68 THE OSAGE TRIBE [eth. ann. 43 



enter and take their places back of the Xo'-ka and the parents and 

 sit in a row occupying the entire width of the house. Then the 

 No°'-ho°-zhi°-ga of the other gentes who are to take part in the cere- 

 mony enter, those of the Ho°'-ga great division taking their accus- 

 tomed places at the south side and those of the Tsi'-zhu great division 

 at the north side of the house. . (Fig. 1.) Except for the blankets of 

 various colors, the No°'-ho°-zhi°-ga were decorated alike, their 

 faces painted red, the color of the sun and the dawn, and a red 

 downy feather fastened to the scalplock of each one. 



A Life Symbol Sent to Each of the Officiating Gentes 



When all the No'"-ho°-zhi''-ga had settled down in their places, and 

 had exchanged with each other the usual social greetings, Sho^'-ge- 

 mo°-i° opens the proceedings with a formal statement, setting forth 

 the purpose of the gathering and adding some pertinent remarks con- 

 cerning the ancient rite of naming the children and their formal 

 recognition as members of the tribe. He then goes on to the cere- 

 mony of distributing the fees and the symbolic articles to be used in 

 the rite. The distribution was made in the following order: 



1. To the Wa'-tse-tsi, Star gens of the Wa-zha'-zhe subdivision 

 of the Ho^'-ga great division, he sent, by the Sho'-ka, cedar fronds 

 with fee. The cedar is a life symbol of the Wa'-tse-tsi gens. 



2. To the Tho'-xe, Buffalo-bull gens, of the Tsi'-zhu great division, 

 a bowl of shelled corn with fee. The maize is one of the life symbols 

 of the Tho'-xe. 



3. To the No"'-po°-da, Deer gens of the Wa-zha'-zhe subidivion 

 of the Ho°'-ga great division, a bowl of water with fee. Water is one 

 of the life symbols of the No°'-po''-da. 



4. To the Ci^'-dse-a-gthe, Wolf-tail gens, of the Tsi'-zhu great 

 division, fee only. The sun is one of the life symbols of this gens. 

 The Dog-star is also one of its symbols. 



5. I'-ba-tse Ta-dse, Wind gens of the Ho°'-ga subdivision of the 

 Ho^'-ga great division, a bowl of shelled corn. The Tho'-xe author- 

 ized the I'-ba-tse to use the maize ritual. This gens also has the 

 office of performing the ceremonies by which the souls of warriors 

 slain in battle are sent direct to the spirit land. 



Members of the Officiating Gentes Recite Their Wi'-gi-es 



Simultaneously 



When the Sho'-ka, the Ceremonial Messenger, had made the last 

 delivery of the symbolic articles and fees to the gentes above named, 

 each No°'-ho°-zhi''-ga begins to recite the wd'-gi-e of his gens relating to 

 its life symbol, such as the cedar fronds, the corn or water. As each 

 No°'-ho°-zhi°-ga recites the wi'-gi-e of his gens, old Sho'"-ge-mo°-i° 

 recites the Name Wi'-gi-e of his own gens, the Tsi-zhu Wa-shta-ge, 

 which is as follows: 



