THEIR POWER AS MEDIATORS.
Thus it may be seen that all these animals are supposed to possess not only the guardianship of the six regions, but also the mastership, not merely geographic, but of the medicine powers, etc., which are supposed to emanate from them; that they are the mediators between men and Pó-shai-aŋ-ki'a, and conversely, between the latter and men.
As further illustrative of this relationship it may not be amiss to add that, aside from representing the wishes of men to Pó-shai-aŋ-ki'a, by means of the spirits of the prayer plumes, which, it is supposed, the prey gods take into his presence, and which are, as it were, memoranda (like quippus) to him and other high gods of the prayers of men, they are also made to bear messages to men from him and his associated gods.
For instance, it is believed that any member of the medicine orders who neglects his religious duties as such is rendered liable to punishment (Hä′-ti-a-k'ia-na-k'ia=reprehension) by Pó-shai-aŋ-ki'a through some one of his warriors.
As illustrative of this, the story of an adventure of Mí-tsi, an Indian who "still lives, but limps," is told by the priests with great emphasis to any backsliding member.
MÍ-TSI.
Mí-tsi was long a faithful member of the Little Fire order (Ma-ke-tsá-na-kwe), but he grew careless, neglected his sacrifices, and resigned his rank as "Keeper of the Medicines," from mere laziness. In vain his fathers warned him. He only grew hot with anger. One day Mí-tsi went up on the mesas to cut corral posts. He sat down to eat his dinner. A great black bear walked out of the thicket near at hand and leisurely approached him. Mí-tsi dropped his dinner and climbed a neighboring little dead pine tree. The bear followed him and climbed it, too. Mí-tsi began to have sad thoughts of the words of his fathers.
"Alas," he cried, "pity me, my father from the West-land!" In vain he promised to be a good Ma-ke-tsá-na-kwe. Had not Pó-shai-aŋ-ki'a commanded?
So the black bear seized him by the foot and pulled until Mí-tsi screamed from pain; but, cling as he would to the tree, the bear pulled him to the ground. Then he lay down on Mí-tsi and pressed the wind out of him so that he forgot. The black bear started to go; but eyed Mí-tsi. Mí-tsi kicked. Black bear came and pressed his wind out again. It hurt Mí-tsi, and he said to himself, "Oh dear me! what shall I do? The father thinks I am not punished enough." So he kept very still. Black bear started again, then stopped and looked at Mí-tsi, started and stopped again, growled and moved off, for Mí-tsi kept very still. Then the black bear went slowly away, looking at Mí-tsi all the while, until he passed a little knoll. Mí-tsi crawled away and hid under a log. Then, when he thought himself man enough, he started for Zuñi. He was long sick, for the black bear had eaten his foot. He "still lives and limps," but he is a good Ma-ke-tsá-na-kwe. Who shall say that Pó-shai-aŋ-k'ia did not command?