HADiN] RELIGION 315 



The author was fortunate enough to obtain an account by a well- 

 known Winnebago shaman of his various reincarnations. 



T. C's account of his two reincarnations. — I once lived in a party 

 that numbered about 20 camps. When I had grown up to be a lad, 

 although one not large enough to handle a gun, a war party attacked 

 us and killed us all. I did not know, however, that I had been killed. 

 I thought that I was running about as usual until I saw a heap of 

 bodies on the ground and mine among them. No one was there to 

 bury us, so there we lay and rotted. 



I (i. e., my ghost) was taken to the place where the sun sets (the 

 west). There I lived with an old couple. This place (spirit land) 

 is an excellent place and the people have the best of times. If you 

 desire to go an^-where, all that you have to do is to wish yourself 

 there and you reach it. While at that place I thought I would come 

 back to earth again, and the old man with whom I was staying said 

 to me, "My son, did you not speak about wanting to go to the earth 

 again?" I had, as a matter of fact, only thought of it, yet he knew 

 what I wanted. Then he said to me, "You can go, but you must 

 ask the chief first." 



Then I went and told the chief of the village of my desire, and he 

 said to me, "You may go and obtain your revenge (upon the people 

 who killed your relatives and you)." 



Then I was brought down to earth. I did not enter a woman's 

 womb, but I was taken into a room. There I remained, conscious 

 at all times. One day I heard the noise of little children outside and 

 some other sounds, so I thought I would go outside. Then it seemed 

 to me that I went through a door, but I was really being born again 

 from a woman's womb. As I walked out I was struck with the sudden 

 rush of cold air and I began to cry. 



At that place I was brought up and I was taught to fast a great 

 deal. Afterwards I did nothing but go to war, and I certainly 

 took revenge for the death of myself and my relatives, that being 

 the purpose for which I had come to earth. 



There I lived until I died of old age. All at once my bones became 

 imjointed, my ribs fell in, and I died the second time. I felt no more 

 pain at death, then, than I had felt the first time. 



This time I was buried in the manner used at that time. I was 

 wrapped in a blanket and then laid in the grave. Sticks were placed 

 in the grave first. There in the grave I rotted. I watched the people 

 as they buried me. 



As I was lying there, some one said to me, "Come, let us go away." 

 So then we went toward the setting of the sun. There we came to a 

 village where we met all the dead. I was told that I would have to 

 stop there for four nights, but in reality I stayed there four years. 

 The people enjoy themselves there. They have all sorts of dances 



