226 THE OSAGE TRIBE [bth. ann. 36 



181. He made to appear by his strokes. 



182. Then he spake to the people, saymg: O, elder brothers, 



183. I have given you cause to be grateful and happy. 



184. When the little ones go toward the setting sun against their 



enemies, 



185. They shall take with them this blue soil as a sign of their sup- 



plications. 



186. When they use this soil as a sign of their supplications, 



187. Their prayers shall never fail to be heard as they travel the path 



of life. 



188. For a third time 



189. The Great Elk threw himself upon the water, 



190. And the red soil of the earth, 



191. He made to appear by his strokes. 



192. Then he spake to the people, saying: O, elder brothers, 



193. I have given you cause to be grateful and happy. 



194. When the little ones go toward the setting sun against their 



enemies, 



195. And take with them the red soil as a sign of their supplications, 



196. Their prayers shall never fail to be heard as they travel the path 



of life. 



197. For a fourth time 



198. The Great Elk threw himself upon the water, 



199. And the yellow soil of the earth, 



200. He made to appear by his strokes. 



201. Then he spake to the people, saying: O, elder brothers, 



202. I have given you cause to be grateful and happy. 



203. When the little ones go toward the setting sun against their 



enemies, 



204. And take with them the yellow soil as a sign of their suppli- 



cations, 



205. Their prayers shall never fail to be heard as they travel the 



path of life. 



206. O, elder brothers, 



207. I, who stand here, am a Ho°'-ga, a sacred person, The Great 



Elk by name, 



208. I, who stand here, am a Ho°'-ga, a sacred person, The Little 



Earth by name, 



209. I, who stand here, am a Ho°'-ga, a sacred person, Maker-of-the- 



Earth's-Soil by name.'^ 



" There is in the Omaha gentile organization a gens having this name, Mo»'-thi">-ka-ga-j[e, Maker-of-the- 

 Earth's-Soil. See Twenty-seventh Annual Report, B. A. E., p. 171. Long, in referring to this gens, says 

 the "Mon-eka-i;oh-haor Earthmakers * * * are said to have originated the present mode of mourning 

 by rubbing the liody with whitish clay" (Long's Expedition, Vol. 1, p. 327). While Mr. Long's state- 

 ment is not strictly accurate, it is interesting in so far as it bears testimony to the fai^t that the Omaha 

 clung to the supplicatory rite they call "Nc'-zhlo-zho"" when long ago they separated from the Osage. 

 The Osage also still call this rite by the same name, " Nc'-zlii'^zho"." 



