296 THE OSAGE TRIBE. [eth. an.n. 39 



Is a person to whom nothing is beyond understanding. 

 He flies swiftly through and througli the dense forests. 

 And as swiftly he makes his way thrcjugh the carrion upon which 



he feeds. 

 When, before the break of day, O, ye valiant men, 

 I make him to be a weapon for you, 

 Your weapons shall.not be ineffective. 

 Or, when in the evening of the day, 

 I make liim to be a weapon for you, 

 Your weapons shall not be ineffective, O, ye valiant men. 



The hawk is given a prominent place in the tribal war rites as a 

 symbol of courage and aggressiveness. He is gifted with swiftness 

 of wing and makes his attack with unerring precision, striking his 

 prey so that it is imable to flee ''beyond the brow of the nearest 

 hill." The hawk is spoken of in the wi'-gi-e as "My grandfather," 

 a term by wliich the No"'-ho°-zhi°-ga expressed their reverence for 

 the power of undamited courage which has been bestowed upon the 

 bird. By the recitation of the wi'-gi-e the Do-do°'-ho°-ga asks that 

 the arrows of his warriors be given the same accuracy and precision 

 that has been bestowed upon the hawk when he attacks his enemy. 



The crow figures prominently in the ancient rites, not because the 

 bird is gifted with a warlike nature, but because of its divining 

 instincts. When a host of men go forth that mystic bird knows 

 that a feast will be provided for him between foe and foe. It is that 

 instinct of the crow to which the No°'-ho"-zlii°-ga refer when they 

 say, "My grandfather is a person to whom nothing is beyond under- 

 standing," meaning that to him nothing is hidden. The term "My 

 grandfather" used in speaking of the crow refers to the gift from the 

 mysterious power bestowed upon the hawk, a warlike spirit, and 

 upon the crow, a mystic instinct that directs it to the fields of combat 

 or the chase. 



The meaning of the word wa-^'i"-da, used in both stanzas of Song 1, 

 could not be explained, but it is thought to be the archaic name for 

 bird. 



The translation of a line or two from each stanza of the first two 

 songs will explain their meaning. 



