MICHELSON. ] ORIGIN OF THE WHITE BUFFALO DANCE, 57 
“They, the manitous, who look into the underworld, know them to 
be called by these names. That is the way they call them. Where 
this river forks here is the place where I know we would live healthily. 
They (the manitous) who are here, are how I came to know this. It 
is said we will be able to get everything from there that we shall use 
and eat; such is my knowledge thereof,” he said to the people. 
By some he was believed in; and by some he was not believed in. 
Some, it is said, were very anxious to move there at once. Some 
said, ‘‘Oh, go on, as many of you, that want him to fool you. Go 
there to be always good people; some of us happen to have lived 
too long as we have been living (to be changed),”’ they said among 
themselves. 
Then they moved; half of them stayed. After a while Wi'sa‘ki‘* 
came to those who stayed. ‘‘What is the matter, my uncles,! that 
you did not go there? Go there; and if you think ‘we will stay here,’ 
you may always stay here, and the Sioux will kill you all. Not a 
single one shall be saved (from the slaughter). Are you now always 
going to stay here? Are you not going anywhere? I am going 
straight there now myself,’ they were told by Wisa’‘ki'*‘, and he 
started out. 
Then they went with him; there was a large number of them, for 
it is said no one stayed. All were taken by Wi'sa‘kii'‘**. 
“The boy was not ignorant of what would happen to you; that 
was the reason why he did not at all insist on you (going). You 
indeed would have made your lives wretched. It will even be hard 
when you get there. It would have been good if you had all gone 
with him. Your lives would be beautiful if you had not disbelieved 
him. To-day they have already begun to get things to wear: you 
will see them have them when we get there. You will think, ‘Oh, 
this is the place.’”’ 
“That was the good message he delivered to you; if you had all 
gone, the manitous would have greatly blessed each one of you. 
As it is now he will instruct you how each one of you will be greatly 
blessed. Or perhaps he will not do it himself, although he is a power- 
ful manitou. That I am bringing you there, he can not but know; 
no doubt he knows it already. He can not but know about me,” he 
told them. 
And the boy related (to the others): ‘‘The people who remained 
are coming; Wisa‘ki'*‘ is bringing them, but then it will be difficult 
now for us to go where the manitou lives. He will not give us 
freely. This is what he will do. We shall have to give him some 
kind of skins so he will do it, such as beaver skins, raccoon skins, or 
1 Mother’s brothers. Similarly among the Prairie Potawatomi mortals are related to the culture heroas 
mother’s brothers and sisters. 
3599°— 257 5 
