LA FLESCHE] 



RITE OF VIGIL FREE TRANSLATION. 



365 



In formulating this supplicatory ceremony the No'''-ho''-zhi''-ga 

 became conscious of the part man himself must take toward the per- 

 petuity of his progeny, so the ancient men gave him a place in this 

 rite but not in his own person. The No"'-ho"-zhi"-ga realized that 

 even in the duty of self-preservation which naturally fell to man he 

 was dependent, for its effective performance, upon the mysterious 

 power to whom he always looked for help. The quality most essential 

 to the man, the warrior, for the performance of his duty was courage. 

 For this gift he looked to Wa-ko°'-da. The kind of courage that 

 appealed the most to him was that with which the hawk was gifted, 

 and so the No°'-ho"'-zhi"-ga gave a place in the supplicatory rites to 

 that bird, the symbol of courage. As the title of this group of songs 

 sets forth, it was the spirit of this courageous birtl that was made to 

 pull the cord of the bow that sent forth the mystic arrows to overtake 

 the Day and the Night. 



In the version of this rite as practiced by the Tsi'-zhu Wa-shta'-ge, 

 in the songs of the Drawing of the Arrows, two hawks are mentioned. 



Fig. 4.— Bow and arrows. 



The Black Bird (Black Hawk) sets in flight the black arrow to over- 

 take the Night and the Little Hawk the red arrow to overtake the 

 Day. In the version of this ceremony used by the P-gtho^'-ga gens 

 mention is made of three hawks, and the Do-do" '-ho°-ga, the man 

 chosen by the people to act as their messenger to Wa-ko°'-da when 

 they organize their warriors to go against the foe. The Wa-zhi"'- 

 fa-be, tlie Black Birtl, draws the black arrow; Gthe-do"'-xo-dse, Gray 

 Hawk, draws the red arrow; Gthe-do^'-zhi^-ga, Little Hawk, draws 

 the black arrow; Wa-l^'o^'-ho^-ga, the Consecrated One. ilraws the red 

 arrow (see pp. 233-235). The Tho'-xe gens mention but two hawks, 

 Gthe-do"'-zhu-dse, Red Hawk, draws the red arrow; Wa-zhi°'- 

 fa-be, Black Hawk, draws the black arrow. 



The first song of this group has two stanzas. Each stanza is sung 

 twice and has three lines. The Xo'-ka, who during the singing of 

 the song remains seated, at the third line of each utters a cry which 

 denotes that he is in the presence of beings possessed with mystical 

 powers. This song prefigures the acts which take place during the 

 singing of the second song. 



