DEwiTT) MYTH OF THE EARTH-GRASPER 593 



Dance started, and then, verily, they offered up thanksgivings for 

 liaviiig finished planting their fields. 



AVhen those things which they had planted sprouted up, then again, 

 a large body of the people worked, they stirred up the earth. And 

 when they had completed this task then again, a large body of people 

 assembled themselves. At that time, then, they, the Elder Ones, said, 

 " Now, verily, we have seen that those things upon which we live have 

 sprouted up. So, then, all those persons of us who have seen them 

 now greet one another with thanksgivings repeatedly. So then, we, 

 also, greet with thanksgivings, repeatedly, all those to whom duties 

 were assigned by Him-who-completed-them. Verily, these shall 

 attend to all these things, so that we should be fortunate in seeing 

 those things, upon which we live, grow to maturity. Now, too, we 

 shall greet with thanksgivings repeatedly Hun who has formed our 

 bodies. Now, then, the ceremony of the Great Feather Dance which 

 He has ordained for us will be performed." 



At that time, then, the ceremony started, and all the persons took 

 an active part in it; they made a circuit of the fire, the adult ones 

 and also the cliildren, all were happy. Wlien it had passed, at that 

 time, then, the Elder Ones said, "Now, verily, we have carried out the 

 ceremony in such manner as De'hae°'hiyawa"klio°' ordered it. Now, 

 then, it shall continue to be thus, in the future, when the times, cus- 

 tomarily, in which people complete their works, recur. " At that time, 

 then, the Elder Ones said, "Now, verily, as to that these shall be 

 included in that ceremony visible, but still distant, which, verily. He 

 called the Gathering Together of the Grand Food (Harvest Festival). 

 There, verily, in that place, then, shall our Mothers, upon whom we 

 live, the Corn, also the Bean, also the Native Squash, be mcluded. 

 So then, it shall thus continue to be, in the future, as the ceremonies 

 recur which He, who formed our natures, has marked and ordained 

 for us." 



At that time, now, it was so that it was at close mtervals that a 

 person died; so then, now, thus they did do; they made a hole in 

 the ground, and there, customarily, in it they placed the flesh body, 

 then, customarily, they covered it again with earth. Thus it con- 

 tinued to be for some time, when it became frequent that, among the 

 families (ohwachira) one, customarily, who was not at all sick died 

 suddenly, as if broken oft". It was, indeed, the same with the adults 

 as it was also with the children; now there was a growing number 

 who were not contented in their minds, and it was thus day after day 

 and, also, night after night; they just kept going about weeping. 

 The cause that it was thus was that they continued to lose per- 

 sons from their families (ohwachira), and now, also, the rites of the 

 Four Ceremonies were becoming less and less fully performed ; now, 

 there were many, indeed, who paid no more attention to the Four 

 Ceremonies. 



