348 THE WINNEBAGO TRIBE [eth. ann. 37 



in the center and at the four points. Only people who had been 

 blessed by the grizzly bear were permitted to sing and dance. The 

 dancing itself took place both around the lodge and around the 

 ma"warap'uru. The dancers are supposed to imitate the motions 

 and the cries of the grizzly bear. Sometimes they whirl themselves 

 round and round, like a grizzly bear, but their principal motion con- 

 sists in stretching out their hands. In this position they will take 

 tobacco from the ma"warap'uru and eat it. They believe that they 

 are representing the bears when they do this. 



The dancers are selected by the one giving the dance. Those 

 taking part vie with each other in exhibiting the powers with which 

 they have been blessed, because in this way those present could see 

 who possessed the greatest powers. 



The purpose of the dance was to thank the grizzly bears for the 

 blessings they had bestowed upon the people. (However, there 

 seemed to be many other special occasions for whicli the dance was 

 performed.) 



If sick people are present at the dance they are told to put some 

 tobacco on the ma°warap'uru and ask for life. 



There is a description of the grizzly-bear dance in the account of 

 Little Priest's life which it might be well to append here in view of 

 the brevity of the above description. 



"'Little Priest had been wounded in so many places that he was 

 practically dead. He was, of course, entirely imconscious when liis 

 relatives arrived. They decided to perform the grizzly-bear dance 

 for him. He him self had been blessetl by the grizzly bears when he 

 was young. 



"The dance was to be given at the lodge of an Indian named Good 

 Soldier. They carried Little Priest to the lodge in a blanket, so that 

 they could sing for him and permit him to show the powers he pos- 

 sessed. He was unable to move on account of the wounds and the 

 bruises he had gotten. The man who sang for him at that time was 

 South-Wind. There were all in all ten Indians, entirely naked, 

 except for their breechclouts. Little Priest had told South-Wind 

 that he was a grizzly bear and that he could heal himself (no matter 

 how badly he had been wounded). 



"As soon as the songs and dancing commenced Little Priest began 

 to move his little fingers. Soon he was able to move liis arm as far 

 as his forearm, and gradually he regained the power of moving the 

 entire arm. Finally he sat up and began to keep time on the drum. 

 Then he tried to stand on liis feet, but owing to his weakness it was 

 only with the greatest difficulty that he could straighten out his 

 body. Finally he stood erect. Then he started to walk around the 

 lodge very slowly. The second circuit he made more easily, and by 

 the time he had made the fourth circuit he was dancing just as the 



