530 THE WINNEBAGO TRIBE [bth.ann. 37 



The War-bxindle Feast of the Thunderbird Clan 



(second version) 



Informant, member of Thunderbird clan: ' There were originally 

 four warriors. The youngest one was the bravest and the most 

 powerful. He claimed that his father was a Thimderbird and his 



mother a Night Spirit. He is 

 the one who made the bundle 

 about which we are going to 

 speak. 



The lodge (fig. 38) is prepared 

 by the nephews and the women 

 relatives of the host, generally his 

 nieces and wives. The invited 

 guests arrive toward evening, 

 while the women are still prepar- 

 ing the buckskins. These buck- 

 skins are to be made as perfectly 

 white as possible. Only those 

 women who have passed their cli- 

 macteric are permitted to do this. 

 As soon as the buckskins are pre- 

 pared the kettles are put on the 

 fire. The buckskins are taken by 

 the host and marked with the spe- 

 cific symbols associated with the 

 different spirits. (For the mark- 

 ings, see pis. 47, 48.) These 

 buckskins are then tied to a stick. 

 That for Earthmaker is attached 

 to the stick with the head point- 

 ing upward ; that for the Thim- 

 derbird has the stick and the 

 head of the buckskin facing the 

 west; that for the Night has the 

 stick and head of the buckskin 

 facing east ; that for the Star also 

 faces east, as do all the others 

 not mentioned. When the sticks have been prepared and the buck- 

 skins attached to them, the latter are rolled up upon the sticks. 

 Whosoever of the guests is the oldest feast-giver then arises and 

 pours tobacco, fu'st for the fire and then for all the other spirits. 

 When they start the fire for the fu'st time they use the old ceremonial 

 fire sticks. With that the ceremony begins. Wlien the old man is 



Fig. 3S.— Plan of Thunderbird clan war-bundle feast. 

 1, Buckskin for earthmaker. 2, Buckskin fordisease- 

 eiver. 3, Buckskin for thunderbirds. 4, Buckskin 

 for night-spirits. 5. Buckskin for morning star. 6, 

 Buckski]! for sun. 7, Buckskin for moon. H, Buck- 

 skin for water-spirit. 9, Buckskin for earth. 10, 

 Buckskin for heroka. 



1 This is a generalized account. 



