Each "fireplace" is a gens, so that there are twenty-one gentes in the
Osage nation. The Seven Han{~LATIN SMALL LETTER TURNED K~}a fireplaces were the last to join the nation,
according to the tradition of the Tsi{~LATIN SMALL LETTER OPEN O~}u wacta{~LATIN SMALL LETTER TURNED K~}e people. When this
occurred, the seven Han{~LATIN SMALL LETTER TURNED K~}a gentes were reckoned as five, and the seven
Osage gentes as two, in order to have not more than seven gentes on the
right side of the tribal circle.
At first the Han{~LATIN SMALL LETTER TURNED K~}a utacantse gens had seven pipes, and the Wa{~LATIN SMALL LETTER OPEN O~}a{~LATIN SMALL LETTER OPEN O~}e had as
many. The Wa{~LATIN SMALL LETTER OPEN O~}a{~LATIN SMALL LETTER OPEN O~}e gave their seventh pipe to the Tsi{~LATIN SMALL LETTER OPEN O~}u, with the right to
make seven pipes from it, so now the Wa{~LATIN SMALL LETTER OPEN O~}a{~LATIN SMALL LETTER OPEN O~}e people have but six pipes,
though they retain the ceremonies pertaining to the seventh.
[Illustration: FIG.
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