Fig. 92—The Thunderbird.
With both Cheyenne and Arapaho the thunder (ba′a′) is a large bird, with a brood of smaller ones, and carries in its talons a number of arrows with which it strikes the victim of lightning. For this reason they call the eagle on our coins baa. When it thunders, they say ba′a′ nänitŭ′hut, “the thunder calls.” In Indian pictography the Thunderbird is figured with zigzag lines running out from its heart to represent the lightning. A small figure of it (represented in [figure 92]), cut from rawhide and ornamented with beads, is frequently worn on the heads of the dancers.
15. A′he′sûna′nini năya′qûti′hi
A′he′sûna′nini năya′qûti′hi,
A′he′sûna′nini năya′qûti′hi,
Hä′ni′nihiga′hŭna′,
Hä′ni′nihiga′hŭna′,
He′sûna′nin hä′ni na′ha′waŭ′.
He′sûna′nin hä′ni na′ha′waŭ′.