Once Cûgepaga, who was a very holy man, "dreamt" during a fast and was "given a person," that is, the spirits blessed him with the power to capture a great enemy. When Earthmaker made this island world it was unstable and moved about so that it was necessary to place upon it great spirit beings as Island Weights. One of these set up in the east was made entirely of iron. The iron spirit took cruel delight in human warfare, and fell into killing people himself; nor did he refrain from eating the flesh of those whom he slew in battle.

Cûgepaga gathered together a war party of only three men and headed east. No one had ever set out in that direction before, and his men became anxious and gave their leader tobacco that he might reveal to them the blessings that placed the war party in his hands. He received the tobacco and told his men that they were destined to encounter a man on the third day of their journey, and they would capture him -- so much had the spirits vouchsafed him. And Cûgepaga poured forth the tobacco to all those spirits who govern victory in battle. On the third day they saw from concealment a fierce looking man, and the war leader whispered to his men, "This is the one we shall take." They put upon themselves battle regalia and painted their faces fiercely, and they were a glory to behold. Then they fell upon the iron spirit one at a time: the first tackled him, but could not conquer his iron strength; the second fell into the fray, but still they could not overcome him; and so too with the third. Finally, Cûgepaga grappled with the spirit created by Earthmaker himself, and only then were they able to vanquish him. They began to take him back, but the spirit said, "It is not good that I should go where you come from. Whatever you intend for me, let it be done here and now." So they equipped him with all the regalia of those who are about to die the prisoner's death. He asked, "Let me have one last smoke from the pipe." And they gave him his last wish. Then the spirit said, "Kill me right, for you know how it is to be done." And so it was done, and Cûgepaga slew the iron spirit.

These men were the forefathers of living Hotcâgara. The warbundle carried on the warpath of Cûgepaga yet exists, and the prisoner's bonds as well. They receive honor in the warbundle feast of the Eagle clan. [1]

Links: Earthmaker, Herecgúnina, Iron Spirits, Island Weights.

Stories: about Dog Head: Great Walker's Medicine, The Shawnee Prophet -- What He Told the Hotcâgara; about great Hotcâk warriors and warleaders: How Little Priest went out as a Soldier, The Masaxe War (Hogimasâga), Wazûka, Great Walker's Warpath (Great Walker), Great Walker's Medicine (Great Walker, Smoke Walker, Dog Head, Small Snake), The Shawnee Prophet -- What He Told the Hotcâgara (Smoke Walker, Dog Head, Small Snake), Big Thunder Teaches Tcap'ósgaga the Warpath (Big Thunder, Tcap'ósgaga), The Osage Massacre (Big Thunder, Tcap'ósgaga), The Fox-Hotcâk War (Tcap'ósgaga), White Thunder's Warpath, The Blessings of the Buffalo Spirits, Fighting Retreat, Mitchell Red Cloud, jr. Wins the Medal of Honor (Mitchell Red Cloud, jr.); about the creation of the world: The Creation of the World; Medicine Rite Foundation Myth, Wolf Clan Origin Myth, Thunderbird Clan Origin Myth (v. 1), How the Hills and Valleys were Formed, Hotcâk Clans Origin Myth; mentioning Island Weights: The Creation of the World, The Island Weight Songs, South Enters the Medicine Lodge, East Shakes the Messenger, East Enters the Medicine Lodge, North Shakes His Gourd, Wolves and Humans, Traveler and the Thunderbird War (v. 2), The Lost Blanket, Thunderbird Clan Origin Myth (v. 1), The Medicine Rite Foundation Myth, Hare Secures the Creation Lodge, South Seizes the Messenger, Earthmaker Sends Rucewe to the Twins, The Messengers of Hare, Paint Medicine Origin Myth, Four Steps of the Cougar, The Petition to Earthmaker; featuring Iron Spirits as characters: The Adventures of Redhorn's Sons, How the Thunders Met the Nights, The Raccoon Coat, Baldheaded Warclub Origin Myth; featuring Herecgúnina (the Bad Spirit or One Legged One) as a character: The Creation of the World, The Creation of Man, The Twins Get into Hot Water, The Lost Blanket, The Twins Retrieve Red Star's Head, The Woman Who Became an Ant, The Baldheaded Warclub Origin Myth, The Journey to Spiritland, The Spirit of Gambling, Bladder and His Brothers, The Two Brothers, The Origins of the Milky Way; see also Black and White Moons, The Shawnee Prophet and His Ascension, The Shawnee Prophet -- What He Told the Hotcâgara; featuring Earthmaker as a character: The Creation of the World, The Creation of Man, The Commandments of Earthmaker, The Twins Get into Hot Water, The Twins Retrieve Red Star's Head, The Lost Blanket, The First Snakes, Tobacco Origin Myth, The Creation Council, The Gray Wolf Origin Myth, The Journey to Spiritland, The Resurrection of the Chief's Daughter, The Seven Maidens, The Descent of the Drum, Thunder Cloud Marries Again, The Spider's Eyes, The Boy who was Blessed by a Mountain Lion, Wonághire Wâkcik Clan Origin Myth, Fourth Universe, The Fatal House, The Twin Sisters, Thunderbird Clan Origin Myth, Elk Clan Origin Myth, Deer Clan Origin Myth, Bear Clan Origin Myth, Wolf Clan Origin Myth, The Masaxe War, The Two Children, Medicine Rite Foundation Myth, The Petition to Earthmaker, The Gift of Shooting, Baldheaded Warclub Origin Myth, Bluehorn's Nephews, The Stone Heart, The Wild Rose, Earthmaker Sends Rucewe to the Twins, The Lame Friend, How the Hills and Valleys were Formed, The Hotcâk Migration Myth, The Necessity for Death, Hotcâk Clans Origin Myth, The War among the Animals, Lake Winnebago Origin Myth, Blue Mound, Lost Lake, The Hotcâgara Migrate South, The Spirit of Gambling, Turtle and the Giant, The Shawnee Prophet -- What He Told the Hotcâgara, The Hotcâgara Contest the Giants, Ghost Dance Origin Myth II, Bird Origin Myth, Black and White Moons, Redhorn's Sons, Holy Song, The Reincarnated Grizzly Bear, The Blessings of the Buffalo Spirits, Death Enters the World, Man and His Three Dogs, Trickster Concludes His Mission, Story of the Thunder Names, The Origins of the Milky Way, Trickster and the Dancers, Ghost Dance Origin Myth I, East Enters the Medicine Lodge, The Blessing of Kerexûsaka; mentioning Warbundles: Warughápara (Thunderbird), The Adventures of Redhorn's Sons (Thunderbird), Redhorn's Sons (Thunderbird), The Twins Join Redhorn's Warparty (Thunderbird), The Warbundle of the Eight Generations (Thunderbird), Wanihéga Becomes a Sak'î (Thunderbird), The Masaxe War (Eagle?), The Blessing of a Bear Clansman (Bear), The Blessings of the Buffalo Spirits (Buffalo), The Blessing of Kerexûsaka (Sauk), A Man's Revenge (enemy).

This worak has a strong counterpart in the waikâ, The Adventures of Redhorn's Sons.

Themes: a person who fasts receives blessings from the spirits: The Blessings of the Buffalo Spirits, The Boy who was Blessed by a Mountain Lion, The Nightspirits Bless Djobenagiwíñxga, Ghost Dance Origin Myth I, Redhorn's Sons, The Boy Who Became a Robin, The Woman Who Fought the Bear, The Seer, Maize Comes to the Hotcâgara, The Warbundle of the Eight Generations, The Woman who Loved Her Half-Brother, The Boy who would be Immortal, The Thunderbird, Lake Wâkcikhomîgra (Mendota): the Origin of Its Name, Great Walker's Medicine, Earthmaker Blesses Wagícega (Wecgícega), A Man's Revenge, Aratcgéga's Blessings, The Blessing of a Bear Clansman, The Man who was Blessed by the Sun, The Girl who Refused a Blessing from the Wood Spirits, Buffalo Dance Origin Myth, The Man who Defied Disease Giver, White Thunder's Warpath, A Man and His Three Dogs, The Diving Contest, The Plant Blessing of Earth, Holy Song, The Tap the Head Medicine, The Blessing of Cokeboka, The Completion Song Origin, Paint Medicine Origin Myth, The Nightspirits Bless Tciwoit'éhiga, The Horse Spirit of Eagle Heights; spirits bless someone with the right to kill a man ("give him a man"): White Thunder's Warpath, A Man's Revenge, Great Walker's Warpath, The Masaxe War, Little Fox and the Ghost, Thunderbird and White Horse; a anthropophagy and cannibalism: A Giant Visits His Daughter, Turtle and the Giant, The Witch Men's Desert, The Were-Grizzly, Grandfather's Two Families, The Roaster, Redhorn's Father, Wonághire Wâkcik Clan Origin Myth, The Lost Blanket, Young Man Gambles Often, White Wolf, The Shaggy Man, The Twins Get into Hot Water, Partridge's Older Brother, The First Fox and Sauk War, The Fox-Hotcâk War, The Hotcâgara Contest the Giants, Morning Star and His Friend, Baldheaded Warclub Origin Myth, The Seven Maidens, The Reincarnated Grizzly Bear, The Woman who Loved Her Half-Brother, The Blessing of a Bear Clansman, Shakes the Earth, The Stone Heart, Thunder Cloud is Blessed; a warparty gives its leader tobacco so that he might reveal to them what victories the spirits have placed in his hands: White Thunder's Warpath, Great Walker's Warpath; warleader sets out to capture alive an enemy spirit: Turtle's Warparty, Porcupine and His Brothers; a warparty attacks evil spirits whose bodies are made of iron: The Adventures of Redhorn's Sons, Baldheaded Warclub Origin Myth; someone is abducted and led off into captivity: The Captive Boys, A Man's Revenge, Bluehorn's Nephews, Wears White Feathers on His Head, Îtcorúcika and His Brothers, Bird Clan Origin Myth, The Man Whose Wife was Captured, Bladder and His Brothers, The Boy who was Captured by the Bad Thunderbirds, Bluehorn Rescues His Sister, The Boy who was Blessed by a Mountain Lion, The Green Man, Brave Man, The Chief of the Herok'a, Hare Gets Swallowed, The Raccoon Coat, Wodjidjé, Wolves and Humans, The Woman Who Became an Ant, Thunderbird and White Horse, The Boy who Flew, Testing the Slave; a powerful being kills an Island Weight: Earthmaker Sends Rucewe to the Twins.

Notes:

[1] Paul Radin, "Shugepaga," Winnebago Notebooks (Philadelphia: American Philosophical Society) Notebook #66, Story 1. Informant: Tcaxcep Woruxji (Eagle Looking) of the Eagle Clan.