Mad Wolf approved of this name, and moved to one side, so that White
Grass, the medicine man, might take the leader’s seat. The face of
White Grass was painted red. In the center of his forehead was a black
mark to represent the thunder bolt, from which extended yellow zigzag
lines for lightning. He prayed:
“Father, the Sun, bless us all, men, women, and children.
Sacred Beaver Bundle, help us to lead straight lives.
Sacred Pipe, bless us, the rivers, mountains, prairies, birds,
and animals.
—Mother Earth, give us food until we die.”
Then White Grass sang the Paint Song, after which he took some red
earth from the bundle and prepared it with his hands, swaying his body
to and fro in time with the chant. First he painted the faces of Mad
Wolf and White Calf; and in like manner the beaver men, Heavy Breast,
Middle Calf, and Ear-Rings. I was seated next to Ear-Rings; and when my
turn came to be painted, Mad Wolf exclaimed: “Here comes my white son.”
White Grass signed that he was ready. I went forward and knelt before
him, while he placed the red earth on my forehead, chin, and hands,
because these are the places the beaver rubs himself with his paws. Mad
Wolf started the Beaver Song, and all joined in, accompanied by the
beating of rattles on the ground.
After the song, White Grass said to me very earnestly: “This tepee is
sacred. And this Beaver Ceremony, in which we have painted you and made
you a member of our tribe, is also sacred. We pray that you may never
be ill.”
Then Bear Child took a hot coal from the fire and laid it in front of
White Calf. The head-chief placed sweet grass upon it; and holding his
hands in the rising smoke, prayed:
“Father, the Sun, who gives us light,
Be good to this young man.
We have taken him into our tribe.
Keep him day and night from harm.
May he live long.
To return many summers to his Indian brothers and sisters.”
Then Mad Wolf again took the leader’s seat beside the bundle to
continue the ceremony. It required a fine memory to conduct the Beaver
Ceremony, with its great number of songs, prayers, and dances. Nobody
knew how many there were; it was bad luck to count them; but there must
have been between three and four hundred songs.
Every detail of the ceremony had to be performed accurately. It was
believed misfortune would result if mistakes were made. Yet a mistake
happened that very day in the dance of the lynx.
Mad Wolf took from the bundle the tail of a lynx, while the beaver men
chanted and beat with rattles. Gives-to-the-Sun held up a stick painted
red to represent a tree. Catches-Two-Horses took the tail and imitated
the actions of a lynx hunting squirrels.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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