﻿fletcher-la 
  fleschb] 
  LOCATION; 
  LINGUISTIC 
  RELATIONSHIPS 
  61 
  

  

  This 
  subgroup 
  acts 
  as 
  sho'ka 
  in 
  the 
  rites 
  of 
  the 
  Thunder 
  people. 
  

  

  (b) 
  Nu'xe, 
  ice. 
  This 
  is 
  the 
  name 
  of 
  a 
  people 
  from 
  the 
  upper 
  

   world. 
  When 
  one 
  came 
  down 
  he 
  was 
  asked, 
  "What 
  are 
  you?" 
  

   He 
  answered, 
  "I 
  am 
  Nu'xe," 
  ice 
  or 
  hail. 
  

  

  Sub-Shoka 
  group, 
  Tseto'ga 
  zhoigara 
  (tseto'ga, 
  buffalo 
  bull). 
  

  

  The 
  two 
  divisions 
  of 
  the 
  Osage 
  tribe 
  were 
  called 
  the 
  Tsi'zhu 
  and 
  

   the 
  Ho 
  n 
  'ga. 
  The 
  Tsi'zhu 
  was 
  composed 
  of 
  two 
  kinship 
  groups 
  

   and 
  occupied 
  the 
  northern 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  tribal 
  circle 
  viewed 
  as 
  having 
  

   the 
  opening 
  at 
  the 
  east. 
  The 
  position 
  of 
  the 
  Osage 
  Thunder 
  group 
  

   was 
  similar 
  to 
  that 
  occupied 
  by 
  the 
  Omaha 
  I 
  n 
  shta'cu 
  n 
  da, 
  whose 
  

   name 
  and 
  rites 
  referred 
  to 
  thunder, 
  and 
  the 
  Tsi'zhu 
  division 
  seems 
  

   in 
  a 
  measure 
  to 
  correspond 
  to 
  the 
  ideas 
  symbolized 
  by 
  the 
  northern 
  

   half 
  of 
  the 
  Omaha 
  tribal 
  circle. 
  (See 
  p. 
  138.) 
  

  

  The 
  Ho 
  n 
  'ga 
  division 
  was 
  composed 
  of 
  three 
  kinship 
  groups. 
  Those 
  

   given 
  in 
  the 
  diagram 
  on 
  page 
  58 
  show 
  that 
  their 
  positions 
  with 
  rela- 
  

   tion 
  to 
  one 
  another 
  changed 
  during 
  tribal 
  rites 
  and 
  ceremonies, 
  but 
  

   remained 
  stable 
  in 
  comparison 
  with 
  the 
  Tsi'zhu 
  division. 
  The 
  simi- 
  

   larity 
  between 
  the 
  position 
  and 
  the 
  duties 
  devolving 
  on 
  this 
  southern 
  

   half 
  of 
  the 
  oriented 
  Osage 
  tribal 
  circle 
  and 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  correspond- 
  

   ing 
  division 
  of 
  the 
  Omaha 
  suggests 
  a 
  strong 
  probability 
  that 
  both 
  

   organizations 
  had 
  a 
  common 
  pattern 
  or 
  origin. 
  

  

  While 
  the 
  Ponca 
  tribe 
  does 
  not 
  present 
  the 
  picture 
  of 
  a 
  closely 
  

   organized 
  body, 
  the 
  similarity 
  in 
  the 
  position 
  of 
  the 
  Nu'xe 
  gens 
  of 
  

   the 
  Ponca 
  as 
  compared 
  with 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  Nu'xe 
  group 
  of 
  the 
  Osage 
  

   seems 
  to 
  indicate 
  the 
  perpetuation 
  of 
  some 
  idea 
  or 
  belief 
  common 
  

  

  to 
  the 
  two 
  tribes. 
  

  

  Adoption 
  Ceremony 
  

  

  The 
  ceremony 
  of 
  adoption 
  into 
  the 
  Osage 
  Iribe 
  throws 
  light 
  on 
  

   the 
  functions 
  and 
  symbolism 
  of 
  the 
  Osage 
  groups. 
  It 
  was 
  described 
  

   by 
  old 
  chiefs 
  as 
  follows: 
  

  

  When 
  a 
  war 
  party 
  took 
  a 
  captive, 
  anyone 
  who 
  had 
  lost 
  a 
  child 
  or 
  who 
  was 
  without 
  

   children 
  could 
  adopt 
  the 
  captive 
  to 
  fill 
  the 
  vacant 
  place. 
  After 
  the 
  ceremony 
  the 
  

   person 
  became 
  an 
  Osage 
  in 
  all 
  respects 
  as 
  one 
  born 
  in 
  the 
  tribe 
  and 
  was 
  subject 
  to 
  

   the 
  duties 
  and 
  requirements 
  of 
  the 
  family 
  into 
  which 
  he 
  entered 
  by 
  a 
  kind 
  of 
  new 
  

   birth. 
  

  

  When 
  a 
  captive 
  was 
  held 
  for 
  the 
  purpose 
  of 
  adoption, 
  the 
  captor 
  sent 
  an 
  invitation 
  

   to 
  the 
  leading 
  men 
  of 
  the 
  Tsi'zhu 
  washtage, 
  who 
  were 
  peacemakers, 
  and 
  also 
  to 
  the 
  

   chiefs 
  of 
  the 
  Pgro^'ga, 
  who 
  had 
  charge 
  of 
  war 
  rites. 
  Food 
  was 
  prepared 
  and 
  set 
  before 
  

   these 
  leaders, 
  when 
  the 
  host, 
  in 
  a 
  solemn 
  speech, 
  set 
  forth 
  his 
  desire 
  to 
  adopt 
  the 
  cap- 
  

   tive. 
  Thereupon 
  these 
  leaders 
  sent 
  for 
  the 
  leading 
  men 
  who 
  were 
  versed 
  in 
  the 
  rituals 
  

   of 
  the 
  groups 
  which 
  were 
  to 
  take 
  part 
  in 
  the 
  ceremony. 
  These 
  were 
  the 
  Nu'xe, 
  ice; 
  

   the 
  O'pxo", 
  elk; 
  the 
  I'batse, 
  wind; 
  the 
  Wa'tsetsi, 
  water; 
  and 
  the 
  Ho"'ga, 
  who 
  were 
  

   the 
  leaders 
  of 
  the 
  tribal 
  hunt. 
  When 
  all 
  were 
  assembled 
  the 
  captive 
  was 
  brought 
  and 
  

   placed 
  in 
  the 
  back 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  lodge 
  opposite 
  the 
  entrance, 
  the 
  seat 
  of 
  the 
  stranger. 
  

   Then 
  the 
  ritual 
  used 
  at 
  the 
  initiation 
  and 
  naming 
  of 
  a 
  child 
  born 
  in 
  the 
  tribe 
  was 
  given. 
  

   This 
  ritual 
  recounts 
  the 
  creation 
  and 
  history 
  of 
  the 
  tribe 
  and 
  the 
  four 
  stages 
  of 
  man's 
  

   life. 
  At 
  the 
  close 
  the 
  captive 
  was 
  led 
  to 
  the 
  chief 
  of 
  the 
  Tsi'zhu 
  washtage, 
  who 
  

  

  