DORSEY.I POWER OF THE UNKTEHI. 439 



§ 109. The lowii aud Oto tribes have among their nikie names, Ni 

 wa'^cike, Water Person, audNiwa"cikemi, Water Person Female. If 

 these do not refer to the beaver, they may have some connectiou with the 

 water monsters or deities. An Omaha told the author a Yankton legend 

 about these gods of the waters. The wife of the special Unktehi coveted 

 an Indian child and drew it beneath the surface of the river. The father 

 of the child had to offer a white dog to the deity in order to recover his 

 son; but the latter died on emerging from the water, as he had eaten 

 some of the food of the Unktelii during his stay with the deity. After 

 awhile the parents lost a daughter in like manner, but as she did not eat 

 any of the food <>f the Unktehi, she was recovered after an offering of 

 four white dogs.' 



Smet tells of offerings made by the Assinibointo "the water" and 

 "the land," but it is probable that they were made to the Unktehi.^ 



§ 110. The Dakota pray to lakes and rivers, accordiiig to Riggs,^ but 

 he does not say whether the visible objects were worshiped or whether 

 the worship was intended for the Unktehi supposed to dwell in those 

 lakes and rivers. 



POWER OF THE VXKTEHI. 



§ 111. These gods have power to send from their bodies a wakan in- 

 fluence which is ii'resistible even by the superior gods. This influence is 

 termed "tonwan." Thispower is common to all the Taku Wakan. And 

 it is claimed that this tonwan is infused into each mystery sack which 

 is used in the mystery dance. A little to the left of the road leading 

 from Fort Snelling to Minnehaha, in sight of the fort, is a hill which is 

 used at present as a burial place. This hill is known to the Dakota as 

 "Taku Wakan tipl," the dwelling place of the gods. It is believed that 

 one of the Unktehi dwells there. 



§ 112. The Unktehi are thought to feed on the spirits of human be- 

 ings, and references to this occur in the mystic songs. The mystery feast 

 and the mystery dance have been received fi-om these gods. The sacri- 

 flces required by them are the soft down of the swan reddened with ver- 

 milion, deer skins, dog, mystery feast and mysterj- dances. 



In Miss Fletcher's article on "The Shadow or Ghost Lodge: A cere- 

 mony of the Ogallala Sioux," we read that 2 yards of red cloth are 

 "carried out bej'ond the camj), to an elevation if possible, aud buried 

 in a hole about 3 feet deep. This is an oft'ering to the earth, and the 

 chanted praj'er asks that the life, or power in earth, will help the 

 father" of the dead child "in keeping successfully all the requirements 

 of the ghost lodge.'" (See § 146.) 



SUBORDINATES OF THE UNKTEHI. 



The subordinates of the Unktehi are serpents, lizards, frogs, ghosts, 

 owls, and eagles. The Unktehi made the earth and men, and gave the 



'Contr. N. A. Etlm. vol. VI, pp. 357—358. ^Ani. Antici., toI. v. p. U9. 



^Misaiona and Missionaries, p. 136. * Rept. Peabody Museum, vol, iii. ]>. '297. 



