buneel] 



PRAYERS OF THK MEDICINE CULT 



799 



115 Next day, 



After our fathers, 



Our ancestors, 



Those who here had belonged to 



societies. 

 The divine ones, 

 120 After they first had taken hold of 



their plume wands. 

 We of the daylight. 

 Meeting one another. 

 With our warm human hands. 

 Embraced them. 

 125 For our fathers, 

 Our children, 

 Those who here belonged to 



societies, 

 For their ceremony 

 We shall give our plume wands 



human form. 

 130 With the massed cloud robe of our 



grandfather, 

 Male turkey. 



With eagle's mist garment. 

 With the striped cloud wings 

 And massed cloud tails 

 Of all the birds of summer, 

 With these four times wrapping 



our plume wands, 

 We shall give them human form. 

 With the one who is our mother, 

 Cotton woman, 

 140 Even a roughly spun cotton thread, 

 A soiled cotton thread, 

 With this four times encircling 



them and tying it around, 

 With hanging rain feather, 

 145 We shaU give our plume wands 



human form. 

 Saying, let it be now. 

 Taking our child's prayer meal. 



Wherever we think, let it be here, 

 150 Our earth mother 



We shall pass on her road. 

 Offering our plume wands, 

 We shaU make their days.'* 

 When there remains a little space, 



115 le'wan ya'ton-e 



lion a''tatc i'lapona 

 ho"na'wan a''laci'na'we 

 li''lno ti'lfan i'lapkona 



Ea'pin a''ho'i 

 120 Jfe-'la yam te'liljinan ya'tena 

 Isu'meEanapJfa te'a'ana 



te'liohanana 



hon i"'yona-e'latena 



yam a'sin Ea'hiajca 



a-'wiyaten tsu'meEanai)(^a 

 125 yam a-'tatcu 



yam tea' we 



li'ln ti'ljan i'lapkona 



a''wan hai'to 



hon te'lijfinan a"'ho' aya'kana'wa 



130 yam nan i'li te"ona 



ton ots an a'weluyan pa"ine 



Ka'Kiil an ci'pololon u'tcun-e 



la'lhok" o'lo'iEaialfa wo-'we 



a"'wan la'pihanan la'tawe 

 135 a''wan a'weluyan- Eaten a'Jfa 



a'lfa a-'witela'ma 



te'lilfinan a''{3a*un a''ho' a-'ya-- 

 Eana 



yam tsit i'li te"ona 



pi'tsem o'lfa 

 140 kD''ti pi"lenapte a 



pi"le ci'tfanapte 



a'lf' a''witela'ma 



pa'nulapnan i-'kwian te"tcina 



Ea'cima la'cowa 

 145 te'likinan ho"i ya''Eana'waj3a 



hoi Ifa-'Ei Ife'si' le"anaEaj3a 

 yam ie'apEunan ha'lawo-tinan-e 

 i''!eana 



hoi li'la le"hatina 

 150 yam a'witelin tsi'ta 

 ho' o'na-e'latena 

 hon te'liifinan a-'leana 

 hon a"'wan te'wanan a'cna"wapa 

 hon ya'tojfa tatc i'lap a"'te'ona 



3* The four-day retreat, which begins when the prayer sticks are planted shortly before sunset on the 

 day following this speech. The novice has prayer sticks made for him by his ceremonial father. In the 

 afternoon he is summoned to the ceiemonial house of the society to receive them. lie then goes with his 

 father and officers of the society to plant in a shrine at Badger place, about 2 miles southeast of Zufii. 

 From the time of the planting until the conclusion of the ceremonies he must do no work, especially lift 

 no heavy weights. He eats and sleeps very little and is untouchable, like one who has had contact with 

 the dead. At the same time other members of the society plant in their fields or at Red Earth and after 

 their supper return with their bedding to the .society house for a four nights' retreat. The days are spent 

 in preparation for the great ceremony <tf the last night. 



