392 A STUDY OF SIOUAN CULTS. 



gens of tbe Omaha, conveys some reference to a white oak tree, {>ac,kahi ; 

 and in the Nuqe, a Buffalo gens of the Ponka tribe, we find the name 

 jLubehi, from a plant, bush, or tree found in Nebraska, the leaves of 

 which, resembling those of red cherry trees, are used by the Omaha for 

 making a tea. Further study may show that the Winnebago, who have 

 the name Waziiia, I*ine Person, reverence a pine tree. (Query : May not 

 this name be Cedar Person, rather than Pine Person?) 



Among the lovva, Oto, and Missouri, we find several cedar, corn, and 

 pumpkin names. Several corn and pumpkin names occur in the name 

 list of the Kansa tribe. Corn, elm, and black hawthorn names are 

 found in the Osage name list, as well as cedar names; and their tradi- 

 tions tell of the cedar, red oak, and sycamore, as well as of the corn and 

 pumpkin.' (See § 49.) 



I(|!A'E^E. 



§ 4.'^. This term has beeii defined in Chapter ii (§ S). It is very probable 

 that fasting for several days tended to produce the condition of mind 

 and body requisite for the supposed superhuman communications. 

 According to ja(f'i"-na"paiT and other Omaha, some persons thought 

 that they saw or heard ghosts or various animals. Sometimes men 

 were roused from sleep, imagining that they heard mysterious voices. 

 Tiiey claimed to have interviews with U-gahauada-ze, or the Ancient 

 of Darkness; Ma-qpi, or the Ancient of Clouds; j^ande, or the Ground 

 Being; lugfa", or the Thunder-being; the Sun, the Moon, the Morning 

 Star, the Ancient of Rattlesnakes, the Ancient of Grizzly Bears, the 

 Ancient of Black Bears, the Ancient of Buffaloes, the Ancient of Big 

 Wolves, and the Ancient of Prairie Wolves. Each being or animal 

 thus seen in a dream or vision seems to have been regarded as the 

 special guardian spirit of the person claiming to have had interviews 

 with him. The lugcj'a" i((-a'e()-e ma, or Those who had interviews with the 

 Thunder-being, never danced at the meetings of their societj'. They 

 invited one another to feast, and they sang as they remained seated. 

 The songs referred to the Thunder-being. When they finished eating 

 and singing the ceremonies ended. This order of Thunder shamans 

 claimed the power to make rain (see § 36). 



According to ja(j'i"-na"paii and Little Village Maker, these shamans 

 could also make circles of seven colors around the sun and moon, and 

 the two men just named said that they had seen this done. Joseph 

 La Fleche and Two Crows gave the following explanation: "When 

 there are clouds that obscure the moon, a circle is seen around the 

 moon, and it sometimes resembles a rainbow." Though Two Crows 

 belongs to the Buffalo society (xe ifa'e^-e-ma, or Order of Buttalo 

 shamans — see § 89), he said that he had never had an interview with a 

 mysterious buffalo, but that his work in the order was confined to the 

 practice of surgery, he being the keeper of the "maka" ski^e," or sweet 



■Osage Traditions, in 6tli Ann. Kept. Bur. Ethn., pp. 377, 379, 390. 



