﻿fletchek-la 
  flesche] 
  RITES 
  PERTAINING 
  TO 
  THE 
  INDIVIDUAL 
  129 
  

  

  whatever 
  is 
  good, 
  that 
  may 
  Wako 
  B/ 
  da 
  give." 
  Four 
  days 
  upon 
  the 
  hills 
  shall 
  the 
  

   youths 
  pray, 
  crying. 
  When 
  they 
  slop, 
  they 
  6hall 
  wipe 
  their 
  tears 
  with 
  the 
  palms 
  of 
  

   their 
  hands 
  and 
  lift 
  their 
  wet 
  hands 
  (o 
  the 
  sky, 
  then 
  lay 
  them 
  to 
  the 
  earth. 
  This 
  was 
  

   the 
  people's 
  first 
  appeal 
  to 
  Wako 
  n 
  'da. 
  

  

  The 
  closing 
  statement 
  as 
  to 
  "the 
  first 
  appeal'' 
  should 
  not 
  be 
  taken 
  

   literal!}", 
  for 
  the 
  rite 
  thus 
  said 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  introduced 
  is 
  too 
  com- 
  

   plex, 
  and 
  embodies 
  beliefs 
  that 
  must 
  have 
  required 
  a 
  long 
  time 
  for 
  

   formulation 
  into 
  the 
  dramatic 
  forms 
  observed 
  in 
  this 
  rite. 
  

  

  The 
  old 
  men, 
  when 
  explaining 
  the 
  rite, 
  said 
  "It 
  must 
  be 
  observed 
  

   by 
  all 
  youths. 
  After 
  the 
  first 
  time, 
  the 
  youth 
  could 
  repeat 
  the 
  rite 
  

   until 
  he 
  was 
  old 
  enough 
  to 
  marry 
  and 
  had 
  children; 
  by 
  that 
  time 
  

   his 
  life 
  was 
  fixed, 
  and 
  he 
  prayed 
  no 
  more 
  unless 
  he 
  was 
  a 
  priest, 
  then 
  

   he 
  would 
  continue 
  to 
  fast 
  and 
  pray." 
  "In 
  the 
  No 
  n 
  'zhi 
  n 
  zho 
  n 
  ," 
  it 
  was 
  

   further 
  explained, 
  "the 
  appeal 
  was 
  to 
  Wako 
  n 
  'da, 
  the 
  great 
  power. 
  

   There 
  were 
  other 
  powers 
  — 
  the 
  sun, 
  the 
  stars, 
  the 
  moon, 
  the 
  earth 
  — 
  

   but 
  these 
  were 
  lesser; 
  the 
  prayer 
  was 
  not 
  to 
  them." 
  The 
  old 
  men 
  

   added: 
  "The 
  appeal 
  was 
  for 
  help 
  throughout 
  life. 
  As 
  the 
  youth 
  

   goes 
  forth 
  to 
  fast 
  he 
  thinks 
  of 
  a 
  happy 
  life, 
  good 
  health, 
  success 
  in 
  

   hunting; 
  in 
  war 
  he 
  desires 
  to 
  secure 
  spoils 
  and 
  escape 
  the 
  enemy; 
  

   if 
  he 
  should 
  be 
  attacked 
  that 
  the 
  weapons 
  of 
  his 
  adversaries 
  might 
  

   fail 
  to 
  injure 
  him. 
  Such 
  were 
  the 
  thoughts 
  and 
  hopes 
  of 
  the 
  youth 
  

   when 
  he 
  entered 
  upon 
  this 
  fast, 
  although 
  he 
  was 
  forbidden 
  to 
  ask 
  for 
  

   any 
  special 
  favor." 
  The 
  rite 
  No 
  n 
  'zhi 
  n 
  zho 
  n 
  was 
  observed 
  in 
  the 
  

   spring; 
  never 
  in 
  the 
  summer 
  or 
  winter. 
  The 
  meaning 
  of 
  putting 
  clay 
  

   on 
  the 
  head 
  has 
  been 
  explained 
  in 
  different 
  ways. 
  Some 
  have 
  said 
  

   it 
  symbolized 
  humility; 
  others 
  that 
  it 
  referred 
  to 
  the 
  soft 
  clay 
  or 
  

   mud 
  brought 
  up 
  by 
  the 
  diving 
  animals, 
  out 
  of 
  which 
  the 
  earth 
  was 
  

   created. 
  In 
  the 
  opinion 
  of 
  the 
  writers 
  the 
  latter 
  seems 
  the 
  more 
  

   probable 
  explanation. 
  

  

  In 
  preparation 
  the 
  youth 
  was 
  taught 
  the 
  following 
  prayer, 
  which 
  

   was 
  to 
  be 
  sung 
  during 
  the 
  ordeal 
  of 
  the 
  fast. 
  It 
  was 
  known 
  to 
  every 
  

   youth 
  in 
  the 
  tribe, 
  no 
  matter 
  what 
  his 
  gens." 
  This 
  prayer 
  must 
  be 
  

   accepted, 
  therefore, 
  as 
  voicing 
  a 
  fundamental 
  belief 
  of 
  the 
  entire 
  

   Omaha 
  tribe. 
  The 
  music 
  is 
  in 
  keeping 
  with 
  the 
  words, 
  being 
  un- 
  

   mistakably 
  an 
  earnest 
  invocation. 
  

  

  a 
  Every 
  male 
  was 
  obliged 
  to 
  pass 
  through 
  the 
  rite 
  of 
  No 
  n 
  'zhi 
  r 
  'zho 
  Q 
  when 
  he 
  reached 
  the 
  proper 
  age; 
  

   whether 
  he 
  should 
  continue 
  to 
  practise 
  the 
  rite 
  was 
  lett 
  to 
  his 
  personal 
  choice. 
  The 
  No 
  n 
  'zhi 
  n 
  zbon 
  

   was 
  not 
  obligatory 
  on 
  girls 
  or 
  women 
  but 
  they 
  sometimes 
  went 
  through 
  the 
  fast, 
  for 
  the 
  rite 
  was 
  open 
  

   to 
  them 
  

  

  83993°— 
  27 
  eth— 
  11 
  9 
  

  

  