﻿68 
  

  

  THE 
  OMAHA 
  TRIBE 
  

  

  [ETH. 
  ANN. 
  27 
  

  

  Gentes 
  

  

  It 
  lias 
  been 
  difficult 
  to 
  obtain 
  definite 
  information 
  concerning: 
  the 
  

   gentes 
  of 
  the 
  tribe. 
  The 
  people 
  have 
  become 
  so 
  disintegrated 
  that 
  

   questions 
  are 
  usually 
  met 
  with 
  a 
  weary 
  shake 
  of 
  the 
  head 
  as 
  the 
  

   answer 
  comes, 
  "All 
  is 
  gone; 
  gone 
  long 
  ago!" 
  A 
  fragmentary 
  list 
  of 
  

   gentes 
  has 
  been 
  secured. 
  Some 
  of 
  the 
  following 
  may 
  be 
  subgentes. 
  

   There 
  were 
  two 
  divisions 
  in 
  the 
  tribe, 
  but 
  how 
  the 
  following 
  groups 
  

   were 
  divided 
  between 
  these 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  thus 
  far 
  impossible 
  to 
  learn. 
  

  

  1. 
  Ho 
  n/ 
  gato 
  n 
  ga— 
  Big 
  Ho^ga. 
  

  

  2. 
  Ho 
  n 
  'gazhi 
  n 
  ga— 
  Little 
  Ho 
  n/ 
  ga. 
  

  

  3. 
  \Yazhi 
  n/ 
  ga 
  inikashiha 
  (wazhi^ga, 
  bird; 
  inikashiha, 
  meaning 
  with 
  which 
  they 
  

  

  make 
  themselves 
  a 
  people, 
  i. 
  e., 
  by 
  the 
  

   rite 
  of 
  which 
  the 
  bird 
  is 
  the 
  symbol). 
  

  

  4. 
  Te'nikashiha 
  (te, 
  buffalo). 
  

  

  5. 
  0"'po 
  n 
  inikashiha 
  (o 
  n 
  ' 
  pon, 
  elk). 
  

  

  6. 
  Hu'inikashiha 
  (hu, 
  fish). 
  

  

  7. 
  Ke'nikashiha 
  (ke, 
  turtle). 
  

  

  8. 
  Na 
  n/ 
  pa 
  n 
  ta 
  — 
  deer. 
  

  

  9. 
  Wa'sa 
  inikashiha 
  (uasa, 
  black 
  

   bear). 
  

  

  10. 
  Mo'chu' 
  inikashiha 
  (monchu, 
  

   grizzly 
  bear). 
  

  

  11. 
  Miha'ke 
  

   star). 
  

  

  12. 
  Pe'to 
  11 
  inikashiha 
  (pelon, 
  crane). 
  

  

  13. 
  Mi'inikashiha 
  (mi, 
  sun). 
  

  

  14. 
  Wako 
  n/ 
  ta 
  inikashiha— 
  Thunder. 
  

  

  nikashiha 
  (miha'ke, 
  

  

  Fig. 
  14. 
  Quapaw 
  woman. 
  

  

  The 
  foregoing 
  brief 
  account 
  

   of 
  the 
  four 
  tribes 
  that 
  are 
  close 
  

   cognates 
  of 
  the 
  Omaha 
  has 
  been 
  

   given 
  for 
  the 
  following 
  reasons: 
  

   First, 
  to 
  indicate 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  

   peculiarities 
  of 
  tribal 
  organiza- 
  

   tion 
  which, 
  while 
  common 
  to 
  

   all, 
  arc 
  remarkably 
  developed 
  

   among 
  the 
  Omaha, 
  as 
  will 
  be 
  apparent 
  from 
  the 
  following 
  detailed 
  

   account 
  of 
  that 
  tribe. 
  

  

  Second, 
  to 
  suggest 
  the 
  importance 
  of 
  careful 
  study 
  of 
  such 
  a 
  cognate 
  

   group 
  as 
  likely 
  to 
  throw 
  light 
  on 
  the 
  manner 
  in 
  which 
  tribes 
  have 
  

   come 
  to 
  be 
  built 
  up 
  into 
  separate 
  organizations 
  and 
  to 
  bear 
  on 
  the 
  

   reason 
  why 
  each 
  shows 
  different 
  phases 
  of 
  development. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  Omaha 
  and 
  the 
  four 
  cognates 
  there 
  appear 
  to 
  be 
  certain 
  

   stable 
  characteristics 
  which 
  indicate 
  a 
  common 
  ideal 
  of 
  organization, 
  

   as 
  the 
  two 
  divisions 
  of 
  the 
  tribal 
  circle 
  and 
  the 
  functions 
  pertaining 
  

   to 
  each; 
  the 
  ceremonies 
  connected 
  with 
  warfare 
  and 
  the 
  awarding 
  of 
  

   war 
  honors. 
  There 
  seems 
  to 
  be 
  also 
  a 
  common 
  type 
  of 
  religious 
  

  

  