Osage Traditions | Page 3

go for seven days without food or drink. He
carried a staff to aid him in walking. Three times a day he wept, in the
morning, at noon, and near sunset. They returned to the people at the
end of the seven days, being very thin. The report of the Tsí{~LATIN
SMALL LETTER OPEN O~}u man was accepted, so the Tsí{~LATIN
SMALL LETTER OPEN O~}u gens is superior to the Pan{~LATIN
SMALL LETTER TURNED H~}ka-wactá{~LATIN SMALL
LETTER TURNED K~}e or Watsetsi. A Wa{~LATIN SMALL
LETTER OPEN O~}a{~LATIN SMALL LETTER OPEN O~}e man
acted as crier and told all about the new home of the nation. All the old
men decorated their faces with clay. The next morning the two old men
who had gone in search of the new home led their respective sides of
the nation, who marched in parallel roads. When they reached the land
the policemen ran around in a circle, just as they do previous to starting

to war. The Wa{~LATIN SMALL LETTER OPEN O~}a{~LATIN
SMALL LETTER OPEN O~}e man ran around from right to left and
the ¢uqe man from left to right. At different stations the two old leaders
addressed the people. Finally the men took sharp pointed sticks, which
they stuck into the ground, each one saying 'I wish my lodge to be
here.' The next day the Cuka or messenger of the Tsí{~LATIN SMALL
LETTER OPEN O~}u old man went to summon the Elk crier. The
latter was ordered to make a proclamation to all the people, as follows:
'They say that you must remove to-day! Wakan{~LATIN SMALL
LETTER TURNED T~}a has made good weather! They say that you
must remove today to a good land!' In those days the Osage used dogs
instead of horses. When the old Tsí{~LATIN SMALL LETTER OPEN
O~}u man made his speech, he went into details about every part of a
lodge, the fireplace, building materials, implements, &c. Four sticks
were placed in the fireplace, the first pointing to the west. When this
was laid down, the Tsí{~LATIN SMALL LETTER OPEN O~}u leader
spoke about the West Wind, and also about a young buffalo bull
(Tse{~LATIN SMALL LETTER TURNED T~}u'-{~LATIN SMALL
LETTER OPEN O~}iñ{~LATIN SMALL LETTER TURNED K~}a),
repeating the name Wani'e-ska. When the stick at the north was laid
down, he spoke of Tsehe qu{~LATIN SMALL LETTER TURNED
T~}se (gray buffalo horns) or a buffalo bull. When the stick at the east
was laid down he spoke of Tse{~LATIN SMALL LETTER TURNED
T~}u{~LATIN SMALL LETTER TURNED K~}a tañ{~LATIN
SMALL LETTER TURNED K~}a (a large buffalo bull). On laying
down the fourth stick at the south, he spoke of Tse min{~LATIN
SMALL LETTER TURNED K~}a (a buffalo cow). At the same time a
similar ceremony was performed by the aged Pan{~LATIN SMALL
LETTER TURNED H~}ka man on the right side of the tribe.(2)
"In placing the stick to the east, Ta{~LATIN SMALL LETTER
TURNED T~}se {~LATIN SMALL LETTER TURNED K~}aqpa tse,
The East Wind, and Tahe ca*d*e, Dark-Horned Deer, were mentioned;
to the north, Ta{~LATIN SMALL LETTER TURNED T~}se *P*asan
tse, The North Wind, and The Deer with gray horns were mentioned; to
the west, Ta{~LATIN SMALL LETTER TURNED T~}se Man'ha tse,
The West Wind, and an animal which makes a lodge and is with the

Tahe pasi{~LATIN SMALL LETTER TURNED K~}e were
mentioned; to the south, T]a{~LATIN SMALL LETTER TURNED
T~}se Ak'a tse, The South Wind, and Ta wañka he a{~LATIN SMALL
LETTER TURNED K~}¢a{~LATIN SMALL LETTER OPEN O~}i
skutañ{~LATIN SMALL LETTER TURNED K~}a were
mentioned."(3)
{~LATIN SMALL LETTER TURNED K~}ahi{~LATIN SMALL
LETTER TURNED K~}e-wa{~LATIN SMALL LETTER TURNED
T~}ayiñ{~LATIN SMALL LETTER TURNED K~}a gave no further
information, as a reported case of smallpox near the agency led the
author to start for the East February 21, 1883. Since then he has learned
of the existence of similar societies among the Kansa and the Ponka,
and he suspects that there were formerly such societies among the
Omaha.(4)

TRADITIONS OF THE ELDERS.
In presenting the accompanying traditions, the following abbreviations
are used in the interlinear translations:
an., animate. cv., curvilinear. du., dual. in., inanimate. mv., moving.
ob., object. pl., plural. recl., reclining. sing., singular. st., sitting. std.,
standing. sub., subject.

UNUn'U¢Á{~LATIN SMALL LETTER TURNED K~}E. TSÍOU
WACTÁ{~LATIN SMALL LETTER TURNED K~}E ITÁ*P*E.
(Tradition of the Tsí{~LATIN SMALL LETTER OPEN O~}u
wactá{~LATIN SMALL LETTER TURNED K~}e gens.)(5)
1 | Oiñ{~LATIN SMALL LETTER TURNED K~}a | wehá{~LATIN
SMALL LETTER TURNED K~}i¢e(6): | á*d*intaú, | Tsiká!(7)
| Child | last | he really said | O grandfather!

| Há, | wisuñ'{~LATIN SMALL LETTER TURNED K~}a, | {~LATIN
SMALL LETTER OPEN O~}iñ'{~LATIN SMALL LETTER
TURNED K~}a | {~LATIN SMALL LETTER OPEN O~}uí{~LATIN
SMALL LETTER TURNED K~}a | wa¢iñ'{~LATIN SMALL
LETTER TURNED K~}e, |é{~LATIN SMALL LETTER TURNED
K~}i añká(8): | á*d*intaú, | Tsiká!