276 THE OSAGE TRIBE. [eth. ann. 39 



back his hair with the palms of his hands to which still cling particles 

 of the moistened soil. 



Each line of the stanzas begins with the word Tsi-go, grandfather. 

 The word as here used is not a kinship term but is employed to 

 express reverence. The moistened soil is thus reverently addressed 

 as it symbolizes the earth, one of Wa-ko°'-da's abiding places, and 

 is therefore regarded as sacred. 



At the singing of this song the Wa'-do°-be rises and begins to 

 recount his o-do°', using thirteen of the rods permanently kept for 

 ceremonial counting piu"poses. The candidate had presented these 

 rods to the Wa'-do°-be immediately after he had conducted him to 

 his place, after first dividing the rods into two bundles, one containing 

 seven and the other six. 



The other gentes of the tribe when performing this ceremony use 

 thirteen fresh willow saplings for recoimting o-do"', but the Tsi'-zhu 

 Wa-shta'-ge avoid the use of these because they were originally dedi- 

 cated to represent acts of violence and the destruction of human life 

 (see Wa-thu'-fe Wi'-gi-e, p. 148). .Sho°'-ge-mo°-i°, who is a member 

 of the Tsi'-zhu Wa-shta'-ge gens, explained that when he was chosen 

 to act as Wa'-do°-be by any of the gentes on the Ho^'-ga side he was 

 obliged to use the willow saplings to recoimt his o-do"' because the 

 rituals of all the gentes except the two Peacemaker gentes require 

 the use of the willow sapling in this part of the ceremony. 



The counting of the o-do"', the reciting of the wi'-gi-es, the wailing 

 during the singing of the song, are all going on at the same time. 

 When the candidate, having passed along the Ho°'-ga side, arrives at 

 the end of the line of No^'-ho^-zlii^-ga, on the fsi'-zhu side, he stops 

 and remains standing but continues his wailing until the reciting of 

 the wi'-gi-es comes to a close, when he takes his seat at the side of the 

 Xo'-ka. 



The words of the five lines of the five stanzas of this song are practi- 

 cally the same. They refer to the act of gathering of the clay, moist- 

 ening it, and putting it upon the face and head during the rite of 

 vigil. 



