The Puma spake, saying:
He speaks clearly our language!
I am Hoⁿ´-ga Wa´-ṭse-gi-ṭsi, a sacred person come from the stars, the stranger continued.
I am Zhiⁿ-ga´-ga-hi-ge,[1] The-young-chief;
I am Wa´-ṭse-ga-hi-ge, The-star-chief;
I am Wa´-ṭse-ga-wa, The-star-radiant;
I am Wa´-ṭse-moⁿ-iⁿ, The-traveling-star.
That pleases us! the people exclaimed.
Zhiⁿ-ga´-ga-hi-ge, The-young-chief, the stranger went on,
Shall be your name, as you travel the path of life;
Wa´-ṭse-ga-wa, The-star-radiant,
Shall also be your name, as you travel the path of life.
I have done much to make you contented and happy.
We are pleased! the people exclaimed,
We shall henceforth put away all anger and hatred,
We shall accept the names thus offered us.
Zhiⁿ-ga´-ga-hi-ge, The-young-chief,
Shall be our name,
Wa´-ṭse-ga-wa, The-star-radiant,
Shall be our name.
I´-e-çka-wa-the, He-speaks-clearly,
We shall also take as a name in his honor,
P̣a´-thiⁿ-hoⁿ-ga, The-sacred-stranger,
We shall also take as a name in his honor.
Mi´-xa-çka, the white swan from whom personal names were taken, as mentioned in the following wi´-gi-e given by Wa-ṭse´-moⁿ-iⁿ, is a warrior symbol. The black color on its feet and on the tip of its nose typifies the fire that knows no mercy. The standards (crooks), which were carried by an Osage war party (pl. 6, a), typify the neck of the white swan.
MI´-XA-ÇKA, THE WHITE SWAN
The people spake to one another, saying:
We have nothing of which to make a symbol (war standard).
They spake to the Puma (gens), saying:
Go thou and make search (for materials).
Even as these words were spoken the Puma went forth to search.
In time he hastened homeward,
And, standing before the elder brothers, he spake, saying:
O, elder brothers, what appears to be an animal,
Is in yonder place.
Make haste! the people said to one another,
We shall send him to the abode of spirits.
Verily, we are a people who give no mercy to the foe.
They made one ceremonial pause,
The fourth pause brought them close to the place.
Then the Puma spake, saying: There he stands! O, elder brothers.
An elder brother pointed with his index finger at the bird,
And it fell to the ground in death, its feathers strewing the earth.
They gathered around the fallen bird and stood.
Then one spake, saying: It is a swan! O, elder brothers,
A white swan!
Even from its white plumage
We shall take personal names,
Mi´-xa-çka, White-swan,
Wa-zhiⁿ´-ga-çka, White-bird,
And Moⁿ´-shoⁿ-çka, White-feathers,
The little ones shall be named, as they travel the path of life.
—(36th Ann. Rept. Bur. Amer. Ethn., pp. 228-231, lines 238 to 358.)
The earth names given by Wa-xthi´-zhi, of the Iⁿ-gthoⁿ´-ga (Puma) gens, in his wi´-gi-es are as follows: