262 



THE OSAGE TRIBE. 



[BTH. ANN. S3 



FREE TRANSLATION. 



Downward I shall send you, 

 Downward I send you, 

 Downward, to be untied, I send you, 

 Downward I shall send you. 



The third song is sung three times, each singing accompanied by- 

 certain ceremonial acts: 



(1) Tlie untying of the thongs tied around the middle and ends of 

 the deerskin bag antl removing tlierefrom the woven rush case. 



(2) The untying and removing of the symbolic rope wound around 

 the woven rush case. 



(3) The unfolding of the woven rush case and removing therefrom 

 the deerskin pouch containing the sacred hawk. 



The simple designs woven into the rush case represent night and 

 day. The flap and upper side of the woven rush case symbolizes the 

 sky, the under side the earth, and the inner part the space between the 

 earth and sky into which all living things come and make their home. 



The first word in each line, Sho^-ni-pa, is archaic and has lost its 

 meaning. It is probably the old ceremonial name of the woven rush 

 case. The tliird line refers to the unfolding of the symbolic case and 

 the removing therefrom of the hawk enshi-ined therein. 



Song 3. 



(Osage version, p. 4S2; literal translation, p. 607.) 



J Transcribed by Alice C Fletcher 



_ rll3 - 



Time beats ' ! ' ' f f 



Sho" ni pa wi" tha wi - tha tse. 



-^• i T T ^ ^ i r r r r i '"^"^ ' 



r r 



tha wi -tha ha, 



r r r 



Sho" ni pa wi" tha wi-tha ha 



^'i^ ^ ^ III 



S=i 



-^ P 



=P^ 



^ 



shke he i\ 



he. 



r r r r r r 



Sho" ni pa wi" tha wi - tha tse. 



The fourth song is for the drawing out of its deerskin pouch the 

 sacred hawk, the central figure of the ceremony. The song has four 

 stanzas, one for each of the ceremonial movements, which are as 

 follows : 



