siOBX; - Smithsonian Institution

SWANTON] CHOCTAW SOCIAL AND CEEEMONIAL LIFE 19
grown and the new corn feast and dance celebrated and over, the nation
could again prosecute the work on the mound, and so on, from year to yeai-, until
the top of the great grave of the dead nation should be as high as the tallest
forest tree. And it should be made level on the top as much as sixty steps
(habli) in length, and thirty steps in width, all beat down hard, and planted
thick with acorns, nuts and pine seeds. " Remember my words," said the chief.
" and finish the work accordingly. Now go and prepare for winter."
And the people gladly dispersed into the distant forests. Fruit was found
in great quantities and was collected and brought into camp in very large
amounts—acorns, hickory nuts, and most and best of all, the otupi (chestnuts),
all of which was secured from the worms by the process of drying them
by smoke and incasing them in small quantities in airtight mud cells, in
the same manner, that the mud daubers (lukchuk chanuskik)" preserve their
spiders. Their hunters were very successful ; and at midwinter, when all the
clans had returned to their camps, they found themselves rich in their sup-
plies of so many things that were good for food, they concluded that as the
best way of expressing their unfeigned gratitude (yokoke ahui) to the great
sun they would celebrate a grand, glad feast, and joyous dance, before they
commenced the work of clearing and breaking ground for their cornfields.
So they cleaned out the dance ground, and planted the pole with the golden
siu! in the center of it. The people collected and, with much joy and gladness
of heart, feasted and danced five days.
The amount of ground necessary to plant what corn they had was small,
and was soon planted. Then having nothing else to be working at, a thought-
ful old man, pointing to the great unfinished mound (yokni chishinto) said,
" the weather is cool and pleasant, and the grave of your dead kindred is
only half as high as a tall tree." Taking the timely suggestion of the man,
thousands went to work, carrying dirt to the great mound. Afterwards, it
became an honorable thing to carry and deposit earth on the mound at any
time they were not engaged at work in their domestic vocations.
The winter over, spring with Its green foliage and singing birds and its
grand flourish of gobbling turkeys came slowly on. Corn was planted and
the companies of hunters went forth. The camps were healthy. Those who
were planting soon finished it, and engaged actively forthwith in throwing
earth upon the already huge mound. Their corn flourished well, producing
enough, after preserving a portion of their fields for seed, to supply a full
feast for the green corn dance.
At the Nunih Waya encampment, everything went well and there were no
complaints. Their hunters made wide excursions, acquainting themselves with
the geography of the country to the extent of many days' journey around.
But, as yet, they had discovered no signs of the enemy, or of any other people.
In this happy condition of liealth and plenty—for they had enlarged their
fields and were harvesting abundant crops of corn—years rolled round ; the
work on the mound was regularly prosecuted; and at the eighth green corn
dance celebrated at Nunih Waya, the committee who had been appointed at
the commencement, reported to the assembled multitude that the work was
completed and the mound planted with the seeds of the forest trees in accordance
with the plan and direction of the minko, at the beginning of the work.
The minko then instructed the good old Lopina, who had carried it so many
years, to take the golden sun to the top of the great mound and plant it in
the center of the level top.
" Ijukchuk chauushik. The dance as employed by men ia probably wholly imaginary.