1 16 An account of iJie War Customs of the Osagcs. [February, 



the final ceremonies. Whereupon the teacher goes to one of the 

 heralds (an Elk or Kansas man), telling him to proclaim the news 

 around the village. 



All the people who wish to see the ceremonies take a sufficient 

 number of tents and remove to the place outside the village, 

 pitching their tents in a circle. The large tent of the Cheezhoo 

 is put up on the left, at A, Fig. 2, and the corresponding tent of 

 the right side is pitched at B. The latter is the leading tent when 



Fig. 2. — Plan of war tent. 



the deceased belongs to the left side, and the former is the lead- 

 ing tent when the deceased belongs to the right side of the tribe. 

 The leading side and tent must always be opposite to that to 

 which the deceased belongs. The Cheezhoo peace maker men, 

 being of the gens of the mourner, lead all the men on their side 

 of the tribe, who assemble at the tent A. So the Hanka men load 

 all the men on their side, who meet at B. 



Each mourner receives a war pipe and a forked stick on which 

 he can hang the bag in which the pipe is kept. The pipe is an 

 old one handed down from preceding generations. .Such pipes 

 are always kept by those men who have taken a degree in the 

 secret order of the tribe. The drum used on this occasion is 

 made by a man of the Sun-carrier gens. Two battle standards 

 are maile for each iiunirncr by an old man of the ICKlcr Osage 

 gens (I""ig. 3). One on each side lias seven feathers, and is reck- 

 oned as the superior one ; ami the other has six. The bottom of 

 each standard terminates in a sharj) point, which is used as a 

 spear. When the two teachers ask the l"'Jder Osage man to 

 make the slandarils, they hand him a new knife, some paint, ami 

 all other materials required for tlniii. When he finishes tlum 

 the knife and the remaining materials belong to him. At the 



