SA"""] RELIGION 303 



like to have you put some food in your mouths."" "My niece, it is 

 good. You have indeed made youi-self 'pitiable.' You have 

 thii-sted yourself to death and I, too, pity you. If any spirit has 

 blessed you, he has done so with good reason. I, too, once thirsted 

 myself to death and the spirits blessed me with life. With this life, 

 my niece, I also bless you. I will gladly partake of your feast." 

 Thus spoke Wolf. Then Elk said, "My niece, I, too, was told to 

 fast; and in my fast the spirits blessed me with the power of having 

 complete control over all my actions. This dream (i. e., the bless- 

 ings I obtained) I now give to you.-* With these blessings you will 

 be able to live as you desire. I will now gladly partake of your 

 food." 



When they were through eating, she also ate, and then they all 

 went home. After a while her father said to her, "My daughter, I 

 am going to ask you a question. It is said that those who have 

 been blessed might tell their dreams if they were asked." "All 

 right," said the daughter, "I will tell you. Eight days I fasted and 

 then the spirits blessed me. They, told me that if at the end of four 

 days I should place offerings south of the place known as the Big 

 Eddy and situated down the stream the powers with wliich I had 

 been blessed would be shown to me. The one who blessed me was 

 the chief of the Wak«ai°tc6"', the spirits who live in the earth. He 

 said that Earthmaker had created him and given him great power; 

 that he had placed hun in charge of 'Ufe.' In four days he told 

 me, ' I will appear to you. The day on which I appear to you will 

 be a perfect day. Whatever you wish to make for youreelf , you may 

 do. You will never be in want of anytliing, for you can make imple- 

 ments for yourself out of my body. With these I bless you, for you 



" Thefeast referred to hereis thefeast called Ha-daginantc Wadu-itcanena" orfaster'sfeast. It is given 

 whenever a man or woman who has been blessed is about to break his fast. At this feast it is customary, 

 according t ) s^me informants, for the faster ta narrate his blessmg. However, thesefeasts have now been 

 discontmued for so long a time that it is extremely difficult to obtain any accurate information. 



M The transference of certain blessings is very common, but, to my knowledge, it is rarely done in this 

 maimer. As a rule i f a person was unable to obtain blessings, he sought to oUset this handicap in lite by 

 purchasing supernatural powers from some of his more successful fellow-men. However, these powers 

 seem to be connected almost exclusively with medicines. Tliat blessings such as those bestowed upon 

 individuals during theirfast, such as long life, invincibility, hunting powers, etc., were transferred, does 

 not seem probable, although it is, of course, possible. The writer was told of a number of cases where this 

 seemed to have been the case, but on closer study it was conclusively shown that no real transference had 

 taken place, but that in those instances where a person had said, " I transfer tliis and that dream to you," 

 the transference had no validity unless the indirtdual to whom the dream had been bequeathed actually 

 fasted and obtained the same dream. An individual would in such a case always be careful to select as 

 his "dream-heir " one who would in all likelihood obtain the same dream. It is only in tills sense that 

 one might actually speak of a transference. In those instances where a man is 'blessed with supernatural 

 powers that are to extend to all his posterity this is what is really meant, namely, an infinite repetition of 

 the same blessing, one that has, however, become so certain within definite families that it might be con- 

 sidered automatic. 



