of bear meat.

A few references may be given to indicate the views of those who have
made special studies of these ceremonies. G. A. Dorsey[29] speaking of
the Hopi tribe of the Southwest, states: "When the Hopi are not at work
they are worshipping in the Kivas. The underlying element of this
worship is to be found in the environment. Mother nature does not deal
kindly with man in the desert. Look where you will, across the drifting
sands of the plains, and the cry of man and beast is 'Water!' And so,
to the gods of the rain clouds does the Hopi address his prayer. His
instruments of worship are so fashioned that his magic may surpass the
magic of these gods, and compel them to loosen their stores, full to
overflowing. Take any one of the great Hopi ceremonies, analyze the
paraphernalia worn by the men, dissect the various components of the
altar or sand paintings, examine the offerings made to the Spring and
those placed upon the shrines, and in everything and everywhere we see
prayers for rain."

Dr. Clark Wissler,[30] in speaking of primitive ceremonies, states: "One
striking feature of primitive ceremonies is the elaboration of
ritualistic procedure relating to the food supply. Particularly in
aboriginal America we have many curious and often highly complex rituals
associated with the cultivation of maize and tobacco. These often
impress the student of social phenomena as extremely unusual but still
highly suggestive facts, chiefly because the association seems to be
between things which are wholly unrelated. Thus, among the Pawnee we
find an elaborate ritual in which a few ears of maize are raised almost
to the status of gods. At a certain fixed time of the autumn the
official priest of this ritual proceeds with great ceremony to the
fields and selects a few ears, according to definite standards. These
are further consecrated and carefully guarded throughout the winter. At
planting time the women present themselves ceremonially to receive the
seed, the necessary planting instructions, etc. Thus, it appears that
during the whole year recital, there is a definite ritual in functions
associated with maize culture."

The primitive tribes of Australia afford an excellent example of this
type of ceremony, and fortunately these tribes have been very carefully
studied. At the puberty initiations of the young men, one of the main
ceremonies is a yam ceremony,[31] _i. e._, a procedure to ensure a
bountiful supply of the