﻿FLETCHER-LA 
  FLESCHEl 
  THE 
  SACRED 
  POLE 
  253 
  

  

  At 
  this 
  time 
  those 
  women 
  of 
  the 
  gens 
  who 
  had 
  recently 
  lost 
  children 
  

   or 
  other 
  clear 
  ones 
  wailed, 
  being 
  reminded 
  of 
  their 
  loss 
  by 
  the 
  contrast 
  

   afforded 
  by 
  this 
  ceremony, 
  which 
  was 
  typical 
  of 
  abounding 
  life. 
  

   Other 
  women 
  brought 
  forth 
  gifts, 
  which 
  were 
  to 
  benefit 
  their 
  hus- 
  

   bands 
  or 
  brothers 
  by 
  adding 
  to 
  their 
  "count." 
  All 
  gifts 
  made 
  

   during 
  this 
  ceremony 
  could 
  be 
  "counted" 
  by 
  a 
  man 
  who 
  was 
  seeking 
  

   eligibility 
  to 
  membership 
  in 
  the 
  Ho 
  n 
  'hewachi. 
  The 
  words 
  of 
  one 
  

   of 
  the 
  songs 
  sung 
  at 
  the 
  dance 
  refer 
  to 
  these 
  gifts, 
  which 
  were 
  not 
  

   only 
  exchanged 
  between 
  members 
  of 
  the 
  tribe 
  but 
  were 
  bestowed 
  on 
  

   the 
  keepers 
  of 
  the 
  ceremony 
  — 
  a 
  custom 
  resulting 
  in 
  a 
  common 
  feeling 
  

   of 
  pleasure. 
  Moreover, 
  these 
  acts, 
  being 
  remembered 
  and 
  "counted" 
  

   as 
  steps 
  toward 
  a 
  man's 
  attaining 
  tribal 
  honors, 
  tended 
  to 
  foster 
  in 
  

   the 
  minds 
  of 
  the 
  people 
  the 
  value 
  of 
  tribal 
  unity. 
  The 
  symboliMii 
  

   of 
  the 
  ceremony 
  was 
  illustrative 
  of 
  tins 
  idea. 
  Four 
  young 
  men 
  were 
  

   chosen 
  to 
  cut 
  willow 
  wands, 
  strip 
  them 
  of 
  all 
  leaves 
  except 
  a 
  bunch 
  

   at 
  the 
  end, 
  and 
  paint 
  the 
  stem 
  red. 
  These 
  wands 
  were 
  distributed 
  

   to 
  the 
  leading 
  men 
  of 
  each 
  gens 
  in 
  the 
  tribe. 
  After 
  the 
  wands 
  had 
  

   been 
  received, 
  the 
  men 
  and 
  boys 
  of 
  each 
  gens 
  went 
  out 
  to 
  cut 
  sim- 
  

   ilar 
  wands, 
  for 
  at 
  the 
  coming 
  ceremony 
  every 
  man, 
  woman, 
  and 
  

   child 
  must 
  carry 
  one 
  of 
  these 
  painted 
  wands, 
  which 
  symbolized 
  the 
  

   people 
  of 
  the 
  tribe. 
  

  

  After 
  making 
  the 
  round 
  of 
  the 
  hu'thuga 
  the 
  keepers 
  and 
  the 
  

   "honor" 
  woman 
  entered 
  their 
  tent, 
  in 
  which 
  was 
  smoked 
  the 
  pipe 
  

   belonging 
  to 
  the 
  ceremony. 
  It 
  was 
  passed 
  around 
  four 
  times. 
  

   At 
  the 
  close 
  of 
  the 
  smoking 
  they 
  arose 
  as 
  before 
  and, 
  led 
  by 
  the 
  

   warrior 
  who 
  had 
  selected 
  the 
  tree, 
  went 
  to 
  the 
  place 
  where 
  the 
  tree 
  

   stood. 
  Meanwhile 
  young 
  men 
  had 
  been 
  dispatched 
  to 
  simulate 
  

   scouts, 
  guarding 
  against 
  the 
  danger 
  of 
  a 
  surprise. 
  When 
  the 
  tree 
  

   was 
  in 
  sight 
  the 
  warriors 
  charged 
  on 
  it 
  and 
  struck 
  it 
  as 
  an 
  enemy. 
  

   Then 
  the 
  men 
  counted 
  their 
  war 
  honors, 
  standing 
  before 
  the 
  tree, 
  

   while 
  the 
  keepers 
  sat 
  in 
  a 
  circle 
  around 
  it 
  and 
  smoked, 
  passing 
  t 
  lie 
  

   pipe 
  four 
  times. 
  Then 
  the 
  woman 
  bearing 
  the 
  "mark 
  of 
  honor," 
  

   taking 
  her 
  ax, 
  made 
  four 
  feints, 
  one 
  on 
  each 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  tree 
  toward 
  

   one 
  of 
  the 
  four 
  directions, 
  after 
  which 
  she 
  gave 
  four 
  strokes, 
  one 
  

   on 
  each 
  of 
  the 
  four 
  sides 
  of 
  the 
  tree. 
  Then 
  the 
  young 
  men 
  cut 
  it 
  

   down. 
  As 
  it 
  was 
  about 
  to 
  fall 
  it 
  was 
  caught 
  and 
  held 
  so 
  that 
  it 
  

   would 
  incline 
  and 
  fall 
  toward 
  the 
  east. 
  

  

  In 
  this 
  ceremony 
  in 
  which 
  war 
  was 
  so 
  simulated 
  the 
  recognition 
  

   of 
  the 
  authority 
  of 
  Thunder 
  was 
  manifest, 
  for 
  no 
  man 
  could 
  become 
  

   a 
  warrior 
  or 
  count 
  his 
  honors 
  except 
  through 
  his 
  consecration 
  to 
  

   Thunder 
  and 
  the 
  approval 
  of 
  his 
  acts 
  by 
  that 
  god 
  of 
  war. 
  More- 
  

   over, 
  it 
  was 
  believed 
  that 
  no 
  man 
  fell 
  in 
  battle 
  through 
  human 
  

   agency 
  alone; 
  he 
  fell 
  because 
  Thunder 
  had 
  designated 
  him 
  to 
  fall, 
  

   as 
  is 
  shown 
  in 
  the 
  ritual 
  songs 
  of 
  cutting 
  the 
  hair 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  songs 
  

  

  