﻿74 
  THE 
  OMAHA 
  TRIBE 
  

  

  [ETH. 
  ANN. 
  27 
  

  

  happened 
  which 
  caused 
  the 
  Omaha 
  to 
  take 
  steps 
  toward 
  a 
  closer 
  

   organization 
  of 
  the 
  people. 
  The 
  Legend 
  says: 
  

  

  At 
  this 
  place 
  [where 
  peace 
  with 
  the 
  Cheyenne 
  had 
  been 
  made] 
  we 
  formed 
  a 
  govern- 
  

   ment. 
  The 
  people 
  said, 
  " 
  Let 
  us 
  appoint 
  men 
  who 
  shall 
  preserve 
  order. 
  " 
  Accordingly 
  

   they 
  selected 
  men, 
  the 
  wisest, 
  the 
  most 
  thoughtful, 
  generous, 
  and 
  kind, 
  and 
  they 
  con- 
  

   sulted 
  together 
  and 
  agreed 
  upon 
  a 
  council 
  of 
  seven 
  who 
  should 
  govern 
  the 
  people. 
  

  

  Then 
  follows 
  the 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  organization 
  of 
  the 
  tribe 
  in 
  its 
  pres- 
  

   ent 
  order 
  and 
  the 
  story 
  of 
  finding 
  and 
  cutting 
  the 
  Sacred 
  Pole. 
  Both 
  

   of 
  these 
  narratives 
  will 
  be 
  given 
  later 
  on. 
  

  

  After 
  the 
  great 
  battle 
  on 
  the 
  Big 
  Sioux 
  the 
  Omaha 
  seem 
  to 
  have 
  

   turned 
  slightly 
  southward, 
  but 
  to 
  have 
  remained 
  in 
  the 
  main 
  on 
  the 
  

   east 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  Missouri, 
  although 
  war 
  parties 
  apparently 
  reached 
  

   the 
  river 
  and 
  even 
  crossed 
  to 
  the 
  farther 
  side, 
  where 
  they 
  met 
  and 
  

   fought 
  the 
  Ankara, 
  who 
  were 
  dwelling 
  where 
  the 
  Omaha 
  live 
  to-day. 
  

   Traditions 
  are 
  definite 
  in 
  stating 
  that 
  "the 
  Ankara 
  were 
  first 
  encoun- 
  

   tered 
  on 
  the 
  west 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  Missouri." 
  

  

  About 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  these 
  events 
  the 
  Omaha 
  seem 
  to 
  have 
  returned 
  to 
  

   the 
  Big 
  Sioux 
  and 
  to 
  have 
  built 
  a 
  village 
  where 
  the 
  river 
  makes 
  a 
  loop, 
  

   at 
  a 
  point 
  where 
  a 
  small 
  stream 
  enters 
  from 
  a 
  canyon 
  which, 
  the 
  

   Omaha 
  story 
  says, 
  has 
  "two 
  cliffs, 
  like 
  pinnacles, 
  standing 
  at 
  its 
  

   entrance, 
  through 
  which 
  the 
  wind 
  rushes 
  with 
  such 
  violence 
  as 
  to 
  

   disturb 
  the 
  water." 
  When 
  they 
  built 
  this 
  village, 
  according 
  to 
  the 
  

   Legend, 
  the 
  Omaha 
  were 
  living 
  in 
  bark 
  houses 
  (pi. 
  18). 
  They 
  had 
  

   met 
  and 
  fought 
  the 
  Arikara, 
  but 
  had 
  not 
  yet 
  adopted 
  the 
  earth 
  

   lodge. 
  The 
  continued 
  forays 
  of 
  the 
  Omaha 
  made 
  the 
  Arikara 
  seek 
  

   peace 
  and 
  it 
  was 
  in 
  this 
  village 
  at 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  canyon 
  that 
  

   peace 
  was 
  made 
  among 
  the 
  Arikara, 
  the 
  Cheyenne, 
  the 
  Omaha, 
  the 
  

   Ponca, 
  the 
  Iowa, 
  and 
  the 
  Oto, 
  and 
  sought 
  to 
  be 
  confirmed 
  through 
  

   the 
  ceremony 
  now 
  known 
  among 
  the 
  Omaha 
  as 
  the 
  Wa'wa" 
  (see 
  

   p. 
  376) 
  — 
  the 
  same 
  ceremony 
  as 
  the 
  Pawnee 
  Hako. 
  a 
  

  

  In 
  view 
  of 
  the 
  part 
  this 
  ceremony 
  has 
  played 
  in 
  the 
  life 
  of 
  the 
  

   Omaha 
  and 
  its 
  cognate 
  tribes, 
  it 
  is 
  fitting 
  to 
  call 
  attention 
  to 
  the 
  

   extent 
  of 
  territory 
  throughout 
  which 
  it 
  was 
  observed 
  before 
  and 
  dur- 
  

   ing 
  the 
  seventeenth 
  century. 
  The 
  early 
  French 
  travelers 
  found 
  it 
  

   among 
  the 
  Caddo 
  group 
  in 
  the 
  country 
  now 
  known 
  as 
  Texas, 
  Loui- 
  

   siana, 
  and 
  Arkansas, 
  while 
  Marquette 
  met 
  with 
  it 
  among 
  the 
  tribes 
  

   living 
  on 
  the 
  Mississippi 
  when 
  he 
  entered 
  that 
  stream 
  from 
  the 
  Wis- 
  

   consin 
  river. 
  The 
  Omaha 
  Legend 
  shows 
  that 
  it 
  was 
  known 
  to 
  the 
  

   Arikara 
  on 
  the 
  Missouri 
  river 
  and 
  was 
  probably 
  introduced 
  by 
  them 
  

   to 
  the 
  Omaha, 
  Ponca, 
  Iowa, 
  Oto, 
  and 
  Cheyenne 
  at 
  the 
  village 
  on 
  the 
  

   Big 
  Sioux 
  river. 
  The 
  Cheyenne 
  seem 
  to 
  have 
  lost 
  the 
  rite 
  in 
  the 
  

   course 
  of 
  their 
  western 
  movement, 
  but 
  it 
  has 
  ever 
  since 
  been 
  prac- 
  

   tised 
  by 
  the 
  other 
  tribes 
  who 
  took 
  part 
  hi 
  this 
  peacemaking. 
  A 
  rite 
  

   which 
  was 
  both 
  recognized 
  and 
  revered 
  throughout 
  so 
  extensive 
  a 
  

  

  " 
  See 
  lluko, 
  in 
  the 
  Twenty-second 
  Annual 
  Report 
  of 
  the 
  Bureau 
  of 
  American 
  Ethnology, 
  pt. 
  n. 
  

  

  