'"""•■' SYSTEM OF EDUCATION 167 



you will be able to obtain these and in addition glory and the war 

 honors." If, in truth, you thirst yourself to death,= our grandfathers 

 who are in control of wars— to whom all the war powers that exist in 

 this world belong— they will assuredly bless you. 



My son, if you do not wear out your feet through ceaseless activity 

 (in fasting), if you do not blacken your face for fasting, it will be all 

 in vain that you inflict sufferings upon yourself. Blessings are not 

 obtained through mere desire alone; they are not obtained without 

 making the proper sacrifices or without putting yourself time and 

 again in proper mental condition. Indeed, my son, they are not to be 

 obtamed without effort on your part. So see to it that, of all those 

 spirits whom Earthmaker created, one at least has pity upon you 

 and blesses you. Whatever such a spirit says to you that will un- 

 questionably happen. 



Now, my son, if you do not obtain a spirit to srengthen you, you 

 will not amount to anything in the estimation of your fellowmen 

 They wiU show you httle respect. Perhaps they will make fun of you 

 Do not die in the village. It is not good to die there. Whenever a 

 person is grown up that is what is told him. Nor is it good, my son 

 to let women journey ahead of you from amidst the village. " It is 

 not good thus to let women die before you." Therefore, in order to 

 prevent this, our ancestors encouraged one another to fast. Some 

 day you will travel in a difficult road; there will be some crisis in 

 your life, and then when it is too late you will begin to reproach your- 

 self for not having fasted at the proper time. So that you may not 

 have occasion to blame yourself at such a time I counsel you to fast 

 If you do not obtain a blessing when the other women are dividinc^ 

 the war pnzes brought home from the warpath by their brothers'" 

 your sisters will stand aside envying them. If, however, you are 

 blessed by the spirits in control of war power, and if you then return 

 victorious, how proud your sisters will be to receive "the war honors 

 and to wear them around their necks and participate with them in the 

 victory dance ! And in this way your sisters like^vnse will be stren<rth- 

 ened by your war deeds. You will keep well, in health. ^ 



My son, it will indeed be good if you obtain war powers, but our 

 ancestors say it is difficult. EspeciaUy difficult is it to be leader on 



< There are four war honors, the highest going to the Indian who first touches a dead enemy, the"^^ 

 belonging to the one who mils him, and the last two to those who to„oh him second and hird The 

 war prizes generally consulted of necklaces of wampum which were given to those who had obtained the first 



IL T.'" VT "'" "'"""^ "' ^^■'" ""■ '^"^•"^^^ °' "^^^^ -''""'^g 'b^ pip- on his return ,0 S 



home. The prize of the wampum necklace was always given by the victor to his elder sisters 

 *Tnat is, fast. 



'That is obtain war power so that you can go on the warpath and prevent yourself from dying in the 

 village or have women die before you. "J""6 1" iiie 



