186 THE OSAGE TRIBE. [bth. an.x.39 



appeal to the divine power for aid in overcoming their enemies. This 

 pm-pose is clearly set forth in lines 94 to 1 15 in the Black Bear Wi'-gi-e 

 given by Wa-tse'-moM'' (pp. 157-158). Lines 107 to 115 refer particu- 

 larly to the symbol and its significance. As described in the wi'-gi-e, 

 the bear tore open with his claws a hmnmock and disclosed the sacred 

 soil of the earth that is to be used as a sign of vigil. This act of the 

 bear in disclosing the sacred soil is a sacred and mysterious act, there- 

 fore he who is to open the earth in order to take from it with his hands 

 the soil to be used in his vigil must simulate in detail the actions of the 

 bear. 



In the first song of this group occurs the word " ta-ko," a word that 

 has become archaic, having long been out of use in the language as 

 commonly spoken. It is never heard except in this and in other 

 ancient songs of the rites where it has remained fixed and is still 

 carried along by the sacred rites. The people of this generation do 

 not understand the word and it is doubtful if there remain any of the 

 older people who can explain its meaning. 



The word "ta-ko" is not used by the Omaha and the Ponca, who 

 are closely related, linguistically, to the Osage, but it is found in the 

 dialects of the Dakota group that departed from the original tribe at 

 a remote period. Dr. vStephen R. Riggs, a well-known authoi-ity on 

 the Santee dialect of the Dakota, says, on page 56 of his book, entitled 

 "Tah'-koo Wah-kan," or Gospel Among the Dakotas: "The great 

 object of all their worsliip, whatever its chosen medium, is the Ta-koo 

 Wa-kan', wliich is the svpernatwal and mysterious. No one term can 

 express the full meaning of the Dakota's imlian'. It comprehends all 

 mystery, secret power, and divinity. Awe and reverence are its due. 

 And it is as xmlimited in manifestation as it is in idea. All life is 

 wakan'. So also is everything which exhibits power, whether in 

 action, as the \vinds and drifting clouds, or in passive endurance, as 

 the boulder by the wayside. For even the commonest sticks and 

 stones have a spiritual essence which must be reverenced as a mani- 

 festation of the all-pervading mysterious power that fills the universe." 



The word ta-koo is compounded with the word wa-kan, which is 

 akin to the term Wa-ko°'-da used by the Osage. Doctor Riggs also 

 gives ta-koo in another compound form, on page 64 of the same 

 volume, "Ta'-koo-shkan-shkan'," which he translates as "the moving 

 god,'' adding: "This god is too subtle in essence to be perceived by 

 the senses, and is as subtle in disposition." The Dakota word ta-koo, 

 which is imquestionably the same as the word ta-ko used in the Osage 

 Ritual, Doctor Riggs interi^rets as "god;" and the last part of the 

 compound word "shkan-shkan" he interprets as "moving." The 

 word "shkan-shkan" is used by the Osage, the Omaha, and the 

 Ponca tribes for expressing the same idea, that is, a continuous 



