246 THB HAKO, A PAWNEE CEREMONY [eth. Ann. 22 



12G6 Pirao ka riki ra riki hi! 



pirao, child. 



ka, within. 



riki, standing. 



ra, is. 



riki, .standing. 



hi, vowel prolongation. 

 12<j7 See line 1206. 



Explamdion hij fhf Ku'rahus 



At the close of this song and ceremony the child is carried back 

 and seated behind the holy place. The chief stands behind the child, 

 and a feathered stem is laid on each side of it, the brown eagle to the 

 north. 



Pakt III. Thank Offering 



Explanation by the Ku'rahus 



Live coals are brought and put on the holy place before the child, 

 and the Ku'rahus cuts bits of consecrated fat and sweet grass and 

 lays theni on the coals. All the people silently watch the sweet- 

 smelling smoke as it curls upward. When the smoke is well on its 

 way to Tira'wa, the Ku'rahus, standing at the west, lifts the feathered 

 stems, the wildcat skin, and all the other sacred objects of the Hako 

 and waves them four times through the smoke toward the east, and 

 then lays them down as they were before. When the chief and his 

 assistant have raised the child to its feet, the chief puts his hands in 

 the sweet smoke and passes them over its head, then puts his hands 

 back into the smoke and j'ubs the child from its shoulders down its 

 arms. Again he puts his hands in the smoke and passes them down 

 the body of the child. For the fourth time he puts his hands in the 

 smoke and strokes the legs of the child to its feet and presses them 

 iiI)on the earth. Then the child is again seated. 



I Now the Ku'rahus says, " My Children, the offering of sweet smoke 

 is for you." After that the chief and the assistant will put smoke 

 on any of the Children who so desire. This takes some time, for 

 every one of the Children present wishes to have the blessing of the 

 smoke. At length the chief puts the smoke upon himself, and the 

 Ku'rahus and his assistant on themselves, and last of all the two 

 yoimg men who are to perform the final dance bless themselves with 

 the smoke. 



The Ku'rahus I'eturiis the coals to the fireplace and spreads the 

 ashes over the ground so that nothing will show where they have 

 been. Ne.xt he goes to the first circle in the northwest and with his 

 right foot rubs away the outline. He then proceeds to the nest-circle 

 at the northeast and rubs that away, and so on with the other two. 

 The doctors follow, the one with the left wing sweei^ing away all signs 

 of the nests on the north side of the fireplace, while the doctor with 

 the right wing does the same to those on the south side. 



