88 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 68 



tude, told her that he would not object to her disposing of the sacred 

 loom, but urged her not to give away the wi'gie, as that act would tend 

 to hasten the disorganization of the No"'ho"zhi"ga order. The 

 old woman declared that she would dispose of both the loom and 

 the wi'gie, claiming that they were hers by purchase, and empha- 

 sized her claim by enumerating to the old man the horses, blankets 

 and other valuable articles she and her husband had paid as fees 

 for her initiation. 



Kuzhiwatse had assumed the right to interfere with the old 

 woman's action because the wi'gie she had promised to recite be- 

 longs to the Wazhazhe subdivision, of which he is a prominent 

 member. 



On the appointed day Mr. La Flesche appeared with his dictaphone 

 at the old woman's house. Without hesitation she placed before him 

 the " short-stakes " and told of Kuzhiwatse's action in the matter. 

 Then, sitting on the floor in front of the machine, she dictated to 

 it the ancient wi'gie, and sang the wailing song, doing this as 

 though she was accustomed to the use of the dictaphone. 



The wi'gie and the song she gave filled a gap in the detailed 

 description given by Waxthi'zhi of the ceremonies that were con- 

 nected with the ceremonial weaving of the portable shrine of the 

 sacred hawk, a hiatus that Mr. La Flesche had almost despaired of 

 filling, as his informant flatly refused to give the wi'gie, consistently 

 adhering to the ancient rule that any part of the rites that exclusively 

 belongs to one of the tribal divisions should not be used by any one 

 belonging to the other divisions without first obtaining permission 

 from the division having ownership. 



The set of weaving implements obtained, as stated above, includes 

 seven pieces : four stakes, two perforated slats, and a deer's antler. 

 Two of the stakes are of the length required for the uprights of the 

 loom when it is used to weave the rush mat to be used for making 

 the shrine for the sacred hawk (see fig. 90). The other two are 

 of the length needed as uprights for the loom when the buft'alo-hair 

 bag is to be w^oven (see fig. 89). All four stakes are pointed at 

 one end so as to be planted in the ground and hold the loom steady. 

 The two flat slats are perforated from end to end with small holes, 

 through which are strung and fastened the warp of the piece to be 

 woven. The slats are fastened at right angles to the stakes, one 

 at the top and the other at the bottom, so as to hold taut the threads 

 of the warp. 



