38 THE OSAGE TRIBE 



[ETH. ANN, 43 



are addressed to the child upon whom is to be conferred his personal, 

 gentile name, and who is to be given his place in the Puma gens into 

 which he was born. The star referred to in the song is the sun, the 

 greatest life symbol of the Puma gens. 



In the first section of the "Footstep Wi'-gi-e," which the Xo'-ka 

 recites as he makes his processional approach to the House of Mys- 

 tery, the sun is referred to as the "Male Star." The first line of the 

 wi'-gi-e, "Toward what shall the little ones take their footsteps," 

 implies that much thought was given by the ancient No°'-ho''-zhi°-ga 

 to the question as to the places where prayers for aid for the attain- 

 ment of long life should be directed. The lines that follow imply 

 that the No"'-ho°-zhi°-ga had finally arrived at the belief that if the 

 "Little Ones " go with their prayers to the "Male Star, " the sun, they 

 would find the way by which they could reach old age. The authors 

 of these peculiar rites in speaking of long life did not only mean the 

 attainment of old age by the child but they also meant the continuity 

 of its life by procreation. 



In the second section of the wi'-gi-e the moon is referred to as the 

 "Female Star." The same form that is used for the sun is also used 

 for the moon. The pairing of these two great cosmic bodies in this 

 wi'-gi-e suggests a procreative relationship between the two. The 

 last two sections of the wi'-gi-e are repetitions of the first two. These 

 repetitions are made in order to complete the mystic number four. 

 The moon, referred to in the second section as the female star, is the 

 life symbol of the Wa-^a'-be, or the Black Bear gens. 



Wlien he Xo'-ka have finished reciting the first section of the Foot- 

 step Wi'-gi-e, which speaks of the approach of the little ones to the 

 sun, he and the Sho'-ka continue their march. Again they pause and 

 the Xo'-ka recites the second section which tells of the approach of 

 the little ones toward the moon seeking for long life. The fourth 

 pause brings them to the door of the House of Mystery, which they 

 enter, followed by the A'-ki-ho° Xo'-ka and the No^'-ho^-zhi^-ga of 

 the Puma gens who are to give their child a place in the visible 

 universe. They take their place at the east end of the lodge where sit 

 the father and mother with the child. The No°'-ho°-zhi''-ga who had 

 been called to take part in the ceremony also enter and take their 

 fi.xed places, those belonging to the Ho"'-ga great division at the south 

 side and those of the Tsi'-zhu great division at the north side of the 

 lodge. (Fig. 1.) 



The Wa-the'-the Ceremony 



When all the No°'-ho''-zhi°-ga have become settled in their places, 

 according to gentes, the A'-ki-ho" Xo'-ka proceeds with the cere- 

 monial acts called Wa-the'-the, which, translated literally, means, 

 The Sending; that is, the sending of a fee of a blanket or other article 



