20 THE MYTHOLOGY OF THE WICHITA. 
it means that we are like children crawling upon our mother, and as we 
exist upon the earth we are kept alive by her breath, the wind, and at 
the end of ourstime we are put in the ground in the bosom of our 
mother.” 
Prayers are also offered to the god of the Wind, which is breath, 
and hence life. Especially in case of sickness, prayers are frequently 
offered to the Wind god: ‘Now, good Wind, I ask you to come and 
breathe on me, so that I may be healed and feel comfortable. I pray 
you, good Wind, enter me, so I may breathe and be healed.” ° 
Finally, offerings and prayers are made to the animals, especially 
to those which are supposed to have magic power, and which are the 
special guardians of the medicine-men. Thus, in the ceremony of the 
medicine-men, after the novitiate has been placed in a trance, he usually 
holds speech with some fierce wild animal, who visits him and in- 
structs him—should he prove brave and not become scared. Thus he 
obtains power which he uses in doctoring, and in his songs, sung dur- 
ing the medicine-men’s ceremony, he tells of his experience with the 
animal. 
In general, the gods of the Wichita are spoken of as “dreams,” 
and they are divided into four groups: Dreams-that-are-Above 
(Itskasanakatadiwaha), or, as the Skidi would say, the heavenly gods; 
and (2) Dreams-down-Here (Howwitsnetskasade), which, according 
to the Skidi terminology, are the earthly gods. The latter “dreams” 
in turn are divided into two groups: Dreams-living-in-Water (Itska- 
sanidwaha), and the Dreams-closest-to-Man (Tedetskasade). 
w~ The myths of the Wichita tell of the story of the origin of the 
world, its transformation, its present existence, and foretell its end. 
There are thus recognized four distinct eras or epochs in the history of 
this earth, these four to be replaced by another four in future years. 
In this scheme the succession of events in these four eras may be 
categorically stated as follows: In the first era, that of creation, ap- 
pears the land floating upon water, the first man and woman, who were 
given an ear of corn and a bow and arrows. Darkness still wanders 
over the earth. The shooting of the third of three deer ushers in the 
daylight, and certain stars are seen. Then follows the promise of more 
people, and when day appears the promise is fulfilled, for villages are 
seen, and animals. ‘Then the first creatures are instructed. The first 
man lives to become the Morning Star, and the first woman, having, 
like her husband, wandered from one village to another giving instruc- 
tion and power, becomes the Moon. 
