154 THE OSAGE TRIBE [eth. Ann, 30 



(late, his initiator, the master of ceremonies, and the official messenger 

 to the House of Mystery. Tie made, however, the general statement 

 that a man wishing to be initiated into the degree sends the Slio'ka 

 (oflicial messenger) of his gens for the No'''-ho"-zhi°-ga whom he desires 

 to act as Xo'-ka (initiator) and to confer the degree. On the arrival of 

 the chosen Xo'-ka the candidate makes his formal application for 

 initiation. During the formal conversation the two address each 

 otlier by the ceremonial kinship terms, elder brother and jounger 

 brother. 



Requirements for Initiation 



Having come to an understanding as to the initiation, the two send 

 their Sho'-ka to summon the members of the order belonging to two 

 gentes — namely, the Tsi'-zhu Wa-no", the principal war gens of the 

 Tsi'-zhu division, and the Wa-zha'-zhe Wa-no°, the principal war 

 gens of the Ho^'-ga division. On the arrival of the No^'-ho^-zhi^-ga 

 summoned, the Xo'-ka, in a formal address, tells them that the 

 candidate wishes to be initiated into the mysteries of the Ni'-ki 

 degree of the war rites and asks permission to initiate him. \Vlien 

 the No°'-ho°-zhi°-ga of these two gentes have given their consent, a 

 matter of mere formality, the Xo'-ka himself, or a man chosen to 

 assist him, recites, for the benefit of the candidate, the Wa-dsu'-ta 

 I-hi-tho"-be Wi'-gi-e, "Wi'-gi-e of the Appearance of the Animals" 

 (the appearance of life in bodily form), which is given in lines 341 

 to 427 of the Ni'-ki Wi'-gi-e (p. 167). This act binds the candidate 

 to carry out his detennination to take the degree and the Xo'-ka to 

 confer it upon him. The candidate is given seven years within 

 which to prepare himself for the initiation. This he does by hunting 

 for the animal skins to be used as symbols in the ceremonies. 



When the candidate has collected the animal skins required for the 

 ceremony, the fees for the Xo'-ka, the A'-ki-ho" Xo'-ka, the leaders 

 of the gentes that take an active part in the ceremonies, and the pro- 

 visions for the entertainment of all the members of the order, he is 

 then ready to take the degree. Having thus prepared himself for 

 the initiation, the candidate sends his Sho'-ka to give formal notice 

 to the Xo'-ka that he is ready to "sing" the "Ni'-ki Songs." 



The following daj', before sunrise, the Sho'-ka, A'-ki-ho° Xo'-ka, 

 and the candidate go together to the house of the Xo'-ka, the Sho'-ka 

 carrying the Xo'-ka mi, ceremonial robe for the Xo'-ka, which is 

 a dressed buffalo skin, and also other ceremonial articles to be worn 

 by the Xo'-ka throughout the ceremony. The sjTnbolic ])ainting and 

 dressing of the Xo'-ka having been finished, the four men make the 

 'rsi-ta'-pc, the ceremonial approach, to the house of tlio candidate, 

 which, for the time, is the House of Mysterj'. 



