526 



A STUDY OF SIOUAN CULTS. 



§ 369. The Ma^yiiika aud Upa" gentes of the Kansa tribe conse- 

 crated the mystic fireplaces for their people; but we have not obtained 

 the particulars of the Kansa ceremony, wliich probably resembled that 

 in which the Tsiou and Pa"qka old men took part. 



According to Two Crow,^ and the late Joseph La Fleche, there were 

 four sacred stones in the custody of the Ma"firika-gaxe or Earth-lodge- 

 makers' gens of the Omaha: red, black, yellow, and blue.' 



§ 370. Whenever the Osage warriors came in sight of their village on 

 returning from an expedition against the enemy, they were met outside 

 the village by the principal man of the Ka"se (the Wind or South 

 wind gens.) This Ka"se man walked around the warriors, performing 

 a ceremony as he started from the north, repeating it at each quarter, 

 and ending with the east, as shown in Fig. 198. 



ws 



A 

 S 



Fig. Vjt. — Pa^qka (Osa^e) order of placing the 

 lour sticks, etc. 



Fig. 198.- 



i 



S 



-Ka''se (Osajie) order of circitmam- 

 biilatioii. 



§ 371. Assuming that we have a correct grouijing of the four ele- 

 ments in Fig. 194, it appears that Paha°le-gaqli and Ali"kawahu began 

 with the quarters associated with war ; that the Tsiou old man began 

 with those referring to peace, and the Pa"tika old man with those per- 

 taining to war, and the principal man of the Ka"se gens with those on 

 the peace side. 



§ 372. In cutting off the un- 

 der skin from a .scalp, the Os- 

 age war captain — 



stood facing the East ♦ » * 

 E Holding tbe scalp in one hand, witt 

 the other he placed the knife-blade 

 across it, with the point toward the 

 South (see Fig. 199). Thenhe turned 

 the knife with the point toward the 

 East. Nest, with the blade resting 

 on the scalp, the point to the South, 

 he moved the knife backward and 

 forward four times, cutting deeper into the .scalp on each occasion. Then he made four 

 similar outs, but with the point to the East. After this, the flat part of the blade 



Fig. 199. — Showing how the Osage prepared the scalp for 

 the dance. 



'Om. Soc. 3d An. Rept. Bur. Ethn., p. 242 



