KANSA WORSHIP OF THE THUNDER-BEING. 385 



KANSA WORSHIP OF THE THUNDEK-BKING. 



§ 36. The following was a custom of the Lu or Thiiiiiler-being gens. 

 At the time of the first thunder-storm in the spring of the year, the 

 Lu people put a quantity of green cedar on a fire, making a great 

 smoke. The storm ceased after the members of the other gentes 

 offered i)rayers. The Buffalo or Tcedunga gens aided the Lu gens in 

 the worship of the Thunder-being, by sending one of their men to 

 open the sacred bag of gray hawk skin atid remove the mystery pipe. 

 These objects were kept by a Lu man, Kinuyiuge, who was not 

 allowed to open the bag. 



Paha^le-gaqli, of the Large Haiiga gens, and Ali"kawahu, of the 

 Small Hauga, are the leaders in everything pertaining to war. Pa- 

 ha"le-ga(ili furnished the author with a copy of his war chart, on 

 which are represented symbols of the mystery songs. In the middle 

 of the chart there should be a representation of fire, but Paha"le- 

 gaqli said that he was afraid to draw it there, unless he fasted and 

 took other necessary precautions. The songs used in connection with 

 the chart are very " wakaudagi," or mysterious. They are never 

 sung on common occasions, or in a })rof;ine manner, lest the offender 

 should be killed by the Thunder-being. One of the three songs about 

 the sacred pipe, sung when the wrappings are taken fi'om the pipe 

 (See §85) by Ali"kawahu is as follows: 



"Ha-ha! tce-ga-nu ha-ha! « 



Ha-hA ! tce-ga-nu ha-ha ! 

 Ha-h4 ! tce-ga-nu ha-ha ! 

 Hii-hii'!" 



(Unintelligible to the author. Said when Ali^kawahu presses 

 down on the covers or wrappings of the pipe.) 



" Yu ! yu ! yii ! Hii-hii' ! Hii-hii' ! " 



(Chorus sung by all the Large and Small Hanga men.) 



This last line is an invocation of the Thunder-being. The arms, 

 which are kept apart and parallel, are held up toward the sky, with 

 the palms of the hands out. Each arm is then rubbed from the wrist 

 to the shoulder by the other hand.' 



After the singing of these three songs, Paha"le-gaqli carries the 

 sacred clam shell on his back. 



The second figure on the chart is that of the venerable man or 

 Wakanda, who was the first singer of all the Haiiga songs. When Ali"- 

 kawahu and Paha"le-ga([li are singing them, they think that this 

 Wakanda walks behind them, holding u^) his hands toward the Thun- 

 der-being, to whom he prays for them. 



'This song antl the iuvocation of tlie Tliuiider-being are used by the Ponka aa i^-ell as by the 

 Kansa. According to Miss Fletcher, the " sign of giving thanks "' among the Hnnkpapa Dakota ia 

 made by moving tlie hands in the opposite direction, i.e., "from the slioulder to the ^vrist." See 

 " The White liiiflalo Festival of the Uncpapaa," in Pcabody Museum Kept., vol. ill, p. 268. 

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