﻿FLBTCHBR-LA 
  FLESCHB] 
  THE 
  QUEST 
  OF 
  FOOD 
  309 
  

  

  This 
  song 
  refers 
  to 
  edi'nethe, 
  building 
  a 
  fire 
  on 
  the 
  hunting 
  lield 
  by 
  

   hunters 
  who 
  have 
  killed 
  so 
  much 
  game 
  they 
  can 
  not 
  get 
  through 
  in 
  

   time 
  to 
  carry 
  all 
  the 
  meat 
  back 
  to 
  camp. 
  The 
  words 
  mark 
  the 
  prog- 
  

   ress 
  of 
  kindling 
  fire 
  by 
  friction, 
  twirling 
  one 
  stick 
  in 
  another 
  stick 
  

   prepared 
  to 
  receive 
  it, 
  by 
  rubbing 
  between 
  the 
  hands 
  — 
  first 
  the 
  glow, 
  

   then 
  the 
  smoke, 
  and 
  at 
  last 
  the 
  yellow 
  flames. 
  The 
  rhythm 
  of 
  the 
  

   rubbing 
  can 
  be 
  brought 
  out 
  in 
  the 
  singing 
  of 
  the 
  song, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  the 
  

   efforts 
  used 
  in 
  kindling 
  the 
  fire. 
  While 
  this 
  song 
  is 
  realistic, 
  yet 
  

   the 
  making 
  of 
  fire 
  by 
  friction 
  was 
  always 
  an 
  act 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  fraught 
  

   with 
  religious 
  sentiment 
  and 
  it 
  probably 
  was 
  esteemed 
  a 
  fitting 
  close 
  

   to 
  the 
  ritual 
  sacred 
  to 
  the 
  buffalo. 
  

  

  In 
  hunting 
  the 
  buffalo 
  no 
  songs 
  invoking 
  magical 
  help 
  were 
  sung 
  

   or 
  decoy 
  calls 
  used 
  or 
  disguises 
  worn, 
  success 
  being 
  believed 
  to 
  come 
  

   through 
  the 
  strict 
  observance 
  of 
  the 
  ritual 
  by 
  the 
  leader, 
  the 
  obedience 
  

   of 
  the 
  tribe 
  to 
  the 
  prescribed 
  rites, 
  and 
  the 
  skill 
  of 
  the 
  individual 
  hunter. 
  

   From 
  the 
  detailed 
  description 
  of 
  the 
  Omaha 
  tribal 
  hunt 
  here 
  given, 
  

   as 
  it 
  was 
  told 
  the 
  writers 
  by 
  those 
  who 
  had 
  taken 
  part 
  in 
  it 
  both 
  as 
  

   officials 
  and 
  as 
  ordinary 
  hunters, 
  it 
  is 
  evident 
  that 
  the 
  Omaha's 
  hunt- 
  

   ing 
  was 
  not 
  a 
  sporting 
  adventure 
  but 
  a 
  task 
  undertaken 
  with 
  solemnity 
  

   and 
  with 
  a 
  recognition 
  of 
  the 
  control 
  of 
  all 
  life, 
  by 
  Wako 
  n 
  'da. 
  The 
  

   Indian's 
  attitude 
  of 
  mind 
  when 
  slaying 
  animals 
  for 
  food 
  was 
  foreign 
  

   to 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  white 
  race 
  with 
  which 
  he 
  came 
  into 
  contact 
  and 
  perhaps 
  

   no 
  one 
  thing 
  has 
  led 
  to 
  greater 
  misunderstandings 
  between 
  the 
  races 
  

   than 
  the 
  slaughter 
  of 
  game. 
  The 
  bewilderment 
  of 
  the 
  Indian 
  result- 
  

   ing 
  from 
  the 
  destruction 
  of 
  the 
  buffalo 
  will 
  probably 
  never 
  be 
  fully 
  

   appreciated. 
  His 
  social 
  and 
  religious 
  customs, 
  the 
  outgrowth 
  of 
  cen- 
  

   turies, 
  were 
  destroyed 
  almost 
  as 
  with 
  a 
  single 
  blow. 
  The 
  past 
  may 
  

   have 
  witnessed 
  similar 
  tragedies 
  but 
  of 
  them 
  we 
  have 
  no 
  record. 
  

  

  THE 
  POXCA 
  FEAST 
  OF 
  THE 
  SOLDIERS 
  

  

  An 
  old 
  man, 
  a 
  leader 
  among 
  the 
  Ponca, 
  who 
  died 
  some 
  fifteen 
  years 
  

   ago, 
  related 
  the 
  following: 
  

  

  When 
  I 
  was 
  a 
  young 
  man 
  I 
  used 
  to 
  see 
  a 
  very 
  old 
  man 
  perform 
  this 
  ceremony 
  and 
  

   recite 
  the 
  ritual 
  of 
  the 
  Feast 
  of 
  the 
  Soldiers. 
  This 
  feast 
  took 
  place 
  when 
  many 
  buffalo 
  

   had 
  been 
  killed, 
  when 
  food 
  was 
  plenty, 
  and 
  everyone 
  was 
  happy. 
  The 
  hu'thuga 
  was 
  

   made 
  complete 
  and 
  a 
  large 
  tent 
  pitched, 
  where 
  were 
  gathered 
  all 
  those 
  who 
  were 
  

   entitled 
  to 
  be 
  present. 
  When 
  the 
  feast 
  was 
  ready, 
  a 
  bowl 
  containing 
  soup 
  and 
  bits 
  of 
  

   meat 
  was 
  placed 
  near 
  the 
  door 
  of 
  the 
  lodge 
  and 
  the 
  leader 
  said, 
  as 
  the 
  bowl 
  was 
  set 
  

   down, 
  " 
  It 
  is 
  done! 
  " 
  When 
  the 
  leader 
  said 
  this 
  the 
  old 
  man 
  went 
  to 
  the 
  bowl 
  and 
  took 
  

   it 
  up 
  and 
  held 
  it 
  as 
  he 
  sat 
  and 
  began 
  to 
  recite 
  the 
  ritual. 
  The 
  ritual 
  is 
  in 
  four 
  parts. 
  

   There 
  are 
  two 
  names 
  mentioned 
  in 
  the 
  ritual. 
  The 
  name 
  mentioned 
  after 
  the 
  first 
  

   part 
  was 
  A'thi 
  n 
  washe. 
  This 
  name 
  belonged 
  to 
  the 
  Wazha'zhe 
  gens. 
  The 
  name 
  men- 
  

   tioned 
  after 
  the 
  second 
  part 
  I 
  can 
  not 
  recall; 
  it 
  belonged 
  to 
  the 
  Mako 
  11 
  gens. 
  When 
  

   the 
  first 
  name 
  was 
  mentioned 
  the 
  old 
  man 
  made 
  a 
  depression 
  in 
  the 
  ground 
  near 
  the 
  

   edge 
  of 
  the 
  fire 
  with 
  the 
  knuckle 
  of 
  his 
  first 
  finger 
  and 
  into 
  this 
  depression 
  he 
  dropped 
  

   four 
  drops 
  from 
  the 
  tip 
  of 
  the 
  little 
  spoon 
  which 
  was 
  in 
  the 
  bowl. 
  The 
  offering 
  was 
  to 
  

   the 
  spirit 
  of 
  this 
  man. 
  At 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  second 
  part, 
  when 
  he 
  mentioned 
  the 
  name 
  

   of 
  the 
  second 
  man, 
  he 
  again 
  dropped 
  four 
  drops 
  from 
  the 
  tip 
  of 
  the 
  spoon. 
  At 
  the 
  end 
  

  

  