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Pawhuska.Okla.
Nov.11.11

My dear M.

Last evening when I came home from Hominy, where I have been the last few days,I found your letter of th 7th and the manuscript of the Pe-^[[/]]xe Thu-c^[[ç]]e songs. it is evident in your remarks that you do not know that the Osages use the word "wa-ko^[[n]]-^[[']]da-gi" in a sense different from that used by the Omaha and the interpretation of the word as used by the Om.cannot be applied t^[[o]] that of the os. You say that the "gi" at the end of the word gives it the possess[[strikethrough]]oss[[/strikethrough]]ive sign but it is hardly so because in the word as used by the Os.the significance of the syl. is not clear. All that we can do to define the word is to take it as a whole and not attempt to analyze it syl.by syl. Anything that is of a mysterious nature and incapable of explanation by man is regarded and spoke of as"wa-ko^[[n]]-da-gi"or anything that has some supernatural influence.

It is distressing to think that something has been lost from the book. We certainly enlarged upon the word "wa-ko^[[n]]-^[[/]]da has but they are not all-powerful as Wa-ko^[[n]]-^[[/]]da. I remember very well that we worked on t this very word from hours and made quite a lengthy paper on its definition. I may be doing an injustice but I cannot help feeling that Radin in his meddling with the manuscript or proofs mislaid this part. You did not tell me the subject of the paper he wrote in which he used some of our material. This might explain the loss if it was upon this subject.I shall bear this in mind and when I come to the definition of the word as used by the Osage I shall also give the meaning as it is used by the Omahas. This may be the only way of bringing it to light again. I spent two hours this morning in trying to find the word but I cannot find it either in the index or in the text. This is a word of wide significance and needs careful explanation. Itcannot,to make it clear,be explained in a few words.

The explanation part of the paper you send me is good as far as it goes but there is more to the whole thing but we can discuss this when I get hom^[[e]] I wish the Bureau had begin with us earlier so that we could have studied both the tribes together. it is all a queer and interesting similarity and dissimilarity of customs and ideas between the two tribes. While my visit t[[^o]] Wa-xri-zhi's at Hominy was to witness the Peyote ceremonies I learned a lot of other inetersting things that relate to the older life and thoughts of th^[[e]] Osage people. I may have secured a paraphrase of the ritual relating to the tattooing ceremony. It seems to have grown out of the no^[[n]]-zhi^[[n]]-zho^[[n]] dreams of the first two chiefs of the tribe,one from the Tsi-^[[/]]zhu wa-shta-ge and the other from the Wa-zna-^[[/]]zhe wa-shta-ge. When first chosen, the two realized the greatness of the responsibility and after consultation they agreed to appeal to the Supernatural through no^[[n]]-^[[/]]zhi^[[n]]-zho^[[n]] for wisdom for the guidance of their people. After a seven days no^[[n]]-^[[/]]zhi^[[n]]-zho^[[n]] the Tsi-^[[/]]zhu had a revelation of the medicine that would be a cure to all ailments of the people and that would bring each one who used aright the medicine,to a good old age. The corn seems to have taken a part in this long-life-giving power. It was in the keeping of Tsi-^[[/]]zhu and when the power of eating fails in a sick person he is taken to the Tsi-^[[/]]zhu who prepare food for him ceremoniaally and the sick person revives. The Wa-zha-^[[/]]zhe had a revelation of the things that had to do with the tattooing which would also give long life and offspring. This revelation is like the Omaha "i-^[[/]]tha-e-the" but the supernatural power granted the supplicant was for the benefit of the people instead of the individual as in the case of an Omaha supplicant. However, these men went to no^[[n]-^[[/]]zhi^[[n]]-zho^[[n]] for the tribe and not for themselves indi