BADiN] THE CLAN WAB-BUNDLE FEASTS 479 



war power and life we bless you,' they said. Then he looked at them. 

 'I wonder whether they really are the Night Spirits?' he thought. 

 They were not the Night Spirits who were speaking to him. The 

 birds that spoke were the Icaim'cge, tcoxdji, and ci'lc'olc'ok'.^ They 

 were the ones that spoke and they were the ones that fooled him. 

 Instead of feeling sad this time, however (he said), 'I don't care 

 what happens; I am willing to die (in order to get the blessing),' 

 he thought to himself. Then he began fasting again. lie rubbed 

 the (charcoal) over (his face) again. Seven nights he fasted. And 

 once again from the east the Night Spirits came singing. They came 

 and stood (before him) and they said, 'Nephew, we bless you. So 

 long have you been sad and cried to us piteously (that we will bless 

 you). No one did we ever bless before. In war and life you shall do 

 just as you wish,' they said. Then he looked again. 'I wonder 

 whether those speaking are really the Night Spirits?' he thought. 

 But they were not the Night Spirits. They were the bluebird, 

 gi'sge,^* and duck, and as many of them as there were, their breasts 

 were dark. Asmany birds as there were, the j" were bad. 'My,Omy! 

 How they abuse me!' he cried. At first Djoben^giwi'jjxga had 

 thought in his fastings that just to spite them he would fast again. 

 Now he rubbed (charcoal on his face) again and wept bitterly.^^ 

 Both hands contained tobacco and he stood in the direction from 

 which the Night Spirits came and weeping, put himself in the most 

 abject condition. 



"Now, indeed, to its very depths did his heart ache. Ten nights 

 did he fast. Finally they (the Night Spirits') came after him. 'Hu- 

 man, I have come after you.' He followed (the spirits) and they took 

 him to the east; to the site of a Night Spirit village they took him. 

 The chief of the Night Spirits had sent this one to go after him. In 

 the village was a long lodge standing in the east. There they took 

 him. As many Night Spirits as there were in control of powerful 

 blessings, of that many the lodge was full. When he entered he 

 walked in white feathers up to his knees.*'^ Many kettles and 

 much food he saw stretched right across (the lodge). On the out- 

 side, a buffalo hide stretched almost across the entire lodge. Then 

 they said to him, 'Human, without giving up, long you have suffered; 

 your heart has, indeed, been sad. They, as many spirits as there are 



"English equi%-alents for the first two unloiown. The last is probably the robin. 



M EngUsh equivalent unknown. 



**He wept bitterly not so much on account of his disappointment as for the purpose of bringing himself 

 into a state of reUgious ecstacy. The change of attitude from one of spite to realization that not in such a 

 way were blessings from deities like the Night Spirits to be obtained is very well brought out here. It was a 

 cardinal tenet of the rehgion of the devout shamans that your success in obtaining blessings was in direct 

 proportion to the motives and intensity of feeling you brought to your prayer. To throw away your Ufe 

 through mere disappointment was deemed absolutely unethical, (a thought that) is brought out quite 

 distinctly in the systematic teachings given to the young. 



•« The lodges of the Night Spirits are supposed to be strewn with white feathers as a sign of hoUness. .\s 

 far as known no symbolism is attached to it. 



