310 THE OSAGE TRIBE. [eth. ANN. 39 



Song 8. 



(Osage version, p. 497; literal translation, p. 617.) 



-, ., I Transcribed by Alice C.Fletcher 



. M. M. J = 88 



I-tho-tonhonthihi 



r ' r r r r 



hi tha no", Sho"-tQi" wa-ha ko"-ha 



r 



thihi 



r r 



ni tha no", 



r r r 



I - tho -to" ho" thi hi 



r r 



hi tha no", 



m 



gJ^F 



^m 



The words of Song 9 are not translatable; they were pui-posely dis- 

 guised by the ancient No" '-ho^-zhi^-ga in order that their meaning 

 might not be profaned by comnaon use. As explained by old Sho°'- 

 ge-mo°-i°, the song points to that part of the Wa-do'-ka We-ko cere- 

 mony where bits of the flesh of the slain enemy were offered to the 

 four winds, the four clays which symbolize abiding places of the Mys- 

 terious Being known to the Osage antl other Siouan tribes as Wa- 

 ko'^'-da, a Power that controls the destiny of all living things. 



The offerings made in the Wa-do'-ka We-ko ceremony, to which the 

 song points, are in recognition of the response given to the appeals of 

 the people and of the aid granted to the attacking warriors. By this 

 act also the spirit of the slain enemy is released, which, it is believed, 

 will at once take the path that leads to the Osage spirit land. 



As the A'-ki-ho" Xo'-ka comes to the third line of the song he 

 pauses at the fifth syllable, when the Xo'-ka, the initiator, gives a 

 series of mystic cries that are supposed to be potent in m-ging onward 

 the departing spirit of the slain enemy. 



