Howard] THE PONCA TRIBE 89 



(a) -Dlxida; . . . (b) tg4b4i-4nedeweti (/g*?^€J^^nede, puma; lijeif, to dwell in); . . . 

 3. Nikapdsna, A man's skull. Subgeutes (a) T^'dhat^-ilazi {t''a, deer, ha, skin, 

 t^, possess, itdzi, do not touch) . . . (b) T'^Mideitazi {the, buffalo, 4]de, tail, 

 itazi, do not touch); ... 4. Pd^kaxll: Real or original Ponca Subgentes: 

 (a) Pdkaxti; (b) Mdkd (mystery or medicine). 5. Wasdbe, a dark object, 

 as seen against the horizon; ... 6. Wazdze, an old term. Subgentes: 

 (a) Wazdze (real Wazdze); name said to refer to the snake after shedding 

 circle, old skin and again in full power, (b) Wazdzexude (gray Wazdze) ; refers 

 to the grayish appearance of the snake's cast off skin; . . . 7.Nilxe, Ice; . . . 



Alanson Skinner (1915 c, p. 799) collected the following list of Ponca 

 clans: 



1. ^ixida (Do not touch blood) 



2. Wazdze (Osage) 



3. Makq, (Medicine) 



4. Nuxe (Ice) 



5. Nlkapdbia (?) 



6. Hisada (Straight legs) 



7. Wasdbe (Black Bear) 



He could learn of no subclans. 



The list of clans which I secured, together with some of the clan 

 duties and taboos, is as follows: There were seven clans, not counting 

 the Wd-ge-zlga (Sons of White men clan). Starting with the clan at 

 your left, as you entered the camp circle from the east, and proceeding 

 clockwise around the circle, they were as follows: 



1. Wazdze (Snake or Osage). This clan guarded the entrance to the huduga. 

 Thej'^ were reputed to be expert trackers. If a party left the village and did not 

 return within a reasonable length of time, trackers from this clan were dispatched 

 to search for them. Touching snakes was taboo to members of this clan. Ac- 

 cording to OYB the clan was divided into two subclans (a) Wazdzextl (real 

 Wazdze) and (b) Wazdzexude (gray Wazdze). 



W 



