﻿FLETCHER-LA 
  FLESCHE] 
  THE 
  SACRED 
  POLE 
  251 
  

  

  At 
  this 
  point 
  I 
  passed 
  the 
  pipe 
  back 
  to 
  the 
  priest 
  and 
  he 
  smoked, 
  keeping 
  his 
  

   eyes 
  fixed 
  upon 
  the 
  ground 
  as 
  if 
  in 
  deep 
  meditation. 
  When 
  he 
  had 
  finished 
  smoking, 
  

   he 
  resumed 
  his 
  address, 
  cleaning 
  the 
  pipe 
  as 
  he 
  spoke: 
  

  

  "I 
  have 
  been 
  thinking 
  of 
  the 
  change 
  that 
  has 
  come 
  over 
  our 
  people 
  and 
  their 
  

   departure 
  from 
  the 
  time-honored 
  customs, 
  and 
  have 
  abandoned 
  all 
  hope 
  of 
  their 
  

   ever 
  returning 
  to 
  the 
  two 
  sacred 
  houses. 
  No 
  one 
  can 
  now 
  with 
  reason 
  take 
  offense 
  

   at 
  mv 
  giving 
  you 
  the 
  songs 
  of 
  the 
  Sacred 
  Pole, 
  and 
  I 
  am 
  prepared 
  to 
  give 
  them 
  to 
  

   you. 
  As 
  I 
  sit 
  speaking 
  with 
  you, 
  my 
  eldest 
  son, 
  it 
  seems 
  as 
  though 
  the 
  spirits 
  of 
  

   the 
  old 
  men 
  have 
  returned 
  and 
  are 
  hovering 
  about 
  me. 
  I 
  feel 
  their 
  courage 
  and 
  

   strength 
  in 
  me, 
  and 
  the 
  memory 
  of 
  the 
  songs 
  revives. 
  Make 
  ready, 
  and 
  I 
  shall 
  once 
  

   more 
  sing 
  the 
  songs 
  of 
  my 
  fathers." 
  

  

  It 
  took 
  but 
  a 
  few 
  moments 
  to 
  adjust 
  the 
  graphophone 
  to 
  record 
  the 
  songs 
  for 
  which 
  

   I 
  had 
  waited 
  so 
  long. 
  As 
  I 
  listened 
  to 
  the 
  old 
  priest 
  his 
  voice 
  seemed 
  as 
  full 
  and 
  

   resonant 
  as 
  when 
  I 
  heard 
  him 
  years 
  ago, 
  in 
  the 
  days 
  when 
  the 
  singing 
  of 
  these 
  very 
  

   songs 
  in 
  the 
  Holy 
  Tent 
  meant 
  so 
  much 
  to 
  each 
  gens 
  and 
  to 
  every 
  man, 
  woman, 
  and 
  

   child 
  in 
  the 
  tribe. 
  Now, 
  the 
  old 
  man 
  sang 
  with 
  his 
  eyes 
  closed 
  and 
  watching 
  him 
  

   there 
  was 
  like 
  watching 
  the 
  last 
  embers 
  of 
  the 
  religious 
  rites 
  of 
  a 
  vanishing 
  people. 
  

  

  The 
  He'dewachi 
  

  

  In 
  speaking 
  of 
  the 
  development 
  of 
  political 
  unity, 
  attention 
  has 
  

   been 
  called 
  to 
  the 
  dangers 
  arising 
  from 
  groups 
  parting 
  company 
  

   when 
  the 
  people 
  were 
  hunting 
  and 
  the 
  enfeebled 
  separated 
  bands 
  

   becoming 
  a 
  prey 
  to 
  active 
  enemies. 
  These 
  dangers 
  were 
  sometimes 
  

   fomented 
  by 
  the 
  rivalry 
  of 
  ambitious 
  leaders. 
  To 
  quote 
  from 
  the 
  old 
  

   Sacred 
  Legend 
  : 
  ' 
  ' 
  The 
  wise 
  old 
  men 
  thought 
  how 
  they 
  might 
  devise 
  

   some 
  plans 
  by 
  which 
  all 
  might 
  live 
  and 
  move 
  together 
  and 
  there 
  be 
  no 
  

   danger 
  of 
  quarrels." 
  It 
  seems 
  probable 
  that 
  the 
  He'dewachi 
  cere- 
  

   mony 
  may 
  have 
  grown 
  out 
  of 
  such 
  experiences 
  and 
  was 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  

   plans 
  of 
  the 
  "wise 
  old 
  men" 
  by 
  which 
  they 
  sought 
  to 
  avert 
  these 
  

   dangers 
  and 
  to 
  hold 
  the 
  tribe 
  together. 
  There 
  are 
  indications 
  that 
  

   the 
  He'dewachi 
  ceremony 
  is 
  older 
  than 
  the 
  Sacred 
  Pole; 
  it 
  is 
  said 
  to 
  

   have 
  been 
  instituted 
  at 
  a 
  time 
  when 
  the 
  people 
  depended 
  on 
  the 
  

   maize 
  for 
  their 
  food 
  supply 
  and 
  were 
  not 
  dominated 
  by 
  ideas 
  defi- 
  

   nitely 
  connected 
  with 
  hunting 
  the 
  buffalo. 
  It 
  may 
  be 
  significant 
  to 
  

   this 
  contention 
  that 
  this 
  ceremony 
  was 
  the 
  only 
  rite 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  

   two 
  Sacred 
  Tribal 
  Pipes 
  appeared 
  as 
  leader; 
  these 
  pipes 
  were 
  ante- 
  

   cedent 
  in 
  authority 
  to 
  the 
  Sacred 
  Pole, 
  anil, 
  on 
  the 
  occasion 
  of 
  the 
  

   He'dewachi, 
  they 
  led 
  the 
  people 
  in 
  their 
  rhythmic 
  advance 
  by 
  gentes 
  

   toward 
  the 
  central 
  symbolic 
  tree 
  or 
  pole. 
  

  

  The 
  He'dewachi 
  took 
  place 
  in 
  the 
  summer, 
  "when 
  the 
  plum 
  and 
  

   cherry 
  trees 
  were 
  full 
  of 
  fruit" 
  and 
  "all 
  creatures 
  were 
  awake 
  and 
  

   out." 
  Abundant 
  life 
  and 
  food 
  to 
  sustain 
  that 
  life 
  were 
  typified 
  in 
  

   the 
  season. 
  The 
  choice 
  of 
  the 
  tree 
  from 
  which 
  the 
  pole, 
  the 
  central 
  

   object 
  of 
  the 
  ceremony, 
  was 
  cut, 
  was 
  significant 
  and 
  allied 
  to 
  the 
  

   same 
  thought. 
  It 
  was 
  either 
  the 
  cottonwood 
  or 
  the 
  willow, 
  both 
  

   of 
  which 
  are 
  remarkably 
  tenacious 
  of 
  life. 
  It 
  is 
  said 
  that 
  this 
  cere- 
  

   mony 
  "grew 
  up 
  with 
  the 
  corn." 
  It 
  was 
  under 
  the 
  charge 
  of 
  the 
  

  

  