--- title: The Feast of the Virgins., part 4 — Legends of the Northwest · full text with trees · page 2 description: The Feast of the Virgins., part 4, «Legends of the Northwest» by Hanford Lennox Gordon: the whole chapter, every sentence with its dependency tree and pragmatics. It begins: Till the red Harvest Moon [71] he remained in the vale of the swift Mississippi. --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg8122/11/page/2/) [home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [corpora](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/) / [tales](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/) / [Legends of the Northwest](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg8122/) / The Feast of the Virgins., part 4 # The Feast of the Virgins., part 4 · page 2 [1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg8122/11/) **2** Then glad as the robin in May was the voice of Winona exulting; And the crest-fallen brave turned away, and lonely he walked by the river; He glowered as he went and the fire of revenge in his bosom was kindled, But he strove to dissemble his ire, and he whistled alone by the Ha-ha.[64](../../64/ "tree and pragmatics") THE "WAKAN WACEPEE," OR SACRED DANCE.[65](../../65/ "tree and pragmatics") \[81\][66](../../66/ "tree and pragmatics") Lo the lights in the "Teepee Wakán!" 'tis the night of the Wakán-Wacépee.[67](../../67/ "tree and pragmatics") Round and round walks the chief of the clan, as he rattles the sacred Ta-shá-kay; \[81\] Long and loud on the Chân-che-ga \[81\] beat the drummers with magical drumsticks, And the notes of the Chô-tánka \[81\] greet, like the murmur of winds on the waters.[68](../../68/ "tree and pragmatics") By the friction of white-cedar wood for the feast was a Virgin-fire \[20\] kindled.[69](../../69/ "tree and pragmatics") They that enter the firm brotherhood first must fast and be cleansed by E-neé-pee; \[81\] And from foot-sole to crown of the head must they paint with the favorite colors; For Unktéhee likes bands of blood-red, with the stripings of blue intermingled.[70](../../70/ "tree and pragmatics") In the hollow earth, dark and profound, Unktéhee and fiery Wakín-yan Long fought and the terrible sound of the battle was louder than thunder; The mountains were heaved and around were scattered the hills and the boulders, And the vast solid plains of the ground rose and fell like the waves of the ocean.[71](../../71/ "tree and pragmatics") But the god of the waters prevailed.[72](../../72/ "tree and pragmatics") Wakín-yan escaped from the cavern, And long on the mountains he wailed, and his hatred endureth forever.[73](../../73/ "tree and pragmatics") When Unktéhee had finished the earth, and the beasts and the birds and the fishes, And men at his bidding came forth from the heart of the huge hollow mountains \[69\] A band chose the god from the hordes, and he said "Ye are sons of Unktéhee; Ye are lords of the beasts and the birds, and the fishes that swim in the waters.[74](../../74/ "tree and pragmatics") But hearken ye now to my words, --let them sound in your bosoms forever.[75](../../75/ "tree and pragmatics") Ye shall honor Unktéhee and hate Wakínyan, the Spirit of Thunder, For the power of Unktéhee is great, and he laughs at the darts of Wakínyan.[76](../../76/ "tree and pragmatics") Ye shall honor the Earth and the Sun, --for they are your father and mother.[77](../../77/ "tree and pragmatics") \[70\] Let your prayer to the Sun be --\_Wakán, Até: on-si-má-da oheé-neé\_ \[a\] And remember the Táku Wakán, \[73\] all pervading in earth and in ether-- Invisible ever to man, but he dwells in the midst of all matter; Yea, he dwells in the heart of the stone --in the hard granite heart of the boulder; Ye shall call him forever Tunkán --grandfather of all the Dakotas.[78](../../78/ "tree and pragmatics") Ye are men that I choose for my own; ye shall be as a strong band of brothers, Now I give you the magical bone and the magical pouch of the spirits.[79](../../79/ "tree and pragmatics") \[b\] And these are the laws ye shall heed: Ye shall honor the pouch and the giver.[80](../../80/ "tree and pragmatics") Ye shall walk as twin-brothers; in need, one shall forfeit his life for another.[81](../../81/ "tree and pragmatics") Listen not to the voice of the crow.[82](../../82/ "tree and pragmatics") \[c\] Hold as sacred the wife of a brother.[83](../../83/ "tree and pragmatics") Strike, and fear not the shaft of the foe, for the soul of the brave is immortal.[84](../../84/ "tree and pragmatics") Slay the warrior in battle, but spare the innocent babe and the mother.[85](../../85/ "tree and pragmatics") Remember a promise;--beware, --let the word of a warrior be sacred.[86](../../86/ "tree and pragmatics") When a stranger arrives at the tee --be he friend of the band or a foeman, Give him food; let your bounty be free; lay a robe for the guest by the lodge-fire; Let him go to his kindred in peace, if the peace-pipe he smoke in the teepee; And so shall your children increase, and your lodges shall laugh with abundance.[87](../../87/ "tree and pragmatics") And long shall ye live in the land, and the spirits of earth and the waters Shall come to your aid, at command, with the power of invisible magic.[88](../../88/ "tree and pragmatics") And at last, when you journey afar --o'er the shining "\_Wanágee Ta-chán-ku\_," \[70\] You shall walk as a red, shining star, \[18\] in the land of perpetual summer."[89](../../89/ "tree and pragmatics") \[a\] "Sacred Spirit, Father have pity on me always"[90](../../90/ "tree and pragmatics") \[b\] Riggs' Tahkoo Wakan, p. 90.[91](../../91/ "tree and pragmatics") \[c\] Slander.[92](../../92/ "tree and pragmatics") All the night in the teepee they sang, and they danced to the mighty Unktéhee, While the loud-braying Chán-che-ga rang and the shrill-piping flute and the rattle, Till Anpétuwee \[70\] rose in the east --from the couch of the blushing Han-nân-na.[93](../../93/ "tree and pragmatics") And then at the dance and the feast sang the song of Unktéhee in chorus:[94](../../94/ "tree and pragmatics") "Wa-dú-ta o-hna mi-ká-ge\![95](../../95/ "tree and pragmatics") Wa-dú-ta o-hná mi-ká-ge\![96](../../96/ "tree and pragmatics") Mini-yâta ité wakândè makù, Atè wakán--Tunkánsidán,[97](../../97/ "tree and pragmatics") Tunkânsidán pejihúta wakán Micâgè--he Wicâgè\![98](../../98/ "tree and pragmatics") Miniyáta ité wakándé makú.[99](../../99/ "tree and pragmatics") Taukánsidán ite, nápè dú-win-ta woo, Wahutôpa wan yúha, nápè dú-win-ta too."[100](../../100/ "tree and pragmatics") TRANSLATION[101](../../101/ "tree and pragmatics") In red swan-down he made it for me; In red swan-down he made it for me; He of the water--he of the mysterious face-- Gave it to me; Sacred Father--Grandfather\![102](../../102/ "tree and pragmatics") Grandfather made me magical medicine That is true\![103](../../103/ "tree and pragmatics") Being of mystery,--grown in the water-- He gave it to me\![104](../../104/ "tree and pragmatics") To the face of our Grandfather stretch out your hand; Holding a quadruped, stretch out your hand\![105](../../105/ "tree and pragmatics") Till high o'er the hills of the east Anpétuwee walked on his journey, In secret they danced at the feast, and communed with the mighty Unktéhee.[106](../../106/ "tree and pragmatics") Then opened the door of the tee to the eyes of the day and the people, And the sons of Unktéhee, to be, were endowed with the sacred Ozúha \[82\] By the son of tall Wazí-kuté, Tamdóka, the chief of the Magi.[107](../../107/ "tree and pragmatics") And thus since the birth-day of man --since he sprang from the heart of the mountains, \[69\] Has the sacred "Wacépee Wakán" by the warlike Dakotas been honored, And the god-favored sons of the clan work their will with the help of the spirits.[108](../../108/ "tree and pragmatics") [1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg8122/11/) **2** - ← previous: [page 1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg8122/11/) - next →: [The Feast of the Virgins., part 5](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg8122/12/) - ↑ back to [Legends of the Northwest](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg8122/)