Francis La Flesche

“ Thus the house, the two gentes and all the others who enter it to take part in the rite become, collectively, a symbol of the universe wherein life manifests itself by taking on an infinite variety of bodily forms. The whole ceremony is an expression of a longing desire that Wa-ḳon ́-da who dwells in the universe will favor the little one who is to be named with a long life and an endless line of descendants. ”

“ 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. ”

“ The child is next taken by the Sho ́-ḳa to the head of the Non ́-pon-da gens, who blesses it in the same manner with the symbolic water and cedar fronds.
Then the little one is taken to the head of the I ́-ba-ṭse gens, who touches the lips, head, arms and body of the child with pounded corn, besides the sacred water and cedar fronds. The touching of the child with the life-giving corn is an act of appeal to Wa-ḳon ́-da that the child be not permitted to suffer for want of food during its life, so that it may reach maturity and old age without difficulty. ”

“ The head and forelegs of the robe typify that part of the earth whence rises the god of day to take his westward journey. Red is the color of the day when it is young, the time when you will rise and go forth to prepare food for the little one whose tender life is wholly dependent upon your efforts. ”

“ Here he marks the time when you will turn your thoughts from other things to the feeding of the little one so that the nourishing of its life may be continuous. The god of day continues his journey and in time reaches the edge of the earth, behind which he finally disappears. ”

“ Personal names relating to any of the life symbols of a gens serve to keep the members informed of their place in the gentile and tribal organization. For example: Men who were given such names as Ho-çon ́, White-fish; To ́-ho-ho-e, Blue-fish; and Ho ́-ḳi-e-çi, Wriggling-fish, know that they are members of the Ho ́-i-ni-ḳa-shi-ga, Fish-people, gens whose life symbol is the Fish, and that the place of their gens is in the Wa-zha ́-zhe, the first of the two subdivisions of the Hon ́-ga great tribal division which symbolizes the earth. ”

“ When he has put upon his face the sacred color he takes from a package in which he keeps his ornamental feathers a red downy eagle feather which he fastens to his scalplock so that the red feather, the life symbol of his gens, stands firm and upright. In the days when buffalo were plentiful the Non ́-hon-zhin-ga who is to act as Xo ́-ḳa at the child-naming ceremony wore a buffalo robe with the hair outside, but since the extinction of that animal he substituted for the robe a woven blanket obtained from traders. ”

“ It was in those days that a group of men fell into the habit of gathering together, from time to time, to exchange ideas concerning the actions of the sun, moon, and stars which they observed move within the sky with marvelous precision, each in its own given path. ”

“ When you come to the edge of the lake you will look about for a staff to support you as you work in the water. You will choose the willow for your staff, for it is a tree that clings persistently to life. ”

“ Or, a man of the Life-giver gens paints his face all yellow with a narrow black line running diagonally across his face from one corner of his forehead down to the lower jaw on the opposite side. This is the life sign ceremonially put upon a captive when the word is passed by the Life-giver gens that the captive shall be permitted to live. A downy feather worn upright on the crown of the head by a man symbolizes the sun which brings life to the earth in material form. The white shell gorget which a man wears as a pendant on his necklace is also a symbol of the life-giving sun. ”

“ In the course of a conversation concerning the gentile names, classed as sky and earth names, Wa-xthi ́-zhi, of the Puma gens, remarked that: When the Hon ́-ga people were coming from the sky to the earth they chose two persons (gentes) to act as official messengers. One of these persons was called Hon ́-ga Wa ́-ṭse-gi-ṭsi, The-sacred-one-from-the-stars, and the other Hon ́-ga Wa-ṭse-ga-wa, The-sacred-radiant-star. ”

“ Mon ́-hin Wa-ḳon ́-da, Mysterious Knife. From the White Rock the people went forth to wander over the earth. They thought to make for themselves a knife for ceremonial use. The Sho ́-ḳa went again and again to find the right kind of stone of which to make the knife. He brought home the red flint, the blue flint, the flint streaked with yellow, the black flint and the white flint, one after the other, each of which was rejected as being unfit for use by the little ones as a knife. ”

“ The symbolic hawks, each of which formed the central figure in the ceremonies of the war rites, were regarded as being in the special care of the Ni ́-ḳa Wa-ḳon-da-gi, while all of the thirteen o-don ́, military honors, to be won by each warrior of the tribe in order to secure ceremonial rank, belonged to the Tho ́-xe. The war honor must be won in a fight by a war party carrying a hawk, the tribal emblem of courage. ”

“ It fitted their 30 notion that the earth was related to and influenced by all of the great bodies that move around within the sky. However, they were not satisfied that these celestial bodies move without the guidance of some governing power, and they continued their search and their discussions. Then, in course of time, there crept into the minds of these men, who became known as the “Little Old Men,” the thought that a silent, invisible creative power pervades the sun, moon and stars and the earth, gives to them life, and keeps them eternally in motion and perfect order. ”

“ You will find clinging to the root some of the soft earth from which the plant draws nourishment and strength. Take this bit of soil and touch your forehead and body with it, an act which will be as a sign that you appeal to the earth wherein there is Life-giving Power. ”

“ In the Shon ́-ge-mon-in wi ́-gi-e (The Taking of Life Symbols) , the people of the Ṭsi ́-zhu Wa-shta-ge gens implored four gods and four goddesses of the sky for permission to take from them “bodies” for their little ones. ”

“ When you have performed this act return the root to the earth beneath the water, with the wish that the plant shall forever be plentiful. Then gather enough of the roots to satisfy the little one and yourself. ”