O´-poⁿ: Fee; the members of the gens will recite the Wa-dsu-ṭa
I-hi-thoⁿ-be Wi´-gi-e which tells of the various places of the earth
where the little ones may find the animals on which to live. (See 36th
Ann. Rept. Bur. Amer. Ethn., p. 112, lines 1 to 109.)
Tho´-xe: Fee; some grains of maize are also sent. The members of this
gens will recite the wi´-gi-e relating to the bringing of the maize to
the people by a buffalo bull, and to his offer to aid the little ones
to reach old age. (See 36th Ann. Rept. Bur. Amer. Ethn., p. 280, lines
83 to 110; also p. 134, lines 1 to 162.)
Wa´-ṭse-ṭsi Wa-shta-ge: Fee, with cedar fronds. Members of this gens
will recite their wi´-gi-e relating to the red cedar, an evergreen tree
which has power to resist death, and to its offer to aid the little
ones to reach old age. (See 36th Ann. Rept. Bur. Amer. Ethn., p. 95,
lines 1 to 34.)
Ho´ I-ni-ḳa-shi-ga: Fee, with a kettle of water. The members of this
gens will recite their wi´-gi-e relating to the everflowing water
which, has power to help the little ones to reach old age. These are
the Fish people. (See 36th Ann. Rept. Bur. Amer. Ethn., p. 98, lines 1
to 35.)
Wa-zha´-zhe çka: Fee, with a mussel shell. The mussel is the life
symbol of this gens. The members of the gens will recite their wi´-gi-e
relating to the power of the mussel to resist death, and to its consent
to aid the little ones to reach old age. The Wa-zha´-zhe çka are a
water people. (See 36th Ann. Rept. Bur. Amer. Ethn., p. 94, lines 1 to
29.)
Ṭa I-ni-ḳa-shi-ga, the Deer People: Only a fee is sent to them. The
members will recite their Wa-dsu´-ṭa I-hi-thoⁿ-be Wi´-gi-e, which
tells of the various places of the earth where the deer will reveal
themselves to the little ones to give them help to reach old age. (See
36th Ann. Rept. Bur. Amer. Ethn., p. 97, lines 44 to 103.)
When the Sho´-ḳa had delivered the last fee every Noⁿ´-hoⁿ-zhiⁿ-ga who
knows his wi´-gi-e begins to recite it in a loud voice. None of the
wi´-gi-es are alike and none of the members of a gens recite in unison,
consequently there would be a volume of sounds most bewildering to the
uninitiated.
ZHA´-ZHE ḲI-ṬOⁿ WI´-GI-E
The wi´-gi-e recited by the members of the Iⁿ-gthoⁿ´-ga gens at this
time is called Zha´-zhe Ḳi-ṭoⁿ Wi´-gi-e, freely translated, the Name
Wi´-gi-e. It is in three parts. The first, which includes sections 1 to
8, is called Zha´-zhe Ḳi-ṭoⁿ, the taking of names; the second, which
includes sections 9 and 10, is called U´-noⁿ U-tha-ge, the telling of
the means by which to reach old age; the third, which includes sections
11 and 12, is called U´-noⁿ-bthe U-gi-dse, the story of the search for
the life-giving foods.
NAME-TAKING WI´-GI-E
(FREE TRANSLATION)
1
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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