﻿FUSTCHER-LA 
  FLBSCHB] 
  LOCATION; 
  LINGUISTIC 
  RELATIONSHIPS 
  

  

  43 
  

  

  2. 
  THl'XIUA 
  GENS 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  said 
  that 
  the 
  Pawnee 
  call 
  all 
  the 
  Ponca 
  by 
  the 
  name 
  Thi'xida. 
  

   To 
  this 
  gens 
  belonged 
  a 
  pack 
  used 
  in 
  testing 
  the 
  truth 
  of 
  warriors 
  

   when 
  they 
  were 
  accorded 
  war 
  honors. 
  Formerly 
  there 
  were 
  two 
  of 
  

   these 
  packs, 
  but 
  one 
  was 
  buried 
  some 
  twenty 
  years 
  ago 
  with 
  its 
  

   keeper, 
  To 
  n 
  'deamo"thi 
  n 
  . 
  The 
  other, 
  near 
  the 
  close 
  of 
  the 
  last 
  cen- 
  

   tury, 
  was 
  kept 
  by 
  Shu'degaxe. 
  The 
  ceremony 
  of 
  conferring 
  honors 
  

   was 
  similar 
  to 
  the 
  Omaha 
  Wate'gictu 
  (p. 
  434). 
  To 
  this 
  gens 
  belonged 
  

   the 
  right 
  to 
  preside 
  at 
  the 
  election 
  of 
  chiefs. 
  

  

  The 
  members 
  of 
  the 
  subgens 
  I"gtho 
  n 
  'ci 
  n 
  cnedeweti 
  painted 
  the 
  

   peace 
  pipe 
  (that 
  used 
  in 
  the 
  Wa'wa" 
  ceremony, 
  p. 
  376) 
  on 
  one 
  side 
  

   of 
  their 
  tents 
  and 
  the 
  puma 
  on 
  the 
  other. 
  The 
  tabu, 
  green 
  ni- 
  

   bble 
  paint, 
  was 
  used 
  on 
  these 
  pipes. 
  Du 
  was 
  the 
  word 
  for 
  green; 
  

   du 
  fdbe, 
  blue; 
  fabe 
  means 
  black; 
  the 
  words 
  indicate 
  that 
  the 
  two 
  colors 
  

   were 
  regarded 
  as 
  the 
  same, 
  one 
  l>eing 
  merely 
  a 
  darker 
  shade 
  than 
  

   the 
  other. 
  The 
  skin 
  of 
  the 
  puma 
  was 
  used 
  to 
  cover 
  or 
  wrap 
  up 
  these 
  

   pipes. 
  The 
  name 
  of 
  the 
  sub- 
  

   division 
  (meaning 
  "to 
  dwell 
  

   with 
  the 
  puma") 
  refers 
  to 
  the 
  

   covering 
  of 
  the 
  peace 
  pipes 
  ; 
  

   these 
  and 
  the 
  puma 
  were 
  rep- 
  

   resented 
  in 
  the 
  tent 
  decora- 
  

   tion 
  and 
  helped 
  to 
  interpret 
  

   the 
  name 
  of 
  the 
  subgens 
  — 
  

   " 
  those 
  who 
  dwell 
  with 
  the 
  

   covered 
  pipes 
  that 
  give 
  

   peace." 
  The 
  arrow 
  shafts 
  of 
  this 
  gens 
  were 
  painted 
  black 
  where 
  the 
  

   feathers 
  were 
  fastened, 
  and 
  the 
  sinew 
  was 
  painted 
  red 
  to 
  represent 
  

   the 
  tabu 
  of 
  the 
  gens, 
  blood. 
  

  

  The 
  symbolic 
  cut 
  of 
  the 
  child's 
  hair 
  consisted 
  in 
  leaving 
  only 
  a 
  

   roach 
  running 
  from 
  the 
  forehead 
  to 
  the 
  nape 
  of 
  the 
  neck. 
  This 
  

   roach 
  was 
  trimmed 
  by 
  notching 
  it 
  like 
  a 
  saw. 
  A 
  small 
  tuft 
  of 
  hair 
  

   was 
  left 
  on 
  each 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  roach 
  (fig. 
  4). 
  This 
  notched 
  roach 
  is 
  

   similar 
  to 
  the 
  cut 
  of 
  hair 
  of 
  a 
  buffalo 
  gens 
  in 
  the 
  Oto 
  tribe 
  (also 
  of 
  

   the 
  Siouan 
  stock), 
  and 
  but 
  for 
  the 
  notching 
  is 
  like 
  that 
  of 
  a 
  buffalo 
  

   gens 
  of 
  the 
  Omaha. 
  These 
  resemblances 
  suggest 
  that 
  the 
  tabu 
  of 
  

   the 
  gens 
  may 
  refer 
  to 
  the 
  blood 
  of 
  the 
  slain 
  buffalo. 
  

  

  The 
  people 
  of 
  this 
  gens 
  were 
  said 
  to 
  have 
  the 
  power 
  to 
  cure 
  pain 
  

   in 
  the 
  head, 
  in 
  the 
  following 
  manner 
  : 
  The 
  sufferer 
  brought 
  a 
  bow 
  

   and 
  arrow 
  to 
  the 
  Thi'xida, 
  who 
  wet 
  the 
  arrow 
  with 
  saliva, 
  set 
  it 
  

   on 
  the 
  bow 
  string, 
  pointed 
  it 
  at 
  the 
  sick 
  man's 
  head 
  four 
  times, 
  

   then 
  rubbed 
  the 
  head 
  with 
  the 
  arrow, 
  and 
  so 
  effected 
  a 
  cure 
  of 
  the 
  

   pain. 
  

  

  Fig. 
  4. 
  Cut 
  of 
  hair, 
  Thi'xida 
  gens 
  ( 
  Ponca). 
  

  

  