hewitt] legends 663 



people. This gave all that was necessary to enable them to perform 

 the ceremony of the Bears, and he also taught the people all the songs 

 of the Bears, which he had been taught by the Bear people expressly 

 to be taught in turn to the people of the stolen child. 



The child told the people that he had lived with the Bear people 

 during the time he had been in captivity. He told the people the 

 correct use of the forked rod of wood in turning away from the 

 people the course of disease, by means of which the Bear peo]ile were 

 able u&nially to cause the hunter to pass by the hiding place of bears, 

 for which he might be on the hunt. 



It was in this manner that the Bear ceremony was revealed to 

 mankind, so that it is possible for them to perform it. Such is the 

 legend of the origin of the Bear ceremony, as it is called. 



1-2S. The Oricix of the Pigeon Songs and Dances 



This is the manner in which the origin of the Pigeon songs and 

 dances was disclosed to human beings in ancient times. These birds 

 had formed a nesting place, or one might say more properly that 

 they had assembled at a so-called pigeon roost. 



Having received knowledge of this fortunate circumstance a great 

 number of men and women with their children, starting from their 

 villages, went to the place where the pigeons had formed their roost. 

 In time these people arrived at their rendezvous and they at once 

 began to build their temporary camps according to their okwaehiras 

 and clans and kindreds. 



There Ment with this concourse of people a man who had just 

 reached the age of puberty and who had no evil habits. He was a 

 very good jaerson. Then it came to pass that they began to travel 

 from place to place thi-ough the roost to kill such pigeons as they 

 needed. At this time the upright young man heard the tumult 

 arising from the cries of the pigeons holding converse together and 

 he also saw the pigeons in vast numbers wheeling in circles. 



Suddenly he was greatly surprised to see flying among the pigeons 

 one white in color as to its body. He watched it for a moment flying 

 in circles, when, leaving the others, the white pigeon came flying 

 toward the place where the upright young man was standing and 

 alighted very near to him. At once the pigeon began to speak, say- 

 ing: "Be it known to you that we have selected j'ou to tell your 

 people what it is we desire the most, what it is we most need. You 

 must tell your chief that we do not like to have so many among you 

 who are in this place who do not remember Him who has created us. 

 There are indeed many whose thoughts are only of evil things which 

 they desire to do to please themselves. We wish that those among you 

 who have these thoughts should i^ut away evil longings and pur- 



