338 THE OSAGE TRIBE. [hth. ann.,39 



Song 7. 

 (Osage version, p. 506; literal translation, p. 624.) 

 MM J - na Transcribed by Alice C. Fletcher 



r r r 



Time beats 'I ' ' ' f f f 



He-thawi - tha ha ha, he - tha "wi- tha ha ha, 



r - r r 



He-thawi -tha ha ha 



r 



r r 



he - tha wi - tha ha 



ha. 



y r r n I J }=s 



r r 



He-thawi -tha ha ha. 



he-thawi-tha ha. ha. 



Elk Songs. 



The next group of six songs is called O'-pxo" Wa-tho°, Elk Songs, 

 0'-pxo°, Elk; Wa-tlio°, Songs. 



The first song points back to the mythic story of the descent of 

 all forms of life from the sky to the earth, which was found to be 

 covered with water. The words of the song imply an expectation of 

 the subsidence of the water and the earth to become beautified with 

 an adornment of hair (verdure). (See Ni'-ki Wi'-gi-e, 36th Ann. 

 Rept. B. A. E., pp. 165-169, lines 284 to 433.) 



In Songs 1 and 2 the Elk is represented as speaking as though for 

 the earth, which is uninhabitable as yet, being incomplete in form. 



A free translation of two lines will make clear the meaning of the 

 song. 



