344 



THE OSAGE TRIBE. 



IbTH. ANN. 39 



M. M. 



73 



Song 6. 



version, p. 607: literal translation, p. 625.) 



Transcribed by Alice C. Fletcher 



4^\ ^ i ^- J A J ;.. 1-^- 



^ 



S 



^ 



*^ r " f f r 



Time beats 



Ki-tha we sho" ni wa 



r T f T" 



Ki-tha we sho" ni wa, 



Tha wi-tha tse sho" ni wa, Ki-tha we sho" ni wa, 



m 



i 



^ 



r 



Ki 



tha 



r 



we 



r 



sho" 



ni 



wa. 



Black Bear Songs. 



The next group of songs is entitled Wa-pa'-be Wa-tho°, Black Bear 

 Songs; Wa-fa'-be, Black Bear; Wa-tho°, Songs. 



The meaning of Song 1 of this group is obsciu-e, the words being 

 either archaic or purposely corrupted to disguise them. The Osage, 

 like their cousins, the Omaha, treasure the mystic songs that have 

 lost their meaning as well as those that are clear to the initiated, for 

 all ritual songs that have been handed down from the ancient 

 Non'-ho^-zhi^-ga are held sacred as being the utterances of holy men. 



Song 1. 



(Osage version, p. 508; literal translation, p. 625.) 

 M AI J - 84 Transcribed by Alice C.Fletcher 





^ 



^ 



■ Time beats 



E 



r r 



no" ge ge ta 



r r 



ta tha no", E 



r r 



no°, ge ge ta 



ta tha no", E 



