242 THE OSAGE TKIBE. [ktii. ann. 39 



105. They shall live to see their hair whitened and feathery with age, 



as they travel the path of life. 



106. So stands the cedar to be used as medicine by the little ones. 



107. They (the little ones) took footsteps and moved on, it has been 



said, in this house. 



108. Verily, to the edge of a river where they paused and stood, 



109. And the river spake, saying: Behold the right side of my body, 



110. Wliich I have made to be the sign of my old age. 



111. When the little ones make of me their bodies, 



112. There shall be no causes of death on the right side of their 



bodies. 



113. Behold the current and bed of my waters, 



114. Within the hollow of my body. 



115. When the little ones make of me their bodies, 



116. Within the hollow of their bodies there shall be no causes of 



death, as they travel the path of life. 



117. The wavelets upon my surface 



118. I have made to be the sign of my old age. 



119. When the little ones make of me their bodies, 



120. They shall not fail to live to see old age, as they travel the path 



of life. 



121. The strong current that lies here, 



122. Is the windpipe through which I breathe. 



123. When the little ones make of me their bodies, 



124. Within their windpipes there shall be no causes of death, as 



they travel the path of life. 



TSI'-ZHU WA-SHTA'-GE VERSION OF THE NO^'-ZHJ^-ZHO" 



RITE. 



The Seven Songs. 



By Sho'''-ge-mo''-i''. 



During the month of May, 1916, Sho°'-ge-mo°-i" (PI. 9, B) gave the 

 Tsi'-zhu Wa-shta'-ge version of the_ No°'-zhi°-zho° ritual. This old 

 man, who died in October, 1919, belonged to the Ba'-po subgens of 

 the Tsi'-zhu Wa-shta'-ge (Peace) gens of the fsi'-zhu tribal division. 

 When this aged member of the No°'-ho°-zhi°-ga order made up his 

 mind to recite the ritual he asked for a week's time to refresh his 

 memory and to put into their established sequence the six wi'-gi-es and 

 96 songs of which the ritual is composed. When the old man had 

 thus recalled to naind the ritual he recited the wi'-gi-es and sang the 

 songs without any hesitancy. 



