80 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 65 



astray and to prevent them from rinding the true path to God ; third, 

 he suspected the man who introduced Mr. La Flesche to him, and who 

 also belonged to the Tsi-zhu Wa-shta-ge gens, of seeking to secure a 

 working knowledge of the rituals and songs without going through 

 the required ceremonies and the payment of the usual fees. 



The Wa-xo-be A-wa-tho n degree of the Tsi-zhu Wa-shta-ge gens, 

 like those of the other gentes, is divided into two great parts. The 

 first part is called the " Seven Songs " and the second part the " Six 

 Songs." The titles of the songs and rituals of the various gentes 

 are generally the same, but the music and the words differ more or 

 less. The number of the songs also varies in the degrees of the 

 various gentes. Wa-thu-xa-ge explained that the number of songs 

 in the war ceremonies of his gens are fewer than those of any of the 

 other gentes because of its position in the tribe as a peace-maker, and 

 that the performing of the war ceremonies of his gens was more a 

 matter of form than for the purpose of encouraging a warlike spirit. 



In some of the degrees the songs and rituals of both of the two 

 parts are used, in others only those of the first part, and still in others 

 those of the second part. While the various degrees are used in 

 common, in forms more or less modified, by the various gentes, it is 

 said that the " Seven Songs " belong to the Ho n '-ga dual division, 

 whose ceremonial place is at the south side of the lodge, and the 

 " Six Songs " belong to the Tsi-zhu dual division, who occupy the 

 north side. There also appears to be a further division of the songs 

 and rituals among the several gentes, thus giving the rites, as a 

 whole, a composite character. 



The degree given by Wa-thu-xa-ge, whose portrait is here shown 

 (fig. yy), is composed of six rituals and 65 songs — 49 songs for the 

 first part and 16 for the second. There are certain preliminary 

 ceremonies that are performed before conferring a degree which 

 contains all of the rituals and songs, or only the first or second parts. 

 These preliminary ceremonies have also been explained by Wa- 

 thu-xa-ge. 



For many years this old man has not had occasion to perform the 

 ceremonies, therefore his memory of them had weakened consider- 

 ably. In order to refresh his memory, for the purpose of giving 

 this information, he attended an initiation which took place a week 

 or so before he came to Washington, although the new religion 

 which he had adopted discouraged his witnessing, or his taking part 

 in, any of the ancient rites. Wa-thu-xa-ge' s wife, who was an 

 honorary member of the No n '-ho n '-zhi n -ga order, assisted him mate- 

 rially by prompting him. Wano n -she-zhi n -ga, whose English name 



