LAFLBSCHE] RITE OF VIGIL/ FREE TRANSLATION. 207 



announcement to the Holy Men before he proceeds to sing: "Ho, 

 No°'-ho"-zhi"-ga, I have now come to the Six Songs." This brief 

 form of the notice is used by most of the gentes. But Tse-zhi°'-ga-wa- 

 da-i°-ga of the Tho'-xe gens when acting as A'-ki-ho" Xo'-ka at an 

 initiation by his own gens used the following, which is probably the 

 original form: "Ho, No°'-ho°-zhi°-ga, these are all of the buffalo 

 songs that belong to and close the Seven Songs. I have now come to 

 the Six Songs. From now on there will be dramatic acts to which I 

 ask you to give particular attention." The dramatic acts to which 

 the A'-ki-ho° Xo'-ka asks attention are called "We'-ga-xe," a term 

 wliich may be freely translated as meaning acts performed for the 

 purpose of making clear certain thoughts which words can not ade- 

 quately express, as, for example, at the singing of the Songs of the 

 Symbolic Arrows, the Xo'-ka who dances to the music sets in flight 

 (figuratively) two arrows toward the setting of the sim. One of these 

 arrows is painted red to represent day and the other black to repre- 

 sent night. The acts of setting the arrows in flight denote Time, 

 measured by the ever-recurrent day and night (see p. 233). The bow 

 used for sending forth the arrows is also a symbol of day and night, its 

 breast being painted red and its back black. 



These two groups of buffalo songs, one of wliich closes the first 

 part of the ritual and the other which opens the second part, are 

 regarded as one group and as supplicatory in character. They relate 

 to the buffalo, a food animal, and to the corn, a food plant. Both of 

 these forms of life are held sacred because they are believed to be 

 direct gifts to the people from the Mysterious Power, whence comes 

 life in all its multifarious forms, the ability to move, to reproduce its 

 kind, in order that each one may bear its particular part in the great 

 drama of life. 



The No^'-ho^-zhi^-ga who arranged the songs and the wi'-gi-es to 

 be used in the tribal rites as expressions of the desire for divine aid 

 did not employ terms that could be taken as direct appeals to the 

 Mysterious Power, but cryptic forms were used, the real meaning of 

 which could be understood only by the initiated. For instance, the 

 ancient men did not say in these songs and wi'-gi-es: "O, Wa-ko^'-da, 

 give us continually the buffalo in order that we may live ;" nor did they 

 ask, "Wa-ko°'-da, give us ever the harvests of corn that we may con- 

 tinue to have food." These sftpplications are implie<l by the language 

 used in the songs and wi'-gi-es as well as by the general acceptance of 

 the tribal rites as expressive of appeals for divine aid. 



The buffalo and corn songs in their entirety belong to the Tho'-xe 

 gens who gave permission to each of the other gentes to use a desig- 

 nated number in their versions of the tribal rites. 



The buffalo and corn songs here given by Wa-xthi'-zhi of the Puma 

 gens, and by Sho^'-ge-mo^-i" of the Tsi'-zhu Wa-shta'-ge gens are 



