RADIN] SHAlMANISTIC AND MEDICINAL PRACTICES 257 



tJie second one, Old Lincoln himself obtaining the first. The first 

 war honor was a quantity of wampum beads and the second a wam- 

 pum belt. Both the one who got the second prize and Old Lincoln 

 brought back with them an eneniy's head. 



From that time on Midjistega stayed with the Winnebago and he 

 and Old Lincoln became great friends, living together, one of the 

 reasons being that Old Lincoln could understand Winnebago. 



One day they ran short of corn meal, so they decided to go and 

 trade some furs for corn meal. They had plenty of furs because they 

 spent most of their tiane hunting. Wlien they got to the trader's 

 store Midjistega said, "Say, trader, the boys have been out of paint 

 for some time and you ouglit to give them some." "No, Midjistega, 

 I can't do that." Then Midjistega again said, "Well, the paint 

 boxes are small and aren't of much value anyhow, and you ought to 

 make them a present of some. However, I always knew you were 

 very stingy." Then the trader said, "My business is to trade you 

 my wares for your furs and I will not give you any paint for noth- 

 ing." Then Midjistega said, " If I had some flour I could make some 

 paint myself. However, I am short of flour, too." Then the trader 

 said, "Midjistega, you can not do it, for even the whites do not know 

 how to make paint (m that way), so how could you, who are only an 

 Indian, do it?" Thus they spoke to and fro and finally the trader 

 said, " Midjistega, I will bet you my store against your fui-s that if I 

 give you some flour you can not xnake paint out of it. If I win you 

 are to give me your fui-s, and if you win I will give you my store." 

 Then the bet was agreed upon. 



Tlien a lodge was prepared and Mldjistega's drum and flute were 

 carried into it. Then the trader had some flour carried over to the 

 lodge and it was poured into a dish. The trader, suspecting that 

 there might be some trick, stirred up the flour thoroughly. He sat- 

 isfied himself that there was nothing at the bottom of the dish. 

 Midjistega, in the meantime, painted the corners of his mouth and 

 eyes with ashes and then the singers sang for him. Then he handed 

 the flute over to Old Lincoln and told him to blow it for him every 

 now and then. The trader sat near the entrance of the lodge with 

 his employees. Then Midjistega jumped up and ran all around the 

 lodge on all fours. Tlien he took the dish with the flour and shaking 

 it, began to dance around tlie lodge with it. After he had danced 

 around for the third time it suddenly turned into a yeUow color, and 

 Old Lincoln noticed the change in tjie expression on the trader's face. 

 As he went around for the fourth time it suddenly changed to a 

 red color. When he got back to his starting place it was quite red 

 and was an excellent quality of paint. Then he said, "Well, trader, 

 I have won your store," and the trader answered, "You have won 

 my store. I did not tliink that an Indian could do it." Then Mid- 



