BEAVER AND CANADIAN HISTORY 181 
to give the man some of his medicine-songs in 
exchange for the skins of birds and animals the man 
had in his lodge. So one day, when the woman 
went down to the lake for water, the beaver came 
out and instructed her to request of her husband 
that whatever he [the beaver] should ask in his 
songs, that should be done. He also stated the 
time at which he would come to the lodge to be 
received by her husband. 
“ At the appointed time the beaver came out of 
the lake and appeared before the lodge, but, before 
he entered, requested that the lodge be purified [a 
smudge]. Then he entered. They smoked. After 
a while the beaver began to sing a song, in which 
he asked for the skin of a certain bird. When he 
had finished, the man arose and gave the bird-skin 
to him. Then the beaver gave another song, in 
which he asked for the skin of another bird, which 
was given him. Thus he went on until he secured 
all the skins in the man’s lodge. In this way the 
man learned all the songs that belonged to the 
beaver-medicine and also the skins of the animals 
to which the songs belonged. 
‘© After this the man got together all the different 
kinds of bird and animal skins taken by the beaver, 
made them up into a bundle, and kept the beaver- 
medicine.” 
Beaver robes were supposed to have certain 
virtues and were used in many ceremonies, especially 
