﻿44 
  THE 
  OMAHA 
  TRIBE 
  [uth.ann.27 
  

  

  3. 
  ni'kat'Ashna 
  <;ens 
  

  

  The 
  name 
  Ni'kapashna 
  ("skull") 
  is 
  said 
  to 
  refer 
  to 
  the 
  exposure 
  of 
  

   the 
  bone 
  by 
  the 
  process 
  of 
  scalping. 
  This 
  gens 
  had 
  charge 
  of 
  the 
  

   war 
  pipes 
  and 
  directed 
  the 
  council 
  of 
  war. 
  To 
  them 
  belonged 
  also 
  

   the 
  supervision 
  of 
  all 
  hunting 
  of 
  the 
  deer. 
  

  

  When 
  a 
  member 
  of 
  the 
  subdivision 
  Taha'to" 
  itazhi 
  died, 
  moccasins 
  

   made 
  from 
  the 
  skin 
  of 
  the 
  deer 
  (which 
  was 
  tabu 
  to 
  the. 
  living) 
  were 
  

   put 
  on 
  his 
  feet 
  that 
  he 
  might 
  not 
  "lose 
  his 
  way," 
  but 
  go 
  on 
  safely 
  

   and 
  "be 
  recognized 
  by 
  his 
  own 
  people" 
  in 
  the 
  spirit 
  world. 
  

  

  The 
  symbolic 
  cut 
  of 
  the 
  child's 
  hair 
  consisted 
  

   in 
  removing 
  all 
  the 
  hair 
  except 
  a 
  fringe, 
  around 
  

   the 
  head, 
  as 
  shown 
  in 
  figure 
  5. 
  

  

  ■i. 
  P(i 
  N 
  '('AXTI 
  GENS 
  

  

  The 
  Po 
  n 
  'caxti 
  (xti, 
  "original," 
  or 
  "real") 
  

   camped 
  in 
  the 
  rear 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  tribal 
  circle, 
  fac- 
  

   ing 
  the 
  opening. 
  This 
  gens 
  and 
  its 
  subdivision, 
  

   Fig. 
  5. 
  Cutofhair.Nitar 
  the 
  Mo"ko"', 
  had 
  charge 
  of 
  the 
  principal 
  pipes, 
  

   pashnagenscponca] 
  u]u 
  , 
  f 
  which 
  was 
  the 
  chief's 
  pipe 
  that 
  was 
  used 
  

   for 
  conjuring. 
  In 
  this 
  gens 
  was 
  preserved 
  the 
  tradition 
  of 
  the 
  

   finding 
  of 
  the 
  Omaha 
  Sacred 
  Pole; 
  it 
  was 
  a 
  man 
  of 
  the 
  Mo 
  n 
  ko 
  n 
  ' 
  sub- 
  

   gens 
  who 
  in 
  the 
  race 
  was 
  the 
  first 
  to 
  reach 
  the 
  Pole 
  (p. 
  218). 
  

  

  There 
  were 
  only 
  two 
  ceremonies 
  during 
  which 
  the 
  Ponca 
  tribe 
  was 
  

   required 
  to 
  camp 
  in 
  the 
  order 
  shown 
  on 
  the 
  diagram, 
  when, 
  as 
  it 
  was 
  

   said, 
  "the 
  people 
  must 
  make 
  the 
  hu'thuga 
  complete." 
  These 
  cere- 
  

   monies 
  were 
  the 
  Feast 
  of 
  Soldiers, 
  which 
  generally 
  took 
  place 
  while 
  

   the 
  tribe 
  was 
  on 
  the 
  buffalo 
  hunt, 
  and 
  Turning 
  the 
  Child. 
  At 
  the 
  

   latter 
  ceremony 
  the 
  lock 
  was 
  cut 
  from 
  the 
  boy's 
  head 
  and 
  a 
  name 
  

   which 
  belonged 
  to 
  its 
  gens 
  was 
  given 
  to 
  the 
  child. 
  The 
  Mo 
  n 
  ko 
  n 
  ' 
  subdi- 
  

   vision 
  had 
  the 
  direction 
  of 
  both 
  of 
  these, 
  ceremonies. 
  The 
  ceremony 
  

   connected 
  with 
  the 
  child 
  took 
  place 
  in 
  the 
  spring. 
  A 
  tent 
  was 
  pitched 
  

   in 
  front 
  of 
  the 
  Mo"ko"' 
  subdivision 
  and 
  set 
  toward 
  the 
  center 
  of 
  the 
  

   tribal 
  circle, 
  "made 
  complete" 
  for 
  this 
  ceremony. 
  The 
  tent 
  was 
  

   dedicated 
  — 
  "made 
  holy" 
  — 
  a 
  stone 
  placed 
  in 
  the 
  center 
  near 
  the 
  fire 
  

   and 
  sweet 
  grass 
  laid 
  on 
  it. 
  It 
  was 
  the 
  duty 
  of 
  the 
  mothers 
  to 
  bring 
  

   their 
  children 
  to 
  the 
  old 
  man 
  to 
  whom 
  belonged 
  the 
  hereditary 
  right 
  

   to 
  perform 
  the 
  ceremony 
  of 
  Turning 
  the 
  Child. 
  After 
  the 
  child 
  had 
  

   entered 
  the 
  tent 
  he 
  took 
  it 
  by 
  the 
  hand, 
  led 
  it 
  to 
  the 
  center 
  of 
  the 
  

   tent, 
  and 
  stood 
  it 
  on 
  the 
  stone, 
  facing 
  the 
  east; 
  then 
  lie 
  lifted 
  the 
  child 
  

   by 
  the 
  shoulders, 
  turned 
  it 
  to 
  the 
  south, 
  and 
  let 
  its 
  feet 
  rest 
  on 
  the 
  stone. 
  

   In 
  the 
  same 
  manner 
  he 
  again 
  lifted 
  the 
  child, 
  turned 
  it 
  to 
  the 
  west, 
  

   and 
  then 
  rested 
  its 
  feet 
  on 
  the 
  stone. 
  Once 
  more, 
  he 
  lifted 
  it, 
  as 
  before, 
  

   causing 
  it 
  to 
  face 
  the 
  north, 
  and 
  set 
  its 
  feet 
  on 
  the 
  stone; 
  finally 
  he 
  

   lifted 
  it 
  back, 
  with 
  its 
  face 
  to 
  the 
  east. 
  " 
  The 
  Turning 
  of 
  the 
  Child," 
  

   the 
  old 
  informant 
  said, 
  "brought 
  the 
  child 
  face 
  to 
  face 
  with 
  the 
  fife- 
  

  

  