doiisey] THE ELK GENS. 227 



to flee to reach home. This service of the young men was considered 

 as equivalent to going on the war path. 



§ 24. Worship of the thunder in the spring. — When the first thunder is 

 heard in the spring of the year the Elk people call to their servants, 

 the Bear people, who proceed to the sacred tent of the Elk gens. When 

 the Bear people arrive one of them opens the sacred bag, and, after re- 

 moving tbe sacred pipe, hands it to one of the Elk men, with some of 

 the tobacco from the elk bladder. Before the pipe is smoked it is held 

 toward the sky, and the thunder god is addressed. Joseph La Fleche 

 and Two Crows do not know the formula, but they said that the follow- 

 ing one, given me by a member of the Ponka Hisada (Wasabe-hit'aj!) 

 gens, may be correct. The thunder god is thus addressed by the Pon- 

 kas : " Well, venerable man, by your striking (with your club) you are 

 frightening us, your grandchildren, who are here. Depart on high. 

 According to ^af i n na n paji, one of the Wasabe-hit'ajl, who has acted as 

 a servant for the Elk people, "At the conclusion of this ceremony the 

 rain always ceases, and the Bear people return to their homes." But 

 this is denied by Joseph La Fleche and Two Crows, who say, " How is 

 it possible for them to stop the rain?" 



While the Elk gens is associated with the war path, and the worship 

 of the thunder god, who is invoked by war chiefs, those war chiefs are 

 not always members of this gens, but when the warriors return, the 

 keeper of the sacred bag of this gens compels them to speak the truth 

 about their deeds. (See § 214.) 



§ 25. Birth names of boys. — The following are the birth names of boys 

 in the Elk gens. These are sacred or nikie names, and sons used to 

 be so named in former days according to the order of their births. For 

 example, the first-born sou was called the Soft Horn (of the young elk 

 at its first appearance). The second, Yellow Horn (of the young elk 

 when a little older). The next, the Branching Horns (of an elk three 

 years old). The fourth, the Four Horns (of an elk four years old). The 

 fifth, the Large Pronged Horns (of an elk six or seven years old). The 

 sixth, the Dark Horns (of a grown elk in summer). The seventh, the 

 Standing White Horns, in the distance (i. e., those of a grown elk in 

 winter). 



Other proper names. — The following are the other nikie 3 names of 



3. Nikie names are those referring to a mythical ancestor, to some part of his hody, 

 to sorno of his acts, or to some ancient rite which may have been established by him. 

 Nikio names are of several kinds, (a.) The seven birth names for each sex. (b.) 

 Other nikio names, not birth names, but peculiar to a single gens, (c.) Names 

 common to two or more gentes. There are two explanations of the last case. All 

 the gentes using the same name may have had a common mythical ancestor or a 

 mythical ancestor of the same species or genus. Amoug the Osages and Kansas 

 there are gentes that exchange names ; and it is probable that the custom has ex- 

 isted among the Omahas. Some of these gentes that exchange names are those 

 which have the same sacred songs. 

 The following law about nikie uames has been observed by the Omahas : 

 There must never be more than one person in agens bearing any particular male name. 



