﻿FLETCHEB-LA 
  TLESCHJB] 
  TRIBAL 
  ORGANIZATION 
  187 
  

  

  passed 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  simple 
  relation 
  it 
  bore 
  to 
  its 
  parents 
  and 
  was 
  reborn, 
  

   so 
  to 
  speak, 
  as 
  a 
  member 
  of 
  the 
  tribe. 
  A 
  detailed 
  account 
  of 
  this 
  cere- 
  

   mony 
  in 
  connection 
  with 
  the 
  consecration 
  of 
  the 
  child 
  and 
  its 
  entrance 
  

   into 
  the 
  tribe 
  has 
  been 
  given 
  (p. 
  117). 
  

  

  On 
  the 
  fourth 
  day 
  after 
  the 
  birth 
  of 
  a 
  child 
  a 
  baby 
  name 
  was 
  given 
  

   to 
  it, 
  and 
  if 
  it 
  was 
  a 
  boy, 
  a 
  belt 
  ornamented 
  with 
  the 
  claws 
  of 
  the 
  

   wild-cat 
  was 
  put 
  about 
  its 
  body. 
  The 
  significance 
  and 
  use 
  of 
  the 
  skin 
  

   of 
  the 
  wild-cat 
  and 
  the 
  skin 
  of 
  the 
  fawn 
  in 
  reference 
  to 
  the 
  stars 
  and 
  

   the 
  newly 
  born 
  were 
  mentioned 
  in 
  connection 
  with 
  the 
  lost 
  stellar 
  

   rites 
  of 
  the 
  Tapa' 
  gens 
  which 
  referred 
  to 
  the 
  sky, 
  the 
  masculine 
  

   (father) 
  element. 
  If 
  the 
  child 
  was 
  a 
  girl, 
  a 
  girdle 
  of 
  mussel 
  shells 
  

   strung 
  on 
  a 
  string 
  was 
  put 
  around 
  her. 
  Here, 
  again, 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  noted 
  

   the 
  connection 
  of 
  the 
  shell 
  with 
  water 
  and 
  of 
  water 
  as 
  the 
  medium 
  

   for 
  transmitting 
  power 
  from 
  the 
  Above 
  to 
  the 
  mother 
  earth. 
  The 
  

   placing 
  of 
  these 
  symbolic 
  emblems 
  on 
  the 
  infant 
  constituted 
  a 
  prayer 
  

   for 
  the 
  preservation 
  of 
  the 
  tribe 
  and 
  for 
  the 
  continuation 
  of 
  life 
  

   through 
  children. 
  

  

  There 
  is 
  a 
  curious 
  tradition 
  concerning 
  the 
  formation 
  of 
  the 
  Nini'- 
  

   bato" 
  subdivision 
  in 
  this 
  gens. 
  At 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  the 
  organization 
  of 
  

   the 
  tribe 
  in 
  its 
  present 
  form, 
  when 
  this 
  group 
  of 
  families 
  was 
  selected 
  

   and 
  the 
  pipe 
  was 
  offered 
  them, 
  they 
  refused, 
  their 
  chief 
  saying: 
  "I 
  

   am 
  not 
  worthy 
  to 
  keep 
  this 
  pipe 
  that 
  represents 
  all 
  that 
  is 
  good. 
  I 
  

   .iin 
  a 
  wanderer, 
  a 
  bloody 
  man. 
  I 
  might 
  stain 
  this 
  sacred 
  article 
  with 
  

   blood. 
  Take 
  it 
  back." 
  Three 
  times 
  was 
  the 
  pipe 
  offered 
  and 
  rejected 
  ; 
  

   the 
  fourth 
  time 
  the 
  pipe 
  was 
  left 
  with 
  them 
  and 
  the 
  old 
  men 
  who 
  

   brought 
  it 
  turned 
  away; 
  but 
  the 
  families 
  returned 
  the 
  pipe, 
  accom- 
  

   panied 
  with 
  many 
  gifts, 
  because 
  they 
  feared 
  to 
  accept 
  the 
  responsi- 
  

   bility 
  put 
  upon 
  them 
  by 
  the 
  reception 
  of 
  the 
  pipe. 
  But 
  again 
  they 
  

   were 
  remonstrated 
  with, 
  and 
  finally 
  the 
  pipe 
  and 
  the 
  duties 
  connected 
  

   with 
  it 
  were 
  fully 
  accepted. 
  These 
  duties 
  consisted 
  in 
  not 
  only 
  fur- 
  

   nishing 
  a 
  member 
  of 
  the 
  Council 
  of 
  Seven 
  Chiefs, 
  which 
  governed 
  the 
  

   tribe, 
  but 
  in 
  the 
  preservation 
  and 
  recital 
  of 
  a 
  ritual 
  to 
  be 
  used 
  when 
  

   the 
  two 
  Sacred 
  Pipes 
  belonging 
  to 
  the 
  tribe 
  were 
  filled 
  for 
  ceremonial 
  

   purposes, 
  as 
  at 
  the 
  inauguration 
  of 
  chiefs 
  or 
  some 
  other 
  equally 
  impor- 
  

   tant 
  tribal 
  event. 
  The 
  recitation 
  of 
  this 
  ritual 
  was 
  essential 
  when 
  

   the 
  tobacco 
  was 
  placed 
  in 
  the 
  pipes 
  to 
  make 
  them 
  ready 
  for 
  smoking. 
  

   This 
  ritual 
  is 
  now 
  irrevocably 
  lost. 
  Its 
  last 
  keeper 
  was 
  Mo 
  n 
  'hi 
  n 
  ei. 
  

   He 
  died 
  about 
  1850 
  without 
  imparting 
  the 
  knowledge 
  <>f 
  the 
  ritual 
  

   to 
  anyone." 
  

  

  " 
  Ii 
  is 
  said 
  that 
  he 
  withheld 
  it 
  from 
  his 
  son 
  because 
  of 
  the 
  latter's 
  nervous, 
  energetic 
  temperament. 
  

   Hi 
  1 
  thought 
  thai 
  , 
  with 
  added 
  years, 
  the 
  young 
  man 
  would 
  be 
  able 
  to 
  become 
  the 
  quiel 
  . 
  sedate 
  person 
  

   to 
  whom 
  so 
  Important 
  an 
  office 
  might 
  lie 
  safely 
  trusted; 
  but 
  death 
  overtook 
  the 
  old 
  man 
  before 
  he 
  was 
  

   satisfied 
  that 
  he 
  ought 
  to 
  put 
  his 
  saered 
  charge 
  into 
  the 
  keeping 
  of 
  his 
  son. 
  Since 
  his 
  death 
  the 
  Sacred 
  

   Tribal 
  Pipes 
  have 
  never 
  been 
  ceremonially 
  filled. 
  The 
  son 
  developed 
  into 
  a 
  fine, 
  trustworthy 
  man, 
  

   wilh 
  a 
  remarkably 
  well-poised 
  mind 
  but 
  with 
  a 
  great 
  fund 
  of 
  humor. 
  

  

  