424 A STUDY OF SIOUAN CULTS. 



THE THUNDER-BEING A WAKANTA. 



§ 75. Among the Iowa and Oto, the Tcexita is the eagle and thuuder- 

 bird geus, and Mr. Hamilton was told by the Iowa that the Thiinderbe- 

 ing was called, Tcexita, and Wakanta, the latter being its peculiar title. 

 " They supposed the Thunder-beiug to be a large bird. When they first 

 hear the thundei- in the spring of the year, they have a sacred feast in 

 honor of this god." 



The Winnebago called the Thunder-being "Waka"tca-ra," and one 

 division of the Bird gens is the WakaHca ikikaratcada, or Thunder- 

 being sub-gens. The Thunder-beings are the enemies of the Waktceqi 

 or Submarine Wakantas. One person in the Thunder-being sub-gens 

 is named Five-horned Male, probably referring to a Thuuder-beiug 

 wirii five horns! Other personal names are as follows: (Tieen Thun- 

 der-being, Black Thunder-being, White Thunder-being, and Yellow 

 Thunder-being; but James Alexander, a full-blood Winnebago of the 

 Wolf gens, says that these colors have no connection with the four 

 winds or quarters of the earth (See § 381). 



The Iowa told Mr. Hamilton of a Winnebago who saw a Thunder- 

 being fighting a subaquatic power. Sometimes the former bore the 

 latter up into the air, and at other times the subaquatic power took 

 his adversary beneath the water. The Winnebago watched them all 

 day, and each Power asked his assistance in overcoming the other, 

 promising him a great reward. The man did not know which one to 

 help; but at last he shot an arrow at the subaquatic power, who was 

 carried up into the air by the Thunder-being, but the wounded one 

 said to the man, "You may become a great man yourself, but your 

 relations nmst'die." And so they say it happened. He became very 

 great, but his relatives died. 



When the warriors returned home fi-om an expedition against their 

 enemies, they plaited grass and tied the pieces around their arms, 

 necks, and ankles. Sometimes to each ankle there was a trailing 

 jiiece of plaited grass a yard long. This was probably associated, as 

 were all war customs, with the worship of the Thunder-being (See 

 Chap. Ill, § 35). 



SUBTEERANEAN POWERS. 



§ 76. An Indian became deranged from the use of whisky, and ran wild 

 for several days. The Iowa supposed that his madness was caused 

 by a subterranean power, whom he had seen, and whose picture he 

 had drawn on the ground, representing it with large horns. 



SUBAQUATIC POWERS. 



§77. Some lowaclaim to have seen them. No Heart (l^atceniiie) told 

 Mr. Hamilton that he had seen a "water god in the Missouri river, 

 when a man was drowned. When a person is drowned they some- 



