62 



THE OSAGE TRIBE. 



[ETH. ANN. 39 



Xo'-ka directs the Sho'-ka to take to the head man of tlie Tse-do'-ga 

 I^-dse (Buffalo-bull-faoe) gens a piece of buffalo skin (Fig. 1) and to 

 spread it before him. Tlie Sho'-ka performs this duty and also presents 

 to the head man of the gens a blanket as afee for the reciting of the Moc- 

 casin Wi'-gi-c. Having performed this act, the Sho'-ka takes up a knife 

 and holds it in i-eadiness to perform his part of the ceremony. The 



Fig. 1.— Diagram of cutting of buffalo skin for symbolic moccasins. 



head man then begins to recite the wi'-gi-e relating to the cutting of 

 the material for the symbolic moccasins. When he comes to the 

 fourth line of the fourth section the Sho'-ka cuts, in pantomime, the 

 skin, beginning at the center and ending at the edge on the right side. 

 In like manner he cuts the skin from the center to the edge nearest to 

 himself. This ceremonial act has a triple meaning: (1) The act of 



