LA FLESCHE] 



-GI-ES 



291 



9. There dwells a woman who has given birth to her first child. 



10. It is upon that woman thej' shall slip off their moccasin. 



11. When they sUp off their moccasin upon this woman, 



12. It shall always be easy for them to slip off their moccasins as they 



travel the path of life." 



This act of changing the symbolic moccasins and the feather marks 

 the beginning of the second stage of the sun's westward course, which 

 the Xo'-ka is personating and dramatically enacting. The first 

 movement of the change of moccasins represents the rising sun, the 

 second indicates the sun's onward and westward course over the earth. 



When the Xo-ka has put on the new moccasins and feather he 

 sings the following song: 



Transcribed by Alice C. Fletcher 



Time beats ' 



Wa-ko°-da ha tsi a - 



dsi 



r r 



thi bthe 



do° 



r 



he 



no", 



"^ r r 



Wa-ko° da ha tsi a 



i 



liife 



-IV-=J- 



rr 



5 



r r r 



r r r 



rr r 



r rr 



dsi thi bthe do" he no" tho" o", Xi-thado°e tho wia-thi° he no° 



^^ 



-»-^ 



-•-=- 



X 



i 



r r 



Wa - ko° - da 



ha 



r 



tsi a- 



r 



dsi 



r 



thi 



"r r 



bthe do" he 



r 



no°. 



Wa-ko°-da ha tsi a-dsi bthe do" he no", 

 Wa-ko^-da ha tsi a-dsi bthe do" he no" tho" o", 

 Xi-tha do" e tho vd a-thi" he no" o", 

 Wa-ko"-da ha tei a-dsi bthe do" he no". 



The words of fines 1,2, and 4 are alike in all the stanzas. The 

 translation given for the first stanza will suffice for all the others. 



FREE TRANSLATION 

 1 



The House of Mystery I now enter, 

 The House of Mystery I now enter. 

 It is I, Good-eagle, who now enters. 

 The House of Mystery, I now enter. 



2 

 It is I, Red-eagle, who now enters. 



3 

 It is I, Good-eagle-woman, who now enters. 



4 

 It is I, Mid-earth, who now enters. 



" The Xo'-ka slips ofl his right foot its moccasin and puts on the other one of the pair placed for him 

 at the door. He also removes the feather from the crown of his head and puts on a new one in its place. 



