538 THE WINNEBAGO TRIBE [eth. ann. 37 



"Sons of war, I greet you." 



After these songs are sung the host speaks again. 



" Sons of wars, I greet you. We will sing the dancing songs. If 

 anyone cares to dance he may do so. They say that through dancing, 

 also, we may obtain victory in war. Therefore you women may 

 dance and help your brothers. Dancing also is a means of obtaining 

 life. We will now sing about four songs if we can remember them." 



When the songs are over the leader says : 



"Warriors, I greet you. We will sing another lot of songs and 

 then we will have our feast. This lot of songs was sung by our 

 grandfather, who obtained victory Avith them, so he added them to 

 his bundle. So we are told. These songs can also be sung by watch- 

 men in the camp, or on the warpath, or before the rush for the enemy, 

 as well as while crossing rivers and in scouting. We will now try to 

 sing them. Warriors all, who are seated here, I greet you." 



The host then sings the slow songs and then the dancing songs. 

 Then he continues : 



"Warriors, I greet you. The next four songs we sing will be for 

 all the spirits for whom we have placed these kettles of tobacco and 

 buckskin for moccasins. The first kettle over the first fireplace is a 

 big deer head, which our chief will partake of. This kettle is in 

 honor of Earthmaker. The kettle will be placed for our chief. We 

 know that he has been attentive to the spirits and that he has the 

 right to forbid us to do wrong. 



"The next kettle will be put on in honor of the war spirits who 

 live in the place of the setting of the sun. It will be placed before 

 the Thunderbird clan people. It is our desire that the spirits 

 remember us for these our ofi'erings. For that reason we will turn 

 over to them a kettle with tobacco and enough buckskin for 

 moccasins. 



"The kettle on the second fireplace we intend to offer to the war 

 spirit, the Big Black Hawk. Together mth the kettle, we are 

 offering tobacco and buckskin. It will be placed before Strikes-the- 

 Tree. He understands this affair better than we do. He under- 

 stands what our intentions toward the spirits are and he can therefore 

 best make them understand us. Another kettle on the same fire- 

 place we intend for the sun. We have already made known our 

 intentions to him by offerings of tobacco and buckskin. That kettle 

 will be placed for our grandfather, who understands and can perform 

 these things better than we can. 



"On the third fireplace there is a kettle for our grandmother who 

 comes up after the dark — the Moon. That will be placed before 

 my nephew. He knows how to take care of a war bundle. That 

 we ^vish should be made known to the moon he will make it known, 

 as he knows how to do it. 



