Motif
Battle outcome foretold by song, dance, or mourning
battle_outcome_foretold_by_song_dance_or_mourning
A motif of the Prophecy and Systematic Divination family. Every row below is a tagged passage; each rests on a quote in its source text.
1 occurrences
1 traditions
native american plains
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Traditions of the Arikara FOOTNOTES: / FOOTNOTES: / FOOTNOTES: / FOOTNOTES:; lines 7879-7940 confidence: high
At a big lake, warriors hear a woman singing scalp-dance songs, dancing, and laughing at night; a leader says she is rejoicing because they will kill the enemy, and they succeed.
The woman's singing and dancing at the lake precede successful attacks, while her mourning precedes defeat; the passage states that these signs become known indicators of outcome.
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