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Pawhuska. Okla.
Nov.17.1911.

My dear M.

I was very glad to get your letter of the 14th. It is now too late to d do anything about the word "wa-gko^[[n]]-da-gi," but the omission of it from the book can be brought in a footnote in the Osage book when I come to explain the use of it by the Osages. I like Miss.Dinsmore's letter and I wish^[[h]] that you would tell her that I appreciate her words of congratulation and that I wish her success in her work.

Now for something extraordinary and interesting. For a long time I have been trying to get hold of the Wa-xri-^[[/]]zhi to get from him the story of the tattoing custom and he hasa always suspiciously avoided me although with much civility. You know his father at one time had the tattooing outfit that I got from Backbird's widow. Wa-xri-^[[/]]zhi himself did some tattooing and used that pack and he is said to know considerable about the rite. I had two peices of ribbon work the larger of which he coveted and I told him that I would let him have the smaller one if he would give me the ritual. He said he would and we set a time for him to come to my room where we could work at it. When he came and examined the things he stubbonly insisted that I said I would let him have the larger piece and as I had no said that I stuck to that and he positively refused to give me the ritual but in the most courteous manner. Last week when he telephoned me from Himiny to come to his peyote meeting I wondered if he had " something up his sleeve". I went and saw the ceremonies but during all my stay there he carefully avoided the subject of the ritual although he told me some ineteresting things about other matters. He drove me himself to the station and while we were waiting for the train in townhe took me into a little room and said he had something we wanted to say to me. Then he told me about the controversy he had with another man about his aunts estate and that he wished me to help him in the matter. I told him I would ^[[do]] what I could for him in the matter. He was very much pleased and we are at work on it now and with the chances very much in our favor although the other side have an able attorney. I do not act in person but advise privately. Oddly enough the man who is conducing the hearing has asked me to be present at the hearing and he says he w wants my advice. Now Wa-xthi-^[[/]]zhi voluntarily comes and offers the ritual. I have taken it in pharaphrase and later he will recite the ritual itself. It may not be complete,nothing is,but what there is of it is most interesting and valuable. There are some thing in it that point to the Omaha shel^[[l]] as having a place [[strikethrough]]of[[strikethrough]] ^[[in]] the creemonials of the tribe when they were with the Omaha. Now I will give you a little of the story.

When all of the Osages became finally united they were living in a place they thought was not suitable for rearing their little onces so they searched for and found some land that satisfied their want. When they moved to the new house they chose two men,one from the Tsi-zhu gens and the other from the Wa-zha-zhe,to be their chiefs.The responsibility was great and th two men were sore perplexed as to how they should lead the people and afte much counsellings they agreed to seek Supernatural guidance through the ancient tire ot no^[[n]]-zhi^[[n]]-zho^[[n]]. We will leave out this story of the Tsi-zhu bu^[[t]] the Wa-zha-zhe man went through the no^[[n]]-zhi^[[n]]-zho^[[n]] and in his dream there c came to him a man who said to him " go to yonder river in the morning and you will find me in the bend where the waters,sheltered by the high banks against the winds,lie placid. I am old age. My feet are wrinkled with old age,my thighs are wrinkled with old age,my body is wrinkled with old age, my face is wrinkled with old age, my hair is whitened with old age. If your little ones will carry me,enfolded in their arms,on their life journey, they will live amidst the life-giving air and they will be hardened agains death. Take from my wings seven feathers to represent me." The Wa-zhi-zhe went to the spot pointed out to him and there he saw floating in the still waters a large pelican so old that he could scarcely move. This recogni