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Show --* HOFFMAN.] INITIATION SONGS. 215 After this song is ended the drum is handed to one of the members sitting near by, when the fourth and last of the officiating priests says to the candidate, who is now placed upon his knees: MTs- sa'- a- ehi'- gwa ki- bo'- gfe- eS- na- min tshi'- ma- mad bi- ma'- di- sl- wlri, ml- ne'- rfd. Now is the time that 1 hope of you that you shall take life the bead [ ml'gis shell] This priest then grasps his Mide' sack as if holding a gun, and, clutching it near the top with the left hand extended, while with the right he clutches it below the middle or near the base, he aims it toward the candidate's left breast and makes a thrust forward toward that target uttering the syllables " ya, h6', h6', h6', h6', h6', h< y," rapidly, rising to a higher key. He recovers his first position' and repeats this movement three times, becoming more and more animated, the last time making a vigorous gesture toward the kneeling man's breast as if shooting him. ( See Fig. 15, page 192.) While this is going on, the preceptor and his assistants place their hands upon the candidate's shoulders and cause his body to tremble. Then the next Mid< 5', the third of the quartette, goes through a similar series of forward movements and thrusts with his Mide' sack, uttering similar sounds and shooting the sacred mi'gis- life- into the right breast of the candidate, who is agitated still more strongly than before. When the third Mide', the second in order of precedence, goes through similar gestures and pretends to shoot the mi'gis into the candidate's heart, the preceptors assist him to be violently agitated. The leading priest now places himself in a threatening attitude and says to the Mide'; " Mi'- dzhi- de'- a- mi- shlk'"-" put your helping heart with me"-, when he imitates his predecessors by saying, " y&, hS', ha', h6\ h6', h5', h6'," at the fourth time aiming the MidS' sack at the candidate's head, and as the mi'gis is supposed to be shot into it, he falls forward upon the ground, apparently lifeless. Then the four Mide' priests, the preceptor and the assistant, lay their MidS'sacks upon his back and after a few moments a ml'gis shell drops from his mouth- where he had been instructed to retain it. The chief Mide' picks up the ml'gis and, holding it between the thumb and index finger of the right hand, extending his arm toward the candidate's mouth says " wa! wa! hS he h6 h6," the last syllable being uttered in a high key and rapidly dropped to a low note; then the same words are uttered while the mi'gis is held toward the east,' and in regular succession to the south, to the west, to the north, then- ioward the sky. During this time the candidate has begun to partially revive and endeavor to get upon his knees, but when the Mide' finally places the mi'gis into his mouth again, he instantly falls upon the ground, as before. The Mide' then take up the sacks, each grasping his own as before, and as they pass around the inanimate body they touch it at various points, which causes the |
