ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT 19 



people ever mindful of the necessity of an orderly and au- 

 thoritative conduct of M^ar. It goes to show that the prin- 

 ciple of vpar was early recognized by the Osage as the 

 surest means by which not only tribal and individual life 

 might be safeguarded against strange and hostile tribes, 

 but also as the means by which the tranquil enjoyment of 

 game and other natural i^roducts of their enviromnent 

 might be won. It is to this coveted tranquillity that the 

 closing lines of many of the rituals refer, invariably lik- 

 ening it to a " serene day." This degree employs ritual 

 almost entirely, there being only 10 songs. The native 

 ritual comprises 57 typewritten pages, of which a large 

 part has been translated. 



In the spring of 1913 Mr. La Flesche obtained the Rush 

 Mat Weaving degree of the Puma and Black Bear gentes. 

 Only the " Seven Songs " spoken of before, with various 

 ceremonial foiTQS, are employed in this degree, the " Six 

 Songs " being entirely omitted. The distingviishing fea- 

 tures are the ceremonial weaving of the rush mat for the 

 sacred case in which were enshrined the bird and other 

 sacred objects, the renewal of all the articles that make 

 up the sacred bundle, and the ceremonial stitching of the 

 ends of the case. In some respects this is one of the most 

 extraordinary degrees of the Osage that Mr. La Flesche 

 has yet observed, since in its performance there are used 

 70 brass kettles, 70 red-handled knives, and 70 awls in 

 making the various articles, all of which the votary is 

 obliged to furnish, together Avith other exjDensive articles 

 that constitvite the fees of the initiator and other officiating 

 No"'ho"zhi"ga, as also 70 pieces of choice jerked meat for 

 distribution among the members attending the initiation. 

 Three rituals not used in the other degrees are employed 

 in this, namely, the Green Rush ritual, the Bark ritual, 

 and the Stitching and Cutting ritual. There are 61 pages 

 of Osage text, about half of which have been transcribed. 



Mr. La Flesche also obtained the rituals and songs of 

 the Washabe Athi", " The Carrying of a Dark Object," 

 with full description of the various processions and cere- 



