LA FLBSCBE] 



NI -KI NO -K O" RITE 



153 



Order Fixed by the IN-gtho^'-ga Gens 



1. Wa-zhi^'-ga-o, The Rite of the Shooting of a Bird. 



2. No°'-zhi°-zho° Wa-tho°, The Songs of the Vigil Rite. 



3. Wa-xo'-be A-wa-tho°, The Singing of the Wa-xo'-be Songs. 



4. ^'a Tha-dse Ga-xe, The Making of the Rusli Mat Shrine. 



5. Mo^'-sha-ko" Ga-xe, The Making 



of the Sacred Burden-Strap (iig. 

 10). 



6. Wa-do'-ka We-ko, The Call to 



the Ceremonial Distribntidii of 

 Scalps. 



7. Ni'-ki No-'-k'o", The Hearing of tlic 



Sayings of the Ancient Men. 



The word Ni'-ki, the first part of the 

 title of the seventh degree, is a com- 

 bination of two words, Ni'-ka, men, 

 and i'-e, words or sayings. The last 

 part of the title used by the Tho'-xe 

 (Buffalo) gens is Wa-tho°', songs, 

 "Songs of the Sayings of the Ancient 

 Men." In the title used by the 1°- 

 gtho°'-ga (Puma) gens the word used 

 is No^-k'o", to hear, making the full 

 title Ni'-ki No^-k'o", The Hearing of 

 the Sayings of the Ancient Men. 



As the version about to be presented 

 of the Ni'-ki degree is that belonging 

 to the I^-gtho^'-ga (Puma) gens, the 

 title given by that gens to the degree 

 will be used in the rendition given by 

 Wa-xthi'-zhi (pis. 15, 16), who is a 

 member of that gens and a recognized 

 authority on the tribal rites. 



Both Wa-xthi'-zhi and Tse-zhi°'- 

 ga-wa-da-i°-ga stated that a candi- 

 ilate taking the Ni'-ki degree of the war 

 rites is entitled to sit at the initiatory ceremonies of all the other six 

 degrees, for the reason that the Ni'-ki contains all the ceremonial forms 

 embodied in each of those degrees. An initiate into one of the seven 

 degrees who wishes to learn the ritual is required first to memorize the 

 titles of these degrees in the order as fixed by his own gens. 



For some unexplained cause Wa-xthi'-zhi did not give a detailed 

 description of the preliminary ceremonies of the Ni'-ki degree — 

 namely, the Ki'-no°, the symbolic painting of the face and body of 

 the Xo'-ka; the putting on of his sacerdotal attire in a prescribed 

 manner; and the Tsi Ta'-pe, the ceremonial approach of the candi- 



FiG. 10.— Moo'-sha-ko" (Burden-strap). The 

 burden strap is the wa-xo'-be of the woman. 

 It is the emblem of her duty as a home- 

 builder. The Mc'-sha-ko" ceremonially 

 made for a woman must never be used for 

 ordinary purposes. Its place is at the right 

 of the door of her house if she is by birth a 

 Ho°'-ga, and at the left if she was bom a 

 Tsi'-zhu. The Mo»'-sha-koQ was made of 

 untanned buffalo skin. 



