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58. Verily, at that time and place, it has been said, in this house,
59. They spake to one another, saying: O, younger brothers,
60. The little ones have nothing of which to make their bodies,
61. They went forth with hurrying footsteps,
62. To the soft stone that sitteth upon the earth.
63. Verily, at that time,
64. They spake to him, saying: O, my grandfather,
65. The little ones have nothing of which to make their bodies.
66. The soft stone replied: O, little ones,
67. You say your little ones have nothing of which to make their bodies.
68. The little ones shall make of me their bodies.
69. Verily, at that time and place,
70. He spake further, saying: When the little ones become ill and fretful,
71. They shall cling to me as one who can produce the heat by which they can be purified.

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72. Verily, at that time and place, it has been said, in this house,
73. They spake to one another, saying: Give heed, my younger brothers,
74. You will go forth to make further search,
75. Then, even as these words were spoken, they hastened
76. To the friable stone,
77. And, standing close to him,
78. Spake, saying: O, grandfather, the little ones have nothing of which to make their bodies.
79. The friable stone replied: O, my little ones,
80. You say the little ones have nothing of which to make their bodies.
81. The little ones shall make of me their bodies.
82. When they make of me their bodies,
83. They shall cling to me as one who can produce the heat by which their bodies can be purified.

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84. Verily, at that time and place, it has been said, in this house,
85. They spake to one another, saying: O, younger brothers,
86. The little ones have nothing which they can use for food at all times,
87. You will go and search for such food as they can use for all time.
88. A younger brother hastened
89. To the very center of a lake,
90. Where lay the root of the tse´-wa-the (Nelumbo lutea).
91. He hastened home with the root,
92. And spake, saying: O, elder brothers, how will this serve for food?
93. The elder brothers hastened to try the taste of the root,
94. Like milk the juice squirted in their mouths,
95. And they said to one another: O, younger brothers,
96. This will serve as food for the little ones.
97. When the little ones make use of this plant as food,
98. They shall always live to see old age, as they travel the path of life.

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99. There lacks one more, O, younger brothers, they said to one another.
100. You will go forth and make further search.
101. Even as these words were spoken,
102. One hastened to the farther borders of the lake,
103. Where sat the do (Apios apios).
104. Close to it he stood,
105. Then he hastened home, carrying the plant with him.
106. Standing before his brothers, he spake, saying: O, elder brothers,
107. How will this serve for food?
108. They replied: O, younger brother,
109. That is the very object for which you have been searching.
110. The elder brothers hastened to try the taste of the root,
111. Like milk the juice squirted in their mouths.
112. Then they spake, saying: The little ones shall use this plant for food.
113. When the little ones use this plant for food,
114. They shall always live to see old age.
115. It shall make their limbs to stretch in growth, as they travel the path of life.

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 (pl. 4), a member of the Hoⁿ´-ga A-hiu-ṭoⁿ gens, was present. This man, when asked if he would be willing to give the U´-noⁿ Wi´-gi-e (Old-age 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 Hoⁿ´-ga A-hiu-ṭoⁿ. This name refers to the “Stainless Bird,” the mottled eagle, who conducted the Hoⁿ´-ga people to earth from mid-heaven. (See 36th Ann. Rept. Bur. Amer. Ethn., p. 162, lines 177 to 199.)