Waterlily

The family returns home, and they bring “many pieces of woven goods, flannels and calicoes” (134).They learn of a “scandal,” in which a young woman runs away with a “philanderer” (135), and he leaves her within a few days. Now the woman is dishonored. Blue Bird warns Waterlily against following her example.  

Waterlily is ashamed and decides to stay a perpetual virgin, a respected vocation in the tribe. This does not come to pass, as Waterlily ends up getting married. However, her older cousin, Leaping Fawn, does remain a perpetual virgin. At one point, Leaping Fawn is accused of not being a virgin, so the family holds a Virgin’s Fire ceremony to clear her name. During this ritual, virgins come sit around a fire and can be called out for not being true virgins. Leaping Fawn passes the test.

Gloku dies, but the family decides to “keep her ghost” (140). In order to do so, they must maintain a “ghost bundle” (141)until the family is ready to let her go at the ghost feast. The ghost dreamer cuts hair from Gloku’s head, ties it in a skin bundle, then puts it in a larger, ghost bundle.