﻿Fletcher-la 
  fleschb] 
  LOCATION; 
  LINGUISTIC 
  RELATIONSHIPS 
  35 
  

  

  by 
  the 
  traditions 
  of 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  tribes 
  belonging 
  to 
  this 
  linguistic 
  

   stock. 
  All 
  of 
  these 
  traditions 
  speak 
  of 
  a 
  movement 
  from 
  the 
  east 
  to 
  

   the 
  west, 
  covering 
  a 
  long 
  period 
  of 
  time. 
  The 
  primordial 
  habitat 
  of 
  

   this 
  stock 
  lies 
  hidden 
  in 
  the 
  mystery 
  that 
  still 
  enshrouds 
  the 
  beginnings 
  

   of 
  the 
  ancient 
  American 
  race; 
  it 
  seems 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  situated, 
  how- 
  

   ever, 
  among 
  the 
  Appalachian 
  mountains, 
  and 
  all 
  their 
  legends 
  indi- 
  

   cate 
  that 
  the 
  people 
  had 
  knowledge 
  of 
  a 
  large 
  body 
  of 
  water 
  in 
  the 
  

   vicinity 
  of 
  their 
  early 
  home. 
  This 
  water 
  may 
  have 
  been 
  the 
  Atlantic 
  

   ocean, 
  for, 
  as 
  shown 
  on 
  the 
  map, 
  remnants 
  of 
  Siouan 
  tribes 
  survived 
  

   near 
  the 
  mountains 
  in 
  the 
  regions 
  of 
  Virginia, 
  North 
  Carolina, 
  and 
  

   South 
  Carolina 
  until 
  after 
  the 
  coming 
  of 
  the 
  white 
  race. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  extended 
  westward 
  migration 
  of 
  the 
  Siouan 
  stock 
  groups 
  

   seem 
  to 
  have 
  broken 
  off, 
  some 
  earlier 
  than 
  others, 
  and 
  to 
  have 
  made 
  

   their 
  way 
  into 
  localities 
  where 
  certain 
  habits 
  incident 
  to 
  their 
  environ- 
  

   ment 
  appear 
  to 
  have 
  become 
  fixed 
  on 
  them, 
  and 
  contact 
  with 
  other 
  

   stocks 
  during 
  the 
  migration 
  to 
  have 
  influenced 
  their 
  culture. 
  A 
  

   group 
  which 
  kept 
  together 
  until 
  within 
  the 
  last 
  few 
  hundred 
  years 
  

   seems 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  composed 
  of 
  the 
  five 
  closely 
  cognate 
  tribes 
  now 
  

   known 
  as 
  the 
  Omaha, 
  Ponca, 
  Osage, 
  Kansa, 
  and 
  Quapaw. 
  Their 
  

   languages 
  as 
  yet 
  have 
  hardly 
  differentiated 
  into 
  distinct 
  dialects. 
  

   There 
  are 
  other 
  groups 
  of 
  the 
  Siouan 
  stock 
  which, 
  from 
  the 
  evidence 
  

   of 
  their 
  language, 
  were 
  probably 
  similarly 
  associated 
  tribes. 
  Some 
  

   of 
  these 
  groups 
  seem 
  to 
  have 
  developed 
  individual 
  peculiarities 
  of 
  

   language 
  which 
  prevented 
  them 
  from 
  coalescing 
  with 
  their 
  kindred 
  

   when 
  in 
  the 
  course 
  of 
  wanderings 
  they 
  met. 
  An 
  instance 
  in 
  point 
  is 
  

   the 
  meeting 
  and 
  journeying 
  together 
  of 
  the 
  Iowa 
  and 
  the 
  Omaha 
  

   without 
  establishing 
  tribal 
  union. 
  Although 
  they 
  belonged 
  to 
  the 
  

   same 
  linguistic 
  stock, 
  the 
  Iowa 
  tongue 
  was 
  practically 
  unintelligible 
  

   to 
  the 
  Omaha. 
  The 
  final 
  parting 
  of 
  these 
  tribes 
  took 
  place 
  within 
  

   the 
  last 
  two 
  centuries. 
  

  

  The 
  five 
  cognate 
  tribes, 
  of 
  which 
  the 
  Omaha 
  is 
  one, 
  bear 
  a 
  strong 
  

   resemblance 
  to 
  one 
  another, 
  not 
  only 
  in 
  language 
  but 
  in 
  tribal 
  

   organization 
  and 
  religious 
  rites. 
  This 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  Omaha 
  tribe 
  

   with 
  incorporated 
  notes 
  taken 
  among 
  their 
  close 
  cognates 
  is 
  pre- 
  

   sented 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  facilitate 
  a 
  comparative 
  study 
  not 
  only 
  of 
  these 
  

   tribes 
  but 
  of 
  others 
  of 
  the 
  Siouan 
  stock, 
  in 
  the 
  hope 
  of 
  thereby 
  

   helping 
  to 
  solve 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  problems 
  presented 
  by 
  this 
  extensive 
  

   linguistic 
  group. 
  

  

  Tribal 
  Concept; 
  the 
  Name 
  Omaha 
  

  

  UJci'te, 
  the 
  word 
  for 
  tribe, 
  has 
  a 
  double 
  import: 
  As 
  a 
  verb, 
  it 
  means 
  

   "to 
  fight;" 
  as 
  a 
  noun, 
  it 
  signifies 
  "tribe." 
  It 
  seems 
  probable 
  that 
  

   the 
  noun 
  has 
  been 
  derived 
  from 
  the 
  verb; 
  at 
  least 
  it 
  throws 
  light 
  

   on 
  the 
  Omaha 
  concept 
  of 
  what 
  was 
  an 
  essential 
  to 
  the 
  formation 
  of 
  

   a 
  tribe. 
  The 
  verbal 
  form 
  signifies 
  "to 
  fight" 
  against 
  external 
  foes, 
  

  

  