Notes on the Fox Wâpanōwiwenit / by Truman Michelson.

  • Michelson, Truman, 1879-1938.
Date:
1932
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: Notes on the Fox Wâpanōwiwenit / by Truman Michelson. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    14/204 (page 8)
    And this is how the celebrants are seated in groups.20 These are the things the celebrants sound.21 The leading man used, it is said, formerly a buffalo head as a head¬ dress as long as he danced.22 The virgin uses the tail of a she buffalo; it is just above her buttocks. She fastens it on her belt when she dances.23 The leading man fastens the tail of a buffalo bull on his belt while he dances.23 This is how that ritual is conducted. They wear oak leaves in their hair; the woman white oak, and the man black oak leaves, which they fasten in their hair for as long as they dance.21 And they always eat dogs. Whenever the ceremonial attendants are told “Give invitations/’ they go about giving invitations. And this is what is reported of the ceremony when they speak in the worship. The buffaloes and the WapAnowi birds are they whom they worship. Now this is exactly what they say to them when they speak to them: “Our grandfather, this day when we worship you, we have boiled dogs, our pets, for you; and this other sweet food. You therefore must bless us in a way which is good. With life—that is the way you must bless us. That we continue to play long with our friends, that is the way you must bless us; and that we may not be sick. Moreover, may we easily slay each one of our foes. Such is the way you must bless us. And just as an old man lives his full span of life, so you must bless us that we live the full span of our lives. That we continue to see your land for a long time, and forget our sorrows—such is the way you must bless us. And that we continue to steadily see your sky for a long time and forget our sorrows as you continue to change the appearance of the clouds—such is the way you must bless us. And we must have these sacred packs which you have placed here for us when we sacrifice. In whatever way you thought of the one whom you first blessed, that is the way we desire you to bless us. In whatever The drawing can not be reproduced because it contains some annotations which I do not understand. I therefore here summarize the diagram. The singers (rattlers) are on the south side of the summer house. The drummer, said to be a To'kanA, is in the center; the singers (rattlers) to the west of him will be Ki'cko’Agi, those to the east of him To'kanAgi (the exact opposite of what takes place in the Thunder Dance of the Bear Gens of the Fox Indians; see Bull. 89, Bur. Amer. Ethn., pp. 37, 61). Women belonging to those celebrating the festival and who are Ki’cko'Agi are in the southwest corner of the lodge, those who are To'kanAgi being in the southeast corner. Dancers who are Ki’cko'Agi are in front of these women. To'kanAgi women (function?) are in the northwest and northeast corners. The people (sex and function ? smokers ?) in the rear on the north side are To'kanAgi. When they dance in a circle they start on the south side, about opposite the drummer, go east, north, west, and then south. The chief singer is imme¬ diately to the right of the drummer. 51 A flute. 22 See Fortieth Ann. Rept. Bur. Amer. Ethn., p. 504, etc.; also Proceedings of the Twenty-third Intemat. Cong. Americanists, New York, 1930, p. 546. 23 Compare Fortieth Ann. Rept. Bur. Amer. Ethn., pp. 504, 523; Bull. 87, Bur. Amer. Ethn., p. 23; Bull. 95, Bur. Amer. Ethn., p. 17; Proceedings of the Twenty-third Intemat. Cong. Americanists, New York, 1930, p. 546. 24 See also Bull. 72, Bur. Amer. Ethn., p. 15; Bull. 87, Bur. Amer. Ethn., p. 27; Bull. 95, Bur. Amer. Ethn., pp. 11, 17; Fortieth Ann. Rept. Bur. Amer. Ethn., pp. 504, 523; Proceedings of the Twenty-third Internat. Cong. Americanists, New York. 1930, p. 546.