﻿fletcher-la 
  flkschb] 
  ENVIRONMENT; 
  RESULTANT 
  INFLUENCES 
  75 
  

  

  territory, 
  occupied 
  by 
  so 
  many 
  tribes, 
  must 
  have 
  been 
  instrumental 
  

   in 
  modifying 
  the 
  customs 
  of 
  the 
  peoples 
  practising 
  it, 
  in 
  extending 
  

   the 
  use 
  of 
  certain 
  symbols, 
  and 
  in 
  bringing 
  about 
  some 
  measure 
  of 
  

   unity 
  in 
  the 
  forms 
  of 
  religious 
  beliefs. 
  

  

  CONTACT 
  WITH 
  THE 
  ARIKARA 
  

  

  Traditions 
  are 
  more 
  explicit 
  concerning 
  contact 
  with 
  the 
  Ankara 
  

   than 
  with 
  any 
  other 
  tribe. 
  Both 
  Omaha 
  and 
  Ponca 
  legends 
  give 
  evi- 
  

   dence 
  of 
  the 
  influence 
  exerted 
  on 
  the 
  people 
  by 
  this 
  tribe. 
  When 
  (he 
  

   Missouri 
  river 
  was 
  reached 
  by 
  the 
  Omaha, 
  they 
  found 
  the 
  Ankara 
  

   there, 
  cultivating 
  the 
  maize 
  and 
  living 
  in 
  villages 
  composed 
  of 
  

   earth 
  lodges 
  — 
  evidently 
  a 
  peaceful, 
  sedentary 
  folk. 
  Omaha 
  war 
  

   parties 
  from 
  the 
  east 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  harassed 
  the 
  Ankara, 
  who 
  

   were 
  living 
  on 
  the 
  west 
  side. 
  The 
  Ankara 
  sought 
  to 
  obtain 
  peace 
  

   through 
  the 
  influence 
  of 
  the 
  Wa'wa" 
  ceremony, 
  as 
  already 
  related, 
  

   but 
  Omaha 
  war 
  parties 
  seem 
  finally 
  to 
  have 
  driven 
  them 
  from 
  their 
  

   homes 
  and 
  to 
  have 
  forced 
  them 
  northward 
  up 
  the 
  Missouri 
  river. 
  

   The 
  tradition 
  that 
  the 
  Ankara 
  were 
  driven 
  away 
  from 
  the 
  land 
  the 
  

   Omaha 
  now 
  own 
  is 
  confirmed 
  by 
  a 
  Ponca 
  story 
  that 
  refers 
  to 
  the 
  

   sale 
  of 
  the 
  Omaha 
  lands 
  to 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  Government 
  in 
  the 
  

   middle 
  of 
  the 
  last 
  century; 
  at 
  that 
  time 
  an 
  Ankara 
  said 
  to 
  a 
  Ponca: 
  

   "Had 
  my 
  people 
  known 
  that 
  these 
  lands 
  were 
  valuable, 
  they 
  would 
  

   have 
  contested 
  the 
  right 
  of 
  the 
  Omaha 
  to 
  make 
  the 
  sale, 
  for 
  the 
  

   Ankara 
  were 
  the 
  first 
  to 
  occupy 
  the 
  land, 
  a 
  proof 
  of 
  which 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  

   seen 
  in 
  the 
  remains 
  of 
  our 
  earth 
  lodges 
  and 
  village 
  sites 
  on 
  the 
  bluffs 
  

   of 
  the 
  Missouri." 
  These 
  earth 
  circles 
  have 
  often 
  been 
  seen 
  by 
  the 
  

   writers 
  on 
  the 
  Omaha 
  reservation, 
  and 
  the 
  traditions 
  of 
  the 
  Omaha 
  

   declare 
  them 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  remains 
  of 
  the 
  earth 
  lodges 
  occupied 
  by 
  the 
  

   Arikara 
  when 
  they 
  dwelt 
  in 
  this 
  region. 
  Both 
  Omaha 
  and 
  Ponca 
  

   traditions 
  say 
  that 
  the 
  tribes 
  were 
  together 
  when 
  they 
  met 
  and 
  drove 
  

   the 
  Arikara 
  northward. 
  It 
  was 
  from 
  the 
  Arikara 
  that 
  the 
  Omaha 
  

   and 
  Ponca 
  learned 
  to 
  make 
  and 
  use 
  earth 
  lodges. 
  According 
  to 
  the 
  

   Omaha 
  Legend: 
  "It 
  was 
  the 
  women 
  who 
  saved 
  the 
  life 
  of 
  the 
  people. 
  

   They 
  built 
  the 
  sod 
  houses; 
  they 
  made 
  them 
  by 
  their 
  labor. 
  The 
  

   work 
  was 
  divided. 
  Men 
  cut 
  the 
  poles 
  and 
  fixed 
  the 
  frame 
  and 
  tied 
  

   the 
  opening 
  for 
  the 
  smoke 
  hole; 
  the 
  women 
  brought 
  the 
  willows 
  and 
  

   sod 
  and 
  finished 
  the 
  building." 
  

  

  In 
  this 
  connection 
  it 
  is 
  interesting 
  to 
  note 
  that 
  while 
  the 
  Omaha 
  

   adopted 
  the 
  earth 
  lodge 
  (pi. 
  19) 
  they 
  did 
  so 
  from 
  a 
  purely 
  practical 
  

   point 
  of 
  view, 
  as 
  affording 
  them 
  a 
  better 
  permanent 
  dwelling 
  than 
  

   tents, 
  and 
  were 
  probably 
  ignorant 
  of 
  the 
  symbolic 
  character 
  of 
  the 
  

   structure. 
  With 
  the 
  tribe 
  from 
  which 
  it 
  was 
  taken 
  this 
  lodge 
  repre- 
  

   sented 
  certain 
  religious 
  ideas. 
  Rituals 
  attended 
  the 
  cutting 
  of 
  the 
  

   trees 
  for 
  its 
  structure 
  and 
  the 
  planting 
  of 
  the 
  four 
  posts 
  that 
  inclosed 
  

   the 
  space 
  about 
  the 
  central 
  fire. 
  The 
  Omaha 
  did 
  not 
  observe 
  any 
  of 
  

  

  