KEPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 49 



Mr. Francis La Flesche, ethnologist, was engaged during the year 

 in the further study of the tribal rites of the Osage Indians in Okla- 

 homa. These rites are regarded bj^ the Osage as mysterious, and, 

 being held in great awe by the tribe, are very difficult to obtain, even 

 by their own members. Instances are pointed out where, in the belief 

 of the Osage, persons in officiating at ceremonies made mistakes in 

 the form or in the recitation of the rituals and in the singing of the 

 songs, and have therefore become insane, or blind, or have met with 

 violent death. The murder of Saucy Calf, a man of high standing 

 in his tribe, and the burning of his house last winter are attributed 

 by his people to the fact that he gave away certain rituals and songs 

 of the sacred tribal ceremonies. From Saucy Calf Mr. La Flesche 

 had obtained the entire first degree of the No°ho"zhi"ga rites, and 

 while the two w^ere together the old seer frequently expressed the fear 

 that some harm might come to him for parting with these religious 

 secrets. By reason of the superstitious awe in which these sacred 

 rites are held, Mr. La Flesche's studies in this particular have been 

 necessarily slow, since it was essential for him first to gain the full 

 confidence of those versed therein. Notwithstanding this diffi- 

 culty, he has been fortunate enough to procure the full ritual of the 

 Hibernating of the Black Bear, which pertains to the origin of the 

 seven and six war honors of the tribe, and is recited by the men mem- 

 bers of the No'^ho^zhi^ga of the Black Bear clan at the sacred-bundle 

 ceremony when the warrior chosen recounts his war honors and takes 

 up the seven and six willow saplings to count and the songs of this 

 part of the ceremony are being sung by the officiating priest. A re- 

 lated ritual, which tells of the rearing of a child to the completion of its 

 life, is recited when a widow is being initiated into the No"ho"zhi"ga 

 to take the place of her husband ; but Mr. La Flesche has not yet been 

 able to record this, owing to the dread inspired by the death of Saucy 

 Calf. How^ever, after considerable difficulty he succeeded in obtain- 

 ing six rituals from Waxrizhi, whose father, who died about a year 

 before, is said to have been the last of the No"ho"zhi"ga men thor- 

 oughly versed in the ancient rites. 



Another ritual obtained is the Dream Ritual, with literal and free 

 translations. This is a narration of a No"ho"zhi"ga's fast dream of 

 the sacred packs, a number of which have been procured and trans- 

 ferred to the National Museum. 



Still another ritual, known as the Wi-gi-e Paho-gre, " First of the 

 Rituals," with literal and free translations, was recorded. This tells 

 of the coming of the Ho"ga of the Seven Fireplaces, or clans, to the 

 earth from the sky by permission of the Sun, Moon, and Morning 

 and Evening stars, and with the aid of the Winged IIo"ga, or 

 "Spotted Eagle"; of their finding the earth covered with water 

 when they descended ; their having to rest on the tops of seven red- 

 oak trees, until, by his magic power, the Elk dispersed the waters 



