[Footnote 1: Called in the Dakota tongue "Hok-sée-win-nâ-pee
Wo-hàn-pee"--Virgins Dance (or Feast).]
[Footnote 2: One of the favorite and most exciting games of the Dakotas
is ball-playing. A smooth place on the prairie, or in winter, on a
frozen lake or river, is chosen. Each player has a sort of bat, called
"Tâ-kée-cha-psé-cha," about thirty two inches long with a hoop at the
lower end four or five inches in diameter, interlaced with thongs of
deer-skin, forming a sort of pocket. With these bats they catch and
throw the ball. Stakes are set as bounds at a considerable distance from
the centre on either side. Two parties are then formed, and each chooses
a leader or chief. The ball (Tâ-pa) is then thrown up half way between
the bounds, and the game begins, the contestants contending with their
bats for the ball as it falls. When one succeeds in getting it fairly in
the pocket of his bat he swings it aloft and throws it as far as he can
towards the bound to which his party is working, taking care to send it,
if possible, where some of his own side will take it up. Thus the ball
is thrown and contended for till one party succeeds in casting it
beyond the bound of the opposite party. A hundred players on a side are
sometimes engaged in this exciting game. Betting on the result often
runs high. Moccasins, pipes, knives, hatchets, blankets, robes and guns
are hung on the prize-pole. Not unfrequently horses are staked on the
issue, and sometimes even women. Old men and mothers are among the
spectators praising their swift-footed sons, and young wives and maidens
are there to stimulate their husbands and lovers. This game is not
confined to the warriors, but is also a favorite amusement of the Dakota
maidens who generally play for prizes offered by the chief or warriors.
See Neill's Hist. Minn. pp 74-5; Riggs' "Tâkoo Wakân," pp 44-5, and Mrs
Eastman's Dacotah, p 55.]
[Footnote 3: Pronounced Wah-zeé-yah. The god of the North, or Winter. A
fabled spirit who dwells in the frozen North, in a great teepee of
ice and snow. From his mouth and nostrils he blows the cold blasts of
winter. He and "I-tó-ka-ga Wi-câs-ta"--the spirit or god of the South
(literally the "South Man"), are inveterate enemies, and always on the
war-path against each other. In winter Wa-zí-ya advances southward and
drives "I-tó-ka-ga Wi-câs-ta" before him to the Summer-Islands. But in
Spring the god of the South, having renewed his youth and strength, in
the "Happy Hunting Grounds," is able to drive Wa-zí-ya back again to
his icy wigwam in the North. Some Dakotas say that the numerous granite
boulders, scattered over the prairies of Minnesota and Dakota, were
hurled in battle by Wa-zí-ya from his home in the North at "I-tó-ka-ga
Wi-câs-ta." The Wa-zí-ya of the Dakotas is substantially the name as
"_Ka-be-bón-ik-ka_"--the "Winter-maker" of the Ojibways.]
[Footnote 4: Mendota--(meeting of the waters) at the confluence of the
Mississippi and Minnesota rivers. See view of the valleyfront cut. The
true Dakota word is Mdó tè--applied to the mouth of a river flowing into
another,--also to the outlet of a lake.]
[Footnote 5: Pronounced Wee-wâh-stay; literally--a beautiful virgin, or
woman.]
[Footnote 6: Cetân-wa-ká-wa-mâni--"He who shoots pigeon-hawks
walking"--was the full Dakota name of the grandfather of the celebrated
"Little Crow" (Ta-ó-ya-te-dú-ta.--His Red People) who led his warriors
in the terrible outbreak in Minnesota in 1862-3. The Chippewas called
the grandfather "Kâ-kâ-keé"--crow or raven--from his war-badge, a
crow-skin; and hence the French traders and _courriers du bois_ called
him "_Petit Corbeau_"--Little Crow. This sobriquet, of which he was
proud, descended to his son, Wakínyan Tânka--Big Thunder, who succeeded
him as chief; and from Big Thunder to his son Ta-ó-ya-te-dú-ta, who
became chief on the death of Wakínyan Tânka. These several "Little
Crows" were successively Chiefs of the Light-foot, or Kapóza band of
Dakotas. Kapóza, the principal village of this band, was originally
located on the east bank of the Mississippi near the site of the city
of St. Paul. Col. Minn. Hist. Soc., 1864, p. 29. It was in later years
moved to the west bank. The grandfather, whom I, for short, call Wakâwa,
died the death of a brave in battle against the Ojibways (commonly
called Chippewas)--the hereditary enemies of the Dakotas. Wakínyan
Tânka.--Big Thunder, was killed by the accidental discharge of his own
gun. They were both buried with their kindred near the "Wakan Teepee,"
the sacred Cave--(Carver's Cave). Ta-ó-ya-te-dú-ta, the last of the
Little Crows, was killed July 3, 1863, near Hutchinson, Minnesota, by
one Lamson, and his bones were duly "done up" for the Historical Society
of Minnesota. For a part of the foregoing information I am indebted
to Gen. H. H. Sibley. See Heard's Hist. Sioux War, and Neill's Hist.
Minnesota, Third Edition.]
[Footnote 7: Hârps-te-nâh. The first-born _daughter_ of a Dakota is
called Winona; the second, Hârpen; the third, Hârpstinâ; the fourth.
Wâska; the fifth, Wehârka. The first born _son_ is called Chaskè; the
second, Hârpam; the third, Hapéda; the fourth, Châtun; the fifth, Hârka.
They retain these names till others are given them on account of some
action, peculiarity, etc. The females often retain their child-names
through life.]
[Footnote 8: Wah-pah-sâh was the hereditary name of a long and
illustrious lineof Dakota Chiefs. Wabashaw is a corrupt pronounciation.
The name is a contraction of "Wâ-pa-hâ-sa," which is from "Wâ-ha-pa,"
the standard or pole used in the Dakota dances, and upon which feathers
of various colors are tied, and not from "Wâ-pa"--leaf or leaves, as has
been generally supposed. Therefore Wâpasa means the Standard--and not
the "Leaf-Shaker," as many writers have it. The principal village of
these hereditary Chiefs was Ke-úk-sa, or Ke-ó-sa,--where now stands the
fair city of Winona. Ke-úk-sa signifies--The village of law-breakers;
so-called because this band broke the law or custom of the Dakotas
against marrying blood relatives of any degree. I get this information
from Rev. Stephen R. Riggs, author of the Dakota Grammar and Dictionary,
"_Takoo Wakan_," etc. Wapasa, grandfather of the last Chief of that
name, and a contemporary of Cetan-Wa-kâ-wa-mâni, was a noted Chief,
and a friend of the British in the war of the Revolution. Neill's Hist.
Minn., pp. 225-9.]
[Footnote 9: E-hó, E-tó--Exclamations of surprise and delight.]
[Footnote 10: Mah-gâh--The wild-goose.]
[Footnote 11: Teé-peé--A lodge or wigwam, often contracted to "tee."]
[Footnote 12: Pronounced Mahr-peé-yah-doó-tah--literally, Cloud Red.]
[Footnote 13: Pronounced Wahnmdeé--The War-Eagle. Each feather worn by a
warrior represents an enemy slain or captured--man, woman or child; but
the Dakotas, before they became desperate under the cruel warfare of
their enemies, generally spared the lives of their captives, and never
killed women or infants, except in rare instances, under the _lex
talionis_. Neill's Hist. Minn., p. 112.]
[Footnote 14: Mah-tó--The polar bear--_ursus maritimus_. The Dakotas say
that, in olden times, white bears were often found about Rainy Lake
and the Lake of the Woods, in winter, and sometimes as far south as the
mouth of the Minnesota. They say one was once killed at White Bear Lake
(but a few miles from St. Paul and Minneapolis), and they therefore
named the lake Medé Mató--White Bear Lake.]
[Footnote 15: The Hó-hé (Hó-hây) are the Assiniboins or
"Stone-roasters." Their home is the region of the Assiniboin river in
British America. They speak the Dakota tongue, and originally were a
band of that nation. Tradition says a Dakota "Helen" was the cause of
the separation and a bloody feud that lasted for many years. The Hohés
are called "Stone roasters," because, until recently at least, they used
"Wa-ta-pe" kettles and vessels made of birch bark in which they cooked
their food. They boiled water in these vessels by heating stones and
putting them in the water. The "wa-ta-pe" kettle is made of the fibrous
roots of the white cedar, interlaced and tightly woven. When the vessel
is soaked it becomes watertight. (Footnote Snelling's) Tales of the
North west, p 21. Mackenzie's Travels.]
[Footnote 16: Hey-ó-ka is one of the principal Dakota deities. He is a
Giant, but can change himself into a buffalo, a bear, a fish or a bird.
He is called the Anti-natural God or Spirit. In summer he shivers with
cold, in winter he suffers from heat; he cries when he laughs and he
laughs when he cries, &c. He is the reverse of nature in all things.
Heyóka is universally feared and reverenced by the Dakotas, but so
severe is the ordeal that the Heyóka Wacípee (the dance to Heyóka) is
now rarely celebrated. It is said that the "Medicine-men" use a secret
preparation which enables them to handle fire and dip their hands in
boiling water without injury, and thereby gain great _eclat_ from the
uninitiated. The chiefs and the leading warriors usually belong to the
secret order of "Medicine-men," or "Sons of Unktéhee"--the Spirit of the
Waters.]
[Footnote 17: The Dakota name for the moon is Han-yé-tu-wee--literally,
Night-Sun. He is the twin brother of An-pé-tu-wee--the Day Sun. See note
70.]
[Footnote 18: The Dakotas believe that the stars are the spirits of
their departed friends.]
[Footnote 19: Tee--Contracted from teepee, lodge or wigwam, and means
the same.]
[Footnote 20: For all their sacred feasts the Dakotas kindle a new
fire called "The Virgin Fire." This is done with flint and steel, or by
rubbing together pieces of wood till friction produces fire. It must be
done by a virgin, nor must any woman, except a virgin, ever touch the
"sacred armor" of a Dakota warrior. White cedar is "Wakân"--sacred. See
note 50. Riggs' "Tahkoo Wakân," p. 84.]
[Footnote 21: All Northern Indians consider the East a mysterious
and sacred land whence comes the sun. The Dakota name for the East is
Wee-yo-heé-yan-pa--the sunrise. The Ojibways call it Waub-ó-nong--the
white land or land of light, and they have many myths, legends and
traditions relating thereto. Barbarous peoples of all times have
regarded the East with superstitious reverence, simply because the sun
rises in that quarter.]
[Footnote 22: See Mrs. Eastman's Dacotah, pp. 225-8, describing the
feast to Heyóka.]
[Footnote 23: This stone from which the Dakotas have made their pipes
for ages, is esteemed "wakân"--sacred. They call it I-yân-ska, probably
from "íya," to speak, and "ska," white, truthful, peaceful,--hence,
peace-pipe, herald of peace, pledge of truth, etc. In the cabinet at
Albany, N.Y., there is a very ancient pipe of this material which the
Iroquois obtained from the Dakotas. Charlevoix speaks of this pipe-stone
in his History of New France. LeSueur refers to the Yanktons as the
village of the Dakotas at the Red-Stone Quarry, See Neill's Hist. Minn.,
p. 514.]
[Footnote 24: "Ho" is an exclamation of approval-yea, yes, bravo.]
[Footnote 25: Buying is the honorable way of taking a wife among the
Dakotas. The proposed husband usually gives a horse or its, value
in other articles to the father or natural guardian of the woman
selected--sometimes against her will. See note 75.]
[Footnote 26: The Dakotas believe that the _Aurora Borealis_ is an
evil omen and the threatening of an evil spirit, (perhaps Wazíya, the
Winter-god--some say a witch, or a very ugly old woman). When the lights
appear, danger threatens, and the warriors shoot at, and often slay, the
evil spirit, but it rises from the dead again.]
[Footnote 27: Se-só-kah--The Robin.]
[Footnote 28: The spirit of Anpétu-sâpa that haunts the Falls of St.
Anthony with her dead babe in her arms. See the Legend in Neill's Hist.
Minn., or my "Legend of the Falls."]
[Footnote 29: Mee-coónk-shee--My daughter.]
[Footnote 30: The Dakotas call the meteor, "Wakân-denda" (sacred fire)
and Wakân-wohlpa (sacred gift.) Meteors are messengers from the Land
of Spirits, warning of impending danger. It is a curious fact that the
"sacred stone" of the Mohammedans, in the Kaaba at Mecca, is a meteoric
stone, and obtains its sacred character from the fact that it fell from
heaven. 31: Kah-nó-te-dahn--The little, mysterious dweller in the woods.
This spirit lives in the forest in hollow trees. Mrs. Eastman's Dacotah,
Pre. Rem. xxxi. "The Dakota god of the woods--an unknown animal said to
resemble a man, which the Dakotas worship; perhaps, the monkey." Riggs'
Dakota Dic. Tit--_Canotidan_.]
[Footnote 32: The Dakotas believe that thunder is produced by the
flapping of the wings of an immense bird which they call Wakínyan--the
Thunder-bird. Near the source of the Minnesota River is a place called
"Thunder-Tracks" where the foot-prints of a "Thunder-bird" are seen on
the rocks twenty-five miles apart. Mrs. Eastman's Dacotah, p. 71. There
are many Thunder-birds. The father of all the Thunder-birds--"Wakínyan
Tanka"--or "Big Thunder," has his teepee on a lofty mountain in the far
West. His teepee has four openings, at each of which is a sentinel; at
the east, a butterfly; at the west, a bear; at the south, a red deer;
at the north, a caribou. He has a bitter enmity against Unktéhee (god
of waters) and often shoots his fiery arrows at him, and hits the earth,
trees, rocks, and sometimes men. Wakínyan created wild-rice, the bow and
arrow, the tomahawk and the spear. He is a great war-spirit, and Wanmdée
(the war-eagle) is his messenger. A Thunder-bird (say the Dakotas) was
once killed near Kapóza by the son of Cetan-Wakawa-mâni, and he there
upon took the name of "Wakínyan Tanka"--"Big Thunder."]
[Footnote 33: Pronounced Tah-tâhn-kah--Bison or Buffalo.]
[Footnote 34: Enâh--An exclamation of wonder. Ehó--Behold! see there!]
[Footnote 35: The Crees are the Knisteneaux of Alexander Mackenzie.
See his account of them, Mackenzie's Travels, (London 1801) p. xci. to
cvii.]
[Footnote 36: Lake Superior. The only names the Dakotas have for
Lake Superior are Medé Tânka or Tânka Medé--Great Lake, and
Me-ne-yâ-ta--literally, _At-the-Water_.]
[Footnote 37: April--Literally, the moon when the geese lay eggs. See
note 71.]
[Footnote 38: Carver's Cave at St. Paul was called by the Dakotas "Wakân
Teepee"--sacred lodge. In the days that are no more, they lighted their
Council-fires in this cave, and buried their dead near it. See Neill's
Hist. Minn., p. 207. Capt. Carver in his _Travels_, London, 1778, p. 63,
et seq., describes this cave as follows: "It is a remarkable cave of an
amazing depth. The Indians term it Wakon-teebe, that is, the Dwelling
of the Great Spirit. The entrance into it is about ten feet wide, the
height of it five feet, the arch within is near fifteen feet high and
about thirty feet broad. The bottom of it consists of fine clear sand.
About twenty feet from the entrance begins a lake, the water of which is
transparent, and extends to an unsearchable distance; for the darkness
of the cave prevents all attempts to acquire a knowledge of it. I threw
a small pebble towards the interior parts of it with my utmost strength.
I could hear that it fell into the water, and notwithstanding it was
of so small a size, it caused an astonishing and horrible noise that
reverberated through all those gloomy regions. I found in this cave many
Indian hieroglyphics, which appeared very ancient, for time had nearly
covered them with moss, so that it was with difficulty I could trace
them. They were cut in a rude manner upon the inside of the walls,
which were composed of a stone so extremely soft that it might be
easily penetrated with a knife: a stone everywhere to be found near the
Mississippi. This cave is only accessible by ascending a narrow, steep
passage that lies near the brink of the river. At a little distance
from this dreary cavern is the burying-place of several bands of the
Naudowessie (Dakota) Indians." Many years ago the roof fell in, but the
cave has been partially restored and is now used as a beer cellar.]
[Footnote 39: Wah-kahn-dee--The lightning.]
[Footnote 40: The Bloody River--the Red River was so-called on account
of the numerous Indian battles that have been fought on its banks. The
Chippewas say that its waters were colored red by the blood of many
warriors slain on its banks in the fierce wars between themselves and
the Dakotas.]
[Footnote 41: Tah--The Moose. This is the root-word for all ruminating
animals; Ta-tânka, buffalo-Ta-tóka mountain antelope--Ta-hinca, the
red-deer--Ta-mdóka, the buck deer-Ta-hinca-ska, white deer (sheep).]
[Footnote 42: Hogâhn--Fish. Red Hogan, the trout.]
[Footnote 43: Tipsânna (often called _tipsinna_) is a wild prairie
turnip used for food by the Dakotas. It grows on high, dry land, and
increases from year to year. It is eaten both cooked and raw.]
[Footnote 44: Rio Tajo, (or Tagus), a river of Spain and Portugal.]
[Footnote 45:
"* * * * Bees of Trebizond--
Which from the sunniest flowers that glad
With their pure smile the gardens round,
Draw venom forth that drives men mad."
--_Thomas Moore_]
[Footnote 46: Skeé-skah--The Wood duck.]
[Footnote 47: The Crocus. I have seen the prairies in Minnesota spangled
with these beautiful flowers in various colors before the ground was
entirely free from frost. The Datotas call them frost-flowers.]
[Footnote 48: The "Sacred Ring" around the feast of the Virgins is
formed by armed warriors sitting, and none but a virgin must enter this
ring. The warrior who knows is bound on honor, and by old and sacred
custom, to expose and publicly denounce any tarnished maiden who dares
to enter this ring, and his word cannot be questioned--even by the
chief. See Mrs Eastman's Dacotah, p. 64.]
[Footnote 49: Prairie's Pride.--This annual shrub, which abounds on many
of the sandy prairies in Minnesota, is sometimes called "tea-plant,"
"sage-plant," and "red-root willow." I doubt if it has any botanic
name. Its long plumes of purple and gold are truly the "pride of the
prairies."]
[Footnote 50: The Dakotas consider white cedar "Wakân," (sacred). They
use sprigs of it at their feasts, and often burn it to destroy the power
of evil spirits. Mrs Eastman's Dacotah, p. 210.]
[Footnote 51: Tâhkoo-skahng-skang.--This deity is supposed to be
invisible, yet everywhere present; he is an avenger and a searcher of
hearts. (Neill's Hist. Minn., p. 57.) I suspect he was the chief spirit
of the Dakotas before the missionaries imported "Wakan Tânka"--(Great
Spirit).]
[Footnote 52: The Dakotas believe in "were-wolves" as firmly as did our
Saxon ancestors, and for similar reasons--the howl of the wolf being
often imitated as a decoy or signal by their enemies, the Ojibways.]
[Footnote 53: Shee-shó-kah--The Robin.]
[Footnote 54: The Dakotas cail the Evening Star the "_Virgin Star_," and
believe it to be the spirit of the virgin wronged at the feast.]
[Footnote 55: Mille Lacs. This lake was discovered by DuLuth, and by
him named Lac Buade, in honor of Governor Frontenac of Canada, whose
familyname was Buade. The Dakota name for it is Mdé Waksân--Spirit
Lake.]
[Footnote 56: The Ojibways imitate the hoot of the owl and the howl of
the wolf to perfection, and often use these cries as signals to each
other in war and the chase.]
[Footnote 57: The Dakotas called the Ojibways the "Snakes of the
Forest," on account of their lying in ambush for their enemies.]
[Footnote 58: Strawberries.]
[Footnote 59: Seé-yo--The Prairie-hen.]
[Footnote 60: Mahgâh--The Wild-goose. _Fox-pups_. I could never see the
propriety of calling the young of foxes _kits_ or _kittens_, which mean
_little cats_. The fox belongs to the _canis_, or dog family and not the
_felis_, or cat family. If it is proper to call the young of dogs and
wolves _pups_, it is equally proper to so call the young of foxes.]
[Footnote 61: When a Dakota is sick, he thinks the spirit of an enemy or
some animal has entered into his body, and the principal business of the
"medicine man"--_Wicasta Wakan_--is to cast out the "unclean spirit,"
with incantations and charms. See Neill's Hist. Minn., pp. 66--8. The
Jews entertained a similar belief in the days of Jesus of Nazareth.]
[Footnote 62: Wah-zeé-yah's star--The North-star. See note 3.]
[Footnote 63: The Dakotas, like our forefathers and all other
barbarians, believe in witches and witchcraft.]
[Footnote 64: The Medó is a wild potato, it resembles the sweet potato
in top and taste. It grows in bottom-lands, and is much prized by the
Dakotas for food. The "Dakota Friend," for December, 1850.]
[Footnote 65: The meteor--Wakân denda--Sacred fire.]
[Footnote 66: Meetâhwin--My bride.]
[Footnote 67: Stoke--The body of a tree. This is an old English word of
Saxon origin, now changed to _stock_.]
[Footnote 68: The _Via Lactea_ or Milky Way. The Dakotas call it
_Wanagee-Tach-anku_--The path-way of the spirits and believe that over
this path the spirits of the dead pass to the Spirit-land. See Riggs'
Tah-koo Wah-kan, p. 101.]
[Footnote 69: Oonk-táy-hee--There are many Unktéhees, children of the
Great Unktéhee, who created the earth and man and who formerly dwelt
in a vast cavern under the Falls of St. Anthony. The Unktéhee sometimes
reveals himself in the form of a huge buffalo-bull. From him proceed
invisible influences. The Great Unktéhee created the earth. "Assembling
in grand conclave all the aquatic tribes he ordered them to bring up
dirt from beneath the waters, and proclaimed death to the disobedient.
The beaver and otter forfeited their lives. At last the muskrat went
beneath the waters, and, after a long time appeared at the surface,
nearly exhausted, with some dirt. From this, Unktéhee fashioned the
earth into a large circular plain. The earth being finished, he took a
deity, one of his own offspring, and grinding him to powder, sprinkled
it upon the earth, and this produced many worms. The worms were then
collected and scattered again. They matured into infants and these were
then collected and scattered and became full-grown Dakotas. The bones
of the mastodon, the Dakotas think, are the bones of Unktéhees, and they
preserve the with the greatest care in the medicine bag." Neill's Hist.
Minn., p. 55. The Unktéhees and the Thunder-birds are perpetually it
war. There are various accounts of the creation of man. Some say that
at the bidding of the Great Unktéhee, men sprang full grown from the
caverns of the earth. See Riggs' "Tah-koo Wah-kân," and Mrs Eastman's
Dacotah. The Great Unktéhee and the Great Thunder-bird had a terrible
battle in the bowels of the earth to determine which should be the ruler
of the world. See description in Legend of Winona.]
[Footnote 70: Prononced Ahng-pay-too-wee--The Sun; literally the Day
Sun, thus distinguishing him from Han-yé-tuwee (Hahng-yay-too-wee) the
night sun, (the moon). They are twin brothers but Anpétuwee is the more
powerful Han-yé-tuwee receives his power from his brother and obeys him.
He watches over the earth while the Sun sleeps. The Dakotas believe the
sun is the father of life. Unlike the most of their other gods, he is
beneficent and kind; yet they worship him (in the sun-dance) in the most
dreadful manner. See Riggs' "Tah-koo Wah-kân," pp. 81-2, and Catlin's
Riggs' "Okee-pa." The moon is worshipped as the representative of the
sun; and in the great Sun-dance, which is usually held in the full of
the moon, when the moon rises the dancers turn their eyes on her (or
him). Anpétuwee issues every morning from the lodge of Han-nan-na (the
Morning) and begins his journey over the sky to his lodge in the land
of shadows. Sometimes he walks over on the Bridge (or path) of the
Spirits--Wanâgee Ta-chan-ku,--and sometimes he sails over the sea of
the skies in his shining canoe; but _somehow_, and the Dakotas do not
explain how, he gets back again to the lodge of Hannanna in time to take
a nap and eat his breakfast before starting anew on his journey. The
Dakotas swear by the sun. "_As Anpé-tu-wee hears me, this is true_!"
They call him Father and pray to him --"_Wakan! Ate, on-she-ma-da._"
"Sacred Spirit,--Father, have mercy on me." As the Sun is the father,
so they believe the Earth is the mother, of life. Truly there is
much philosophy in the Dakota mythology. The Algonkins call the earth
"_Me-suk-kum-mik-o-kwa_"--the great-grandmother of all. Narrative of
John Tanner, p. 193.]
[Footnote 71: The Dakotas reckon their months by _moon_. They name their
moons from natural circumstances. They correspond very nearly with our
months, as follows:
January--Wee-té-rhee--The Hard Moon, i.e.--the cold moon.
February--Wee-câ-ta-wee--The Coon Moon.
March--Istâ-wee-ca-ya-zang-wee--the sore eyes moon (from snow
blindness.)
April--Magâ-okâ-da-wee--the moon when the geese lay eggs; also called
Wokâda-wee--egg-moon, and sometimes Wató-papee-wee, the canoe moon, or
moon when the streams become free from ice.
May--Wó-zu-pee-wee--the planting moon.
June--Wazú-ste-ca-sa-wee--the strawberry moon.
July--Wa-sun-pa-wee--moon when the geese shed their feathers,
also called Chang-pâ-sapa-wee--Choke-Cherry moon, and
sometimes--Mna-rchâ-rhca-wee--"The moon of the red blooming lilies",
literally, the red-lily moon.
August--Wasú-ton-wee--the ripe moon, i.e. Harvest Moon.
September--Psin-na-ké-tu-wee--the ripe rice moon.
October--Wà-zu-pee-wee or Wee-wa-zú-pee--the moon when wild rice is
gathered and laid up for winter.
November--Ta-kee-yu-hrâ-wee--the deer-rutting moon.