, were placed under the mother's pillow, to her 

 right side ; these were afterwards tied around the ankles of the infant, to 

 indicate that it was a child of Sus'sistinnako and that it might know this 

 father. After the prayer the grandfather touched the head, either side 

 and foot of the cradle, and the child's body, with a spear point of ob- 

 sidian ; this was repeated four times for strength of body, limbs, heart, 

 and mind of the child; and the spear was passed over the mother's 

 limbs and body for the same purpose. The grandfather then gave the 

 child its first food by placing in his own mouth a pinch of a specially 

 sacred and valuable medicine composed of the pollen of medicinal and 

 edible plants and transferring it into the infant's mouth from his. He 

 then placed a bit with his fingers in the mother's mouth. The medicine 

 was given to the child that he might know all the medicines of the 

 earth, and to the mother that her jnilk which was to nourish the infant 

 might be good, so that the child's heart and mind would be good. 



No attention was given to the woman by the doctress for two liours 

 after the birth, when a ft'csli gown was put on, the gown being changed 

 every morning and evening for four days, the one worn in the evening- 

 having been washed and dried the same day. The sheepskin on the 

 bed was changed daily. About 9 o'clock a. m. the grandmother prepared 

 a bowl of tea made from freshly gathered cedar twigs steeped in water, 

 and the woman drank two gourdfuls. This tea is constantly drunk for 

 a designated period, which differs with different clans; some drinking 

 it regularly for four months, others taking it but three, and some <nily 

 two months. No water is drunk during the time this liquid is used, 

 and continency is observed for the two, three, or four months ; the hus- 

 band, however, sleeps during this time in the same room, and in this 

 particular case the husband slept by his wife's side. Should a woman 



