﻿76 
  THE 
  OMAHA 
  TRIBE 
  [eth. 
  ann. 
  27 
  

  

  these 
  ceremonies 
  nor 
  did 
  they 
  use 
  the 
  prescribed 
  number 
  of 
  posts. 
  

   They 
  set 
  up 
  about 
  the 
  fireplace 
  six, 
  seven, 
  or 
  eight 
  posts 
  as 
  suited 
  

   their 
  convenience, 
  for 
  the 
  sole 
  purpose 
  of 
  supporting 
  the 
  roof, 
  these 
  

   posts 
  possessing 
  no 
  ceremonial 
  importance 
  or 
  other 
  significance. 
  The 
  

   Omaha 
  built 
  the 
  earth 
  lodge 
  only 
  for 
  village 
  use; 
  the 
  tipi, 
  or 
  tent, 
  

   was 
  still 
  the 
  habitation 
  when 
  on 
  the 
  buffalo 
  hunt. 
  There 
  is 
  a 
  tra- 
  

   dition 
  that 
  the 
  tribe 
  received 
  the 
  maize 
  from 
  the 
  Arikara 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  

   questionable 
  if 
  this 
  was 
  the 
  first 
  knowledge 
  the 
  Omaha 
  had 
  of 
  the 
  

   plant. 
  It 
  may 
  be 
  that 
  in 
  their 
  northward 
  migrations 
  the 
  people 
  

   passed 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  corn 
  belt 
  into 
  environments 
  not 
  favorable 
  to 
  its 
  

   cultivation, 
  so 
  that 
  its 
  general 
  use 
  was 
  partially 
  discontinued; 
  but 
  

   nothing 
  definite 
  is 
  known, 
  although 
  there 
  are 
  indications 
  favorable 
  to 
  

   this 
  conjecture. 
  If 
  there 
  was 
  any 
  hiatus 
  in 
  the 
  cultivation 
  of 
  the 
  

   maize 
  among 
  the 
  Omaha, 
  as 
  the 
  following 
  story 
  might 
  suggest, 
  there 
  

   is 
  nothing 
  to 
  indicate 
  that 
  the 
  tribe 
  has 
  not 
  constantly 
  cultivated 
  it 
  

   since 
  the 
  time 
  the 
  Missouri 
  was 
  reached. 
  This 
  story, 
  preserved 
  among 
  

   the 
  Omaha 
  but 
  credited 
  to 
  the 
  Arikara, 
  tells 
  how 
  the 
  latter 
  found 
  the 
  

   maize 
  and 
  how 
  the 
  former 
  received 
  it 
  from 
  them: 
  

  

  The 
  Arikara 
  were 
  the 
  first 
  to 
  find 
  the 
  maize. 
  A 
  young 
  man 
  went 
  out 
  hunting. 
  He 
  

   came 
  to 
  a 
  high 
  hill, 
  and, 
  looking 
  down 
  upon 
  a 
  valley, 
  he 
  saw 
  a 
  buffalo 
  bull 
  standing 
  

   in 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  a 
  bottom 
  land 
  lying 
  between 
  two 
  rivers 
  where 
  they 
  conjoined. 
  As 
  

   the 
  young 
  man 
  surveyed 
  the 
  country 
  to 
  find 
  a 
  safe 
  way 
  of 
  approaching 
  the 
  buffalo 
  

   he 
  was 
  impressed 
  with 
  the 
  beauty 
  of 
  the 
  landscape. 
  The 
  banks 
  of 
  the 
  two 
  rivers 
  

   were 
  low 
  and 
  well 
  timbered. 
  He 
  observed 
  that 
  the 
  buffalo 
  stood 
  facing 
  the 
  north; 
  

   he 
  saw 
  that 
  he 
  could 
  not 
  approach 
  the 
  animal 
  from 
  any 
  side 
  within 
  bow 
  shot. 
  He 
  

   thought 
  that 
  the 
  only 
  way 
  to 
  get 
  a 
  chance 
  to 
  shoot 
  the 
  buffalo 
  would 
  be 
  to 
  wait 
  until 
  

   the 
  animal 
  moved 
  close 
  to 
  the 
  banks 
  of 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  rivers, 
  or 
  to 
  the 
  hills 
  where 
  there 
  

   were 
  ravines 
  and 
  shrubs. 
  So 
  the 
  young 
  man 
  waited. 
  The 
  sun 
  went 
  down 
  before 
  

   the 
  buffalo 
  moved; 
  the 
  young 
  man 
  went 
  home 
  disappointed. 
  Nearly 
  all 
  night 
  the 
  

   hunter 
  lay 
  awake 
  brooding 
  over 
  his 
  disappointment, 
  for 
  food 
  had 
  become 
  scarce 
  and 
  

   the 
  buffalo 
  would 
  have 
  given 
  a 
  good 
  supply. 
  Before 
  dawn 
  the 
  young 
  man 
  arose 
  

   and 
  hurried 
  to 
  the 
  scene 
  of 
  the 
  buffalo 
  to 
  see 
  if 
  he 
  could 
  find 
  the 
  animal 
  somewhere 
  

   near 
  the 
  place, 
  if 
  it 
  had 
  moved. 
  Just 
  as 
  he 
  reached 
  the 
  summit 
  of 
  the 
  hill, 
  where 
  

   he 
  was 
  the 
  day 
  before, 
  the 
  sun 
  arose, 
  and 
  he 
  saw 
  that 
  the 
  buffalo 
  was 
  still 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  

   spot. 
  But 
  he 
  noticed 
  that 
  it 
  was 
  now 
  facing 
  the 
  east. 
  Again 
  the 
  young 
  man 
  waited 
  

   for 
  the 
  animal 
  to 
  move, 
  but 
  again 
  the 
  sun 
  went 
  down 
  and 
  the 
  buffalo 
  remained 
  stand- 
  

   ing 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  spot. 
  The 
  hunter 
  went 
  home 
  and 
  passed 
  another 
  night 
  of 
  unrest. 
  

   He 
  started 
  out 
  again 
  before 
  dawn 
  and 
  came 
  to 
  the 
  top 
  of 
  the 
  hill 
  just 
  as 
  the 
  sun 
  arose, 
  

   and 
  saw 
  the 
  buffalo 
  still 
  standing 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  place, 
  but 
  it 
  had 
  turned 
  around 
  to 
  face 
  

   the 
  south. 
  The 
  young 
  man 
  waited 
  until 
  dark 
  for 
  the 
  buffalo 
  to 
  move, 
  and 
  had 
  to 
  go 
  

   again 
  to 
  his 
  home 
  disappointed, 
  where 
  he 
  passed 
  another 
  sleepless 
  night. 
  The 
  hun- 
  

   ter's 
  desire 
  to 
  secure 
  the 
  game 
  was 
  not 
  unmixed 
  with 
  some 
  curiosity 
  to 
  know 
  why 
  

   the 
  buffalo 
  should 
  so 
  persistently 
  remain 
  in 
  that 
  one 
  spot 
  without 
  eating 
  or 
  drinking 
  

   or 
  lying 
  down 
  to 
  rest. 
  With 
  this 
  curiosity 
  working 
  in 
  his 
  mind, 
  he 
  arose 
  for 
  the 
  fourth 
  

   time 
  before 
  dawn, 
  and 
  hastened 
  to 
  the 
  hill 
  to 
  see 
  if 
  the 
  buffalo 
  was 
  still 
  standing 
  in 
  

   the 
  same 
  place. 
  It 
  was 
  again 
  daylight 
  when 
  he 
  came 
  to 
  the 
  hill, 
  and 
  there 
  stood 
  the 
  

   buffalo 
  exactly 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  place, 
  but 
  it 
  had 
  turned 
  around 
  to 
  face 
  the 
  west. 
  Being 
  

   now 
  determined 
  to 
  know 
  what 
  the 
  animal 
  would 
  do, 
  the 
  young 
  man 
  settled 
  down 
  to 
  

   watch 
  as 
  he 
  had 
  done 
  the 
  three 
  days 
  before. 
  He 
  thought 
  that 
  the 
  animal 
  was 
  acting 
  

   in 
  this 
  manner 
  under 
  the 
  influence 
  of 
  an 
  unseen 
  power 
  for 
  some 
  mysterious 
  purpose, 
  

  

  