THE ORIGIN OF THE PIPE-STICK CEREMONY. 55 
boy that they could do only certain things for him; that although they 
represented the sky they could not help him. The man began to cry 
and cried for a long time. At last some one near him said: ‘‘I will be 
with the other people if they will help you. You see my skin has black 
spots all over it. My fur is blue. I represent the sky and the stars. 
I know what you want. I can cheat other people and I will now teach 
you how to cheat others also.”” He saw that the animal who had been 
speaking to him was the Wild-Cat. The Evening-Star then said: ‘‘It 
is well that we placed the Wild-Cat upon the earth, for he now helps to 
get presents from other people. I will give you an ear of corn and you 
will call this ear of corn mother. Although she looks dead, take the corn 
from the cob, place it inthe ground, and it will live and bear again. You 
shall tie the ear of corn on to a stick. The stick must have a downy 
feather upon it to represent Tirawa.’’ Near where the boy stood was 
a plum bush. This bush said: ‘My son, I will furnish you my timber 
for your forked sticks. You see I bear much fruit. Our kind of trees 
grow and bear.’’ Above and close to the nest of Eagles flew the Wood- 
pecker. He said: “I will assist this man to make these sticks. When 
these sticks are completed the children who shall receive them shall 
sometimes ask for rain. If it is raining while the ceremony is going on, 
the children must ask of this man and the sticks that it stop raining. 
You must place my bill at the point of the sticks. I make my home in 
dry limbs. When it is stormy the lightning never strikes the place of 
my home. I have no trouble in raising my children.’’ Then the Ducks 
flew overhead and said: ‘‘We will help. We place our eggs along the 
streams of water and they hatch. We have many children.’’ After 
all these beings had spoken it was almost dark. The Owls hooted and 
said: ‘“‘Take our feathers and place them upon the sticks. We will 
help the man to make his sticks.’”’ After all the animals had spoken, the 
four gods in the heavens spoke and said: ‘‘The Evening-Star has given 
us power to watch. If these people want rain they must sing songs and 
we will send it. If they want to stop the rain they must sing other 
songs.” Then the man went home. 
In the night he had visions of these different animals. They gave 
him songs. They taught him songs and he sang with them. While they 
were singing, as the sun came up in the east, he received a song from the 
Sun. The Sun said: ‘This you shall sing when you are passing around 
the circle of the lodge. ‘The rays of the sun will enter the lodge. The 
rays of the sun are upon the lodge. The rays of the sun are moving about 
the lodge. The rays of the sun have covered the lodge.’’”’ Another song 
was given. ‘“‘The sun walks around the lodge. The sun moves about 
