﻿FLETCHEB-LA 
  FLESCHE] 
  SOCIETIES 
  495 
  

  

  in 
  songs 
  and 
  symbols 
  refer 
  to 
  the 
  creative 
  cosmic 
  forces 
  typified 
  by 
  

   night 
  and 
  day, 
  the 
  earth 
  and 
  the 
  sky, 
  forces 
  which 
  were 
  also 
  repre- 
  

   sented 
  in 
  the 
  fundamental 
  ideas 
  on 
  which 
  the 
  tribal 
  organization 
  

   rested. 
  

  

  The 
  One 
  Hundred 
  Wathi 
  n 
  'ethe 
  

  

  As 
  has 
  been 
  said, 
  the 
  requisite 
  for 
  entrance 
  into 
  the 
  IIo 
  n 
  'hewachi 
  

   was 
  that 
  the 
  candidate 
  should 
  be 
  able 
  to 
  count 
  at 
  least 
  one 
  hundred 
  

   irtii/ii'i'tthe 
  (see 
  p. 
  202); 
  but 
  in 
  making 
  this 
  "count" 
  he 
  could 
  not 
  

   include 
  those 
  wathl 
  n 
  'ethe 
  (gifts) 
  which 
  he 
  had 
  made 
  to 
  the 
  Seven 
  

   Chiefs 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  insure 
  admission 
  into 
  the 
  order 
  of 
  Ni'kagahi 
  xu'de, 
  

   as 
  he 
  had 
  made 
  these 
  gifts 
  for 
  another 
  purpose, 
  one 
  that 
  pertained 
  

   solely 
  to 
  his 
  ambition 
  to 
  become 
  a 
  chief. 
  The 
  waihi 
  n 
  'ethe 
  which 
  could 
  

   be 
  "counted" 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  secure 
  entrance 
  into 
  the 
  Ho 
  n 
  'hewachi 
  were 
  

   similar 
  in 
  character 
  to 
  those 
  already 
  described 
  as 
  requisite 
  to 
  

   entrance 
  into 
  the 
  Ni'kagahi 
  xu'de 
  but 
  they 
  were 
  not 
  directly 
  con- 
  

   nected 
  with 
  the 
  Seven 
  Chiefs. 
  Among 
  the 
  classes 
  of 
  acts 
  and 
  gifts 
  

   that 
  "counted" 
  and 
  ranked 
  high 
  were 
  those 
  benefiting 
  the 
  tribe 
  and 
  

   those 
  made 
  to 
  a 
  very 
  poor 
  man 
  or 
  woman. 
  

  

  The 
  following 
  story 
  was 
  told 
  of 
  Waha'xi, 
  a 
  noted 
  chief 
  who 
  died 
  

   before 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  the 
  nineteenth 
  century: 
  One 
  day 
  an 
  old 
  woman 
  

   came 
  to 
  his 
  tent, 
  entered, 
  and 
  sat 
  down 
  near 
  the 
  door. 
  No 
  one 
  

   noticed 
  her 
  for 
  quite, 
  a 
  while, 
  but 
  presently 
  the 
  chief 
  bade 
  his 
  wife 
  

   clothe 
  the 
  old 
  woman. 
  So 
  the 
  packs 
  were 
  opened 
  and 
  Waha'xi's 
  

   wife 
  took 
  out 
  various 
  garments, 
  dressed 
  the 
  woman 
  in 
  fine 
  leggings, 
  a 
  

   tunic 
  of 
  red 
  cloth, 
  and 
  wrapped 
  about 
  her 
  a 
  red 
  blanket. 
  Then 
  the 
  

   chief 
  arose 
  and 
  placed 
  corn 
  in 
  her 
  hand 
  and 
  sent 
  her 
  home. 
  The 
  ap- 
  

   pearance 
  of 
  the 
  gayly 
  clad 
  old 
  woman 
  bearing 
  corn 
  attracted 
  the 
  

   attention 
  of 
  the 
  people, 
  and 
  the 
  chief, 
  ahead}' 
  of 
  high 
  rank, 
  was 
  

   permitted 
  to 
  "count" 
  this 
  act 
  of 
  clothing 
  the 
  beggar 
  as 
  a 
  xoatld 
  n 
  ' 
  ethe 
  . 
  

  

  Making 
  continuations 
  for 
  bringing 
  about 
  peace 
  both 
  within 
  and 
  

   without 
  the 
  tribe 
  was 
  an 
  act 
  of 
  public 
  merit 
  and 
  could 
  be 
  "counted;" 
  

   so 
  also 
  could 
  gifts 
  which 
  were 
  made 
  to 
  put 
  an 
  end 
  to 
  a 
  period 
  of 
  

   mourning, 
  as 
  the 
  following 
  will 
  illustrate: 
  On 
  the 
  death 
  of 
  a 
  member 
  

   of 
  the 
  tribe 
  who 
  was 
  greatly 
  respected 
  all 
  societies 
  suspended 
  their 
  

   meetings 
  and 
  all 
  dances 
  ceased. 
  Sometimes 
  a 
  year 
  might 
  pass, 
  the 
  

   village 
  keeping 
  silence 
  to 
  honor 
  the 
  memory 
  of 
  the 
  dead. 
  At 
  length 
  

   a 
  chief 
  would 
  call 
  the 
  people 
  together 
  and 
  whoever 
  chose 
  to 
  contribute 
  

   toward 
  the 
  gifts 
  to 
  be 
  made 
  to 
  the 
  mourners 
  could 
  "count 
  " 
  his 
  gift. 
  

   The 
  collected 
  gifts 
  were 
  borne 
  by 
  two 
  men 
  to 
  the 
  lodge 
  of 
  the 
  mourn- 
  

   ers. 
  For 
  the 
  honor 
  of 
  bearing 
  the 
  gifts 
  each 
  of 
  these 
  men 
  gave 
  a 
  

   horse. 
  When 
  the 
  bearers 
  of 
  the 
  gifts 
  arrived 
  at 
  the 
  lodge, 
  the 
  rela- 
  

   tives 
  of 
  the 
  deceased 
  were 
  thus 
  addressed: 
  " 
  You 
  have 
  grieved 
  many 
  

   days. 
  Your 
  hair 
  has 
  grown 
  long. 
  We 
  have 
  brought 
  these 
  gifts 
  that 
  

   you 
  may 
  cut 
  your 
  hair 
  and 
  return 
  to 
  the 
  people." 
  Then 
  the 
  chief 
  

  

  