﻿78 
  THE 
  OMAHA 
  TRIBE 
  [bth. 
  ann. 
  27 
  

  

  from 
  the 
  new 
  prairie 
  grass, 
  the 
  people 
  planted 
  the 
  kernels 
  of 
  this 
  strange 
  plant, 
  hav- 
  

   ing 
  first 
  built 
  little 
  mounds 
  like 
  the 
  one 
  out 
  of 
  which 
  the 
  first 
  stalk 
  grew. 
  To 
  the 
  

   great 
  joy 
  of 
  the 
  people 
  the 
  kernels 
  sprouted 
  and 
  grew 
  into 
  strong 
  and 
  healthy 
  plants. 
  

   Through 
  the 
  summer 
  they 
  grew, 
  and 
  developed, 
  and 
  the 
  fruit 
  ripened 
  as 
  did 
  that 
  of 
  

   the 
  first 
  stock. 
  The 
  fruit 
  was 
  gathered 
  and 
  eaten, 
  and 
  was 
  found 
  to 
  be 
  good. 
  In 
  

   gathering 
  the 
  fruit 
  the 
  people 
  discovered 
  that 
  there 
  were 
  various 
  colors 
  — 
  some 
  ears 
  

   were 
  white 
  and 
  others 
  were 
  blue 
  and 
  some 
  were 
  yellow. 
  

  

  The 
  next 
  season 
  the 
  people 
  reaped 
  a 
  rich 
  harvest 
  of 
  this 
  new 
  plant. 
  In 
  the 
  fall 
  

   of 
  the 
  year 
  these 
  people, 
  the 
  Arikara, 
  sent 
  invitations 
  to 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  different 
  tribes 
  

   to 
  come 
  and 
  spend 
  the 
  winter 
  with 
  them. 
  Six 
  tribes 
  came, 
  and 
  among 
  them 
  were 
  

   the 
  Omaha. 
  The 
  Arikara 
  were 
  very 
  generous 
  in 
  the 
  distribution 
  of 
  the 
  fruit 
  of 
  

   this 
  new 
  plant 
  among 
  their 
  guests, 
  and 
  in 
  this 
  manner 
  a 
  knowledge 
  of 
  the 
  plant 
  

   spread 
  to 
  the 
  Omaha. 
  

  

  The 
  composition 
  of 
  this 
  story 
  presents 
  points 
  of 
  interest. 
  The 
  

   importance 
  and 
  the 
  mysterious 
  power 
  of 
  the 
  great 
  game, 
  the 
  buffalo, 
  

   reflect 
  the 
  thought 
  of 
  the 
  hunting 
  tribe; 
  with 
  it 
  is 
  blended 
  the 
  equally 
  

   mysterious 
  gift 
  of 
  the 
  maize, 
  so 
  sacred 
  to 
  the 
  tiller 
  of 
  the 
  ground, 
  

   for 
  the 
  buffalo 
  and 
  the 
  maize 
  represented 
  the 
  principal 
  food 
  supply 
  

   of 
  the 
  people. 
  The 
  scene 
  of 
  the 
  marvelous 
  occurrence 
  is 
  placed 
  in 
  a 
  

   hilly 
  country 
  where 
  flowed 
  rivers 
  and 
  yet 
  the 
  prairie 
  seems 
  to 
  have 
  

   been 
  near 
  at 
  hand, 
  for 
  the 
  story 
  tells 
  of 
  the 
  observation 
  of 
  the 
  people 
  

   that 
  "in 
  the 
  fall, 
  when 
  the 
  prairie 
  turned 
  brown, 
  the 
  stalk 
  and 
  leaves 
  

   of 
  this 
  plant 
  turned 
  brown 
  also," 
  and 
  that 
  they 
  timed 
  the 
  planting 
  of 
  

   the 
  kernels 
  the 
  following 
  spring 
  by 
  the 
  upspringing 
  of 
  " 
  t 
  he 
  new 
  prairie 
  

   grass." 
  Then 
  we 
  are 
  told 
  that 
  "when 
  the 
  people 
  removed 
  to 
  the 
  spot, 
  

   where 
  the 
  strange 
  occurrence 
  had 
  taken 
  place, 
  they 
  built 
  their 
  

   'bark 
  huts' 
  along 
  the 
  banks 
  of 
  the 
  two 
  rivers." 
  

  

  The 
  bark 
  hut 
  (see 
  pi. 
  18) 
  is 
  a 
  type 
  of 
  dwelling 
  belonging 
  to 
  a 
  forest 
  

   people. 
  The 
  Omaha 
  used 
  to 
  live 
  in 
  such 
  houses, 
  as 
  is 
  told 
  in 
  the 
  

   ancient 
  Legend 
  here 
  so 
  often 
  quoted, 
  and 
  in 
  other 
  Omaha 
  traditions. 
  

   The 
  people 
  seem 
  well 
  aware 
  that 
  they 
  once 
  lived 
  in 
  bark 
  houses 
  

   like 
  those 
  in 
  use 
  among 
  the 
  Winnebago 
  at 
  the 
  present 
  day. 
  The 
  

   Arikara 
  were 
  not 
  a 
  forest 
  people, 
  and 
  did 
  not 
  use 
  the 
  bark 
  hut. 
  The 
  

   presence 
  of 
  these 
  details 
  illustrates 
  how 
  a 
  story 
  takes 
  on 
  coloring 
  

   and 
  becomes 
  modified 
  in 
  passing 
  from 
  a 
  people 
  of 
  one 
  culture 
  

   to 
  a 
  people 
  of 
  another. 
  That 
  the 
  cultivation 
  of 
  the 
  maize 
  was 
  long 
  

   known 
  and 
  practised 
  by 
  the 
  Arikara 
  is 
  evident 
  from 
  their 
  rites, 
  tra- 
  

   ditions, 
  and 
  customs 
  when 
  they 
  were 
  first 
  known 
  historically; 
  but 
  

   that 
  the 
  Omaha 
  gained 
  their 
  first 
  knowledge 
  of 
  the 
  plant 
  from 
  them 
  

   is 
  very 
  doubtful. 
  

  

  SEPARATION 
  OF 
  PONCA 
  FROM 
  OMAHA; 
  FINDING 
  OF 
  HORSES 
  

  

  The 
  Ponca 
  were 
  the 
  last 
  of 
  the 
  cognates 
  to 
  form 
  a 
  tribe 
  by 
  them- 
  

   selves. 
  They 
  were 
  with 
  the 
  Omaha 
  at 
  the 
  peace 
  ceremony 
  with 
  the 
  

   Arikara 
  and 
  other 
  tribes, 
  but 
  their 
  departure 
  seems 
  to 
  have 
  taken 
  

   place 
  not 
  far 
  from 
  that 
  time 
  and 
  on 
  or 
  near 
  the 
  Missouri 
  river. 
  

  

  