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  THE 
  OMAHA 
  TRIBE 
  [BTH. 
  ANN. 
  27 
  

  

  (Osage) 
  are 
  old 
  terms 
  the 
  meanings 
  of 
  which 
  are 
  lost; 
  these 
  occur 
  

   as 
  names 
  of 
  gentes 
  in 
  the 
  cognate 
  tribes, 
  and 
  three 
  of 
  the 
  five 
  cog- 
  

   nates 
  bear 
  them 
  as 
  tribal 
  names. 
  It 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  noted 
  that 
  the 
  descrip- 
  

   tive 
  nar 
  es 
  Omaha 
  and 
  Quapaw 
  do 
  not 
  appear 
  in 
  any 
  of 
  these 
  

   tribes 
  as 
  terms 
  denoting 
  kinship 
  groups. 
  Among 
  the 
  names 
  used 
  

   to 
  denominate 
  kinship 
  groups 
  we 
  find 
  one 
  occurring 
  frequently 
  and 
  

   always 
  used 
  to 
  designate 
  a 
  group 
  that 
  holds 
  important 
  offices 
  in 
  

   the 
  tribe. 
  The 
  same 
  term 
  also 
  appears 
  in 
  the 
  designation 
  of 
  tribal 
  

   divisions 
  which 
  are 
  more 
  comprehensive 
  than 
  the 
  gens. 
  This 
  name 
  is 
  

   FLo 
  n 
  'ga, 
  meaning 
  "leader." 
  In 
  the 
  Kansa 
  tribe 
  there 
  are 
  gentes 
  called 
  

   the 
  Great 
  Ho 
  n 
  'ga, 
  the 
  Small 
  Ho 
  n 
  'ga, 
  and 
  the 
  Separate 
  Ho 
  n 
  'ga. 
  In 
  

   the 
  Quapaw 
  are 
  two 
  gentes 
  having 
  this 
  name, 
  the 
  Great 
  and 
  the 
  Small 
  

   Ho 
  n 
  'ga. 
  In 
  the 
  Omaha 
  the 
  term 
  is 
  applied 
  to 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  two 
  grand 
  

   divisions 
  of 
  the 
  tribe, 
  the 
  Ho 
  n 
  'gashenu, 
  Ho 
  n 
  'ga 
  people, 
  and 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  

   gentes 
  in 
  this 
  division 
  bears 
  the 
  name 
  Ho 
  n 
  'ga. 
  In 
  the 
  Osage, 
  one 
  of 
  

   the 
  five 
  divisions 
  of 
  the 
  tribe 
  is 
  called 
  Ho 
  n 
  'ga. 
  Within 
  this 
  division 
  

   there 
  is 
  also 
  a 
  Ho 
  n 
  'ga 
  gens. 
  Another 
  of 
  the 
  divisions 
  of 
  the 
  Osage 
  is 
  

   called 
  Ho 
  n 
  'ga 
  utanatsi, 
  Separate 
  Ho 
  n 
  'ga. 
  The 
  following 
  Osage 
  tra- 
  

   dition 
  tells 
  who 
  the 
  Ho 
  n 
  'ga 
  utanatsi 
  were 
  and 
  how 
  they 
  came 
  to 
  be 
  a 
  

   part 
  of 
  the 
  Osage 
  organization: 
  

  

  The 
  Osage 
  in 
  their 
  wanderings 
  on 
  the 
  hunt 
  came 
  across 
  a 
  tribe 
  whose 
  language 
  was 
  

   the 
  same 
  as 
  their 
  own. 
  This 
  strange 
  people 
  called 
  themselves 
  Ho^ga. 
  The 
  Osage 
  

   made 
  peace 
  with 
  them 
  and 
  invited 
  them 
  to 
  join 
  and 
  become 
  a 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  Osage 
  tribe. 
  

   The 
  IIo 
  n/ 
  ga 
  tribe 
  consented, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  their 
  descendants 
  who 
  are 
  known 
  to-day 
  as 
  the 
  

   Ho 
  n/ 
  ga 
  utanatsi. 
  

  

  The 
  term 
  Ho 
  n 
  'ga 
  utanatsi 
  may 
  be 
  roughly 
  translated 
  as 
  " 
  the 
  

   Separate 
  Ho 
  n 
  'ga," 
  but 
  the 
  words 
  utana 
  tsi 
  imply 
  something 
  more 
  than 
  

   merely 
  "separate;" 
  they 
  explain 
  why 
  this 
  group 
  had 
  to 
  be 
  so 
  desig- 
  

   nated. 
  The 
  strange 
  Ho 
  n 
  'ga 
  whom 
  the 
  Osage 
  met 
  and 
  invited 
  to 
  become 
  

   a 
  part 
  of 
  their 
  tribe 
  would 
  not 
  give 
  up 
  their 
  own 
  name 
  Ho 
  n 
  'ga, 
  and 
  as 
  

   the 
  Osage 
  were 
  themselves 
  called 
  Ho 
  n 
  'ga 
  people, 
  explanatory 
  words 
  

   had 
  to 
  be 
  added 
  to 
  the 
  name 
  Ho 
  n 
  'ga 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  identify 
  and 
  at 
  the 
  

   same 
  time 
  to 
  distinguish 
  the 
  newcomers 
  from 
  the 
  rest 
  of 
  the 
  tribe. 
  

   These 
  explanatory 
  words 
  were 
  utana 
  tsi, 
  by 
  itself 
  (" 
  separate 
  ") 
  . 
  Hence 
  

   the 
  group 
  in 
  the 
  Osage 
  tribe 
  called 
  Ho 
  n 
  'ga 
  utanatsi. 
  

  

  The 
  name 
  of 
  the 
  Ho 
  n 
  'ga 
  utanatsi 
  gens 
  of 
  the 
  Kansa 
  tribe 
  has 
  the 
  

   same 
  "meaning, 
  and 
  indicates 
  that 
  the 
  Kansa 
  people, 
  as 
  did 
  the 
  Osage, 
  

   claimed 
  Ho 
  n 
  'ga 
  as 
  their 
  common 
  name. 
  

  

  There 
  is 
  a 
  tradition 
  preserved 
  among 
  the 
  Ponca 
  that 
  in 
  the 
  past 
  

   they 
  and 
  the 
  other 
  cognate 
  tribes 
  knew 
  the 
  Omaha 
  by 
  the 
  name 
  

   Ho 
  n 
  'ga. 
  An 
  incident 
  is 
  related 
  that 
  explains 
  the 
  meaning 
  of 
  a 
  name 
  

   given 
  to 
  a 
  small 
  stream 
  in 
  northern 
  Nebraska, 
  Ho 
  n 
  'ga 
  she'no 
  n 
  watha- 
  

   i 
  ke 
  (or 
  Ho 
  n 
  'gawa'xthi 
  i 
  ke), 
  "where 
  the 
  Ho 
  n 
  'ga 
  were 
  slaughtered." 
  

   On 
  this 
  creek 
  a 
  battle 
  is 
  said 
  to 
  have 
  taken 
  place 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  Omaha 
  

  

  