82 THE OSAGE TRIBE. [bth. ann. 39 



23. There is a third bend of the river, 



24. Toward which they shall direct their footsteps. 



25. Verily, it is not tlrree bends of a river that is meant, 



26. There is a third Little House toward which they shall direct their 



footsteps. 



27. When they direct their footsteps toward that Little House, 



28. Then shall the little ones always take with ease their footsteps. 



29. When they direct their footsteps toward that Little House, 



30. Then shall you all come there, carrying your little wa-xo'-be, it 



has been said, in this house. 



SONG. 



It is to the Sacred House that I am going, etc. 

 Wl'-GI-E. 



4. 



3L Toward what shall they direct their footsteps, they said to one 

 another, it has been said, in this house. 



32. Toward the setting of the sun, 



33. There is a fourth bend of the river, toward which they shall 



direct their footsteps. 



34. Verily, it is not four bends of a river that is meant, 



35. There is a fourth Little House toward which they shall direct 



their footsteps. 



36. When they direct their footsteps toward that Little House, 



37. Then shall the little ones always take '\v'ith ease their footsteps. 



38. When they direct their footsteps toward that Little House, 



39. Then shall you all come there, carrying your little wa-xo'-be, it 



has been said, in tliis house. 



The division of the wi'-gi-e into four sections, each of which men- 

 tions a "little house" as the real object of the processional approach, 

 has reference to the original organization of the four great tribal 

 divisions established for the government of war movements. To 

 each one of these great divisions was given an eagle symbol. While 

 four "little houses" are severally mentioned in the wi'-gi-e, there is 

 but one house that must be ceremonially approached when about to 

 organize a war party or at an initiation of a member into the nays- 

 teries of the war rites, that of the Ho^'-ga U-ta-no°-dsi. 

 ■ In the year 1898 Miss Alice C. Fletcher, who had begun a study 

 of the Osage tribe, obtained from fo^-wo^'-i-hi, of the Tsi'-zhu 

 Wa-shta'-ge gens, the names of these fom* tribal divisions as follows: 



1. Wa-zha'-zhe, 



2. Ho°'-ga Wa'-tse-ga-wa. 



3. ^in'-dse-a-gthe. 



4. Ho°'-ga LT-ta-no°-dsi. 



