﻿62 
  THE 
  OMAHA 
  TRIBE 
  [eth. 
  ANN. 
  27 
  

  

  passed 
  him 
  on 
  to 
  the 
  Pgro^ga, 
  whose 
  place 
  was 
  on 
  the 
  south 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  tribal 
  circle. 
  

   By 
  this 
  act 
  the 
  captive 
  symbolically 
  traversed 
  the 
  tribal 
  circle, 
  passing 
  from 
  those 
  on 
  ' 
  

   the 
  north, 
  who 
  made 
  peace, 
  to 
  those 
  on 
  the 
  south, 
  who 
  had 
  charge 
  of 
  war 
  — 
  the 
  act 
  indi- 
  

   cating 
  that 
  he 
  was 
  to 
  share 
  in 
  all 
  that 
  concerned 
  the 
  tribe. 
  

  

  Then 
  the 
  chief 
  of 
  the 
  I 
  n 
  gro 
  n/ 
  ga 
  took 
  a 
  sharp-pointed 
  flint 
  knife 
  and 
  made 
  a 
  quick 
  

   stroke 
  on 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  captive's 
  nose, 
  causing 
  the 
  blood 
  to 
  flow. 
  The 
  chief 
  of 
  the 
  

   Tsi'zhu 
  washtage 
  wiped 
  away 
  the 
  blood. 
  Then 
  the 
  chief 
  of 
  the 
  Wa'tsetsi 
  brought 
  water, 
  

   and 
  the 
  chief 
  of 
  the 
  Ho 
  n/ 
  ga 
  food 
  (corn 
  or 
  meat), 
  and 
  these 
  were 
  administered 
  to 
  the 
  

   captive 
  by 
  the 
  chief 
  of 
  the 
  Tsi'zhu 
  washtage, 
  who 
  then 
  took 
  the 
  sacred 
  pipe, 
  filled 
  it, 
  

   and 
  placed 
  on 
  it 
  fronds 
  of 
  cedar 
  brought 
  by 
  the 
  I/batse. 
  The 
  pipe 
  was 
  lit 
  and 
  cere- 
  

   monially 
  smoked 
  by 
  the 
  captive. 
  Then 
  the 
  chief 
  of 
  the 
  Nu'xe 
  brought 
  buffalo 
  fat 
  and 
  

   anointed 
  the 
  body 
  of 
  the 
  captive, 
  after 
  which 
  the 
  chief 
  of 
  the 
  O'pxo 
  11 
  painted 
  two 
  

   black 
  stripes 
  across 
  the 
  face 
  from 
  the 
  left 
  eyebrow 
  to 
  the 
  lower 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  right 
  cheek. 
  

   This 
  done, 
  the 
  chief 
  of 
  the 
  Tsi'zhu 
  washtage 
  announced 
  the 
  name, 
  Xi'wathe 
  (" 
  made 
  

   to 
  live 
  "), 
  and 
  the 
  captive 
  became 
  the 
  child 
  of 
  the 
  man 
  who 
  adopted 
  him. 
  

  

  The 
  letting 
  of 
  blood 
  symbolized 
  that 
  the 
  captive 
  lost 
  the 
  blood 
  and 
  kinship 
  of 
  the 
  

   tribe 
  into 
  which 
  he 
  had 
  been 
  born. 
  All 
  trace 
  of 
  his 
  former 
  birth 
  was 
  removed 
  by 
  the 
  

   washing 
  away 
  of 
  the 
  blood 
  by 
  the 
  Wa'tsetsi. 
  He 
  was 
  then 
  given 
  food 
  by 
  those 
  who 
  led 
  

   the- 
  tribe 
  in 
  the 
  hunt 
  when 
  the 
  food 
  supply 
  was 
  obtained. 
  The 
  new 
  blood 
  made 
  by 
  

   the 
  Osage 
  food 
  was 
  thus 
  made 
  Osage 
  blood. 
  

  

  This 
  symbolic 
  act 
  was 
  confirmed 
  and 
  sanctified 
  by 
  the 
  smoking 
  of 
  the 
  pipe, 
  the 
  

   aromatic 
  cedar 
  being 
  provided 
  by 
  the 
  I'batse. 
  Finally, 
  the 
  anointing 
  of 
  the 
  body 
  by 
  

   the 
  Nu'xe 
  (who, 
  together 
  with 
  the 
  Buffalo 
  people, 
  controlled 
  the 
  planting 
  of 
  the 
  corn) 
  

   brought 
  the 
  captive 
  entirely 
  within 
  the 
  rites 
  and 
  avocations 
  of 
  the 
  tribe. 
  The 
  black 
  

   stripes 
  put 
  on 
  by 
  the 
  O'pxo" 
  were 
  in 
  recognition 
  of 
  the 
  Thunder 
  as 
  the 
  god 
  of 
  war 
  and 
  

   the 
  captive's 
  future 
  duties 
  as 
  a 
  warrior 
  of 
  the 
  tribe. 
  The 
  giving 
  of 
  the 
  name 
  Ni'wathe 
  

   explained 
  and 
  closed 
  the 
  ceremony. 
  

  

  It 
  was 
  further 
  explained 
  that 
  the 
  drama 
  "means 
  to 
  represent 
  the 
  

   death 
  of 
  the 
  captive 
  not 
  only 
  to 
  the 
  people 
  of 
  his 
  birth 
  but 
  to 
  his 
  past 
  

   life, 
  and 
  his 
  rebirth 
  into 
  the 
  family 
  of 
  the 
  Osage 
  who 
  saved 
  him 
  and 
  

   "made" 
  him 
  " 
  to 
  live" 
  by 
  adopting 
  him." 
  

  

  At 
  the 
  close 
  of 
  the 
  ceremony 
  all 
  the 
  chiefs 
  who 
  had 
  taken 
  part 
  in 
  

   the 
  rites 
  partook 
  of 
  the 
  feast 
  which 
  the 
  man 
  who 
  adopted 
  the 
  captive 
  

   had 
  provided 
  for 
  the 
  occasion. 
  Not 
  long 
  after, 
  the 
  name 
  Xi'wathe 
  

   was 
  dropped 
  and 
  the 
  adopted 
  child 
  without 
  further 
  ceremony 
  was 
  

   given 
  a 
  name 
  belonging 
  to 
  the 
  father's 
  group. 
  

  

  Legendary 
  Accounts 
  

  

  the 
  present 
  tribal 
  organization 
  • 
  

  

  (Given 
  by 
  Black 
  Dog. 
  pi. 
  15.) 
  

  

  The 
  Wazha'zhe 
  kinship 
  group 
  had 
  seven 
  pipes. 
  These 
  were 
  used 
  to 
  make 
  peace 
  

   within 
  the 
  tribe. 
  If 
  a 
  quarrel 
  occurred, 
  one 
  of 
  these 
  pipes 
  was 
  sent 
  by 
  the 
  hand 
  of 
  

   the 
  sho'ka, 
  and 
  the 
  difficulty 
  was 
  settled 
  peaceably. 
  

  

  When 
  the 
  Wazha'zhe 
  met 
  the 
  Ho 
  n 
  'ga, 
  they 
  were 
  united 
  by 
  means 
  of 
  one 
  of 
  these 
  

   peace 
  pipes. 
  After 
  they 
  were 
  united 
  they 
  met 
  the 
  Ho 
  n 
  'ga 
  utanatsi, 
  who 
  had 
  a 
  pipe 
  

   of 
  their 
  own; 
  but 
  peace 
  was 
  made, 
  and 
  the 
  Ho 
  n/ 
  ga 
  utanatsi 
  united 
  with 
  the 
  Wazha'zhe 
  

   and 
  the 
  Ho"'ga. 
  Later 
  these 
  three 
  met 
  and 
  united 
  with 
  the 
  Tsi'zhu. 
  

  

  According 
  to 
  Big 
  Heart 
  and 
  others, 
  each 
  of 
  the 
  five 
  groups 
  had 
  

   its 
  own 
  traditions, 
  and 
  one 
  did 
  not 
  interfere 
  with 
  another. 
  

  

  