416 THE WINNEBAGO TKIBE [kth. ans. 37 



and, going to his seat, where all the other objects are spread out, he 

 sits down and prays. He prays that all the participants may be 

 strengthened by the prospective meeting. He offers up thanks for 

 the peyote and prays that all may be in the proper spirit that night. 

 Then he throws the needles in the fire and holds the peyote over 

 the smoke of the cedar. Wlien this Jias been finished he returns to 

 his seat, eats one peyote, and gives one to the drummer. After 

 they have eateri these he passes four peyote in turn to those on his 

 left until the peyote comes to the one sitting nearest the door. Four 

 peyote are given to the one nearest the door that he, in turn, may 

 pass them to those on the other side of the door and so on until the 

 leader is reached again. Before the peyote is eaten, the leader gets 

 up and talks. He instructs the people as to the nature of the meeting 

 and tells them that those who wish to go out must do so after the 

 midnight water is drunk and not until after the leader returns from 

 outside. No one is to go out while anyone is singing, praying, or 

 eating peyote. He then speaks of the special prayers that are to be 

 offered up and asks them to offer general prayers for all nonmembers 

 and even for their enemies. After that the leader again offers up a 

 prayer and smokes all the objects he had spread before his seat. 

 Then the songs are to start, all, however, first eating peyote. 



(When the fire first starts and thereafter, throughout the night, it 

 is supposed to represent light, just as God said, " Let there be light.") 



Tlie first song is always the same and is called the starting song. 

 Those that follow are peyote songs. Wlien he has finished these 

 songs he passes the singing staff to the right of the drummer. When 

 this one has finished the staff is returned to the leader, who passes it 

 on to the left, and then in rotation it goes to the one sitting near 

 the door. The drum, when it is handed on, is always passed under 

 the staff. Tlie fire is always replenished, but toward midnight 

 special care is taken in this regard and the coals are placed in the 

 shape of a crescent between the fire and the earth crescent, and the 

 fireman sweeps first around the left and then around the right side. 

 Then exactly at midnight the leader calls for his singing staff and 

 his drum, no matter where they happen to be, and, taking the singing 

 staff and sending the drum to the drummer, he blows his flute and 

 sings. Tlie song he sings then is called the midnight song. After 

 that three peyote songs are sung, it making no difference which they 

 are. As the leader starts his midnight song the fireman takes up 

 his position at the doorway opposite the fireplace and the leader. 

 When the second song is started the fireman turns around to the 

 right and goes out and gets water and soon comes back with it. 

 When he reenters he makes the figure of a cross on the gi'ound where 

 he stood just before he left and places water on it. Then he squats 

 down on his knees. 



