﻿FLETCHER-LA 
  FLESCHB] 
  

  

  SOCIETIES 
  

  

  489 
  

  

  At 
  the 
  completion 
  of 
  the 
  song 
  a 
  third 
  doctor 
  made 
  ready 
  to 
  give 
  his 
  application, 
  

   starting 
  his 
  song 
  and 
  all 
  the 
  other 
  doctors 
  joining 
  as 
  before 
  in 
  the 
  singing. 
  

  

  At 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  song 
  the 
  fourth 
  doctor 
  began 
  to 
  compound 
  the 
  roots, 
  and 
  when 
  he 
  

   was 
  ready 
  he 
  began 
  the 
  following 
  song, 
  which 
  was 
  taken 
  up 
  by 
  all 
  the 
  others 
  and 
  sung 
  

   with 
  forceful 
  energy: 
  

  

  (Snng 
  in 
  octave 
  unison) 
  

  

  Literal 
  translation: 
  ni, 
  water; 
  tlm", 
  round; 
  thade, 
  to 
  designate; 
  ama, 
  

   they; 
  uhekethe, 
  to 
  yield 
  to 
  him; 
  itheama, 
  they 
  say. 
  

  

  This 
  song 
  conveys 
  to 
  the 
  Omaha 
  mind 
  a 
  picture 
  of 
  the 
  prairie, 
  the 
  

   round 
  wallow 
  standing 
  like 
  a 
  pool 
  with 
  water, 
  and 
  the 
  wounded 
  buffalo 
  

   being 
  healed 
  near 
  it 
  by 
  its 
  companions. 
  There 
  is 
  a 
  belief 
  among 
  the 
  

   Omaha 
  that 
  the 
  buffalo 
  cure 
  their 
  wounds 
  with 
  their 
  saliva; 
  therefore 
  

   the 
  doctors 
  prepare 
  the 
  herbs 
  in 
  the 
  mouth 
  and 
  blow 
  the 
  water 
  into 
  

   the 
  wound. 
  

  

  The 
  doctors 
  remained 
  all 
  night, 
  applying 
  their 
  medicine 
  and 
  dressing 
  the 
  wound. 
  

   Four 
  days 
  the 
  boy 
  was 
  treated 
  in 
  this 
  manner. 
  On 
  the 
  evening 
  of 
  the 
  third 
  day 
  the 
  

   doctors 
  said 
  the 
  lad 
  was 
  out 
  of 
  danger, 
  and 
  that 
  in 
  the 
  morning 
  he 
  would 
  be 
  made 
  to 
  

   stand 
  and 
  meet 
  the 
  rising 
  sun, 
  and 
  so 
  greet 
  the 
  return 
  of 
  life. 
  

  

  I 
  went 
  to 
  bed 
  early, 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  be 
  up 
  in 
  time 
  to 
  see 
  the 
  ceremony. 
  1 
  was 
  awakened 
  by 
  

   the 
  sound 
  of 
  the 
  singing, 
  and 
  hurried 
  to 
  the 
  tent. 
  Already 
  a 
  crowd 
  had 
  gathered. 
  

   There 
  was 
  a 
  mist 
  in 
  the 
  air, 
  as 
  the 
  doctors 
  had 
  foretold 
  there 
  would 
  be, 
  but 
  as 
  the 
  

   dawn 
  drew 
  nearer 
  the 
  fog 
  slowly 
  disappeared, 
  as 
  if 
  to 
  unveil 
  the 
  great 
  red 
  sun 
  that 
  was 
  

   just 
  visible 
  on 
  the 
  horizon. 
  Slowly 
  it 
  grew 
  larger 
  and 
  larger. 
  The 
  boy 
  was 
  gently 
  

   lifted 
  by 
  two 
  strong 
  men, 
  and 
  when 
  on 
  his 
  feet 
  was 
  told 
  to 
  take 
  four 
  steps 
  toward 
  the 
  

   east 
  [note 
  the 
  resemblance 
  to 
  the 
  ceremony 
  of 
  Turning 
  the 
  Child, 
  p. 
  121], 
  while 
  the 
  

   doctors 
  sang 
  the 
  mystery 
  song 
  which 
  belonged 
  to 
  this 
  stage 
  of 
  the 
  cure. 
  The 
  two 
  men 
  

   began 
  to 
  count 
  as 
  the 
  boy 
  feebly 
  attempted 
  to 
  walk 
  — 
  one, 
  two, 
  three. 
  The 
  steps 
  

   grew 
  slower, 
  and 
  it 
  did 
  not 
  seem 
  as 
  if 
  he 
  could 
  make 
  the 
  fourth, 
  but 
  he 
  dragged 
  his 
  foot 
  

   and 
  made 
  the 
  fourth. 
  "Four!" 
  cried 
  the 
  men; 
  ''It 
  is 
  done." 
  Then 
  the 
  doctors 
  

   sang 
  the 
  song 
  of 
  triumph. 
  

  

  The 
  fees 
  were 
  then 
  distributed. 
  These 
  were 
  horses, 
  robes, 
  bear-claw 
  necklaces, 
  

   eagle 
  feathers, 
  embroidered 
  leggings, 
  and 
  other 
  articles 
  of 
  value. 
  Toward 
  these 
  the 
  

   relatives 
  of 
  the 
  man 
  who 
  shot 
  the 
  boy 
  contributed 
  largely. 
  One 
  or 
  two 
  doctors 
  re- 
  

   mained 
  with 
  the 
  boy 
  for 
  a 
  time. 
  In 
  a 
  month 
  or 
  so 
  he 
  was 
  back 
  among 
  us, 
  ready 
  to 
  play 
  

   or 
  to 
  watch 
  another 
  pistol 
  practice 
  by 
  the 
  young 
  men. 
  

  

  THE 
  WANO 
  XE 
  ITIIAETIIE 
  

  

  Men 
  and 
  women 
  to 
  whom 
  ghosts 
  appeared 
  in 
  dreams 
  or 
  visions 
  

   were 
  eligible 
  to 
  membership 
  in 
  the 
  Wano 
  n 
  'xe 
  ithaethe 
  (wano 
  n 
  'xe, 
  "a 
  

   form 
  that 
  is 
  transparent," 
  "a 
  ghost;" 
  i'thaethe, 
  "shown 
  compassion 
  

   by" 
  — 
  "those 
  to 
  whom 
  ghosts 
  have 
  shown 
  compassion") 
  society. 
  

   Members 
  were 
  believed 
  to 
  have 
  the 
  power 
  to 
  waihigiho 
  n 
  , 
  divine 
  or 
  fore- 
  

   tell 
  events, 
  particularly 
  approaching 
  death. 
  If 
  death 
  was 
  foretold, 
  the 
  

  

  