Howard] THE PONCA TRIBE 87 



secured from PLC, OK, JLR, LMD, OYB, AMC, and David 

 Little-cook. 



Dorsey and Thomas (1910, p. 279) quote Morgan's list of Ponca 

 clans, giving Joseph La Flesche's interpretations in parentheses: 



1. Wasdbe 'grizzly bear' (properly black bear) 



2. -Dlxida, 'many people' 



3. Nikapdsna, 'elk' 



4. Mak4, 'skunk'; (Mak^, 'medicine') 



5. Wasdbe, 'buffalo' 



6. Wazdze, 'snake' 



7. Nuxe, 'medicine'; {Nuxe, 'ice') 



8. Wdga, 'ice'; (Wdga, 'jerked meat') 



In his own list, J. O. Dorsey (1891 b, pp. 331-332) gives several sub- 

 clans, and divides the clans into phratries and moieties as well. Since 

 Dorsey is the only author to mention phratries and moieties for the 

 Ponca, and since my own informants vehemently denied any such 

 arrangement, Dorsey's system should, I believe, be viewed with 

 suspicion. Dorsey shows, in much of his work, a decided tendency 

 to blend material from all of the Siouan-speaking tribes with which 

 he was acquainted, such as the Ponca, Omaha, Osage, Winnebago, 

 and Dakota. This may explain the disconformity between his scheme 

 and the schemes presented by others. Dorsey (1891 b, p. 331) writes: 



The Ponka tribal circle was divided equally between the Tsizu and Wazdze 

 half-tribes. To the former half-tribe belong two phratries of two gentes each, 

 ie., Nos. 1 to 4, and to the latter two similar phratries, including gentes 5 to 8. 



Tsihi half-tribe. — Thunder or Fire Phratry: Gens 1. Hisada, Thunder people, 

 Subgentes not gained. Gens 2. Wasdbe-hitdzi, Touch not the Skin of a Black 

 bear. 



Tsizu half -tribe. — Wind-makers, or War phratry: Gens 3 -D-ixida, Wildcat. In 

 two subgentes: 1. Side-dgSe, Wears Tails or Locks of Hair; Mdg4e-itdzi, Touches 

 no Charcoal and Wasiimt&zi, Touches no Verdigris. 2. Wami-itcizi, Touches no 

 Blood. Gens 4. Nikapasna, 'Bald Human Head', Elk people. In at least three 

 subgentes: 1. T^e-s\de-itdU, Touches no Buffalo Tails. 2. T^e-dSze-datdzi, Eats 

 no Buffalo Tongues. 3. Tdxte-Ki-qpa-datdzi, Eats no Deer or Elk. 



Wazdze half -tribe. — Earth phratry: Gens 5. Mak4, Medicine, a buffalo gens, 

 also called T^e-side-itdli, Touch no Buffalo Tails. In two subgentes: 1. Pqkaxti, 

 Real Ponkas, Keepers of a Sacred Pipe. 2. P(j,ka-xude, Gray Ponkas. Gens 

 6. Wa^^dte, Dark Buffalo. In two subgentes: 1. T^e-s^de, Buffalo Tail, T^e-4^ze- 

 4atdzi, Eat no Buffalo Tongues, and T^e-ziga-datdzi, Eat no very young Buffalo 

 Calves. 2. TH-pd-ithzi, Touch no Buffalo Heads. 



Wazdze half-tribe. — Water Phratry (?) : Gens 7. Wazdze, Osage. In two sub- 

 gentes at present: 1. Wazdze sabe. Dark Osage, Keepers of a Sacred Pipe, or 

 Was^tu-itdzi, Does not Touch Verdigris, or Ndgde-ilazi, Does not Touch Charcoal. 

 2. Wazaze-xude, Gray Osage, or Wesd-ivetdzi, Do not Touch Snakes. 3. Necta, 

 an Owl subgens, is now extinct. Gens 8. Nuxe, Reddish-yellow Buffalo (miscalled 

 Nuxe, ice). Subgentes uncertain; but there are four taboo names; T^e-pd-itdH, 

 Does not Touch a Buffalo Head; T^e-i{ga-itdzi, Does not Touch the Yellow 

 Hide of a Buffalo Calf; and T'*e-4&ze-4atdli, Does not Eat Buffalo Tongues. 



