Origin Wi´-gi-e of the Tho´-xe Gens

The people spake to one another, saying: Lo, the little ones are not a people,
Let search be made by the younger brothers for a place where the little ones may become a people.
Even as these words were being spoken, a younger brother
Hastened to the first division of heaven,
Close to which he came and paused,
When, returning to the elder brothers, he spake, saying:
Verily, nothing of importance has come to my notice.
Make further search, O, younger brothers, the people said,
The little ones are not a people.

Then, a younger brother,
Even as these words were being spoken,
Hastened to the second division of heaven, where he paused,
When, as the god of darkness cast a shadow upon the heavens,
He returned to the eldest brothers and stood.
They looked up and spake, saying: How has it fared with you? It was not your wont to suffer so, O, younger brother.
He replied: I have been to the second division of heaven.
It is not possible for the little ones to become a people there.

O, Younger brother,
We bid you make further search, the people said.
Even as these words were being spoken,
One hastened to the third division of heaven,
He drew near and paused.
The younger brother,
As the god of darkness cast a shadow upon the heavens,
Returned to the elder brothers and stood.
The elder brothers spake: How has it fared with you? It was not your wont to suffer so.
The younger brother replied: It is impossible!

O, younger brother, the people said,
We bid you make further search.
Then a younger brother
Hastened to the
Fourth division of heaven.
Close to it he came and paused.
Then the Man of Mystery, the god of the clouds,
Drew near and stood before him.

The younger brother turned to the elder brothers and said: Here stands a man!
A fear-inspiring man!
His name, I verily believe, is Fear-inspiring.
The people spake to him, saying: O, grandfather!
The Man of Mystery replied: I am a person of whom your little ones may make their bodies.
When they make of me their bodies,
They shall cause themselves to be deathless.

Little-hawk
They shall take for their personal name,
Then shall they always live to see old age.
Hawk-maiden, also,
Is a name that is mine.
That name also
Your little ones shall take to be their name,
Then shall they always live to see old age.

O, younger brother! the people said,
And the younger brother went in haste
To the Tho´-xe (the Buffalo-bull),
Close to whom he stood and spake, saying:
O, grandfather!

Then to the elder brothers he said: Here stands a man!
A fear-inspiring man!
The Tho´-xe spake: I am a person of whom the little ones may make their bodies.
Whereupon he threw himself to the ground,
Then up sprang the blazing star,
From the earth where it stood in all its beauty, pleasing to look upon.
Tho´-xe spake, saying: Of this plant also the little ones may make their bodies.
The people tasted the root of the plant,
And exclaimed: It is bitter to the taste!
Tho´-xe spake, saying: This plant shall be medicine to the little ones.
When they use it as medicine,
Their arms shall lengthen in growth,
And they shall live to see old age.

Again Tho´-xe threw himself upon the ground,
And the poppy mallow
Sprang from the earth and stood resplendent in its reddened blossoms.
Of this plant also Tho´-xe said,
The little ones shall make their bodies.
When they use it as medicine,
Their arms shall lengthen in growth.
The root is astringent,
And, referring thereto, your little ones shall take the name Astringent.
When the little ones make of this plant their bodies,
They shall always live to see old age.

Tho´-xe (the Buffalo-bull),
Threw himself to the ground,
And a red ear of maize
He tossed in the air,
As he exclaimed: The little ones shall make of this their bodies!
Then shall they always live to see old age.

Again Tho´-xe threw himself to the ground,
And a blue ear of maize,
Together with a blue squash,
He tossed in the air as he said,
These plants, also,
Shall be food for the little ones,
Then shall they live to see old age.

A third time he threw himself to the ground,
And a white ear of maize,
Together with a white squash he tossed in the air,
As he exclaimed: These plants also shall be food for the little ones!
Then shall they be difficult for death to overcome them,
And they shall always live to see old age.

A fourth time he threw himself to the ground,
And a speckled ear of maize,
Together with a speckled squash,
He tossed in the air as he exclaimed:
What creature is there that would be without a mate!
And he wedded together the maize and the squash,
Then exclaimed: These also shall be food for the little ones!
And they shall be difficult for death to overcome them.

The feasting of the Noⁿ´-hoⁿ-zhiⁿ-ga upon the fruits of the seeds of the maize planted by the mother with religious care in the seven sacred hills completes the rite of the naming of her child, by which its right to a place in its gens is formally recognized; the child has a place, not only in its gens, but also in the sky and the earth which the two great tribal divisions, the Hoⁿ´-ga and the Ṭsi´-zhu, represent.

CHILD-NAMING RITUAL OF THE ṬSI´-ZHU WA-SHTA-GE GENS
(ShoN´-ge-moN-iN)

The Child-naming ritual of the Ṭsi´-zhu Wa-shta-ge gens of the Osage tribe, here recorded, was given by Shoⁿ´-ge-moⁿ-iⁿ, a member of the Ba´-po subgens of the Ṭsi´-zhu Wa-shta-ge gens. The name Ba´-po (Popper in English), Shoⁿ´-ge-moⁿ-iⁿ explained, is the name of the elder tree, the trunk of which boys, from time reaching beyond memory, used for making poppers. The name refers to a mythical story and to a ceremonial office. The mythical story is as follows: When the people of the Ṭsi´-zhu great division descended from the sky to make the earth their home they came down as eagles, and they alighted on a great red oak tree. The shock of their alighting caused the acorns to drop from the tree in great profusion, which was taken as a prophecy that the Ṭsi´-zhu would become a numerous people. One eagle was crowded off the tree, but as he dropped down he alighted upon a blossoming elder tree. This eagle was a peace bird and his alighting on the ba´-po tree made it to become a peace symbol. The Ba´-po subgens was given the office of furnishing a pipestem for the peace pipe in the keeping of the Ṭsi´-zhu Wa-shta-ge gens, and the Ba´-po made the stem of an elder sapling a symbol of peace.

When Shoⁿ´-ge-moⁿ-iⁿ is called by a member of the Ṭsi´-zhu Wa-shta-ge gens to act as Xo´-ḳa (instructor) in the ceremonial naming of his child he goes to the house of the father without any formality. Usually the call is made when the sun is traveling downward (afternoon); when he receives the message he promptly responds to the call. On his arrival at the house the father, in a formal speech, informs him that his summons was for the purpose of asking him to conduct the ceremonies to be performed at the naming of his child. When Shoⁿ´-ge-moⁿ-iⁿ gives his consent to officiate at the ceremony the fees for the men who are to take part are placed before him. These he examines to make sure that there are enough articles to go around, and to see if the man had also provided a pipe for the Sho´-ḳa or Official Messenger.