EEPOKT OF THE SECEETARY. 53 



In the spring of 1913 Mr. La Flesche obtained the Rush Mat Weav- 

 ing degree of the Puma and Black Bear gentes. Only the " Seven 

 Songs " spoken of before, with various ceremonial forms, are em- 

 ployed in this degree, the " Six Songs " being entirely omitted. The 

 distinguishing features 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 TO brass kettles, 70 red-handled knives, and YO awls in mak- 

 ing the various articles, all of which the votary is obliged to furnish^ 

 together with other expensive articles that constitute the fees of the 

 initiator and other officiating No°'ho"zhi°ga, as also TO pieces of choice 

 jerked meat for distribution among the members attending the initia- 

 tion. Three rituals not used in the other degrees are employed in 

 this, namely, the Green Rush ritual, the Bark ritual, and the Stitch- 

 ing 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 ceremonial forms. This is a war cere- 

 mony, which, although not counted as a degree, is a rite to which 

 the seven degrees lead. The name of this ceremony is derived from 

 the war insignia, which is the charcoal ceremonially prepared from 

 certain sacred trees, and which symbolizes the black marks denoting 

 the birds and animals used to typify strength, courage, and fleetness. 

 Mr. La Flesche's Osage informant regards this as the final act of 

 the seven degrees. The Osage text comprises 90 pages, nearly one- 

 half of which has been transcribed, together with 36 songs, which 

 have been transcribed by Miss Fletcher, and 7 diagrams. 



Mr. La Flesche was fortunate enough to procure the sacred bundle 

 of the Deer gens and the reed- whistle bundle of the Wind gens ; the 

 contents of the latter are of exceptional interest. Mrs. Brogahige, 

 one of the ceremonial weavers of the Osage, at considerable sacrifice 

 to herself, presented Mr. La Flesche two sacred looms, one of which 

 is used in weaving the buffalo-hair case, and the other in weaving 

 the rush case for the sacred bird. TheSe packs, together with speci- 

 mens of ceremonially made burden straps which Mr. La Flesche col- 

 lected, have been placed in the National Museum. 



Dr. Franz Boas, honorary philologist, continued the preparation of 

 the material for the Handbook of American Indian Languages. As 

 stated in the last annual report, the manuscript of the grammar of 

 the Chukchee language, to appear in Part 2 of this handbook, was 



