DEXSMOitE] TETOX SIOUX MUSIC 81 



released her spirit. During that time we collected many gifts for the final feast. Our 

 relatives helped us in this, the women miaking many articles with their own hands. 

 As I was withheld from the ordinary duties of life I had a man called tro^ ivasi itaio'car) 

 (literally "laborer leader"), who carried messages for me, kept us supplied with wood 

 and water, swept the lodge, and kept clean the space around the spirit bundle. He 

 also cut red willow [cnr)sa'sa\ and dried it, so that I would have plenty to give away 

 at the final feast. 



The man who kopt a spirit was frequontlv invited to feasts of the 

 various societies and was expected to attend them. It was under- 

 stood that if valuable presents were being given away he would be 

 first to receive one. In return for these favors he invited the societies 

 to attend the feasts, which were held outside the lodge, when the time 

 came for releasing the spirit. The time for keeping a spirit varied 

 from several months to a year or even longer. At the expiration 

 of this time the final ceremony and feast were held. This was called 

 waki' caga, meaning the act of completing the undertaking. All the 

 band gathered for the event and the various societies had their special 

 tents. The societies took a prominent part in such features of the 

 spirit releasing as took place outside the lodge, but their members did 

 not enter the lodge unless they were men who themselves "had kept 

 spirits. 



If several spirits were to be released, the man who first announced 

 his intention of keeping a spirit was considered the leader of the 

 spirit-keepers. Early in the morning, on the day of the spirit 

 releasing, he sent a filled pipe to an old man who was to be master of 

 the wdiole ceremony and who was designated a'taya itay'caij. 



Weasel Bear said: "On that day I was to lay aside all signs of 

 mourning, so I painted myself gaily and put on all my finest attire. 

 I was only 28 years old, but I had won a war-honor feather and I 

 wore it that day. My wife arrayed herself like a young girl." (See 

 reference to the bright adornments in the Ceremony of Restoring 

 the Mourners, in Bulletin 53, p. 153.) 



One man was selected for each spirit; he was known merely as 

 itaq'cai),^ and was a man who had kept the spirit of a relative. It 

 was his duty to prepare the "spirit post" (wana'gi gele'pi) and to 

 perform other parts of the ceremony pertaining to the individual 

 spirit in whose service he had been employed. The spirit post was 

 made in the spirit lodge. According to Weasel Bear cottonwood 

 was generally used for this purpose (cf. pp. Ill, 118), and the man 

 who made it always sat with his face toward the east and whittled 

 upward, moving the knife away from liim. Before doing this he 

 purified his hands and knife ^^'ith the smoke of sweet grass. A post 

 for a child's spirit was smaller than for that of an adult. The post 

 shown in plate 8 is 35 inches long; tliis was made by Weasel Bear to 



' See p. 70, footnote. 



