_Pawnee_
At the creation of the world, lesser powers were made, because
Tira'wa-tius, the Mighty Power, could not come near to man, or be seen
or felt by him. These lesser powers dwell in the great circle of the
sky. One is North Star; another is Brown Eagle. The Winds were the
first of the lesser powers to come near man. Therefore, when man calls
for aid, he calls first to the Winds. They stand at the four points,
and guard the four paths down which the lesser powers come when they
help mankind. The Winds are always near us, by day and by night.
The Sun is one of these powers. It comes from the mighty power above;
therefore it has great strength.
Mother Earth is another power. She is very near to man. From her we
get food; upon her we lie down. We live and walk on her. We could not
exist without Mother Earth, without Sun, and without the Winds.
Water is another lesser power. Water is necessary to mankind.
Fire made by rubbing two sticks together is sacred. It comes direct
from the power granted Toharu, vegetation, in answer to man's prayer
as he rubs the sticks. When the flame leaps from the glowing wood, it
is the word of the fire. The power has come near.
Blue is the color of the sky, the dwelling place of Tira´ wahut, the
circle of powers which watch over man. As a man paints the blue stick
he sings.
Red is the color of the sun. Green is the color of Mother Earth.
Eagle is the chief of day; Owl is chief of the night; Woodpecker is
chief of the trees; Duck is chief of the water.
The ear of corn represents the supernatural power that dwells in the
earth, which brings forth the food that sustains life; there corn is
spoken of as _h'Atira_, "mother breathing forth life." The power which
dwells in the earth, which enables it to give life to all growing
things, comes from above. Therefore, in the Hako, the Pawnee ceremony,
the ear of corn is painted with blue.
The wildcat was made to live in the forest. He has much skill and
ingenuity. The wildcat shows us we must think, must use tact, must be
shrewd when we set out to do anything. The wildcat is one of the
sacred animals.
Trees grow along the banks of the streams; we can see them at a
distance, like a long line, and we can see the river glistening in the
sunlight in its length. We sing to the river, and when we come nearer
and see the water and hear it rippling along, then we sing to the
water, the water that ripples as it runs.
Hills were made by Tira'wa. We ascend hills when we go away alone to
pray. From the top of a hill we can look over the country to see if
there are enemies in sight, or if any danger is near us. We can see if
we are to meet friends. The hills help man, so we sing to them.