﻿80 
  THE 
  OMAHA 
  TBIBE 
  [eth. 
  ann. 
  27 
  

  

  The 
  Padouca 
  taught 
  the 
  Ponca 
  how 
  to 
  ride 
  and 
  to 
  put 
  burdens 
  on 
  the 
  horses. 
  When 
  

   the 
  Ponca 
  had 
  learned 
  how 
  to 
  use 
  horses 
  they 
  renewed 
  war 
  with 
  the 
  Padouca 
  and 
  

   attacked 
  them 
  in 
  their 
  village. 
  The 
  Padouca 
  met 
  the 
  Ponca 
  outside 
  their 
  village 
  

   but, 
  being 
  driven, 
  jumped 
  into 
  the 
  stockade 
  which 
  surrounded 
  the 
  village 
  and 
  fought 
  

   from 
  behind 
  the 
  barricade. 
  The 
  Ponca 
  made 
  such 
  continual 
  war 
  on 
  the 
  Padouca 
  and 
  

   stole 
  so 
  many 
  of 
  their 
  horses 
  that 
  the 
  Padouca 
  abandoned 
  their 
  village 
  and 
  departed 
  

   we 
  know 
  not 
  where. 
  After 
  that 
  the 
  Ponca 
  followed 
  the 
  Platte 
  river 
  east 
  and 
  returned 
  

   to 
  the 
  Missouri, 
  bringing 
  the 
  horses 
  back 
  with 
  them. 
  

  

  That 
  is 
  how 
  the 
  Ponca 
  first 
  had 
  horses, 
  and 
  we 
  have 
  had 
  them 
  ever 
  since. 
  

  

  There 
  is 
  no 
  definite 
  tradition 
  among 
  the 
  Omaha 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  tribe 
  

   from 
  which 
  they 
  first 
  obtained 
  horses. 
  The 
  Legend 
  already 
  quoted 
  

   says: 
  

  

  It 
  happened 
  that 
  a 
  man 
  in 
  his 
  wanderings 
  discovered 
  two 
  animals. 
  At 
  first 
  he 
  

   thought 
  they 
  were 
  elk, 
  but 
  they 
  did 
  not 
  look 
  like 
  elk. 
  Then 
  he 
  thought 
  they 
  were 
  

   deer, 
  but 
  they 
  were 
  larger 
  than 
  deer. 
  He 
  did 
  not 
  know 
  what 
  they 
  were, 
  although 
  he 
  

   saw 
  many. 
  When 
  the 
  man 
  showed 
  himself 
  the 
  animals 
  did 
  not 
  run 
  away, 
  but 
  circled 
  

   around 
  him. 
  He 
  was 
  troubled, 
  and, 
  fearing 
  them, 
  he 
  tried 
  to 
  get 
  away, 
  but 
  the 
  

   animals 
  kept 
  about 
  him; 
  he 
  edged 
  off 
  and 
  finally 
  reached 
  the 
  village. 
  The 
  people 
  

   were 
  curious; 
  they 
  saw 
  that 
  the 
  animals 
  were 
  gentle 
  and 
  could 
  be 
  led. 
  Some 
  of 
  

   the 
  men 
  tried 
  to 
  mount 
  them, 
  but 
  fell 
  off, 
  for 
  they 
  did 
  not 
  know 
  how 
  to 
  ride. 
  

   The 
  people 
  found 
  the 
  animals 
  could 
  bear 
  burdens 
  and 
  be 
  led 
  by 
  a 
  string. 
  There 
  

   were 
  two, 
  male 
  and 
  female; 
  they 
  multiplied 
  ; 
  and 
  thus 
  horses 
  came 
  among 
  the 
  Omaha. 
  

   The 
  people 
  loved 
  the 
  horses, 
  and 
  when 
  they 
  died 
  the 
  people 
  wailed. 
  So 
  dogs 
  were 
  

   no 
  longer 
  the 
  sole 
  bearers 
  of 
  the 
  people's 
  burdens. 
  

  

  There 
  are 
  traditions 
  which 
  say 
  that 
  "horses 
  came 
  from 
  the 
  

   Southwest." 
  

  

  Traditions 
  concerning 
  the 
  movements 
  of 
  the 
  Omaha 
  when 
  in 
  the 
  

   vicinity 
  of 
  the 
  Missouri 
  river 
  are 
  somewhat 
  more 
  definite 
  but 
  they 
  

   are 
  still 
  vague. 
  

  

  In 
  1695 
  Le 
  Sueur 
  places 
  the 
  Omaha 
  near 
  the 
  Missouri 
  river, 
  where 
  

   the 
  Iowa 
  had 
  joined 
  them. 
  a 
  As 
  he 
  was 
  about 
  to 
  establish 
  his 
  

   trading 
  post 
  on 
  the 
  Blue 
  Earth, 
  Le 
  Sueur 
  sent 
  runners 
  to 
  recall 
  the 
  

   Iowa 
  that 
  they 
  might 
  build 
  a 
  village 
  near 
  the 
  fort, 
  as 
  these 
  Indians 
  

   were 
  "industrious 
  and 
  accustomed 
  to 
  cultivate 
  the 
  earth." 
  The 
  

   trader 
  hoped 
  thus 
  to 
  procure 
  provisions 
  for 
  his 
  post 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  workers 
  

   for 
  the 
  mines. 
  6 
  De 
  ITsle's 
  map 
  (1703) 
  places 
  the 
  Omaha 
  near 
  the 
  

   mouth 
  of 
  the 
  Big 
  Sioux. 
  About 
  1737 
  a 
  trading 
  post 
  was 
  established 
  

   near 
  the 
  southern 
  end 
  of 
  Lake 
  Winnipeg, 
  where 
  the 
  Omaha 
  are 
  said 
  

   to 
  have 
  traded; 
  they 
  have 
  a 
  tradition 
  that 
  "long 
  ago 
  they 
  visited 
  

   a 
  great 
  lake 
  to 
  the 
  far 
  north 
  and 
  traded 
  there 
  with 
  white 
  men." 
  This 
  

   post 
  may 
  have 
  been 
  Fort 
  La 
  Reine. 
  It 
  appears 
  on 
  Jeffery's 
  map 
  of 
  

   1762. 
  d 
  Carver, 
  who 
  traveled 
  in 
  1766, 
  says 
  that 
  "to 
  this 
  place 
  the 
  

   Mahahs, 
  who 
  inhabit 
  a 
  country 
  250 
  miles 
  southwest, 
  come 
  also 
  to 
  

   trade 
  with 
  them; 
  and 
  bring 
  great 
  quantities 
  of 
  Indian 
  corn, 
  to 
  ex- 
  

  

  a 
  Minnesota 
  Historical 
  Collections, 
  I, 
  32s, 
  332. 
  

  

  t> 
  Neill'a 
  The 
  History 
  of 
  Minnesota, 
  etc., 
  104, 
  Philadelphia, 
  1858. 
  

  

  c 
  Ibid., 
  186. 
  

  

  d 
  Ibid., 
  300. 
  

  

  