FLETCHER] FIRST RITUAL, PART I 285 



ing this the Ku'rahus says: "The first act of a man must he to set 

 apart a place that can be made holy and consecrated lo TiraA^'a, a 

 place where a man can be quiet and think about the nughty ijowei'." 

 As the first part o-pens with the mention of Awahokshn, the holy 

 place, tlie abode of Tira'wa, whence life is given to men by the inter- 

 mediary powers, so Ihe second part begins by indicating that man 

 should set apart a holy place whence his thoughts can ascend to the 

 powers which gave him life. The fixing of the sacred place made 

 a center from wliich man's daily life could be set in order, and made 

 the inauguration of rites possible — rites which served as a common 

 bond to hold the community together. In the next stanza (vm) the 

 term h'Akaru is used. II' is the sign of breath, of t\w giving of life; 

 akaru is a modification of akaro, a dwelling place. The change 

 from ro to ru indicates that the word is typical rather than special. 

 h'Akaru convej's the idea of an abode of life, a place where life (h', 

 breath) can be received. The progression noted in the first part 

 is here recalled; the power first mentioned after the holy i^lace, 

 Awahokshu, was Ilotoru, the Wind, the giver of bi-eath. The next 

 stanza (ix) speaks of Keharu, an inclosure, the actual dwelling to be 

 erected for the protection of life. Keharu seems to correspond to the 

 male element which, in tlie first part, is repre.sented by the Sun, the 

 father, the giver of strength, and we find that throughout this cere- 

 mony the position of the feathered stem, representing the male, is 

 upon the outside, where it acts as guard and protector, a wall of 

 defense to the interior of the lodge, with its fireplace, which represents 

 the nest (see line ii). The fireplace, Kataharu, is next mentioned 

 (x). This is the center, where the life within the lodge is conserved; 

 it represents the female principle. This stanza corresponds to the 

 fourth of the first part, where li'llraru. Mother Earth, is invoked. In 

 the two following stanzas, Keharu, the glowing coals (xi), and Koritu, 

 the flames, the word of the fire (Xii), refer directly to the act of 

 making fire by friction, a eeremonj- which seems to underlie most, if 

 not all, aboriginal rites through wliich man appeals to the powers for 

 the means of sustaining life, food, and drink (stanzas V and vi). 



The first six stanzas of the second part seem to be a reflex of the 

 six composing the flrst part. In the first part physical life is created, 

 in the second part psj'chical life is recognized. By the institution of 

 rites a way is opened through which man turns toward the powers 

 which created him. In the seventh stanza of the second pai't (xiii), 

 the passageway is spoken of. This passageway represents the ego, 

 the i^ath wherein man passes to and fro as he lives his individual and 

 communal life. 



The structure of this song is notable when taken by itself, but it 

 becomes more remarkable when the scope of the ceremony is consid- 

 ered. It will then be seen that this opening song foreshadows the 

 movement and purpose of the entire ceremony. 



