﻿fletcher-i.a 
  flesi 
  BE] 
  RITES 
  PERTAINING 
  TO 
  THE 
  INDIVIDUAL 
  117 
  

  

  Introduction 
  of 
  the 
  Child 
  into 
  the 
  Tribe 
  

   ceremony 
  of 
  turning 
  the 
  child 
  

  

  The 
  name 
  of 
  this 
  ceremony 
  was 
  Thiku'\vi 
  n 
  xe 
  {fid, 
  a 
  prefix 
  indi- 
  

   cating 
  action 
  by 
  the 
  hand; 
  lcu'wi 
  n 
  xe, 
  "to 
  turn"). 
  Although 
  the 
  child 
  

   is 
  not 
  mentioned, 
  it 
  is 
  understoed 
  as 
  being 
  referred 
  to. 
  The 
  trans- 
  

   lation 
  of 
  the 
  term, 
  therefore, 
  would 
  be 
  "turning 
  the 
  child." 
  

  

  All 
  children, 
  both 
  boys 
  and 
  girls, 
  passed 
  through 
  this 
  ceremony, 
  

   which 
  is 
  a 
  survival 
  of 
  that 
  class 
  of 
  ceremonies 
  belonging 
  to 
  the 
  

   lowest, 
  or 
  oldest, 
  stratum 
  of 
  tribal 
  rites; 
  it 
  is 
  directly 
  related 
  to 
  the 
  

   cosmic 
  forces 
  — 
  the 
  wind, 
  the 
  earth, 
  and 
  the 
  fire. 
  Through 
  this 
  cere- 
  

   mony 
  all 
  the 
  children 
  who 
  had 
  reached 
  the 
  period 
  when 
  they 
  could 
  

   move 
  about 
  unaided, 
  could 
  direct 
  their 
  own 
  steps, 
  were 
  symbolically 
  

   "sent 
  into 
  the 
  midst 
  of 
  the 
  winds" 
  — 
  that 
  element 
  essential 
  to 
  life 
  

   and 
  health; 
  their 
  feet 
  were 
  set 
  upon 
  the 
  stone 
  — 
  emblem 
  of 
  long 
  life 
  

   upon 
  the 
  earth 
  and 
  of 
  the 
  wisdom 
  derived 
  from 
  age: 
  while 
  the 
  

   "flames," 
  typical 
  of 
  the 
  life-giving 
  power, 
  were 
  invoked 
  to 
  give 
  their 
  

   aid 
  toward 
  insuring 
  the 
  capacity 
  for 
  a 
  long, 
  fruitful, 
  and 
  successful 
  

   life 
  within 
  the 
  tribe. 
  Through 
  this 
  ceremony 
  the 
  child 
  passed 
  out 
  of 
  

   that 
  stage 
  in 
  its 
  life 
  wherein 
  it 
  was 
  hardly 
  distinguished 
  from 
  all 
  

   other 
  living 
  forms 
  into 
  its 
  place 
  as 
  distinctively 
  a 
  human 
  being, 
  

   a 
  member 
  of 
  its 
  birth 
  gens, 
  and 
  through 
  this 
  to 
  a 
  recognized 
  place 
  in 
  

   the 
  tribe. 
  As 
  it 
  went 
  forth 
  its 
  baby 
  name 
  was 
  thrown 
  away, 
  its 
  feet 
  

   were 
  clad 
  in 
  new 
  moccasins 
  made 
  after 
  the 
  manner 
  of 
  the 
  tribe, 
  and 
  

   its 
  rd'Jcie 
  name 
  (see 
  p. 
  136) 
  was 
  proclaimed 
  to 
  all 
  nature 
  and 
  to 
  the 
  

   assembled 
  people. 
  

  

  The 
  significance 
  of 
  the 
  new 
  moccasins 
  put 
  on 
  the 
  child 
  will 
  appear 
  

   more 
  clearly 
  by 
  the 
  light 
  of 
  the 
  following 
  custom, 
  still 
  observed 
  in 
  

   families 
  in 
  which 
  all 
  the 
  old 
  traditions 
  of 
  the 
  tribe 
  are 
  conserved 
  : 
  

   When 
  moccasins 
  are 
  made 
  for 
  a 
  little 
  baby, 
  a 
  small 
  hole 
  is 
  cut 
  in 
  

   the 
  sole 
  of 
  one. 
  This 
  is 
  done 
  in 
  order 
  that 
  "if 
  a 
  messenger 
  from 
  the 
  

   spirit 
  world 
  should 
  come 
  and 
  say 
  to 
  the 
  child, 
  'I 
  have 
  come 
  for 
  you,' 
  

   the 
  child 
  could 
  answer, 
  'I 
  can 
  not 
  go 
  on 
  a 
  journey 
  — 
  my 
  moccasins 
  

   are 
  worn 
  out 
  ! 
  " 
  A 
  similar 
  custom 
  obtains 
  in 
  the 
  Oto 
  tribe. 
  A 
  

   little 
  hole 
  is 
  cut 
  in 
  the 
  first 
  pair 
  of 
  moccasins 
  made 
  for 
  a 
  child. 
  When 
  

   the 
  relatives 
  come 
  to 
  see 
  the 
  little 
  one 
  they 
  examine 
  the 
  moccasins, 
  

   and, 
  seeing 
  the 
  hole, 
  they 
  say: 
  "Why, 
  he 
  (or 
  she) 
  has 
  worn 
  out 
  his 
  

   moccasins: 
  he 
  has 
  traveled 
  over 
  the 
  earth!" 
  This 
  is 
  an 
  indirect 
  

   prayer 
  that 
  the 
  child 
  may 
  live 
  long. 
  The 
  new 
  (whole) 
  moccasins 
  put 
  

   on 
  the 
  child 
  at 
  the 
  close 
  of 
  the 
  ceremony 
  of 
  introducing 
  it 
  into 
  the 
  

   tribe 
  constitute 
  an 
  assurance 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  prepared 
  for 
  the 
  journey 
  of 
  

   life 
  and 
  that 
  the 
  journey 
  will 
  be 
  a 
  long 
  one. 
  

  

  The 
  ceremony 
  of 
  Turning 
  the 
  Child 
  took 
  place 
  in 
  the 
  spring- 
  

   time, 
  after 
  the 
  first 
  thunders 
  had 
  been 
  heard. 
  When 
  the 
  < 
  r 
  iass 
  was 
  

  

  