A PAWNEE RITUAL USED WHEN CHANGING A MAN'S NAME

Abstract

Why an Indian changes his name after any important achievement, and why he never uses the personal name when addressing another, has not yet been fully explained; therefore any first-hand information relating to this subject will undoubtedly be welcome to students of anthropology. In this connection I take pleasure in presenting a ritual used by three divisions of the Pawnee, the Chau-i', Kit'-ka-hah-ki, and Pita-hau-i'-rat, when the ceremony of changing a man's name takes place. A few words are fitting on two points, namely, as to how this ritual was obtained, and as to the source from which it was procured. The difficulty of obtaining rituals used in Indian ceremonies is well known. The priests will not talk of these sacred utterances to strangers, much less recite them for record, so that in order to secure such material one must be in peculiar and confidential relations with its keepers, and be known and trusted by their people. As to the ritual to be presented, the following are the facts: