36 THE OSAGE TRIBE 



[ETH. ANN. 43 



the Wa'-tse-tsi at the east end on the south side and those of the 

 Tsi'-zhu at the east end on the north side. (Fig. 1.) The house 

 then becomes the home of these two gentes for the time being and 

 for the purposes of the ceremony. The Wa'-tse-tsi is the Peace 

 gens of the Ho°'-ga great tribal division, its life symbol is the water 

 portion of the earth. The hereditary chief of the Ho°'-ga division 

 was chosen from this gens. The Tsi'-zhu is the Peace gens of the 

 Tsi'-zhu great division. Its life symbol is the clear blue sky. The 

 hereditary chief of the Tsi'-zhu great division was chosen from this 

 gens. 



Tsi Ta'-pe (Approach to the House) 



The purpose of the Ki'-no° ceremony is to prepare the Xo'-ka 

 who represents the child to be named to approach in the prescribed 

 manner the house wherein sit the No'"-ho°-zhi°-ga of the Wa'-tse-tsi 

 and the Tsi'-zhu gentes, the first representing the life-giving power 

 of water and the latter the life-giving power of the sun whose abode 

 is in the great blue sky. The Xo'-ka is to come to the sacred house 

 as a suppliant for a full and complete life, uninterrupted by diseases 



13 



Fig. 1.— Diagram showing places of gentes in tho lodge. 1. Tsi'-zhu Wa-shta-ge; 

 2. Wa-tse-tsi Wa-shta-ge; 3. Tsi'zhu Wa-no"; 4. Hoo'-ga A-hiu-to°; 5. Mi-k'i»' 

 Wa-no»; 0. Wa-ca'-be; 7. Tho'-xe; 8. 0'po»; 9. Ho' I-ni-ka-shi-ga; 10. Wa-zha'- 

 zhe i;ka; II. Ta' I-ni-ka-shi-ga; 12. I'-gtho-'-ga: 13. Sho'-ka 



or accidents, and for an endless line of descendants. The cere- 

 monial approach of the Xo'-ka to the sacred house is called fsi 

 Ta'-pe (Tsi, house; Ta'-pe, approach), as to a place of refuge. 



At the close of the Ki'-no° ceremony the Xo'-ka wraps about his 

 body a buffalo robe, hair outside, and thus clothed in his sacerdotal 

 attire he goes out of his own house to make his processional approach 

 to the sacred house, following his Sho'-ka who precedes him in the 

 march. After the manner of all suppliants who approach Wa-ko°'-da, 

 the Xo'-ka carries with him a little pipe with which to make a smoke 

 offering to that mysterious power that controls all life. The Xo'-ka 

 and the Sho'-ka, on their solemn approach to the House of Mystery, 

 keep a certain distance apart. When they have gone some 40 or 50 

 paces they make a pause and the Xo'-ka sings the following song, 

 after which he recites the first section of the wi'-gi-e called Wa'-gi- 

 thu-ge Wi'-gi-e (Footstep Wi'-gi-e). The song precedes each of the 

 four sections of the wi'-gi-e: 



