Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-12-13

Mr.. La FIesche went from the Indian
service to this bureau to take up the
been pursuing 1t since. HIS discovery
for it amounts in reality to a discov-
ery-of the ceremonials of the Little
Old Men is but part of the larger labor
of research. Nevertheless it stands as
the most important development in
American ethnology In years. and his
final report. when published. will be
notable contribution to the literature
of the science.
The myths and legends of primitive
peoples naturally figure largely in eth
biological research. American Indian
life IL rich in these. and yet neither
Mr.. LaFlesche nor Miss Fletcher at
taches as much Importance to mythol-
ogy as they do to Indian ceremoniais
and Indian music-for all Indian tribes
have their music. The ceremonials and
music, as all evidence shows. are less
apt to be corrupted. Folk lore, these
Investigators have found, is less sig
nificant in the light it sheds on an
cient life and habits .han ceremonials
And SO they have delved deep into
Indian ceremonials. All the Indian
tribes with which they have come in
contact. which are many, have these
in greater or less extent. and among
them. especially among the several
tribes of the Siouan family. they bear
a marked resemb lance to one another
They constitute the real Indian litera-
ture.
No ceremonials however, are quite so
elaborate as those Mr.. LaF1esche has
found among the Osages And these
ceremonials are an expression of the
sic. the religion and the spiritual and
artistic life of the people.
This lodge, or society, or association
of the Little Old Men of the Osages is
not secret in the sense that only men,
bers are privileged to witness its ritu-
alistic observances. But 1t is secret to
the extent that outsiders are not well
coined at the enactment of the cere-
monials. and that a repetition Of any
portion of the ritual In mockery, in
play or outside of a duly convened ses-
sion is considered sacrilege. Violent
death by supernatural means is the
punishment for such sacrtlege.
All this has made difficult the task
of Mr. I4aFlesche in assembling his ma
terial-material which now mounts
into huge stacks of typewriter pages.
containing transcriptions of the ritual
used in six of the seven degrees. to-
gether with TRANSACTIONS of the same.
The fact that he himself is an Indian
and that he won the friendship of one
of the adopts of the order, Chief
Saucy Calf, alone gave him success. He
induced Saucy Calf TO recite into
talking machine much of the ritual. to
the CONSERVATION and horror of the
tribesmen who became aware of the
violation of the holy law. The par
ticular punishment predicted in his own
clan for reciting this portion of the
ritual, apart from the lodge, Is death
by burning.
Some months after Saucy Calf had
committed the sacrilege burglars broke
into his house one night to rob him,
nd he murdered
to cover their crime, the burglars set
fire to the house and the body of Saucy
Calf was incinerated.
"A Judgment" declared some of the
people of the tribe.
Since then it has been even harder
than ever to acquire the Information
necessary. But. as stated above, tho
full ritual of six of the seven degrees