72 THE OSAGE TRIBE 



[ETH. ANN. 43 



The child is next taken by the Sho'-ka to the head of the No°'- 

 po°-da gens, who blesses it in the same manner with the symbolic 

 water and cedar fronds. 



Then the little one is taken to the head of the I'-ba-tse gens, who 

 touches the lips, head, arms and body of the child with pounded corn, 

 besides the sacred water and cedar fronds. The touching of the 

 child with the Hfe-giving corn is an act of appeal to Wa-ko^'-da that 

 the child be not permitted to suffer for want of food during its life, 

 so that it may reach maturity and old age without difficulty. The 

 gentile symbol of the I'-ba-tse gens is the wind but it was authorized 

 by the Tho'-xe gens to use the corn ritual in its child-naming ritual. 



The Sho'-ka takes the little one from the I'-ba-tse to the head of 

 the Tho'-xe, BuiTalo-bull, gens. In the mythical story of the origin 

 of the maize it was Tho'-xe, Buffalo-bull, who gave to the people 

 the maize and the squash. (See 36th Ami. Kept. Bur. Amer. Ethn., 

 pp. 279-281, lines 54 to 110.) The head of the Tho'-xe gens takes 

 the little one in his arms and blesses it with the sacred water and cedar 

 fronds as did the Wa'-tse-tsi, then, mixing some of his own pounded 

 corn with that of the I'-ba-tse, he blesses the child with the sacred 

 corn, the life symbol of his own gens. The ceremonial act of the 

 Tho'-xe is an expression of the wish that the life-giving corn will aid 

 the new membisr of the Tsi'-zhu Wa-shta-ge gens to successfully 

 reach maturity and old age. 



The next to take the child in his arms and bless it with the sym- 

 bolic water, cedar fronds and corn is the head of the Qi°'-dse-a-gthe, 

 Wolf, gens. His ceremonial acts do not differ from those of the 

 Tho'-xe. 



The Sho'-ka then brings the little one to its own gens, the Tsi'-zhu 

 Wa-shta-ge, the People of Peace. The head of the gens takes the 

 little one in his arms and blesses it in the same manner in which the 

 Tho'-xe blessed it. This is the gens to whom the sick are brought 

 that they might taste of the sacred food prepared by them and be 

 strengthened. From this healing power the members of the gens 

 like to take the name, Wa-stse'-e-do°, Good-doctor. 



When each of these gentes had blessed the child in turn the Sho'-ka 

 brings the mother to the Xo'-ka, who places in her hands two little 

 sticks, each of which represents a sacred name of the gens of which 

 the little one has now become a member. The Xo'-ka bids her 

 take one of the names represented by the sticks. The mother 

 usually takes for her child the name that is most euphonious and which 

 she thinks has the greater religious significance. The selection of a 

 name for the new member of the gens closes the ceremony. 



During the month of April, 1916, Sho^'-ge-moM" was summoned 

 to the house of Wa-xthi'-zhi to name his grandson, whose father is 

 a member of the Tsi'-zhu Wa-shta-ge gens. Sho^'-ge-mo"-!" 



