Observations on the thunder dance of the Bear gens of the Fox Indians / by Truman Michelson.
- Truman Michelson
- Date:
- 1929
Licence: In copyright
Credit: Observations on the thunder dance of the Bear gens of the Fox Indians / by Truman Michelson. Source: Wellcome Collection.
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![be it, whom he had stationed in well-known places, so be it. Verily at that time it seems, so be it, he called them all together, it seems, so be it. As soon as all, it seems, had come, so be it, at the time, so be ]t, when they were well seated, it seems, so be it, (he said), ‘this indeed, so be it, I shall explain to you, so be it, why I interfere with you, so be it. Verily though I, so be it, have taken pity upon these, the future people, so be it, in that I have made them move (i. e., given them life), yet all of us whom they call manitous collectively have a people. Verily I have given them one weed to raise yonder for themselves, so be it. “Tobacco” indeed we shall name it for them. Verily do not start to pick it up from them if they pile it up heedlessly, so be it. Even I did not save one pipeful for myself. Verily only when they remember us (i. e., hold the proper ceremony for us) will we thereby smoke in the future, so be it. And, so be it, we (have) granted them, so be it, a dog where they have their hearth so they may there, so be it, say it is their pet. When¬ ever they think anything (is wrong) about their lives, so be it, they will confidently start to pick up (their pet) by its head, so be it, as a price for then' lives. We shall bless them whenever they remember us (i. e., conduct the proper ceremony), so be it. Then only, so be it, are we to attain satisfaction with (the Indian tobacco), whenever they offer it to us, so be it. And I have made appear for them every « (kind) of harvest crop. Verily do not, so be it, start to take it from our grandchildren if they merely pile it up. Also you are only to take it from them whenever they remember you. And I have granted them game animals, so be it. Also I have made every kind appear for them. “ ‘Only whenever they remember us are we to be thereby satisfied with (the offerings). That is how I treated them when I created them. I treated our grandchildren so, it seems, when they lived together. That verily is why today I beseech you to have pity upon each one of them, so be it. For you all have the power of blessing them.37 They are the people of all of us. Verily, this one, so be it, this Spirit of Fire, shall go about and dwell with them to watch carefully over whatever they shall continue t6 think of and to continue to uprightly translate (their messages) to (us). He shall be the first to attain satisfaction with (a smoke). But he will not merely be evenly satisfied there. He also will have the power of blessing of any one, so be it. Whosoever shall have the courage to take this Spirit of Fire as he lies as left-over ashes is he whom I tell you (to bless) and whosoever shall go about wailing in the wilder¬ ness. Verily we have made the breath of this Spirit of Fire to be the size of this earth, so be it, so we shall not fail to hear him, so be it. And this one shall go and be where our grandchildren have their smoke- 17 Very free rendition.](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b29980835_0061.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
