LA FLESCHE] INTRODUCTION 47 



the cliildren are attending the public schools, where they freely 

 associate with the white scholars and speak with them in English. 

 When at home the little ones use both languages, often dropping 

 from one to the other in their conversation without a break in the 

 sentence or flow of thought, both languages being spoken with eciual 

 fluency. 



Rites Given in this Volume 



The Osage tribal rites, which for generations running back beyond 

 the historic period were to the Osage people their law and their 

 religion, which kept them in constant touch with Wa-ko^'-da, are 

 now rapidly dying, as are the few old men to whom these rites were 

 transmitted with reverent care. Under the new conditions and the 

 new ideas introduced among the people by the white race these rites 

 will soon fade from the memory of the coming generations and be 

 lost beyond recovery. It was because of these rapid changes that 

 the ceremonial life of the people was given immediate attention when 

 taking up the study of the Osage tribal life. 



In this volume of the study of the Osage tribe the first place is 

 given to the rite called Ga-hi'-ge 0-k'o°, Rite of the Chiefs, for the 

 reason that in this rite is perpetuated the story of the vital changes 

 that took place in the ceremonial life of the Osage people during 

 the protracted transitional period through which the tribe passed. 

 Although the ancient No°'-ho"-zhi"-ga (the Seers) handed down the 

 story of the tribe's experiences in cryptic form, the story revealed 

 clearly to the studious members of the tribe that these men of the 

 ancient days were well aware of the historic fact that the tribal life 

 of the people, as well as their tribal institutions, were developed 

 gradually; that this gradual development was a process continually 

 stimulated not only by the desire for the preservation of the tribal 

 existence, but by actual hard experiences that taxed both the 

 physical and mental powers of the people and their leaders. This 

 rite also points back to the time when the life of the people as a 

 tribe was in a chaotic state; to their emergence therefrom; and to 

 their achievement of a tribal government well suited to safeguard 

 the people, as an organized body, from internal as well as from 

 external perils. Under this peculiar form of govei'nment the people 

 lived contentedly until within the last few decades. 



The second rite given in this volume is the Ni'-ki No°-k'o", Hear- 

 ing of the Sayings of the Ancient Men. In this rite is recorded the 

 thoughts that occupied the minds of the No"'-ho°-zhi°-ga when they 

 were formulating the external forms set forth in the preceding rite. 

 These thoughts were regarded by the ancient men as fundamental 

 to the tribal organization, which was to constitute the means by 

 which the people must meet the various demands of tribal existence. 



