﻿Fletcher-la 
  flesche] 
  RITES 
  PERTAINING 
  TO 
  THE 
  INDIVIDUAL 
  131 
  

  

  Four 
  days 
  and 
  nights 
  the 
  youth 
  was 
  to 
  fast 
  and 
  pray 
  provided 
  he 
  

   was 
  physically 
  able 
  to 
  bear 
  so 
  long 
  a 
  strain. 
  No 
  matter 
  how 
  hungry 
  

   he 
  became, 
  he 
  was 
  forbidden 
  to 
  use 
  the 
  bow 
  and 
  arrows 
  put 
  into 
  his 
  

   hands 
  by 
  his 
  father 
  when 
  he 
  left 
  his 
  home 
  for 
  this 
  solitary 
  test 
  of 
  

   endurance. 
  When 
  he 
  fell 
  into 
  a 
  sleep 
  or 
  a 
  trance, 
  if 
  he 
  saw 
  or 
  heard 
  

   anything, 
  that 
  thing 
  was 
  to 
  become 
  a 
  special 
  medium 
  through 
  which 
  

   the 
  youth 
  could 
  receive 
  supernatural 
  aid. 
  Generally 
  with 
  the 
  sight 
  

   of 
  the 
  thing 
  came 
  an 
  accompanying 
  cadence. 
  This 
  cadence 
  was 
  

   the 
  song 
  or 
  call 
  by 
  which 
  the 
  man 
  might 
  summon 
  aid 
  in 
  his 
  time 
  of 
  

   need. 
  The 
  form, 
  animate 
  or 
  inanimate, 
  which 
  appeared 
  to 
  the 
  man 
  

   was 
  drawn 
  toward 
  him, 
  it 
  was 
  believed, 
  by 
  the 
  feeling 
  of 
  pity. 
  The 
  

   term 
  used 
  to 
  express 
  this 
  impelling 
  of 
  the 
  form 
  to 
  the 
  man 
  was 
  

   i'tkaethe, 
  meaning 
  "to 
  have 
  compassion 
  on." 
  If 
  the 
  youth 
  at 
  this 
  

   time 
  saw 
  a 
  buffalo, 
  it 
  would 
  be 
  said: 
  Te 
  i'thaethe, 
  " 
  the 
  buffalo 
  had 
  

   compassion 
  on 
  him;" 
  if 
  he 
  heard 
  the 
  thunder: 
  J"<jtJni"' 
  ithaeihe, 
  "the 
  

   thunder 
  had 
  compassion." 
  The 
  vision, 
  with 
  its 
  sacred 
  call 
  or 
  song, 
  

   was 
  the 
  one 
  thing 
  that 
  the 
  Omaha 
  held 
  as 
  his 
  own, 
  incapable 
  of 
  loss 
  

   so 
  long 
  as 
  life 
  and 
  memory 
  lasted. 
  It 
  was 
  his 
  personal 
  connection 
  

   with 
  the 
  vast 
  universe, 
  by 
  which 
  he 
  could 
  strengthen 
  his 
  spirit 
  and 
  

   his 
  physical 
  powers. 
  He 
  never 
  gave 
  the 
  details 
  of 
  his 
  vision 
  to 
  any- 
  

   one, 
  nor 
  was 
  it 
  even 
  casually 
  spoken 
  of; 
  it 
  was 
  too 
  sacred 
  for 
  ordinary 
  

   speech. 
  

  

  When 
  going 
  forth 
  to 
  fast, 
  the 
  youth 
  went 
  silently 
  and 
  unobserved. 
  

   No 
  one 
  accosted 
  him 
  or 
  gave 
  him 
  counsel 
  or 
  direction. 
  He 
  passed 
  

   through 
  his 
  experience 
  alone, 
  and 
  alone 
  he 
  returned 
  to 
  his 
  father's 
  

   lodge. 
  No 
  one 
  asked 
  him 
  of 
  his 
  absence, 
  or 
  even 
  mentioned 
  the 
  fact 
  

   that 
  he 
  had 
  been 
  away. 
  For 
  four 
  days 
  he 
  must 
  rest, 
  eat 
  little, 
  and 
  

   speak 
  little. 
  After 
  that 
  period 
  he 
  might 
  go 
  to 
  an 
  old 
  and 
  worthy 
  

   man 
  who 
  was 
  known 
  to 
  have 
  had 
  a 
  similar 
  vision. 
  After 
  eating 
  and 
  

   smoking 
  with 
  the 
  old 
  man, 
  when 
  they 
  were 
  quite 
  alone 
  it 
  was 
  per- 
  

   mitted 
  the 
  youth 
  to 
  mention 
  that 
  he 
  had 
  had 
  a 
  vision 
  like 
  that 
  of 
  his 
  

   host, 
  of 
  beast, 
  or 
  bird, 
  or 
  whatever 
  it 
  might 
  have 
  been. 
  Should 
  he 
  

   speak 
  of 
  his 
  vision 
  before 
  the 
  expiration 
  of 
  the 
  four 
  days, 
  it 
  would 
  

   be 
  the 
  same 
  as 
  lost 
  to 
  him. 
  After 
  the 
  youth 
  had 
  spoken 
  to 
  the 
  old 
  

   man 
  it 
  became 
  his 
  duty 
  to 
  travel 
  until 
  he 
  should 
  meet 
  the 
  animal 
  or 
  

   bird 
  seen 
  in 
  his 
  vision, 
  when 
  he 
  had 
  to 
  slay 
  it, 
  and 
  preserve 
  either 
  the 
  

   whole 
  or 
  a 
  part 
  of 
  its 
  body. 
  This 
  trophy 
  became 
  the 
  visible 
  sign 
  of 
  

   his 
  vision 
  and 
  the 
  most 
  sacred 
  of 
  his 
  possessions. 
  He 
  might 
  wear 
  it 
  

   on 
  his 
  scalp 
  lock 
  or 
  elsewhere 
  on 
  his 
  person 
  during 
  sacred 
  festivals, 
  

   when 
  going 
  to 
  war, 
  or 
  on 
  some 
  other 
  important 
  occasions. 
  This 
  

   article 
  has 
  been 
  spoken 
  of 
  by 
  some 
  writers 
  as 
  the 
  man's 
  "personal 
  

   totem." 
  When 
  the 
  vision 
  came 
  in 
  the 
  form 
  of 
  a 
  cloud 
  or 
  the 
  sound 
  

   of 
  the 
  thunder, 
  these 
  were 
  symbolized 
  by 
  certain 
  objects; 
  or 
  were 
  

   typified 
  in 
  designs 
  painted 
  on 
  the 
  man 
  or 
  on 
  his 
  belongings. 
  

  

  Some 
  visions 
  were 
  regarded 
  as 
  "lucky," 
  as 
  giving 
  special 
  and 
  help- 
  

   ful 
  advantages 
  to 
  the 
  man. 
  Hawks 
  were 
  "lucky" 
  — 
  they 
  helped 
  to 
  

   success 
  and 
  prowess 
  in 
  war. 
  Bears, 
  being 
  slow 
  and 
  clumsy, 
  were 
  

  

  