794 



ZXJNI RITUAL POETRY 



65 Then once more taking my prayer 



meal, 

 My riches, 

 My shell, 

 Those on which I have breathed 



my prayers. 

 Even thus will be your words upon 



them. 

 To those who once were alive,^^ 

 To those who used to be with us, 

 And furthermore, our fathers, 

 The beast priests, 

 The life-giving priests, 

 75 To them you will give the prayer 



meal, 

 The shell. 

 The riches. 

 80 Our fathers will take the prayer 



meal. 

 The sheU, 

 The riches. 



When you have given it to them. 

 And when they have accepted it, 

 85 Anxiously they will await evening. 

 When our sun father 

 Has gone in to sit down at his 



sacred place. 

 Somewhere the divine ones will 



pass you on your road. 

 90 They wUl come to their child; 

 The divine ones wUl come to their 



child. 

 Our fathers, 

 Life-giving priests, 

 95 Life-giving pekwins. 

 Life-giving bow priests. 

 Perpetuating their rite from the 



first beginning. 

 Sitting down quietly among us, 

 100 Will look over their child, 



Our child, whose spirit failed. 

 Because of some evil thing. 



Beast priests. 

 With your hands. 

 With your breath. 



65 lem la holno lia'lawo'tinan'e 



u'tenan-e 



}o""o 



ho' tewusu ya'nulalfa te'a'kowa 



i'snoEjn pe'nan to' yam a''tatcu 

 li''hio te'Kana. 

 70 a"'ho' a'tea'kowa 



ho'n i'li a''tea'kowa 



le'stiklea yam a'tatcu 



we'ma' a''ciwan'i 



o'na-ya''na}i;a a-'ciwan"i 

 75 ha'lawo"tinan"e 



}o-"o 



u'tenan'e 



lo' a'lea'upa 



ho"na wan a'tatcu 

 80 ha'lawo"tinan'e 



lo'"o 



u'tenan i-leana 



to' a-'lea'upa i-'Ieana 



85 a'nlsume'na su'nhaEiina'wa 

 ho"na'wan yii'toka ta'tcu 

 yam te'tacinukwi i'muna kwalo- 



kapa 

 Ka'pin a-'ho'i 

 hoi torn o'na-e'latena'wa. 

 90 yam te'apEunan-e 

 Eapin a-'ho'i 



yam te'apEunan o'na-e'Iatena"wa 

 ho"nawan a'tatcu 

 o'naya''naka a''ciwan'i 

 95 o'na-ya-'naija pe'kwi-we 



o'na'ya''nalfa a-'pi'la-ci-'wan-i 

 yam ko'lehol tci'miEa'kowa 



te'lia'na 

 i''iinan la'Eiknan 

 yam te'apEunan'e 

 100 un-u'lapna-wa. 



ho"na-wan teapEunan kwa'hol 

 a'^ii tse"makwin i-'natina 

 te'a'kowa 

 we-ma' a'ciwan'i 

 yam a'sin a'lja 

 yam ya'nhakunan a'lfa 



" Deceased shamans, united in death with their protectors and patrons, the Beast Oods. Only those 

 members of medicine societies who have shamanistic powers, that is, the power to invoke and impersonate 

 the bear, are so honored in death. 



