86 THE OSAGE TRIBE 



[ETH. ANN. 43 



5. We'-thi''-zhi''-ga, Slender-strap. The strap they made out of 

 the skin of the left hind leg of the animal was long and slender, and 

 when they had finished it, 



526. They said: Slender-strap, also, 



527. We shall make to be our sacred personal name^ 



549. The skin of the left side 



550. They cut in a circle, 



552. And seven slender straps 



553. They made of it for the Tsi-zhu who possesses seven fireplaces, 



554. One for each fireplace, 



556. And they said: We shall consecrate these straps for ceremonial 

 use. 



—(36th Ann. Kept. Bur. Amer. Ethn., pp. 268-269.) 



These seven straps cut from the left side of the buffalo were to 

 serve as types for similar straps to be ceremonially made for each 

 of the other gentes of the tribe when about to go to war, to use in 

 tying captives. 



6. He-thi'-shi-zhe, Curved-horn. As the people saw the horns of 

 the buffalo they exclaimed: 



558. Behold the left horn, 



559. We shall consecrate it for ceremonial use, 



561. Therefore Curved-horn, also, 



562. We shall make to be our sacred personal name. 



—(36th Ann. Rept. Bur. Amer. Ethn., p. 269.) 



7. He-thi'-zha-ge, Outspread-horns. The people noticed that the 

 horns of the buffalo stood wide apart and outspread and so they ex- 

 claimed : 



564. Outspread-horns, also, 



565. We shall make to be our sacred personal name. 



566. And they said, again: Behold the left horn, 

 568. We consecrete it for ceremonial use. 



—(36th Ann. Rept. Bur. Amer. Ethn., p. 269.) 



Personal names relating to any of the life symbols of a gens serve 

 to keep the members informed of their place in the gentUe and tribal 

 organization. For example: Men who were given such names as 

 Ho-go"', White-fish; To'-ho-ho-e, Blue-fish; and Ho'-ki-e-gi, Wrig- 

 gling-fish, know that they are members of the Ho'-i-ni-ka-shi-ga, 

 Fish-people, gens whose life symbol is the Fish, and that the place of 

 their gens is in the Wa-zha'-zhe, the first of the two subdivisions of the 

 Ho'"-ga great tribal division which symbolizes the earth. The Wa- 

 zha'-zhe subdivision typifies the water portion of the earth. 



