360 THE OSAGE TRIBE. 



[ETn. ANN. 39 



FREE TRANSLATION. 

 1. 



At what place the Vertical may be, there I am going, 

 Thence to put upon my grandfather the waving line. 



At what place the Vertical may be, there I am going, 

 Thence to put upon my grandfather the straight line. 



When the initiate has given the stroke that marks the center of 



the earth directly underneath the center of the sky, and has returned 



to his seat, the Xo'-ka rises, approaches the spot struck by the 



initiate, takes up the naystic weapon and stands in readiness to 



, complete the sjrmbolic figure. 



The A'-ki-ho° Xo'-ka sings the first stanza of the fom-th song and 

 as he reaches the tliird line the Xo'-ka lifts high above liis head the 

 symbolic weapon, then brings it down with a thud upon the earth 

 at the spot struck by his initiate and, with a sweeping motion, 

 describes from the zenith to the setting sun a straight line. 



Without a pause the A'-ki-ho" Xo'-ka continues to the second 

 stanza and at the third line the Xo'-ka again strikes the earth on 

 the central spot. This time he describes from the center of the 

 earth, away from the path of the God of Day, a waving line to mark 

 that part of the earth wliich lies to the right of that mystic path. 



The A'-ki-ho° Xo'-ka sings on and when he reaches the third line 

 of the third stanza the Xo'-ka gives the central spot on the earth 

 another vigorous stroke and describes a straight line from the zenith 

 to the eastern horizon. 



The singer continues to the fourth stanza and at the third line 

 the Xo'-ka gives the final stroke upon the earth and from the central 

 spot on the earth he describes a waving line to indicate that part of 

 the earth which lies at the left of the path of the God of Day. Thus 

 the Xo'-ka completes the symbolic figure that is not only emblem- 

 atic of the path upon which the God of Day forever travels but 

 of those parts of the earth to the right and to the left of the path to 

 which is bestowed by that god while on its westward journey its 

 life-giving touches. (See pp. 357-358.) 



In this dramatic fashion the ancient No'''-ho"-zhi°-ga have given 

 expression to their conception of the inseparable unity of the Sky and 

 the Earth out of whose combined mystic power the great pageant of 

 life goes forth on its endless journey. Tliis conception is the culmi- 

 nation of a long period of close religious study of nattu-e by those men 

 of the ancient days, and the echoes of the expression of this conception 

 are still heard by the generation living to-day. 



The conception of the unity of the Sky and the Earth is given 

 prominence and iterative symbolic expression: In the dual organize- 



