§ 40. OMAHA INVOCATIONS OF THE TRAP, ETC.

Jábedaⁿ´ctĕújiʞĭ,makaⁿ´ígaxemaⁿȼiⁿ´iʞĭ,éniníbaháeʇátĕé.(The invisible being who first made the
Beaverfor instancehe
traps
it		if,medicinemaking
for that
purpose		he walksif,thattobaccoshowinghistheit.
medicine was thus addressed:Níkaciⁿgapahañ´gamakaⁿ´ícpahaⁿniñkĕ´cĕ,[p]éjehídeckaⁿzéniñkĕ´cĕ,niní
Personfirstmedicineyou knewyou who
(sit),		medicineyou
taught		you who
(sit)		tobacco
gakĕ´!Ȼéȼuedádaⁿckaⁿzéniñkĕ´cĕ,ninígakĕ´!Ȼéȼuedádaⁿckaⁿzégĕiȼápahaⁿ-majĭ´-qtiwiⁿ´áiȼágaȼaȼiⁿhéȼaⁿ´ja,
that
lg. ob.		Herewhatyou
taught		you whotobaccothatHerewhatyou taughtthe
pl.
in. ob.		I do not know at alloneI am carrying on
my arm and in my
hand as I move		though,

caⁿ´edádaⁿctécteíwamakáaȼĕtéă.Ninígakĕ´,aíníaciⁿgaamá.(He then prays to the beaver:)Haú,Jábe!Niní
yetwhatsoeverI get it easily by
means of		will!Tobaccothat,
lg. ob.,		sayspersonthe mv.
sub.		Ho,Beaver!Tobacco
gakĕ´!Úbahie‘aⁿ´ckáxaigĕbȼúgaqtiugígȼacaⁿ´i-gă!Ninígakĕ´!(Next, to the medicine:)Haú,Ԁéjehíde,niní
that!
lg. ob.		Feeding
place		howyou made
them		the
pl.
in ob.		alltravel ye in your
own!		Tobaccothat!
lg. ob.		Ho,Medicine,tobacco
gakĕ´!‘Aⁿ´qti ctéctewanítawiⁿuhé eaⁿ´ȼĕtaté,eȼégaⁿnajiñ´-gă.‘Aⁿ´qti ctécte [p]áqȼugeaⁿ´ȼaⁿskátaté,
that!
lg. ob.		 No matter how it
is (or At any
rate)		quadrupedonepass me on the
road (to the
trap)		shall,thinking itstand thou.At any ratenostrilslarge enough
for me (i.e., to
smell me.)		shall,
eȼégaⁿnajiñ´-gă.Ninígakĕ´!(Invocation of the trap:)Haú,Maⁿ´zĕnañkácĕ!ninígakĕ´!‘Aⁿ´qti ctéctewiⁿ´
thinking itstand thou.Tobaccothat!Ho,Ironye who (sit)!tobaccothat!
lg. ob.		At any rateone
wat’éaȼĕtámiñke,eȼégaⁿgȼiⁿ´i-gă.(Invocation of the pack-strap:)Haú,Wé‘iⁿniñkĕ´cĕ!ninígakĕ´!
I kill itwillI who,thinking itsit ye.Ho,Packstrapyou who (sit)!tobaccothat!
lg. ob.
Aⁿ´qti ctéctewíwanítaáhigiweát‘ĕ,eȼégañ-gă.Haú,┴ijébeíɔnugaʇáȼátaⁿcé!ninígakĕ´!‘Aⁿ´qti ctéctewí
At any rateIquadrupedmanyI touch
them,		think thou.Ho,Entranceat the right
side		you who
stand!		tobaccothat!
lg. ob.		At any rateI
wanítaaⁿȼaⁿ´bakĭn´deanájiⁿtámiñke,eȼégañ-gă.Haú,┴e-sĭn´deugáckeȼátaⁿcé!ninígakĕ´!‘Aⁿ´qti ctéctewí
quadrupedbrushing by meI standwillI who
(sit),		think thou.Ho,Buffalo-tailtied to ityou who
stand!		 tobaccothat!
lg. ob.		At any rateI
wanítaaⁿʇáp‘ĕanájiⁿtámiñke,eȼégañ-gă.Haú,Unéȼĕniñkĕ´cĕ!ninígakĕ´!‘Aⁿ´qti ctéctewiwanítaaⁿ´naaí
quadrupednear to meI stand willI who
(sit),		think thou.Ho,Fireplaceyou who
(sit)!		tobaccothat!
lg. ob.		At any rateIquadrupeddrops over
on me (from
the kettle)
agȼiⁿ´támiñke,eȼégañ-gă.
I sitwillI who
(sit),		 think thou.

Notes.

Told by George Miller. In the last invocation, he began to dictate thus:“Haú,Náwiⁿxedúbaákipasan´denañkácĕ!”
Ho,Firebrandfourmeet at a common
point		ye who

i. e., “Ho, ye four firebrands that meet at a common point (i. e., in the middle of the fireplace)!” He subsequently changed it to an invocation of the fireplace itself. But it is very probable that there was an invocation of the four firebrands, resembling the ceremonies of the Kansa and Osage (see § 33). George has given all that he remembers of the invocations, but he does not recollect the exact order.

387, 3. [p]eje-hide, “lower part,” or “roots of grass,” an archaic name for “makaⁿ”, medicine. Nini gakĕ—the classifier kĕ shows that a long object, the pipe, is referred to, the tobacco being in the pipe when it is offered to the powers.

388, 1. aiȼagaȼaȼiⁿhe, contr. from áiȼágaȼa áȼiⁿhé, used here in the sense of “abȼiⁿ,” I have.

388, 12. aⁿȼaⁿbakĭnde, eq. to aⁿȼaⁿbista ȼéwaȼĕ, to send them (through) when they are so close that they touch me.

Translation.

The invisible being who first made the beaver medicine and taught its use to mankind, was thus addressed: “Oh, Thou who didst teach how to make the medicine, here is tobacco! Though I have your medicine, the nature of which I do not understand at all, grant that I may easily acquire something or other by means of it! Here is tobacco!”

When he addressed the beavers, he said, “Ho, ye Beavers! Here is tobacco! Let all of you travel in your feeding places which you have made. Here is tobacco!” To the beaver medicine itself, he said, “Ho, Medicine! Here is tobacco! Stand thinking thus, ‘At any rate an animal shall surely pass me and be caught in the trap, and its nostrils shall be large enough to smell me.’” The trap itself was thus addressed: “Ho, ye pieces of iron! Here is tobacco! Sit ye and think thus: ‘At any rate I will kill one!’” To the pack-strap was said, “Ho, pack-strap! Here is tobacco! Think thou, ‘At any rate I shall press against many quadrupeds.’” The right side of the entrance to the tent (?) was thus addressed: “Ho, Thou who standest at the right side of the entrance to the tent! (§ 232) Here is tobacco! Think thou, ‘At any rate I shall continue to have some one bring dead animals on his back and send through me suddenly, rubbing against me as they pass through.’” To the principal tent pole these words were said, “Ho, Thou who standest with the buffalo tail tied to thee! Here is tobacco! Think thou, ‘At any rate, I shall have a quadruped to come near me.’” When the man invoked the fireplace, he said, “Ho, Fireplace! Here is tobacco! Think thou, ‘At any rate I shall sit and have the water fall on me in drops as it boils over from the kettle containing the quadruped.’”

These invocations may be compared with what the prophet Habakkuk tells us about the Chaldeans, in the first chapter of his prophecy. In his prayer to God, he says, “These plunderers pull out all men with the hook, draw them in with their casting net, and gather them with their draw net, and rejoice and are glad in it. Therefore they make offerings to their casting net, and burn incense to their draw net, for through them their catch is rich and their food dainty.”[38]