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  49 
  

  

  THE 
  WAZHA'ZHE 
  GENS 
  

  

  Standing 
  Buffalo 
  (pi. 
  2), 
  of 
  the 
  Wazha'zhe 
  gens, 
  told 
  the 
  follow- 
  

   ing 
  story 
  some 
  ten 
  years 
  ago: 
  

  

  When 
  I 
  was 
  a 
  boy 
  I 
  often 
  asked 
  my 
  mother 
  where 
  my 
  people 
  name 
  from, 
  but 
  she 
  

   would 
  not 
  tell 
  me, 
  until 
  one 
  day 
  she 
  said, 
  "I 
  will 
  give 
  you 
  the 
  story 
  as 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  

   handed 
  down 
  from 
  generation 
  to 
  generation. 
  

  

  "In 
  the 
  real 
  beginning 
  Wako 
  n 
  'da 
  made 
  the 
  Wazha'zhe— 
  men, 
  women, 
  and 
  

   children. 
  After 
  they 
  were 
  made 
  he 
  said 
  'Go!' 
  So 
  the 
  people 
  took 
  all 
  they 
  had, 
  

   carried 
  their 
  children, 
  and 
  started 
  toward 
  the 
  setting 
  sun. 
  They 
  traveled 
  until 
  

   they 
  came 
  to 
  a 
  great 
  water. 
  Seeing 
  they 
  could 
  go 
  no 
  farther, 
  they 
  halted. 
  Again 
  

   Wako"'da 
  said 
  'Go!' 
  And 
  once 
  more 
  they 
  started, 
  and 
  wondered 
  what 
  would 
  happen 
  

   to 
  them. 
  As 
  they 
  were 
  about 
  to 
  step 
  into 
  the 
  water 
  there 
  appeared 
  from 
  under 
  the 
  

   water 
  rocks. 
  These 
  projected 
  just 
  above 
  the 
  surface, 
  and 
  there 
  were 
  others 
  barely 
  

   covered 
  with 
  water. 
  Upon 
  these 
  stones 
  the 
  people 
  walked, 
  stepping 
  from 
  stone 
  to 
  

   stone 
  until 
  they 
  came 
  to 
  land. 
  When 
  they 
  stood 
  on 
  dry 
  land 
  the 
  wind 
  blew, 
  the 
  

   water 
  became 
  violent 
  and 
  threw 
  the 
  rocks 
  upon 
  the 
  land, 
  and 
  they 
  became 
  great 
  

   cliffs. 
  Therefore 
  when 
  men 
  enter 
  the 
  sweat 
  lodge 
  they 
  thank 
  the 
  stones 
  for 
  pre- 
  

   serving 
  their 
  lives 
  and 
  ask 
  for 
  a 
  continuation 
  of 
  their 
  help 
  that 
  their 
  lives 
  may 
  be 
  

   prolonged. 
  Here 
  on 
  the 
  shore 
  the 
  people 
  dwelt; 
  but 
  again 
  Wako 
  u/ 
  da 
  said 
  'Go!' 
  

   And 
  again 
  they 
  started 
  and 
  traveled 
  on 
  until 
  they 
  came 
  to 
  a 
  people 
  whose 
  appearance 
  

   was 
  like 
  their 
  own; 
  but 
  not 
  knowing 
  whether 
  they 
  were 
  friends 
  or 
  foes, 
  the 
  people 
  

   rushed 
  at 
  each 
  other 
  fur 
  combat. 
  In 
  the 
  midst 
  of 
  the 
  confusion 
  Wako 
  n/ 
  da 
  said, 
  

   'Stand 
  still!' 
  The 
  people 
  obeyed. 
  They 
  questioned 
  each 
  other, 
  found 
  they 
  spoke 
  

   the 
  same 
  language, 
  and 
  became 
  friends. 
  

  

  " 
  Wako 
  n/ 
  da 
  gave 
  the 
  people 
  a 
  bow, 
  a 
  dog, 
  and 
  a 
  grain 
  of 
  corn. 
  The 
  people 
  made 
  

   other 
  bows 
  like 
  the 
  one 
  given 
  them 
  and 
  learned 
  to 
  use 
  them 
  for 
  killing 
  wild 
  animals 
  

   for 
  food 
  and 
  to 
  make 
  clothing 
  out 
  of 
  their 
  skins. 
  The 
  dogs 
  gave 
  increase 
  and 
  were 
  

   used 
  as 
  burden 
  bearers 
  and 
  for 
  hunting. 
  The 
  corn 
  they 
  planted, 
  and 
  when 
  it 
  grew 
  

   they 
  found 
  it 
  good 
  to 
  eat, 
  and 
  they 
  continued 
  to 
  plant 
  it. 
  

  

  "The 
  people 
  traveled 
  on 
  and 
  came 
  to 
  a 
  lake. 
  There 
  the 
  Omaha 
  found 
  a 
  Sacred 
  

   Tree 
  and 
  took 
  it 
  with 
  them. 
  The 
  people 
  (Ponca) 
  went 
  on 
  and 
  came 
  to 
  a 
  river 
  now 
  

   called 
  Nishu'de 
  (the 
  Missouri). 
  They 
  traveled 
  along 
  its 
  banks 
  until 
  they 
  came 
  to 
  

   a 
  place 
  where 
  they 
  could 
  step 
  over 
  the 
  water. 
  From 
  there 
  they 
  went 
  across 
  the 
  land 
  

   and 
  came 
  to 
  a 
  river 
  now 
  called 
  Nibtha'cka 
  (the 
  Platte). 
  This 
  river 
  they 
  followed, 
  

   and 
  it 
  led 
  them 
  back 
  to 
  the 
  Missouri. 
  

  

  "Again 
  they 
  went 
  up 
  this 
  river 
  until 
  they 
  came 
  to 
  a 
  river 
  now 
  called 
  Niobrara, 
  

   where 
  we 
  live 
  to-day." 
  

  

  The 
  latter 
  part 
  of 
  this 
  legend, 
  which 
  deals 
  with 
  the 
  Ponca 
  move- 
  

   ments 
  after 
  the 
  Omaha 
  found 
  the 
  Sacred 
  Tree, 
  has 
  been 
  obtained 
  

   from 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  old 
  men. 
  All 
  follow 
  the 
  general 
  outline 
  given 
  

   by 
  Standing 
  Buffalo, 
  while 
  some 
  preserve 
  details 
  omitted 
  by 
  him, 
  

   as 
  the 
  meeting 
  with 
  the 
  Padouca 
  (Comanche), 
  the 
  obtaining 
  of 
  

   horses, 
  etc., 
  which 
  are. 
  given 
  elsewhere. 
  (See 
  p. 
  78.) 
  

  

  HOW 
  WHITE 
  EAGLE 
  BECAME 
  A 
  CHIEF 
  

  

  The 
  following 
  account 
  of 
  how 
  White 
  Eagle 
  (pi. 
  3) 
  came 
  to 
  be 
  a 
  

   chief 
  was 
  given 
  by 
  him 
  ten 
  years 
  or 
  more 
  ago 
  and 
  was 
  introductory 
  

   to 
  the 
  information 
  he 
  then 
  imparted 
  to 
  the 
  writers. 
  He 
  regarded 
  

   83993°— 
  27 
  eth— 
  11 
  1 
  

  

  