BADiN] MATERIAL CULTURE 111 



Tlie hear hunt. — Bears were hunted by individuals or b}^ the tribe. 

 Before a man started on a bear hunt he went through the following 

 ceremony, known as wanaHce're, literally "concentration of the 

 mind." He either built a special lodge or used his own for the cere- 

 mony. A kettle containing food was placed on the fireplace; this 

 was intended for the particular bear the man wished to kill. The 

 food generally consisted of corn or dried fruit; tobacco and red 

 feathers also were offered, the former in small bark vessels. AH 

 these offerings were made not only as sacrifices to the bear but in 

 order to make the feast as tempting as possible. When everything 

 was in readiness, the host rubbed two stacks having rough surfaces 

 against each other, called nai'Harax or nai'^'waidjo'lc'ere. The host 

 never ate. He continued his singing and rubbuag until he attracted 

 the attention of the bear, as indicated by the appearance of a little 

 streak of flame passing from the fire toward the gifts he brought 

 for him. 



The same ceremony was performed before starting on a deer or a 

 raccoon hunt. In addition to this ceremony, individuals always used 

 the special huntmg medicines that they obtained during their fasts. 

 This was frequently chewed and then rubbed into the arrow (now- 

 adays into the gun).' 



There is a time of the year called hiruci'c, when bear break hickory 

 or oak branches for the nuts or the acorns. ' It seems they are then 

 very easy to approach. If a man killed a bear he would always 

 refer to it in terms of respect. 



The tribal bear hunt always took place in summer. As enemies 

 were generally encountered on the way a winter or war feast was 

 always given before the party started. This had nothing to do, 

 however, with the hunt proper. Following is a fairly close transla- 

 tion of an accoimt of a Winnebago bear hunt and buffalo Imnt secured 

 by the author: 



Description of a bear hunt. — When the Winnebago went on the bear hunt they 

 always traveled in large numbers. They would always be able to find bears in the 

 groves of red timber-oak, and it would be very easy to kill them. Nevertheless the 

 old people considered it a very dangerous affair, especially if the hunters came upon 

 breeding bear. If anyone killed a breeding bear he would cause very much trouble. 

 The male bear would get very angry and chase the man who had done the killing, 

 and if it ever happened that he was out of ammunition, the man surely would be 

 killed. The bear would jump upon him and tear him to pieces. It is said that when 

 bears kill a human being they always eat him. Another way of getting at the bears 

 was to clear away the ground for them. It is very easy to kill them then. This 

 generally takes place at the time of the year when the acorns fall to the ground. 

 The bears gather in the cleared spaces and lie down there. They lie in the timber 

 under the trees. They look like black objects in the distance. It is customary to 

 shoot at them from some distance, but care is always taken not to shoot all of them, 

 nor to shoot when the wind was with them, for then they would scent the hunters 



' Numerous descriptions of the irana"lce're are given In the Hare Trickster cycle. 



