298 THE ORIGIN OF MEDICINE CEREMONIES OR POWER. 
he remembered what the Big-Black-Meteoric-Star had told him; that if 
instead of the water coming out it had burst and air had escaped, he 
would know from that that the root was angry and that it was turning 
its odor upon the people. Then they must allow it to remain under the 
ground, for there was no use in digging it, as it would yield no curative 
powers. 
When the Indians heard the man thanking the root, they all were 
thankful and they jumped up and went to where the man was kneeling. 
There they placed their hands near the root and all thanked it. After 
this the men sat in a circle west of the root. "Women were sent for, and 
they came with their hoes. One of the women stood in the west, another 
in the south, another in the east, and another in the north. The man 
filled the pipe again and went to the woman in the west. He lighted the 
pipe, knelt down, and gave four whiffs to mother-earth, saying: “‘Mother- 
earth, we are about to dig into you. We do this to remove father or mother, 
whatever it may be, which is to remain in our medicine bundles. Allow 
us to remove it, for we do not want you to take any of the power which 
it contains. This root was one of yourchildren. You received it when 
Tirawa destroyedit. You were good in receiving the root so that we may 
now take it, when you permit us, and use it among our sick people.’” The 
woman in the west began to dig; then the woman in the east; then the 
woman in the north; then the womanin the south. The west represented 
birth; the east, the power when they grow to be men and women; the 
north, chief or warrior; the south, the South Star, where they are re- 
ceived when they die. For a long time the women dug, until they finally 
came close to the root. As they took away the dirt from it they saw 
that the root wasin human form. At last they took the whole root out 
and placed it on the west side of the hole. The women then put back the 
dirt into the hole and covered it. The man then arose, took the root and 
placed it in the center of the circle of men. 
He then sat down, filled his pipe, lighted it, and gave a whiff to the 
east to the Big-Black-Meteoric-Star; then straight to heaven to Tirawa; 
then four whiffs in the west to the gods who sat there and who sent the 
rain-storms, thunder, and lightning upon the earth; then to mother-earth 
who received the giants after they were turned into roots. Then he knelt 
down by the root and gave four whiffs to the head; to the right arm one 
whiff and also to the left hand; then to the feet; then went back and gave 
one whiff upon the stomach upwards to the head. When he dumped the 
ashes he placed them at the feet of the root. Afterwards he passed his 
hands over the pipe-stem and said: ‘‘Father, you are now with us. The 
gods taught us how to remove you from the earth. The earth was will- 
eee ow 
