﻿II 
  

  

  ENVIEONMENT; 
  RESULTANT 
  INFLUENCES 
  

  

  Omaha 
  Sacred 
  Legend 
  

  

  early 
  habitat 
  and 
  conditions 
  

  

  The 
  Oinaha 
  do 
  not 
  claim 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  born 
  in 
  the 
  region 
  they 
  

   now 
  occupy. 
  On 
  the 
  contrary, 
  their 
  traditions, 
  like 
  those 
  of 
  their 
  

   cognates, 
  place 
  their 
  early 
  home 
  in 
  the 
  East, 
  "near 
  a 
  great 
  body 
  

   of 
  water." 
  This 
  account 
  of 
  their 
  ancient 
  environment 
  had 
  become 
  

   blended 
  with 
  the 
  idea 
  of 
  a 
  physical 
  birth, 
  as 
  was 
  explained 
  by 
  Shu'- 
  

   denaci 
  when 
  he 
  repeated 
  the 
  fragmentary 
  Legend, 
  at 
  the 
  time 
  the 
  

   Sacred 
  Pole 
  was 
  turned 
  over 
  to 
  the 
  writers 
  to 
  be 
  deposited 
  for 
  safe- 
  

   keeping 
  in 
  the 
  Peabody 
  Museum 
  of 
  Harvard 
  University. 
  This 
  

   Legend 
  was 
  in 
  the 
  custody 
  of 
  those 
  who 
  had 
  charge 
  of 
  that 
  cere- 
  

   monial 
  object 
  and 
  was 
  considered 
  sacred. 
  

  

  The 
  Legend 
  says: 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  beginning 
  the 
  people 
  were 
  in 
  water. 
  They 
  opened 
  their 
  eyes 
  but 
  they 
  

   could 
  see 
  nothing. 
  From 
  that 
  we 
  get 
  the 
  child 
  name 
  in 
  the 
  Ho^ga 
  gens, 
  Nia'di 
  

   i 
  n 
  shtagablha, 
  " 
  eyes 
  open 
  in 
  the 
  water." 
  As 
  the 
  people 
  came 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  water 
  they 
  

   beheld 
  the 
  day, 
  so 
  we 
  have 
  the 
  child 
  name 
  Ke'tka 
  gaxe, 
  "to 
  make 
  (or 
  behold) 
  the 
  

   clear 
  sky." 
  As 
  they 
  came 
  forth 
  from 
  the 
  water 
  they 
  were 
  naked 
  and 
  without 
  shame. 
  

   But 
  after 
  many 
  days 
  passed 
  they 
  desired 
  covering. 
  They 
  took 
  the 
  fiber 
  of 
  weeds 
  

   and 
  grass 
  and 
  wove 
  it 
  about 
  their 
  loins 
  for 
  covering. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  noteworthy, 
  when 
  taken 
  in 
  connection 
  with 
  the 
  traditions 
  

   and 
  usages 
  already 
  mentioned 
  as 
  associated 
  with 
  the 
  name 
  Ho 
  n 
  'ga, 
  

   (p. 
  40) 
  that 
  the 
  personal 
  names 
  which 
  refer 
  to 
  the 
  birth 
  of 
  the 
  people 
  

   are 
  preserved 
  in 
  the 
  Ho 
  c 
  'ga 
  gens. 
  

  

  The 
  Legend 
  continues: 
  

  

  The 
  people 
  dwelt 
  near 
  a 
  large 
  body 
  of 
  water, 
  in 
  a 
  wooded 
  country 
  where 
  there 
  was 
  

   game. 
  The 
  men 
  hunted 
  the 
  deer 
  with 
  clubs; 
  they 
  did 
  not 
  know 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  the 
  bow. 
  

   The 
  people 
  wandered 
  about 
  the 
  shores 
  of 
  the 
  great 
  water 
  and 
  were 
  poor 
  and 
  cold. 
  

   And 
  the 
  people 
  thought, 
  What 
  shall 
  we 
  do 
  to 
  help 
  ourselves? 
  They 
  began 
  chipping 
  

   stones; 
  they 
  found 
  a 
  bluish 
  stone 
  that 
  was 
  easily 
  flaked 
  and 
  chipped 
  and 
  they 
  made 
  

   knives 
  and 
  arrowheads 
  [sic] 
  out 
  of 
  it. 
  They 
  had 
  now 
  knives 
  and 
  arrows 
  [sic], 
  but 
  

   they 
  suffered 
  from 
  the 
  cold 
  and 
  the 
  people 
  thought, 
  What 
  shall 
  we 
  do? 
  A 
  man 
  

   found 
  an 
  elm 
  root 
  that 
  was 
  very 
  dry 
  and 
  dug 
  a 
  hole 
  in 
  it 
  and 
  put 
  a 
  stick 
  in 
  and 
  rubbed 
  

   it. 
  Then 
  smoke 
  came. 
  lie 
  smelled 
  it. 
  Then 
  the 
  people 
  smelled 
  it 
  and 
  came 
  near; 
  

   others 
  helped 
  him 
  to 
  rub. 
  At 
  last, 
  a 
  spark 
  came; 
  they 
  blew 
  this 
  into 
  a 
  flame 
  and 
  so 
  fire 
  

   came 
  to 
  warm 
  the 
  people 
  and 
  to 
  cook 
  their 
  food. 
  After 
  this 
  the 
  people 
  built 
  grass 
  

   houses; 
  they 
  cut 
  the 
  grass 
  with 
  the 
  shoulder 
  blade 
  of 
  a 
  deer. 
  Now 
  the 
  people 
  had 
  

   70 
  

  

  