270 THE OSAGE TRIBE (eth. ann. 38 



it habitable for all living creatures. He also gave to the people the 

 four clays of various colors for ceremonial use, and in this ceremony 

 two of these clays were used as signs of the No'''-zhi°-zho''. The 

 No'"-ho''-zhi°-ga respond by saying, "Hau," and begin to wash their 

 faces. Xu-tha'-wa-to"-!" remarked, with a smile, "If the head of 

 the 0'-pxo° gens should neglect his duty, the No^'-ho^-zhi^-ga, to 

 this day, would be obliged to go about having on their faces the signs 

 of No'"-zhi°-zho''." 



At this stage of the ceremony the three men appointed to the duty 

 of dividing into equal shares the food provided by the candidate 

 busy themselves with this task and place a share before each member 

 of the order. Afterwards the wife or daughter of each member enters 

 to take home the food. 



The division of the food supply being finished, all the members of 

 the No^'-ho^-zhi^-ga, excepting those who belong to the particular 

 gens that is conferring the degree, rise to go to their homes, having 

 performed their part of the ceremony. The No°'-ho°-zhi°-ga of the 

 Tsi'-zhu Wa-no° gens, who, in this instance, are supposed to confer 

 the degree, remain seated as the members of the other gentes file out 

 in an orderly procession. 



Instructions to the Wife of the Initiate 



The A'-ki-ho" Xo'-ka then directs the Sho'-ka to conduct the wife 

 of the candidate into the lodge, that she may receive instructions as 

 to the performance of certain ceremonial rites which she ma}^ desire 

 to observe in the course of her life. As she enters she is followed by 

 a number of women, most of whom are her relatives. Each one 

 brings her fees tied in a bundle, as does the wife of the candidate. 

 The Sho'-ka now hands each woman a digging pole and a woven 

 bag, symbolic of her vocation. Seats are assigned the women in a 

 row facing the initiator, the candidate, and the A'-ki-ho° Xo'-ka. 

 When all have taken their places, the A'-ki-ho° Xo'-ka, addressing 

 only the candidate's wife, begins his instructions as follows (Osage 

 version, p. 452): 



Ho ! my daughter-in-law, I shall now tell you of the rite of Ki'-no°. 



The first part of the Ki'-no° rite, which you may wish to observe 

 in order to successfully bring up your little ones to maturity, is this: 

 If it so happens that the animal brought home to your house is a 

 result of the first chase and the animal is a mature female buffalo 

 and you think the skin suitable for a covering for your little ones, 

 you shall dress the skin, making it pleasing to look upon, and make 

 it soft and pleasant to the touch. You shall then say: My father- 

 in-law has sanctioned the act I am about to perform and has said 

 that it shall not be without a purpose. You shall take red clay 

 that has been gathered from a cliff and with it redden the sides and 



