KADiN] THE CLAN WAR-BUNDLE FEASTS 497 



Then another man to whom a kettle has been given gets ready to 

 express his thankfuhiess and says: 



Speech of sixth guest. — ^"Host and members of your clan who are 

 seated here, I send forth my greetings to you. To you also, war- 

 bundle owners who are seated here, do I send forth my greetings. 

 The members of this clan have often preached to me. My grand- 

 father once told me the following: 'Some day there will be a dearth 

 of people (for a feast). There they will offer tobacco to the spirits 

 and as many pieces of meat as they cut that many will be holy. 

 There also they will cook heads. Heads are not to be eaten by those 

 wearing dresses (i. e., women). Women are not permitted to scatter 

 their food in eating, we are told.'" Some day if they boil these holy 

 pieces, the heads, they will be in need of people to invite to the feast. 

 If they call upon you for one of the sacred pieces, even if at that time 

 you had not yet obtained a war honor, if you had not counted coup,'^" 

 still if you offer up thanks to the spirits for anything; still more so, 

 of course, if you had been able to count coup and you thanked them 

 for all this, they will listen to you.' '^' My grandfather told me, 

 ' Thus they spoke to me,' he said, it is said, 'Little grandfather, the 

 spirits up above gave (your ancestor) a war bundle to those of the 

 Earth phratry. They gave them a mouth for speaking (in offering 

 thanks), but they told him that it was forbidden to speak to outsiders 

 about this matter. They gave them a mouth that they might speak 

 to one another (i. e., members of the same clan)'. 



"My father gave the information to me. For that reason, they 

 told me, I am in a position to thank the spirits. One of the greatest 

 of the spirits they have offered tobacco to, to one of the greatest of 

 the spirits they have prayed. Tobacco, food, a sacred white buck- 

 skin, pleasing to their eyes, they have extended to them. With 

 offerings of life '" they have asked for life. We have been asked to 

 impersonate (the spirits), even although there are plenty of war- 

 bundle owners. But the host is a relative of ours and therefore 

 wishes me to live. A pitiable existence we had been living (until 

 they saw to it) that we were brought into connection with life. Proud 

 we are of it. For if they (the spirits) accept their gifts, we also will 

 be able to utilize the life (obtained). Clan members, we did as we 

 pleased here. It is good. Those preached to, the Morning Star, 



118 In eating the deer head and in the fast-eating contest the meat is devoured so fast that the food is liter- 

 ally scattered in theprocess of eating. Whether there is an implied warning that a man should not he found 

 in the same class as the women I do not know positively, but it is quite likely. 



'M Literally, "a limb." Thefourcoupcoimtsarelikened to the four limbs of the hiunan body. As such 

 they are always referred to. 



m The whole meaning of the speech up to the present is the following: Should they in the future want to 

 give a feast and lack of the proper people cause them to call upon you, even if you had counted coup only 

 once,thespirits would list en to you. And yet here I am and haven't even counted coup once and yet I 

 have the effrontery to expect them to listen to me. 



'» I. e., with offerings of deer and dogs. 



