en, a reason for it. This reason
also explains why a child or an adult generally stands mute when we address
him by his personal name or ask him what his name is; his silence is not to
be attributed to "Indian stolidity," which we ignorantly regard as a marked
characteristic of the race.

The bestowal of a name, whether the name is of the first or of the second
class already described, was always attended with ceremonies. These
differed among the many tribes of the United States, particularly in their
details, but fundamentally they had much in common.

PRESENTING THE CHILD TO THE COSMOS

Among the Omaha a ceremony was observed shortly after the birth of a child
that on broad lines reflects a general belief among the Indians.

In the introductory chapter of this book the Indian's feeling of
unquestioning unity with nature is mentioned. The following Omaha ceremony
and ritual furnish direct testimony to the profundity of this feeling. Its
expression greets him at his birth and is iterated at every important
experience throughout his life.

When an Omaha child is born the parents send to the clan that has charge of
the rite of introducing the child to the Cosmos. The priest thus summoned
comes to the tent wherein the infant lies and takes his stand just outside
the door, facing the East. He raises his right hand, palm outward, to the
sky, and in a clear ringing voice intones the following ritual:

Ho! Ye Sun, Moon, Stars, all ye that move in the heavens,
I bid you hear me!
Into your midst has come a new life;
Consent ye, I implore!
Make its path smooth, that it may reach the brow of the first hill!

Ho! Ye Winds, Clouds, Rain, Mist, all ye that move in the air,
I bid you hear me!
Into your midst has come a new life;
Consent ye, I implore!
Make its path smooth, that it may reach the brow of the second hill!

Ho! Ye Hills, Valleys, Rivers, Lakes, Trees, Grasses, all ye of the earth,
I bid you hear me!
Into your midst has come a new life;
Consent ye, I implore!
Make its path smooth, that it may reach the brow of the third hill!

Ho! Ye Birds, great and small, that fly in the air;
Ho! Ye Animals, great and small, that dwell in the forests;
Ho! Ye Insects that creep among the grasses and burrow in the ground,
I bid you hear me!
Into your