KADIN] RELIGIOK 297 



I would like to be. I would like to be able to treat people the way 

 he does, and I have for that reason blackened my face and fasted for 

 eight days." Then I was blessed and they (the messengers of the 

 sphits) came after me. Up above, to a shaman spirit-lodge they 

 took mo. There I saw the chief, and he said to me, "What you 

 desire, what you are thirsting yourself to death for, that you are to 

 be blessed with. For that reason these people have brought you 

 here. Here you are to give an exhibition of your powers. I am the 

 one who has caused you to be brought here (i. e., blessed you), I am 

 the ruler of this village and I sent for you to give you the following 

 powers : 



"If ever an Indian is sick, even if he is so sick that he is practically 

 dead, I give you the power of restoring him to life. Now you are to 

 show your powers. Here is a log so rotten and decayed that it is 

 practically falling apart.'^ Upon this you are to exert your power 

 and show that you have been blessed. This is what the spirits 

 meant when they blessed you." Then he walked around the log, 

 breathed upon it, and spat water upon it, and it became human. 

 Then he walked around it again and again spat water upon it, 

 and it began to move. Then for the third time he spat water 

 upon it and walked around it and it began to groan. Then he 

 walked around it for the fourth time, and agam spat water upon 

 the log, and it got up and walked away. He had restored the log to 

 life. Then the spirit said to him, "Man, with this power you are 

 blessed. That for which you longed, that for which you fasted, you 

 are blessed with. Giving-humans-life, thus the people will call you." 



Then all the spirits who are above said as foUows : " Brother-Ln-law," 

 that you may live I am telling you this story." 



In the wilderness I went, and there near an oval hill I sat down 

 and wept. Below the hill lay a round lake and there I saw the rising 

 dew coming in a fog. This fii'st spread itself out over us, and then, 

 in turn, shrank and became small. All this time I sat there weeping. 

 There was something moving in the lake, but although I was looking 

 in that direction I did not see anything. They (evidently the 

 spirits) were sneaking up on me. Two (flames of) fire suddenly 

 burst forth extending from above to the lake. Then a report like 



'3 This log is supposed to represent a human being in a similar condition — that is, practically on the verge 

 of dissolution. 



' ' The account is suddenly interrupted here to tell the listener why Aratcgelca is telling the story of 

 his fasting. The personal religious experiences were very sacred and rarely told even to near relatives. 

 A s far as I know, they were only told before death or when a person was very ill, as in the present case. 

 The purpose seems to have been to transfer the benefits of the blessing to the sicic person and cure him in 

 much the same way as is done when an accredited shaman goes through his entire performance. Of course, 

 Aratcge'ka's blessing related directly to the curing of disease. But evidently it was believed that blessings 

 connected with other powers were equally efficacious. 



186823°— 22 20 



