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^[[Recd Aprl. 21 Ansd Apr. 22.]]

Pawhuska, Okla.
April 18. 1919.

My dear M,

Have received your letter of the 14, and was glad to know you are all right. My work is interrupted by various things, a dance that will end tomorrow and a sick grand-child of old Thon-ge-mon-in. He is willing to give me the Ni-ki-e of the Tse-zhu Wa-ohta-je and will come back on here on Monday, and then I will record that. Wa-xthi-zhi gave me some interesting information about the tattooing rite. On the day I arrived he was waiting here to see me. After we had exchanged greetings he went to Gray-horse in response to a call from a ^ [[insert]] woman [[/insert]] who wanted to be tattooed but as the instruments were deposited in the museum it could not be done. However, she insisted upon having the wigies and songs given which was done. For this he received fees of a horse, goods and provisions, the things secured for the actual ceremony. While reciting for the benefit of this woman he remembered 2 short wi-gi-es, recited at the beginning of the tattooing, these related as the straight lines called animal paths, which I think really means the path of life. The first wi-gi- relates to the tail of the male oppossum as a symbol of a guide for making the straight line which also represent the sun's path, the other relates to the Pileated woodpecker whose feather is used to draw the straight line, and as a brush. The red head of this bird represents the sun. I wanted to have him recite these wigies in the graphophone but he was called by [[Jack?]] to Hominy, and so it goes. Anyway I remember the story of each and can tell them without the wi-gi-es.

Yesterday afternoon I was at the dance, and for gorgeousness the costumes beat anything I ever saw.