﻿FLETCHER-LA 
  FLHSCHB] 
  

  

  THE 
  SACKED 
  POLE 
  

  

  233 
  

  

  The 
  Sacred 
  Pole 
  was 
  carried 
  by 
  the 
  wife 
  of 
  the 
  keeper 
  of 
  the 
  Pole 
  to 
  

   the 
  edge 
  of 
  the 
  communal 
  lodge, 
  where 
  the 
  keeper 
  arranged 
  it 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  

   lean 
  on 
  its 
  "staff" 
  (acrotched 
  stick) 
  toward 
  the 
  center 
  of 
  the 
  hu'thuga. 
  

  

  The 
  pipe 
  belonging 
  to 
  the 
  Sacred 
  Pole 
  was 
  first 
  smoked; 
  then 
  the 
  

   bundle 
  of 
  reeds 
  was 
  brought, 
  which 
  served 
  as 
  a 
  count 
  of 
  the 
  men 
  of 
  

   the 
  tribe 
  who 
  were 
  able 
  to 
  serve 
  as 
  warriors. 
  Each 
  chief 
  as 
  he 
  drew 
  

   a 
  reed 
  mentioned 
  the 
  name 
  of 
  a 
  man. 
  He 
  must 
  be 
  one 
  who 
  lived 
  in 
  

   his 
  own 
  lodge 
  as 
  the 
  head 
  of 
  a 
  family 
  (what 
  we 
  would 
  term 
  a 
  house- 
  

   holder), 
  not 
  a 
  man 
  dependent 
  on 
  relatives. 
  As 
  the 
  chief 
  spoke 
  

   the 
  name, 
  the 
  herald 
  advanced 
  to 
  the 
  Pole 
  and 
  shouted 
  the 
  name 
  

   so 
  as 
  to 
  be 
  heard 
  by 
  the 
  whole 
  tribe. 
  Should 
  the 
  name 
  given 
  be 
  

   that 
  of 
  a 
  chief, 
  the 
  herald 
  substituted 
  that 
  of 
  his 
  son. 
  The 
  man 
  

   called 
  was 
  expected 
  to 
  send 
  by 
  the 
  hand 
  of 
  one 
  of 
  his 
  children 
  his 
  

   finest 
  and 
  fattest 
  piece 
  of 
  buffalo 
  meat, 
  of 
  a 
  peculiar 
  cut 
  known 
  as 
  

   the 
  tezhu'. 
  (See 
  p. 
  273.) 
  If 
  the 
  meat 
  was 
  heavy, 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  parents 
  

   helped 
  to 
  carry 
  it 
  to 
  the 
  communal 
  tent. 
  The 
  little 
  ones 
  were 
  full 
  

   of 
  dread, 
  fearing 
  particularly 
  the 
  fat 
  which 
  was 
  to 
  be 
  used 
  on 
  the 
  

   Pole. 
  So 
  they 
  often 
  stopped 
  to 
  wipe 
  their 
  greasy 
  fingers 
  on 
  the 
  grass 
  

   so 
  as 
  to 
  escape 
  any 
  blame 
  or 
  possible 
  guilt 
  of 
  sacrilege. 
  Anyone 
  

   refusing 
  to 
  make 
  this 
  offering 
  to 
  the 
  Pole 
  would 
  be 
  struck 
  by 
  light- 
  

   ning, 
  wounded 
  in 
  battle, 
  or 
  lose 
  a 
  limb 
  by 
  a 
  splinter 
  running 
  into 
  lias 
  

   foot. 
  There 
  are 
  well-known 
  instances 
  of 
  such 
  results 
  having 
  followed 
  

   refusal. 
  

  

  Ritual 
  Songs 
  

  

  All 
  the 
  ritual 
  songs 
  relating 
  to 
  the 
  ceremonies 
  of 
  the 
  Sacred 
  Pole 
  

   were 
  the 
  property 
  of 
  the 
  Waxthe'xeto" 
  subgens 
  of 
  the 
  Ho 
  n 
  'ga 
  gens, 
  

   and 
  were 
  sung 
  by 
  them 
  during 
  the 
  performance 
  of 
  the 
  rites. 
  

  

  This 
  song 
  accompanied 
  the 
  placing 
  of 
  the 
  Pole 
  and 
  the 
  cutting 
  of 
  

   the 
  symbolic 
  design 
  on 
  the 
  ground 
  in 
  front 
  of 
  it: 
  

  

  First 
  Song 
  

  

  (Sung 
  in 
  octaves) 
  

  

  i 
  

  

  f£ 
  

  

  ^5Z 
  

  

  fe— 
  I 
  

  

  Tin 
  

  

  Hthi 
  - 
  to" 
  - 
  bi 
  

  

  -*—*—*—*- 
  

  

  :H4 
  

  

  Wa-gthi-toMri 
  Wa-gthi-to 
  n 
  -bi 
  tho 
  ho. 
  

  

  — 
  **» 
  — 
  '- 
  &). 
  s 
  — 
  ' 
  

  

  tho 
  ho. 
  

  

  jthi-to° 
  ba; 
  

  

  /5\ 
  

  

  ^d^££^Sife=Hi=hE3 
  

  

  Te 
  - 
  xi 
  e-lie... 
  gthi 
  - 
  to" 
  

  

  ba 
  

  

  m 
  

  

  ?\\ 
  

  

  :==S=3^ 
  

  

  :=5=} 
  

  

  Wa- 
  gthi-to" 
  - 
  bi 
  Wa-gthi-to" 
  - 
  bi 
  te 
  - 
  xi 
  e-he 
  

  

  stthi 
  

  

  to" 
  

  

  ba 
  

  

  Thea'ma 
  wag£hito 
  n 
  bi 
  tho 
  ho! 
  gthito"ba 
  

   Wagthito 
  n 
  bi, 
  wagthito 
  n 
  bi, 
  tho 
  ho 
  

   Te'xi 
  ehe 
  gthito 
  n 
  ba 
  

   Wagthito 
  n 
  bi, 
  wagthito 
  n 
  bi 
  te'xi 
  ehe 
  gthil 
  

  

  i"ba 
  

  

  