384 A STUDY OF SIOUAN CULTS. 



\oie8. 



383,4,et passim. C'a^i"ce eja"mi", coutracted in rapid pronunciation to, 0ail;i"oeja"mi". 

 383,4-6. V-^ig^;ize-ma''?i", Cia"batig^e, (|'ia"ba-gina", and Gaagig^eda" are '-uikie 



name.s " of the Icta.sanda or Thunder gens of the Omaha. They may refer to 



four Thunder Iieing.s, one at each point of the compass, or one dwelling in the 



direction of each of the four winds. 

 383,8. Ci"^iqade, with the arms elevated and the hands stretched out, palms 



down, towards the clouds. 

 383, 9-10. Nikaci"ga wedajf ama, etc. Other geutes of Omaha fear to mention 



these Ictasanda names, or to bestow them on members of their gentes. 

 383,11. Agudictt . . i<^a'e(;e ama, etc. Refers to the lDgi|a" i*a'e^e ama, or 



the Thunder shamans, of the other Omaha gentes. 



Translation. 



When the Ictasauda people become fearful during a shower, they 

 fill a pipe with tobacco and offer it to the Thunder-beings. And when 

 they offer the tobacco, they speak thus: "O grandfather! I am very 

 jwor here. In some direction or other cause a place to be abandoned 

 by those (who would injure me?). I think that you are there O 

 <pig(J',ize-ma"<f'i" ! I think that you are there. O (f'ia"batig^e ! I think 

 that you are there. O (/'ia"ba-gi na" ! 1 think that you are there. O 

 Gaagigfeda" ! I think that you are there." 



And when they do not offer the tobacco, they stand with the arms 

 elevated and the hands stretched out, palms down, as they cry towards 

 the clouds. And they say that the Thunder-beings know about them, 

 their worshippers. 



The Omaha of the other gentes fear to mention these Ictasauda 

 nikie names, or to bestow them on members of their gentes, as 

 well as to invoke the Thunder-being or beings, itnless they belong to 

 the order of Thunder shamans. In that case, they can do as the Icta- 

 sanda people do. They make songs about the Thunder -beings, and 

 stand singing their own songs. They till the pipe with tobacco, and 

 stand, holding it with the mouth-piece toward the clouds, as they gaze 

 towards them. 



These shamans often act otherwise. Sometimes they do not till the 

 pipe, and then they stand singing the Thunder songs, without offering 

 anything to the Thunder-beings. 



And these shamans know when anything promises to result in good 

 or evil to the person undertaking it. So when a person wishes to join 

 a large hunting party, he fills a pipe with tobacco, and offers it to a 

 shaman, thus causing him to prophesy. As he wishes him to know 

 the result of following a certain course, (i. e., of traveling in a certain 

 direction), he induces the shaman to sing (sacred songs). And some- 

 times the shaman predicts the very occurrence which comes to pass; 

 if, for instance, he foretells that the inquiring man will kill game, he 

 may say, ' The Thunder-beings ( ?) have given me some (]uadrui>eds.' " 



