| Tsíhe | ɔiñ’ʞa

| Lodge | small

Translation.

1 "O younger brother! we must see what can be done to make human beings
of the children."
The Black Bear came to them and stood.
3 He went to the mysterious one of day, saying,
"Ho, grandfather! the children have no bodies."
He replied, "I have an everlasting road (in which I must keep);
6 I am not the only mysterious one;
You must still seek for help."
(On reporting to the leader, the latter said,)
"O Kaxe-wahü-san, my younger brother! we must still see what can be done."
9 So the Black Bear went to the star "Watse-ʇuʞa, saying,
"Ho, grandfather! the children have no bodies."
He replied, "I have an everlasting road (in which I must keep);
12 "I am not the only mysterious one;
"You must still seek for help."
(On reporting to the leader, the latter said),
"O Kaxe-wahü-san, my younger brother! we must still see what can be done."
15 So the Black Bear went to the Bowl of the Great Dipper, saying,
"O grandfather! the children have no bodies!"
He replied, "I have an everlasting road (in which I must keep);
18 "I am not the only mysterious one;
"You must still seek for help."
(On reporting to the leader, the latter said),
"O Kaxe-wahü-san, my younger brother! we must still see what can be done."
21 Then he went to the Seven Stars, saying,
"Ho, grandfather! the children have no bodies."
He replied, "I have an everlasting road (in which I must keep);
24 "I am not the only mysterious one;
"You must still seek for help."
[pg 395] (On reporting this to the leader, the latter said),
26 "O Kaxe-wahü-san, my younger brother! we must still see what can be done."
So he went to the Morning Star, saying,
"Ho, grandfather! the children have no bodies."
He replied, "I have an everlasting road (in which I must keep);
30 "I am not the only mysterious one;
"You must still seek for help."
(On reporting this to the leader, the latter said),
" O Kaxe-wahü-san, my younger brother! we must still see what can be done."
33 So he went to the Red Bird, who was sitting (on her nest), saying,
"Ho, grandmother!
The children have no bodies."
* * * * *
36 They went to the good land of day.
In four revolutions or gyrations of the upper worlds, we became human beings.
Though we were human beings, we did not find bodies.
39 They arrived at the second revolution of the upper worlds.
There we were not (complete) human beings.
They arrived at the third revolution of the upper worlds.
42 There we were not (complete) human beings.
They arrived at the fourth revolution of the upper worlds
They stood on a sycamore tree.
45 They stood there at harvest time.
"Ho, younger brother! a man has left a trail."
"Ho, elder brother!" said the Black Bear; "you have said that a man has left a trail.
"This is the man."
48 "Ho, elder brother!" (said the stranger) "I am Young Hañʞa."
[Tsiɔu.] "Ho, younger brother! a man has left a trail."
[Black Bear.] "Ho, elder brother! you have said that a man has left a trail.
"This is the man."
51 "Ho, elder brother!" (said the stranger) "I am Osage.
"We shall be Hañʞa people."
Some people left a trail.
54 Those were the lodges of the Hañʞa uta¢anʇse.
(The Hañʞa uta¢anʇse leader said)
"Ho! some persons have come.
"Tsiɔu and Watsetsi have come."
57 They thought of what was good for the children.
They decided that the two should continue as chiefs for the children.
They decided that the two should continue without anything that would be fatal to the children. (And they said)
60 "There shall be an assembly of the children.
"You two shall seek a land in which the children may become men."
They two arranged for the location of a land in order that the children might become men in it.
63 The Female Beaver, who had been traveling, came to the confines of the village (of the Hañʞa uta¢anʇse?)
(She made?) a small lodge (for herself?).

Good Voice, of the Mink'in gens, knew the history of the Female Beaver, but he failed to keep his promise to dictate it to the author.

[pg 396]

CONCLUDING REMARKS.

An Osage said to the author: "We do not believe that our ancestors were really animals, birds, &c., as told in the traditions. These things are only wa-wi’-ku-ska’-ye [symbols] of something higher." On saying this he pointed to the sky.

Apart from such traditions or myths, it is found that even the taboos and the names of the gentes, subgentes, phratries, and persons are objects of mysterious reverence among many, if not all, of the Siouan tribes. Such names are never used in ordinary conversation. This is especially the case in tribes where the secret society continues in all its power, as among the Osage, the Ponka, and the Kansa. When the author was questioning these Indians he was obliged to proceed very cautiously in order to obtain information of this character, which was not communicated till they learned about his acquaintance with some of the myths. When several Dakota delegations visited Washington he called on them and had little trouble in learning the names of their gentes, their order in the camping circle, &c., provided the interpreters were absent. During his visit to the Omaha, from 1878 to 1880, he did not find them very reticent in furnishing him with such information, though he was generally referred to the principal chief of each gens as the best authority for the names in his own division. But he found it very difficult to induce any of them to admit that the gentes had subdivisions, which were probably the original gentes. It was not till 1880, and after questioning many, that by the merest accident he obtained the clew from the keeper of a sacred pipe.