IJ.PLBSCHE] RITE OF VIGIL^FKEE TRANSLATION. 101 



and upon their invitation, together with a promise that all the 

 Wa-xo'-be would be given to him, that person descended. Almost 

 as soon as he descended and alighted upon the ridgepole of the House 

 another terrifying noise was heard just outside of the door. The 

 Sho'-ka was again sent to see what person it was who could make 

 such a terrible noise. As the Sho'-ka threw aside the doorflap there 

 stood a huge buffalo bull who, as he pawed the earth, angrily bel- 

 lowed forth: "I am Tho'-xe, Lift ye your heads!" Struck with 

 terror, the No°'-ho°-zhi°-ga hastily gathered up the sacred emblems 

 and threw them toward the angry bull, whereupon he became quiet 

 and friendly. 



From this story it would appear that originally the Ni'-ka Wa-ko°- 

 da-gi was given the custody of the sacred emblems, but to settle a 

 dispute that arose between the two gentes concerning the office the 

 No°'-ho°-zhi"-ga made the two gentes joint custodians of the Wa- 

 xo'-be. The matter of precedence, however, remained vague and 

 undetermined. At an initiatory ceremony the Ni'-ka Wa-ko°-da-gi 

 must perform the service of renewing the decoration of the Hawk, 

 but if he happens to be absent then the Tho'-xe must act in his 

 place. The permanent office of the Tho'-xe was to officiate at the 

 ceremonial planting of the maize and also to furnish the material for 

 making the outside covering of the portable shrine. 



The Symbolic M^^^n. 



The seventh of this series of songs has a subtitle, Ni'-ka Xo-be 

 U-gthi° U-tha-ge, freely translated, Assigning the Holy Men Their 

 Seats. It is said that only a few of the No'''-ho°-zlii°-ga really know 

 to whom the greeting expressed in this song is addressed. Those 

 who have persistently striven to learn the meaning of this song have 

 found out that the greeting is addressed to the Symbolic Man, who 

 stands as a symbol of the unity of the people of the two great tribal 

 divisions, the Ho°'-ga and the Tsi'-zhu. In their conception of the 

 unity of life the ancient No°'-ho°-zhi''-ga included not only human 

 life but also all forms of life that issue from the combined influences 

 of the celestial and terrestrial worlds. 



The Symbolic Man is reverently addressed as fsi-go. Grandfather 

 because he is of a mysterious nature and also stands for the con- 

 tinuity of the tribal life. The song is an expression of gladness at 

 the coming of this mysterious person into existence as a man com- 

 plete in bodily form. To each part of liis body that empowers him 

 to move and act is given a stanza in the song : (1) pi, his feet by which 

 he has the power of standing; (2) hi, his legs by which he moves 

 from place to place; (3) zhu, his body which contains his vital parts; 

 (4) a, his arms by which he defends himself and procures the means 



