HADIN] THE CLAN WAR-BUNDLE FEASTS 459 



if you accept them, then we will assuredly wear war honors (some 

 day). That we may pass through life without any troubles and that 

 we may live long, we ask of you and offer you tobacco, grandfather." 



Host's offering to Earth. — "Grandmother, you blessed Djoben^gi- 

 wi'j^xga %vith whatever the Creator delegated to you. With every- 

 thing that exists on the earth, for all eternity, did you tell grandfather 

 you would bless him, and this is what we ask of you and for which 

 we will forever offer you tobacco. You will do it, he told us you 

 had said. A handful of tobacco we are about to send toward you, 

 we, as many of our clansmen as are here. Tobacco do you accept 

 from us, grandmother. A handful of tobacco there, upon him who 

 stands in the middle of the lodge,^' do we pour. Give us war powers 

 and life; for these we beseech you. Here it is, the tobacco." 



The host then pours some tobacco into the fire. 



"Soup, vegetables, together with maple sugar we are about to 

 send you.^* If you accept them, life we will obtain; that we ask of 

 you." 



Host's offering to the Moon. — "Grandmother, You-Who-Come-at- 

 Night,^" grandmother, you blessed grandfather Djobensigiwi'iyxga 

 and now all his descendants, as many as there are, are about to 

 offer you tobacco. Now when we come to a tobacco offering we 

 will certainly offer some to you. And you wiU be cognizant of it, 

 you assured us yourself, it is said. Whatever you are in control of 

 and with which you blessed our grandfather Dj5ben4giwi'7jxga for 

 all eternity, that we are to ask for at all times, they told us you had 

 said and you will assuredly give it to us. The tobacco, here it is." 



He pom's tobacco into the fire. 



"I am using the tobacco as a means of obtaining life for myself 

 and my relatives.^" The Creator gave it to me and I am offering it to 

 you. As many of our clansmen as are here we beg of 30U war powers ; 

 and that if we ever go on a warpath ^' there we will obtain the war 

 honors. Soup and the animals the Creator made for me,*^ the black- 

 furred one^^ we are offering you; soup of bear ribs. A sacred feast 

 we are about to hold for you. A buckskin for moccasins we are 

 about to send out to you. War powers and life we ask of you ; that 

 you give us life, so that otir days may be happy. Truly, grand- 

 mother, did }'ou bless our grandfather Djoben£igiwi';;xga with what- 



31 "He who stands in the middle of the lodge" is the ritualistic name for the fireplace. He is always 

 personified and the tobacco is generally conceived of as being poured upon his head. 



» As the oflerings are made to the earth, vegetables and maple sugar are selected. 



" Ritualistic name for the moon. The regular name is " hahe wlra " (night sun). 



'" The term "uaijtcigosi k'arata," literally meaning "a life beseecher," is used only in rituals and is gen- 

 erally taken to include any offering. 



" "N^gu," is the regular word for warpath. Literally it means simply "road." 



" I. e., what the Creator had placed in hi.s way and permitted him to catch and prepare for this feast. 

 It is in this specific significance that it is meant here. 



" "Hi'cebEta" is both the ritualistic and deferential name for the bear. 



