LAFLESCHE] KITE OF VIGIL — FREE TRANSLATION. 295 



the inhabitants of the village they halt in oi\ler to perform the final 

 ceremonies. 



The warriors sit on the ground, facing westward, those of the 

 Ho'''-ga division at the right and those of the Tsi'-zhu at the left. 

 The sacred pipe is smoked by the leading No°'-ho''-zhi°-ga of the two 

 great divisions, an act by wliich these divisions pledge loyalty to one 

 another. At the close of the smoking ceremony the Do-do^'-ho^-ga 

 picks up a handful of grass from a pile placed before him, lifts it 

 toward the setting sun, or in a line of the Ho°'-ga warriors, and, with- 

 out turning, tells his men that by tliis act he asks the mysterious 

 power that success be granted the warriors of the Ho°'-ga division. 

 Then he drops the handful of grass to the ground. He picks up a 

 second handful and holds it up toward the setting sun on the Tsi'-zhu 

 side. By tliis act he asks for the success of the Tsi'-zhu warriors and 

 drops the bunch of grass beyond the first bunch. He picks up a third 

 bunch of grass and holds it high in a direct line from himself. By 

 this act he appeals for his own success and then drops this third 

 bunch beyond the first two. Holding the remainder of the grass 

 aloft toward the sky, he says that he asks the mysterious power that 

 all the warriors be given success, that they shall capture spoils as 

 numerous as the blades of grass which he drops at his feet. These acts 

 are given the common title of Wa-no°'-9e A-ba-fu and form the title 

 of the songs of this group. 



During this final supplicatory ceremony, wnich is performed by 

 the Do-do" '-ho°-ga himself, he recites four wi'-gi-es, including the 

 one by which he points out the direction of the attack. 



The first two songs of tliis group refer to two birds possessing 

 mystic powers, mentioned in the third wi'-gi-e, and to whom the 

 Do-do°'-ho°-ga appeals for supernatural aid in making the arrows of 

 his warriors effective. 



The following is a paraphi-ase of the two sections of the wi'-gi-e 

 wherein these two birds, the hawk and the crow, are spoken of: 



1. 



O, ye valiant men. 



There is a person whom they made to be their weapon. 



He is the great hawk, they said, O, ye valiant men. 



My grandfather (the hawk) is a fear inspiring weapon, they said. 



Even with a slight stroke of his wing he will disable his prey, 



vSo that it can not escape beyond the brow of the nearest hill. 



4. 



There is another person whom they made td be their weapon. 



He is the great crow. 



My grandfather (the crow), O, ye valiant men, 



