HOLMES ANNIVERSARY VOLUME 



fastenings of the ends of the woven rush case— seven on the right 

 end and six on the left.) The bear, revived in strength by the warm, 

 wavering atmosphere of spring, went on. The growing grasses rustled 

 musically at every step he took. At last he came to the banks of a 

 river, where stood the house of the beaver. There his story ends, and 

 that of the beaver begins. 



To the middle of the river the beaver swam and made his way up 

 the stream, against the strong current, rippling the surface as he 

 pushed forward. He came to a bend of the river where, on its low 

 banks, a willow sapling stood ; this he cut so that it fell toward the 

 setting of the sun, where dwelt the enemies of the Osage. He carried 

 the sapling to his house and laid it at the door, the butt-end resting 

 within the entrance at the right, and then he said: "This act of mine 

 is not without a purpose. My children, the Tsizhu and the H6 n ga, 

 shall use this sapling to count their war-honors." Again and again 

 he repeated this act, bringing each time a sapling from a bend of the 

 river until he placed seven at the right side of the door of his house. 

 He continued his work in the same manner and brought home six 

 more saplings which he placed at the left side of the door of his house. 

 Thirteen honors in all each warrior of both the right and the left side 

 must risk his life to win in order to count. Seven and six are the 

 numbers fixed by the black bear and the beaver, and these are the 

 sacred numbers. 



In the ceremonies of two of the seven degrees of the Osage rites, 

 this story is pictured by the placing of a black-bear skin and a small 

 mound of earth, to represent the beaver's house, in front of the place 

 where the warrior who is to recount his war-honors must sit. The 

 candidate who is being initiated conducts the warrior to this seat 

 and then brings to him the thirteen willow saplings with which he 

 is to count. These saplings are divided into two parts, one containing 

 seven and the other six. In bringing the two bundles of saplings, the 

 candidate grasps in his left hand the bundle containing seven, and 

 in his right that containing six, so that when placing them before 

 the warrior, who sits facing the east, the seven saplings will be at his 

 right and the six at his left. The bunches of saplings are so arranged 

 that the butt-ends of the six rest on the butts of the seven. 



In fixing the number of war-honors to be won by the warriors, 

 the sky was not outdone by the earth, for it took from the sun 

 thirteen of its rays — seven from the right side and six from the left — 

 for the use of the warriors in counting their warlike deeds. 



It may be well to mention here that on the further division of 

 the two great divisions into smaller groups, the left division was 



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