EADiji] EELIGIOtrS SOCIETIES BASED ON BLESSINGS 333 



me, ' Some day when there is a dearth of people, some night-blest one 

 will take pity on you. Submit to it.' Thus he spoke to me and 

 what he referred to was this feast. These feasts are all sacred, but 

 this is the most sacred one. That is what he used to tell me. It is 

 not to be trifled with, even in respect to the rituals within the lodge. 

 Never should one cross the lodge directly. If you trifle with this 

 rule you will bring sorrow upon yourselves. The so-called night- 

 soldiers are not to be trifled with. So he told me. The so-called 

 night-soldiers, like soldiers on this earth, are stern. Truly they are 

 stern, said my father. If we were to slight one of them we would 

 most assuredly be punished for it, and punislunent by them means 

 death. So he spoke to me. But, said he, ' if, on the other hand, any 

 one attends to all that pertains to this ceremony it will be a means 

 of obtaining life. It will be a good thing to do, and one would 

 thereby obtain a good life. Therefore, I have always looked upon 

 the Night dance with awe, for it is a very holy thing.' So spoke my 

 father. For that reason, consequently, whenever my father gave a 

 Night feast he would encourage us to pay careful attention to it, and 

 that is why I have always tried to do so. Remember, however, that 

 I am not a child of the night-blest ones, and that, therefore, I have 

 very little to say. However, I will start a song, which will be a greet- 

 ing to this lodge, and I will sing it as I am passing around the lodge. 

 Children of the night-blest ones, who are seated here, I greet you." 



Then he sang an entrance song, first at the west end of the lodge and 

 then near the position occupied by the host. Wlien he had finished 

 the circuit of the lodge he went around again, making the accustomed 

 peculiar utterances, until he came in front of the host. There he 

 stopped and addressed the host as follows: 



"I greet you. You have caused this day to come upon me and all 

 my relatives. We have all tasted thereof and we have all felt our- 

 selves in connection with life. We are thankful. We have thought 

 of this blessing of life in cormection with ourselves. I greet you." 



Then he walks to the place assigned to him in the west end of the 

 tent and sits down. The other members of his band do the same, one 

 after the other, greeting the people in the lodge at the same time. 



When they are all seated the fourth one comes in. He repeats the 

 utterances of the former guests and then starts around the lodge 

 until he reaches the entrance. There he stops and addresses the host: 



' 'Councilors and life-obtainers, I greet your seats. I likewise greet 

 }-ou, host. You who are seated in the north and you who are seated 

 in the west, yoiu" seats I greet. Children of the night-blessed spirits 

 who are within this lodge, all of you I greet. It is good. As far as 

 I imderstand this Night ceremony is considered a life-giving one. 

 The so-called happy Night Spirits alone are in control of most of life. 

 So I was told, and that is why this ceremony is called a life-giving 



