﻿50 
  THE 
  OMAHA 
  TRIBE 
  [eth. 
  ANN. 
  27 
  

  

  the 
  story 
  as 
  important, 
  for 
  it 
  served 
  to 
  make 
  clear 
  his 
  tribal 
  status 
  

   and 
  therefore, 
  he. 
  thought, 
  to 
  give 
  weight 
  to 
  his 
  statements 
  concern- 
  

   ing 
  the 
  Ponca 
  tribe. 
  The 
  story 
  is 
  repeated 
  here 
  as 
  throwing 
  light 
  

   on 
  Ponca 
  customs 
  during 
  the 
  eighteenth 
  century: 
  

  

  A 
  chief 
  by 
  the 
  name 
  of 
  Zhi 
  n 
  ga'gahige 
  (Little 
  Chief), 
  of 
  the 
  Washa'be 
  band, 
  had 
  

   a 
  sun 
  who 
  went 
  on 
  the 
  warpath. 
  The 
  father 
  sat 
  in 
  his 
  tent 
  weeping 
  because 
  he 
  had 
  

   heard 
  that 
  his 
  son 
  was 
  killed, 
  for 
  the 
  young 
  man 
  did 
  not 
  return. 
  As 
  he 
  wept 
  he 
  

   thought 
  of 
  various 
  persons 
  in 
  the 
  tribe 
  whom 
  he 
  might 
  call 
  on 
  to 
  avenge 
  the 
  death 
  

   of 
  his 
  son. 
  As 
  he 
  cast 
  about, 
  he 
  recalled 
  a 
  young 
  man 
  who 
  belonged 
  to 
  a 
  poor 
  family 
  

   and 
  had 
  no 
  notable 
  relations. 
  The 
  young 
  man's 
  name 
  was 
  Waca'bezhi 
  n 
  ga 
  (Little 
  

   Bear). 
  The 
  chief 
  remembered 
  that 
  this 
  young 
  man 
  dressed 
  and 
  painted 
  himself 
  

   in 
  a 
  peculiar 
  manner, 
  and 
  thought 
  that 
  he 
  did 
  so 
  that 
  he 
  might 
  act 
  in 
  accordance 
  

   with 
  a 
  dream, 
  and 
  therefore 
  it 
  was 
  probable 
  that 
  he 
  possessed 
  more 
  than 
  ordinary 
  

   power 
  and 
  courage. 
  So 
  the 
  chief 
  said 
  to 
  himself, 
  "I 
  will 
  call 
  on 
  him 
  and 
  see 
  what 
  

   he 
  can 
  do." 
  

  

  Then 
  the 
  chief 
  called 
  together 
  all 
  the 
  other 
  chiefs 
  of 
  the 
  tribe, 
  and 
  when 
  they 
  were 
  

   assembled 
  he 
  sent 
  for 
  Little 
  Bear. 
  On 
  the 
  arrival 
  of 
  the 
  young 
  man 
  the 
  chief 
  

   addressed 
  him, 
  saying, 
  "My 
  son 
  went 
  on 
  the 
  warpath 
  and 
  has 
  never 
  returned 
  . 
  I 
  do 
  not 
  

   know 
  where 
  his 
  bones 
  lie. 
  I 
  have 
  only 
  heard 
  he 
  has 
  been 
  killed. 
  I 
  wish 
  you 
  to 
  go 
  and 
  

   find 
  the 
  land 
  where 
  he 
  was 
  killed. 
  If 
  you 
  return 
  successful 
  four 
  times, 
  then 
  I 
  shall 
  

   resign 
  my 
  place 
  in 
  your 
  favor." 
  

  

  Little 
  Bear 
  accepted 
  the 
  offer. 
  He 
  had 
  a 
  sacred 
  headdress 
  that 
  had 
  on 
  it 
  a 
  ball 
  of 
  

   human 
  hair; 
  he 
  obtained 
  the 
  hair 
  in 
  this 
  manner: 
  Whenever 
  men 
  and 
  women 
  of 
  his 
  

   acquaintance 
  combed 
  their 
  hair 
  and 
  any 
  of 
  the 
  hair 
  fell 
  out, 
  Little 
  Bear 
  asked 
  to 
  have 
  

   the 
  combings 
  given 
  to 
  him. 
  By 
  and 
  by 
  he 
  accumulated 
  enough 
  hair 
  to 
  make 
  his 
  

   peculiar 
  headdress. 
  This 
  was 
  a 
  close-fitting 
  skull 
  cap 
  of 
  skin; 
  on 
  the 
  front 
  part 
  was 
  

   fastened 
  the 
  ball 
  of 
  human 
  hair; 
  on 
  the 
  back 
  part 
  were 
  tied 
  a 
  downy 
  eagle 
  feather 
  and 
  

   one 
  of 
  the 
  sharp-pointed 
  feathers 
  from 
  the 
  wing 
  of 
  that 
  bird. 
  He 
  had 
  another 
  sacred 
  

   article, 
  a 
  buffalo 
  horn, 
  which 
  he 
  fastened 
  at 
  his 
  belt. 
  

  

  Little 
  Bear 
  called 
  a 
  few 
  warriors 
  together 
  and 
  asked 
  them 
  to 
  go 
  with 
  him, 
  and 
  they 
  

   consented. 
  Putting 
  on 
  his 
  headdress 
  and 
  buffalo 
  horn, 
  he 
  and 
  his 
  companions 
  started. 
  

   They 
  met 
  a 
  party 
  of 
  Sioux, 
  hunting. 
  One 
  of 
  the 
  Sioux 
  made 
  a 
  charge 
  at 
  Little 
  Bear, 
  

   who 
  fell 
  over 
  a 
  bluff. 
  The 
  Sioux 
  stood 
  above 
  him 
  and 
  shot 
  arrows 
  at 
  him 
  ; 
  one 
  struck 
  

   the 
  headdress 
  and 
  the 
  other 
  the 
  buffalo 
  horn. 
  After 
  he 
  had 
  shot 
  these 
  two 
  arrows 
  the 
  

   Sioux 
  turned 
  and 
  fled. 
  Little 
  Bear, 
  who 
  was 
  uninjured, 
  climbed 
  up 
  the 
  bluff, 
  and, 
  

   seeing 
  the 
  Sioux, 
  drew 
  his 
  bow 
  and 
  shol 
  the 
  man 
  through 
  the 
  head. 
  Besides 
  this 
  scalp 
  

   Little 
  Bear 
  and 
  his 
  party 
  captured 
  some 
  ponies. 
  On 
  the 
  return 
  of 
  the 
  party 
  Little 
  

   Bear 
  gave 
  his 
  share 
  of 
  the 
  booty 
  to 
  the 
  chief 
  who 
  had 
  lost 
  his 
  son. 
  

  

  Little 
  Bear 
  went 
  on 
  three 
  other 
  expeditions 
  and 
  always 
  returned 
  successful, 
  and 
  each 
  

   time 
  he 
  gave 
  his 
  share 
  of 
  the 
  spoils 
  to 
  the 
  chief. 
  When 
  Little 
  Bear 
  came 
  back 
  the 
  

   fourth 
  time 
  the 
  chief 
  kept 
  his 
  word 
  and 
  resigned 
  his 
  office 
  in 
  favor 
  of 
  the 
  young 
  man. 
  

  

  Little 
  Bear 
  was 
  my 
  grandfather. 
  When 
  he 
  died 
  he 
  was 
  succeeded 
  by 
  his 
  eldest 
  son, 
  

   Two 
  Bulls. 
  At 
  his 
  death 
  his 
  brother, 
  WVgacapi 
  (pi. 
  4), 
  a 
  who 
  was 
  my 
  father, 
  became 
  

   chief, 
  and 
  I 
  succeeded 
  him. 
  

  

  a 
  An 
  old 
  Ponca, 
  speaking 
  of 
  We'gagapi, 
  said: 
  " 
  He 
  was 
  a 
  successful 
  man, 
  and 
  had 
  a 
  pack 
  which 
  had 
  

   descended 
  to 
  him. 
  He 
  always 
  carried 
  it 
  in 
  war. 
  Both 
  he 
  and 
  the 
  original 
  owner 
  of 
  the 
  pack 
  are 
  said 
  to 
  

   have 
  had 
  dreams 
  of 
  wolves." 
  We'gacapi 
  had 
  the 
  honor 
  of 
  having 
  some 
  of 
  his 
  brave 
  deeds 
  preserved 
  

   in 
  song 
  by 
  the 
  Hethu'shka 
  society, 
  and 
  the 
  song 
  is 
  known 
  to 
  members 
  of 
  the 
  society 
  in 
  both 
  the 
  Ponca 
  

   and 
  Omaha 
  tribes. 
  

  

  