Read Ebook: The Osage tribe two versions of the child-naming rite (1928 N 43 / 1925-1926 (pages 23-164)) by La Flesche Francis

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Ho??-ga A-hiu-?o?, Wa-?a?-be-?o? and the O?-po?, of the Ho??-ga subdivision; Wa?-?se-?si Wa-shta-ge, Ho? I-ni-?a-shi-ga, Wa-zha?-zhe ?ka and the ?a? I-ni-?a-shi-ga of the Wa-zha?-zhe subdivision; ?si?-zhu Wa-shta-ge, ?si?-zhu Wa-no?, Mi-k'i?? Wa-no? and the Tho?-xe of the ?si?-zhu great division.

The Sho?-?a, as he goes on this errand, does not neglect the little pipe, his official badge.

?I?-NO?--CEREMONY OF DECORATING THE XO?-?A

Before sunrise of the following day the No??-ho?-zhi?-ga of the Puma gens assemble at the house of the member who had been appointed by the father to act as Xo?-?a in the ceremony. When all the members had taken their places the A?-?i-ho? Xo?-?a recites the wi?-gi-e relating to the symbolic articles with which the Xo?-?a is to be decorated. The wi?-gi-e is accompanied by certain ceremonial acts performed by an assistant. The first section of the wi?-gi-e relates to the red dawn, the beginning of the life of day. The assistant, who has put red paint on the palms of his hands, spreads them out toward the dawn that is reddening the eastern sky. When the A?-?i-ho? Xo?-?a reaches the fourth line the assistant paints red the face of the Xo?-?a. Then, as the A?-?i-ho? Xo?-?a goes on to the second section the assistant takes up a white, downy feather , taken from the under covert of an eagle's tail, and holds it poised over the Xo?-?a's head. When the twelfth line of the wi?-gi-e is reached the assistant quickly fastens the feather to the scalplock of the Xo?-?a. This feather symbolizes one of the two white shafts of light that may be seen at either side of the sun as it rises through the fading color of the dawn. Each of these two shafts symbolizes a never-ending life. The one at the right belongs to the Ho??-ga great division and the one at the left to the ?si?-zhu great division. At the beginning of the third section of the wi?-gi-e the assistant rubs in the palms of his hands a bit of buffalo fat, then holds his outspread hands poised over the Xo?-?a's head. When the twentieth line is reached he anoints the Xo?-?a's hair with the oil, an act by which is expressed the wish that the child whom the Xo?-?a represents shall always be abundantly supplied with food of all kinds.

At the fourth section of the wi?-gi-e the assistant takes up a necklace of beads, or a narrow woven band, to which is attached a shell gorget and holds it in readiness. When the twenty-sixth line is reached he puts the necklace upon the neck of the Xo?-?a so that the gorget hangs upon his breast. This gorget typifies the Sun, whose life endures forever.

?I?-NO^N WI?-GI-E

WA?-?SE-?SI AND THE ?SI?-ZHU WA-SHTA-GE GENTES

As the ceremony of decorating the Xo?-?a goes on, the No??-ho?-zhi?-ga members of the Wa?-?se-?si Wa-shta-ge gens, followed, by those of the ?si?-zhu Wa-shta-ge gens, go to the house of the father of the child to be named, and enter to take their places, those of the Wa?-?se-?si at the east end on the south side and those of the ?si?-zhu at the east end on the north side. The house then becomes the home of these two gentes for the time being and for the purposes of the ceremony. The Wa?-?se-?si is the Peace gens of the Ho??-ga great tribal division, its life symbol is the water portion of the earth. The hereditary chief of the Ho??-ga division was chosen from this gens. The ?si?-zhu is the Peace gens of the ?si?-zhu great division. Its life symbol is the clear blue sky. The hereditary chief of the ?si?-zhu great division was chosen from this gens.

?SI ?A?-P?E

The purpose of the ?i?-no? ceremony is to prepare the Xo?-?a who represents the child to be named to approach in the prescribed manner the house wherein sit the No??-ho?-zhi?-ga of the Wa?-?se-?si and the ?si?-zhu gentes, the first representing the life-giving power of water and the latter the life-giving power of the sun whose abode is in the great blue sky. The Xo?-?a is to come to the sacred house as a suppliant for a full and complete life, uninterrupted by diseases or accidents, and for an endless line of descendants. The ceremonial approach of the Xo?-?a to the sacred house is called ?si ?a?-p?e , as to a place of refuge.

At the close of the ?i?-no? ceremony the Xo?-?a wraps about his body a buffalo robe, hair outside, and thus clothed in his sacerdotal attire he goes out of his own house to make his processional approach to the sacred house, following his Sho?-?a who precedes him in the march. After the manner of all suppliants who approach Wa-?o??-da, the Xo?-?a carries with him a little pipe with which to make a smoke offering to that mysterious power that controls all life. The Xo?-?a and the Sho?-?a, on their solemn approach to the House of Mystery, keep a certain distance apart. When they have gone some 40 or 50 paces they make a pause and the Xo?-?a sings the following song, after which he recites the first section of the wi?-gi-e called Wa?-?i-thu-?e Wi?-gi-e . The song precedes each of the four sections of the wi?-gi-e:

FOOTSTEP SONG AND WI?-GI-E

Wa-?se wi? u-tha-?i-o? stse, Wa-?se wi? u-tha-?i-o? stse he Wa-?se wi? u-tha-?-o? stse, E the he wi-?a do? u-tha-?i-o? stse he, Wa-?se wi? u-tha-?i-o? stse.

WI?-GI-E

The words of the processional song:

Into a star you have cast yourself, Into my star you have cast yourself, etc.

are addressed to the child upon whom is to be conferred his personal, gentile name, and who is to be given his place in the Puma gens into which he was born. The star referred to in the song is the sun, the greatest life symbol of the Puma gens.

In the first section of the "Footstep Wi?-gi-e," which the Xo?-?a recites as he makes his processional approach to the House of Mystery, the sun is referred to as the "Male Star." The first line of the wi?-gi-e, "Toward what shall the little ones take their footsteps," implies that much thought was given by the ancient No??-ho?-zhi?-ga to the question as to the places where prayers for aid for the attainment of long life should be directed. The lines that follow imply that the No??-ho?-zhi?-ga had finally arrived at the belief that if the "Little Ones" go with their prayers to the "Male Star," the sun, they would find the way by which they could reach old age. The authors of these peculiar rites in speaking of long life did not only mean the attainment of old age by the child but they also meant the continuity of its life by procreation.

In the second section of the wi?-gi-e the moon is referred to as the "Female Star." The same form that is used for the sun is also used for the moon. The pairing of these two great cosmic bodies in this wi?-gi-e suggests a procreative relationship between the two. The last two sections of the wi?-gi-e are repetitions of the first two. These repetitions are made in order to complete the mystic number four. The moon, referred to in the second section as the female star, is the life symbol of the Wa-?a?-be, or the Black Bear gens.

When the Xo?-?a have finished reciting the first section of the Footstep Wi?-gi-e, which speaks of the approach of the little ones to the sun, he and the Sho?-?a continue their march. Again they pause and the Xo?-?a recites the second section which tells of the approach of the little ones toward the moon seeking for long life. The fourth pause brings them to the door of the House of Mystery, which they enter, followed by the A?-?i-ho? Xo?-?a and the No??-ho?-zhi?-ga of the Puma gens who are to give their child a place in the visible universe. They take their place at the east end of the lodge where sit the father and mother with the child. The No??-ho?-zhi?-ga who had been called to take part in the ceremony also enter and take their fixed places, those belonging to the Ho??-ga great division at the south side and those of the ?si?-zhu great division at the north side of the lodge.

THE WA-THE?-THE CEREMONY

When all the No??-ho?-zhi?-ga have become settled in their places, according to gentes, the A?-?i-ho? Xo?-?a proceeds with the ceremonial acts called Wa-the?-the, which, translated literally, means, The Sending; that is, the sending of a fee of a blanket or other article of value to each, head of the gentes taking part in the child-naming ceremony. It is understood by these ceremonial acts that the members of the gens to whose head is sent a fee are requested to recite the wi?-gi-e relating to the Life Symbol of their gens. Each article is received from the hands of the A?-?i-ho? Xo?-?a by the Sho?-?a who delivers it to the head of the gens for whom it is sent.

Wa-xthi?-zhi, who gives this child-naming ritual of his gens, the Puma, when acting as A?-?i-ho? Xo?-?a, sends the fees in the following order:

?si?-zhu Wa-shta-ge: Fee, with a red downy eagle feather, symbolizing the sun. The members of the gens will recite their wi?-gi-e relating to the life-giving power of the sun.

Wa-?a?-be: Fee; will recite the Zha?-zhe ?i-?o? Wi?-gi-e, Name Wi?-gi-e of the gens. The Wa-?a?-be and the I?-gtho??-ga gentes are closely related and one acts as Sho?-?a for the other in their ceremonies of initiation into the mysteries of the tribal rites.

?si?-zhu Wa-no?: Fee; will recite their wi?-gi-e relating to the life-giving power of the sun, their life symbol.

Ho??-ga A-hiu-?o?: Fee; will recite wi?-gi-e relating to the mottled eagle, the "stainless" bird that led the people down from the sky to the earth.

Mi-k'i?? Wa-no?: Fee; the members of this gens will recite their wi?-gi-e relating to the moon and all the stars and to their power to aid the "little ones" to reach old age.

O?-po?: Fee; the members of the gens will recite the Wa-dsu-?a I-hi-tho?-be Wi?-gi-e which tells of the various places of the earth where the little ones may find the animals on which to live.

Tho?-xe: Fee; some grains of maize are also sent. The members of this gens will recite the wi?-gi-e relating to the bringing of the maize to the people by a buffalo bull, and to his offer to aid the little ones to reach old age.

Wa?-?se-?si Wa-shta-ge: Fee, with cedar fronds. Members of this gens will recite their wi?-gi-e relating to the red cedar, an evergreen tree which has power to resist death, and to its offer to aid the little ones to reach old age.

Ho? I-ni-?a-shi-ga: Fee, with a kettle of water. The members of this gens will recite their wi?-gi-e relating to the everflowing water which, has power to help the little ones to reach old age. These are the Fish people.

Wa-zha?-zhe ?ka: Fee, with a mussel shell. The mussel is the life symbol of this gens. The members of the gens will recite their wi?-gi-e relating to the power of the mussel to resist death, and to its consent to aid the little ones to reach old age. The Wa-zha?-zhe ?ka are a water people.

?a I-ni-?a-shi-ga, the Deer People: Only a fee is sent to them. The members will recite their Wa-dsu?-?a I-hi-tho?-be Wi?-gi-e, which tells of the various places of the earth where the deer will reveal themselves to the little ones to give them help to reach old age.

When the Sho?-?a had delivered the last fee every No??-ho?-zhi?-ga who knows his wi?-gi-e begins to recite it in a loud voice. None of the wi?-gi-es are alike and none of the members of a gens recite in unison, consequently there would be a volume of sounds most bewildering to the uninitiated.

ZHA?-ZHE ?I-?O? WI?-GI-E

The wi?-gi-e recited by the members of the I?-gtho??-ga gens at this time is called Zha?-zhe ?i-?o? Wi?-gi-e, freely translated, the Name Wi?-gi-e. It is in three parts. The first, which includes sections 1 to 8, is called Zha?-zhe ?i-?o?, the taking of names; the second, which includes sections 9 and 10, is called U?-no? U-tha-ge, the telling of the means by which to reach old age; the third, which includes sections 11 and 12, is called U?-no?-bthe U-gi-dse, the story of the search for the life-giving foods.

NAME-TAKING WI?-GI-E

When Wa-xthi?-zhi made up his mind to give a description of the Child-naming Ritual of his own gens, the Puma, he did not hesitate to recite the wi?-gi-es and to tell of the ceremonial forms that accompany the entire ritual. But when asked to recite the wi?-gi-es of the 11 gentes who were summoned to take part in the ceremony of conferring a name upon a Puma child he declined to give them, although he knew all of them, for the reason that they were not his to give. He had not obtained from any of these gentes the right to transfer them to strangers or to members of other gentes.

It so happened that when Wa-xthi?-zhi was describing the Child-naming Ritual of his own gens, which he had a perfect right to do, Wa-sho?-she , a member of the Ho??-ga A-hiu-?o? gens, was present. This man, when asked if he would be willing to give the U?-no? Wi?-gi-e of his gens for a fee, promptly replied that he would. He had obtained by purchase from his father the wi?-gi-e and so had acquired the right to transfer it to anybody, but the transfer must always be made for a fee. The fee was provided and Wa-sho?-she sat down and recorded the Old-age Wi?-gi-e of his own gens, the Ho??-ga A-hiu-?o?. This name refers to the "Stainless Bird," the mottled eagle, who conducted the Ho??-ga people to earth from mid-heaven.

The first seven lines of the wi?-gi-e refer back to the time when "the Ho??-ga who possess seven fireplaces" chose for one of their life symbols the "Stainless Bird," the mottled eagle. The people who are here spoken of as the Ho??-ga having seven fireplaces are those who compose the seven gentile groups that represent the land portion of the earth in the two great tribal divisions symbolizing the cosmos. These seven gentile groups are, as given by Black-dog.

When the "Ho??-ga, a people who possess seven fireplaces" went to the "Stainless Bird" and said to him : "The little ones have nothing of which to make their bodies," meaning that they have no symbol for the long life which they crave, he replied in the words as given in the wi?-gi-e, from line 10 to the end:

OLD-AGE WI?-GI-E

FREE TRANSLATION

WI?-GI-E OF THE WA?-?SE-?SI GENS

At the close of the recital of the wi?-gi-es by all the No??-ho?-zhi?-ga, the Sho?-?a places before the head of the ?si?-zhu Wa-shta-ge gens a bowl of water into which had been put fronds of the red cedar. The red cedar and the water are the life symbols of the Wa?-?se-?si, the people who came to earth from the stars. The following is an epitome of their wi?-gi-e:

I am a person who is fit for use as a symbol, Behold the female red cedar, Verily, I am a person who has made of that tree his body. When the little ones make of me their bodies, They shall always live to see old age. Behold the male red cedar, The little ones shall always use this tree as a symbol. When the little ones use it for a symbol, They shall always live to see old age. Behold these waters, That we shall make to be companions to the tree. When the little ones make use of these waters As the means of reaching old age, They shall always live to see old age.

WI?-GI-E OF THE BOW PEOPLE

The E-no?? Mi?-dse-?o?, a people who belong to the same great tribal division as the Wa?-?se-?si, use a similar wi?-gi-e, which is as follows:

I am a person who is fitted for use as a symbol. Verily, in the midst of the rushing waters Abides my being. Verily, I am a person who has made of the waters his body. Behold the right side of the river, Of which I have made the right side of my body. When the little ones make of me their bodies And use the right side of the river To make their bodies, The right side of their bodies shall be free from all causes of death.

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