﻿THE 
  OMAHA 
  TRIBE 
  

  

  By 
  Alice 
  C. 
  Fletcher 
  and 
  Francis 
  La 
  Flesche 
  

  

  I 
  

   LOCATION; 
  LINGUISTIC 
  RELATIONSHIPS 
  

  

  The 
  people 
  of 
  the 
  Omaha 
  tribe 
  live 
  in 
  the 
  State 
  of 
  Nebraska, 
  in 
  

   Burt, 
  Cuming, 
  and 
  Thurston 
  counties, 
  about 
  80 
  miles 
  north 
  of 
  the 
  

   city 
  which 
  bears 
  their 
  name. 
  

  

  Omaha 
  tribe 
  has 
  never 
  been 
  at 
  war 
  with 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  and 
  

   is 
  the 
  only 
  tribe 
  now 
  living 
  in 
  the 
  State 
  of 
  Nebraska 
  that 
  was 
  there 
  

   when 
  the 
  white 
  settlers 
  entered 
  >'.ie 
  country. 
  

  

  in 
  i, 
  . 
  tigress 
  passed 
  an 
  act 
  under 
  which 
  every 
  Omaha 
  man, 
  

   woman, 
  and 
  child 
  received 
  a 
  certain 
  number 
  of 
  acres 
  of 
  the 
  land 
  

   which 
  the 
  tribe 
  selected 
  as 
  their 
  reservation 
  in 
  1854, 
  when 
  they 
  ceded 
  

   to 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  their 
  extensive 
  hunting 
  grounds. 
  The 
  Omaha 
  

   are 
  dependent 
  for 
  their 
  livelihood 
  on 
  their 
  own 
  exertions 
  as 
  farmers, 
  

   mechanics, 
  merchants, 
  etc.; 
  by 
  the 
  act 
  of 
  1882, 
  they 
  were 
  placed 
  under 
  

   the 
  laws, 
  civil 
  and 
  criminal, 
  of 
  the 
  State 
  of 
  Nebraska. 
  Their 
  ancient 
  

   tribal 
  organization 
  has 
  ceased 
  to 
  exist, 
  owing 
  to 
  changed 
  environ- 
  

   ment, 
  the 
  extinction 
  of 
  the 
  buffalo, 
  and 
  the 
  immediate 
  presence 
  of 
  the 
  

   white 
  man's 
  civilization. 
  Nothing 
  remains 
  intact 
  of 
  the 
  ancient 
  cus- 
  

   toms 
  except 
  the 
  practice 
  of 
  exogamy 
  between 
  the 
  kinship 
  groups 
  

   and 
  the 
  people 
  still 
  give 
  their 
  children 
  names 
  that 
  belong 
  to 
  the 
  

   gentes 
  into 
  which 
  the 
  children 
  are 
  born. 
  A 
  few 
  of 
  the 
  societies 
  exist 
  

   but 
  their 
  influence 
  is 
  on 
  the 
  wane, 
  although 
  they 
  are 
  enjoyed 
  because 
  

   of 
  their 
  social 
  character 
  and 
  the 
  pleasure 
  derived 
  from 
  their 
  songs 
  

   and 
  dramatic 
  dances, 
  which 
  revive 
  the 
  memory 
  of 
  the 
  days 
  when 
  the 
  

   Omaha 
  were 
  a 
  distinct 
  and 
  independent 
  people. 
  

  

  In 
  June, 
  1884, 
  the 
  Omaha 
  tribe 
  numbered 
  1,179. 
  In 
  that 
  month 
  

   the 
  allotment 
  of 
  lands 
  to 
  members 
  of 
  the 
  tribe 
  was 
  completed. 
  The 
  

   people 
  were 
  divided 
  as 
  follows: 
  

  

  Males. 
  Females. 
  

  

  Adults 
  305 
  338 
  

  

  Under 
  18 
  years 
  259 
  277 
  

  

  Total 
  564 
  615 
  

  

  Excess 
  of 
  females 
  over 
  males, 
  '51. 
  Of 
  these, 
  33 
  were 
  adults 
  and 
  18 
  

  

  were 
  minors. 
  

  

  Number 
  of 
  families, 
  246. 
  

   Families 
  having 
  no 
  children, 
  41. 
  

  

  83993°— 
  27 
  eth— 
  11 
  3 
  33 
  

  

  