44 ANNUAL EEPORT SMITUSONIAN INSTITUTION, 1U15, 



what with his work, but with the efficient assistance of Mr. William 

 K. Loft, a Mohawk speaker, Mr. Hewitt was able to make a critical 

 phonetic and grammatic study of portions of the Mohawk texts 

 relating to the league of the Iroquois, recorded by him in former 

 years. Work was also done in recording a selected list of Mohawk 

 verbs for comparative use, and with the painstaking aid of Mrs. 

 Mary Gibson, widow of the late noted chief John Arthur Gibson, 

 Mr. Hewitt was able to supply the Cayuga equivalents to this list, 

 as well as to record other vocabulary terms of the Cayuga. From 

 Mrs. Gibson also was obtained an extended text in Cayuga relating 

 to the origin and the ritual of the death feast of the women. On the 

 same reservation Mr. Hewitt, with the aid of Mr. Hardy Gibson, a 

 Cayuga chief, elucidated certain mooted points in regard to the 

 ritual significance of a number of words and phrases employed in the 

 chants of the condoling and installation council of the Iroquois 

 league. From Miss Emily Carrier, a mixed-blood Nanticoke, he ob- 

 tained a list of 50 Nanticoke words. This short list is of singular 

 interest, as the N-anticoke dialect of the Algonquian stock has become 

 practically extinct through absorption of its speakers by the Iro- 

 quois-speaking peoples. Mr. Hewitt also made about 70 photo- 

 graphs, principally of persons. 



On his return to Washington on January 15 Mr. Hewitt at once 

 resumed his analytic study of the Mohawk, Onondaga, and Cayuga 

 dialects for the purpose of obtaining proper material for the prepa- 

 ration of the grammatic sketch above referred to. 



In addition to these investigations, Mr. Hewitt furnished much 

 information for use in preparing replies to inquiries from corre- 

 spondents, some of them requiring considerable research. No fewer 

 than 130 such letters were answered by means of data supplied by 

 Mr. Hewitt. As in the past, he performed the duties connected with 

 the custodianship of manuscripts, which required more than the usual 

 time and effort owing to the preparation of more thoroughly fire- 

 proof quarters and transfer of the manuscripts thereto, as will later 

 be mentioned. During June Mr. Hewitt Avas engaged in reading the 

 first proofs of " Seneca Myths and Fiction." 



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

 chiefly in assembling his notes on the No"'zhizho", or fasting degree, 

 of the tribal rites of the Osage called No"'ho"zhi"ga le Ita, or Sayings 

 of the No"'ho"zhi"ga. Of the seven degi-ees, the No°'zhizho" is said 

 to be the longest and the next in importance to the Nikie degree; 

 it is also said that this degree contains nearly all the symbols and cere- 

 monial forms (wegaxe), for w^hich reason it is regarded as higher in 

 rank than the other degrees, excepting the Nikie. From information 

 given by Watsemo"i" of the Black Bear gens and by Waxthizhi of 

 the Puma gens, both of the Ho"'ga dual division, their version of the 

 ritual of the No°'zhizho" degree is composed of 116 songs, 14 wigie 



