98 THE OSAGE TRIBE. [eth. ann. 39 



by which the people could in an orderly manner organize their 

 military forces for defensive or offensive warfare. Their gatherings, 

 their councils religiously held, partook of a mysterious nature and 

 were therefore regarded by the people as something higher than the 

 ordinary practices of life, consequently the term "Grandfather" 

 could fittingly be applied. 



As the A'-ki-ho° Xo'-ka sings the sixth song the following cere- 

 monial movements are performed by the Xo'-ka, who sits facing the 

 west. With his right hantl he grasps the bird around its body and 

 makes it dance to the rhythm of the music. At the fourth line of 

 the first stanza the Xo'-ka lifts aloft the bird to the full length of 

 his arm and then with a quick downward stroke describes an undu- 

 lating line. This undulating line from the zenith to the earth is for 

 the winds that come from the north with violence and destructive 

 force. The singing and the dancing of the bird continues without 

 pause imtil the fourth line of the second stanza, when the Xo'-ka 

 again lifts aloft the bird to the full length of his arm and -with a 

 cjuick movement from the zenith to the earth makes a straight line. 

 'This straight line is for the winds that come from the east, following 

 the straight path of the sun to the zenith with gentleness and life- 

 giving influence. The song and the dancing of the bird go on until 

 the fourth line of the third stanza, when the Xo'-ka again lifts the 

 bird to the zenith and brings it down to the earth with an undulating 

 line. This movement is for the south, whence come the hot winds 

 that are destructive to plants. The dancing and the singing con- 

 tinue without pause until the fourth line of the last stanza, when the 

 Xo'-ka once more lifts the bird to the zenith and brings it down in 

 a straight line. This movement is the straight path from the zenith 

 to the west whence come the refresliing winds and rain. 



This song with its ceremonial acts also indicates that the symbolic 

 bird stands at the middle of the earth over which the sun passes on 

 its westward journey, shedding as it goes its life-giving influence 

 toward the north and toward the south. 



It is not possible to give a full translation of the words of the 

 song, for the reason that all but a few of them are archaic or obso- 

 lete. The words that are translatable are as follows: Tsi-go tsi, 

 my grandfather has come; in the first and third stanza, Ba-xo" tse, 

 the undulating; in the second and fourth stanzas, Tho-to° tse, the 

 straight. 



