402 THE WINNEBAGO TKIBE [eth. ann. 37 



Soon after that my parents returned to Wisconsin, but when they 

 left they said they would come back in a little whUp. So I was left 

 there with my relatives, who were all peyote followers. For that 

 reason they left me there. Whenever I went among the nonpeyote 

 people I used to say all sorts of things about the peyote people, and 

 when I returned to the peyote people I used to say all sorts of things 

 about the others. 



I had a friend who was a peyote man and he said to me, '"My 

 friend, I wish very much that you should eat the peyote." Thus he 

 spoke and I answered him, ''My friend, I will do it, but not until I 

 get accustomed to the people of this country. Then I will do it. 

 The ordy thing that worries me is the fact that they are making fun 

 of you. And in addition, I am not quite used to them." I spoke 

 dishonestly. 



I was staying at the place where my sister lived. She had gone 

 to Oklahoma ; she was a peyote follower. After a while she returned. 

 I was then living with a number of women. This was the second 

 time (there) and from them I obtained some money. Once I got 

 drunk there and was locked up for six days. After my sister returned 

 she and the others paid more attention than ever to me. Especially 

 was this true of my brother-in-law. They gave me horses and a 

 vehicle. They really treated me very tenderly. I knew that they 

 did all this because they wished me to eat the peyote. I, in my turn, 

 was very kind to them. I thought that I was fooling them and they 

 thought that they were converting me. I told them that I believed 

 in the peyote because they were treating me so nicely. 



After a while we moved to a certain place where they were to have 

 a large peyote meeting. I knew they were doing this in order to 

 get me to join. Then I said to my younger sister, "I would be 

 quite willing to eat this peyote (ordinarily) , but I don't like the woman 

 with whom I am living just now and I think I will leave her. That 

 is why I do not want to join now, for I imderstand that when married 

 people eat medicine (peyote) they will always have to stay together. 

 Therefore I will join when I am married to some woman permanent- 

 ly." Then my brother-in-law came and she told him what I had 

 said, and he said to me, " You are right in what you say. The woman 

 with whom you are staying is a married woman and you can not 

 continue living with her. It is null and void (this marriage) and we 

 know it. You had better join now. It will be the same as if you 

 were single. We will pray for you as though you were single. After 

 you have joined this ceremony, then you can marry any woman whom 

 you have a right to marry (legally). So, do join tonight. It is best. 

 For some time we have been desirous of your joining but we have 

 not said anything to you. It is Earthmaker's (God's) blessing to 

 you that you have been thinking of this," said he. 



