174 THE WINNEBAGO TRIBE [eth. asn. 37 



If you thus travel in the road of the good people, it will be good 

 and other people will not consider your life a source of amusement." 



If you can not obtain a blessing from the spirits try also to have 

 some good plant take pity on you. This I am telling you and if 

 you do not do it, you will suffer for it. All that I am saying will be 

 of great benefit to you if you pay heed to me, for (you will need 

 medicines for) whatever you do in life, if you are not fortunate 

 enough to obtain blessings from the spirits. If j-ou are ever on the 

 warpath, you will need medicine in order to escape being hit or in 

 order to prevent yourself from getting exhausted or from feeUng 

 famished. If you manage to be fortunate in all these things you 

 may be certain that the medicines have caused it. 



My son, help yourself as you go along life's path, for this earth has 

 many narrow passages and you can never tell when you will come to 

 one. If, however, you have something with which to strengthen 

 yourself you will come safely through the passages you meet. 



Let every one think you a desirable person to know. Associate 

 with people. If you act in this manner, every one wiU like you. 

 (You will live) a contented life. Never do anything wrong to your 

 children. Whatever your children ask you to do, do not hesitate 

 to do it for them. If you act thus people wall say you are good- 

 natured. If you ever lose a friend by death and if you have riches 

 cover ^" the expenses of the funeral of the deceased. Help the 

 mourners to feed the people at the wake. If you act thus you will 

 be acting well. Then you will be truly a helper of the people and 

 they will know you as such. Indeed, all of them will know you. 

 For the good you do, all will love you. 



My son, do not become a gambler. You might, it is true, become 

 rich, but in spite of your wealth all your children will die. No 

 gambler ever had children. It is an affair of the bad spirits entirely. 

 Now if you do all that I have told you, you will uncjuestionably lead 

 a happy and contented life. 



Thus would the old people speak to a child whom they loved very 

 much, that he might obtain the means of warding off what is not 

 good. Anyone who acted contrary to these teachings would have 

 himself to blame for the consequences. 



15 This dislike of being made fun of. or of being the laughing stock, plajs an important role amongthe 

 Winnebago. It is not at all comparable to the same feeUngas found at the present day among civilized 

 people of Western Europe, for it is infinitely deeper and closely associated with social ostracism. The 

 despondency caused by being made fim of. would frequently drive a person away from home or lead him to 

 embark on any undertaking that would bring death. Owing to the social consequences coming in its train, 

 a man would consequently do most anything in his power to ward it off. Correlated with this negative 

 aspect of the use of " fun-poking." there is a positive one. There are certain relatives who have the privilege 

 of making fun of or playing practical jokes on you. This 'joking-relationship'' exists among many tribes 

 in America, but the relatives between whom it is permitted diller in every case. Among the Winnebago 

 it e.xists between uncles and nieces and nephews and between brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law. 



" That is, buy the funeral apparel for the deceased. 



