KADiN] THE CLAN WAR-BUNDLE FEASTS 475 



took the material (the remains of the Water-spirit)." That it is 

 good, they knew. Then she tried her medicine. The first time she 

 did the following: Up above, almost near the sky, a hawk stood 

 .whirling around. The woman dipped her forefinger into the medicine 

 and then she pointed it at the hawk and it fell dead; she made it fall 

 through the top of a house: right in front of the woman it landed. 

 She wanted to use it as a medicine bag. Then she dreamed that 

 they had taken a man from his home that he might fast. She said 

 to the man, "Put forth all your strength and don't try to come here." 

 She also told his relatives to watch him. "To-night I am going to 

 sing a paint song and if he comes he will die. Take care of him that 

 he doesn't come." That night she sang a paint song and the man 

 came nmning to her. She forbade him but he came anyhow and 

 he died dancing. This medicine is called hit^e'nuijk'e medicine, re- 

 ferring to the name of another tribe, and that is how it acted. 



"They (our ancestors) knew that it was good paint and he (one 

 of them) tried to get him (the Hit^e'nuijk'e) to bless him with the 

 paint (the latter had obtained from the woman). "When they 

 obtained it, they never used it in their own midst (i. e., among 

 themselves). They made a medicine-bimdle of it. The paint-medi- 

 cine, it is good to use in war. That they knew very well. They 

 were very sparing in their use of it (because it was so valuable). 

 They placed it in theh' war-bundle. Paint-songs we are about to 

 use, yet we are singing for the war-bundle. If, indeed, we had paint 

 medicine we would amount to something. We are not going to sing 

 as if we thought ourselves in possession of paint-medicines nor will 

 we sing them correctly. Yet if we knew only one, if we could (in 

 singing this one) bring oiu-selves to the state of crying (it would be 

 all right), it is said. That is why we say it." " (Paint song.) 



Host's third speech. — "War-bundle owners who are seated here, I 

 greet you. I know that I am causing you to famish with hunger, 

 but we are doing this in an attempt to- get the attention (of the 

 spirits). One in control of death who dwells in the south " and who 

 of himself possesses greater war power than all the other spirits that 

 exist, blessed grandfather Djoben^igiwi'T^xga. He is in control of 

 life and in control of death. He met grandfather in the middle of 

 the day and blessed him with war powers and life. He said (to our 

 grandfather when he blessed him), "If I should ever go on the 

 warpath, your descendants, as many as they are and wherever they 

 live, I will not tread upon, should they get sick.'° However, your 

 posterity never will get sick. Should they ever have a bad illness, 



" The Winnebago believe that the "bones" of the mythical "Water-spirits" possess the most magical 

 qualities when powdered and mixed up into medicines. All "paint medicines" are made of "Water- 

 spirit bones." 



^* All these sentences are, of course, expressions of ritualistic modesty. 



'6 1, e., Disease-giver. 



" Cf. note 36, p. 4.57, for explanation of these words. 



