86 SMIl FISOXIAX MISCKLLAXHOUS (( )LLI-:tTI( ).\S \(JL. 68 



curio-hunter In ])urcha-e it and so parted with tlic shrine. AluaU 

 two years ago the canrHdate suddenly demanded that the initiation 

 ceremonies be performed. The Xo"'ho"zhi"ga, who had been duly 

 summoned to witness the initiation, assembled, and the ceremonies 

 proceeded in the prescribed manner, liut witliout the waxobe. At 

 a certain part of the ritual a warrior who had won thirteen war- 

 honors was called on to recoimt those honors to the sacred hawk- 

 in tlie ])resence of the asseml)led Xo"'ho"zhi"ga. Kuzhiwatse, an 

 aged warrior, and one of the remaining three in tlie tribe who could 

 count the requisite nimiber of war-honors at the ceremon\', was 

 chosen for this coveted Imnor. At the ])ro])er time tlie old man. 

 gathering up in his hands the thirteen willow saplings which had 

 been placed before him with which to count his honors, arose, thanked 

 the members of the order for the honor conferred upon him. and 

 then addressed the sacred hawk in the following manner: " ( ). 

 Waxobe. I rise to speak to you, in words that carry only the 

 truth." Then, suddenly remembering that the waxobe was not 

 present, he added, " You are not here, but wherever you may be, 

 perhaps in some ])lace on the shores of yonder great water ( pointing 

 eastward), howe\er long the distance may be, you will surely hear 

 the words that I shall utter."" Then, unmindful of the ill-concealed 

 smiles of the Xo"'ho"zhi"ga. he went on. with all the dignity of a 

 warrior, to recount his war-honors, as though the sacred hawk, 

 the emblem of the valor of the < )sage warriors, was actually present 

 in its accustomed place. '-• 



The results of .Mr. La Flesche"s efforts to secure from the members 

 of the Wazhazhe subdivision, residing with the "Hilltop'" band, 

 their version of the tribal rites were disajjpointing. How^ever, he 

 took advantage of the opportunities that arose for securing other 

 impfjrtant information relating to the rites. ( )ne dav there appeared 

 at the Indian house where Mr. La hdesche was staying an old woman 

 who said she had a set of " i'cagthe dapa '" ("short-stakes"') she 

 w-ished to disjjose of. Lcagthe dapa is the collective name ni the 

 stakes, perforated slats and deer's antler (see fig. 88). that are used 

 as loom supports and batten in weaving the rush mats out of which 

 are made the symbolic, portable shrines for the sacred hawks, war 

 symbols, that are distributed among the various gentes of the tribe, 

 and also for the weaving of the bulTalo-hair bags that form the 

 outer coverings for the shrines, 'idle old woman said she felt that 

 on account of her age she must soon be departing for the other 

 world anrl she did not wish to leave the mvsterious articles to her 



