NG 
THIS IS THE STORY OF WHAT THEY DO AND HOW THEY 
PRAY WHEN THERE IS A DEATH. 
Now it seems this is how once, long ago, a certain person knew 
about death. Soon at one time this mortal began to fast earnestly. 
It was in winter when he began fasting. Soon he was once blessed. 
“Now this is the way you should do when any one dies,’’ he was told. 
He was told by some one. ‘Now when you die on the warpath the 
warriors must stop and boast of their valorous deeds,’ he was told, 
“‘so that they may be taken care of by (the enemy) who are slain,” 
he was told, ‘‘and so they may be brought straight to where you go. 
That is the only way you will get there, if you do that,” he was told. 
“Tf you do not do that you will be ruined before (you get there),”’ 
he was told. ‘‘The one who destroys people will destroy you,” that, 
it is said, is what he was told by one (person), and how the one who 
fasted earnestly knew about it- 
It seems as if those who die in warfare get there, those who do that, 
and those who die in warfare.live again. That is what these Mes- 
kwakies say. And at that time they were not ignorant of anything. 
Now when a human being died, a warrior was summoned to speak. 
And this is what he said, “‘ Now, my relative, this day you have lost 
sight of the manitou’s daylight and this earth of the manitou. You 
have this day lost sight of our grandmother, Mother-of-all-the-Earth, 
as she changes her body, as she makes her body green, and the mani- 
tou’s skies which he made green.'' Going ahead and reaching Aiya- 
pa ta", you will dwell more pleasantly there. And you are to leave 
all these relatives of yours with a good life, you will think of them 
and also that they may have such blankets, and that if they meet 
war, their enemies will not be successful in their desires. That is 
the way you are to bless your relatives. And that they may not 
stand around shamefacedly. That is all. And this is how I got the 
1 A trifle free. 3 
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