﻿fletcher-i.a 
  fleschb] 
  ENVIRONMENT; 
  RESULTANT 
  INFLUENCES 
  81 
  

  

  change 
  for 
  knives, 
  tomahawks, 
  and 
  other 
  articles."" 
  The 
  Omaha 
  

   knowledge 
  of 
  this 
  northern 
  country 
  would 
  seem 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  tradi- 
  

   tional, 
  and 
  may 
  have 
  been 
  connected 
  with 
  their 
  earlier 
  sojourn 
  in 
  the 
  

   wooded 
  region 
  of 
  the 
  north. 
  

  

  MEETING 
  WITH 
  THE 
  WHITE 
  MEN 
  6 
  

  

  From 
  the 
  Sacred 
  Legend 
  already 
  emoted, 
  in 
  which 
  epochal 
  events 
  

   of 
  the 
  tribe 
  are 
  mentioned, 
  it 
  appears 
  that 
  the 
  first 
  meeting 
  with 
  the 
  

   white 
  race 
  was 
  in 
  the 
  northern 
  region 
  near 
  the 
  lakes, 
  where 
  the 
  

   Omaha 
  used 
  birch-bark 
  canoes. 
  The 
  Legend 
  says: 
  

  

  One 
  day 
  the 
  people 
  discovered 
  white 
  objects 
  on 
  the 
  waters, 
  and 
  they 
  knew 
  not 
  

   what 
  to 
  make 
  of 
  them. 
  The 
  white 
  objects 
  floated 
  toward 
  the 
  shores. 
  The 
  people 
  

   were 
  frightened. 
  They 
  abandoned 
  their 
  canoes, 
  ran 
  to 
  the 
  woods, 
  climbed 
  the 
  trees, 
  

   and 
  watched. 
  The 
  white 
  objects 
  reached 
  the 
  shore, 
  and 
  men 
  were 
  seen 
  getting 
  out 
  

   of 
  them. 
  The 
  Indians 
  watched 
  the 
  strange 
  men, 
  but 
  did 
  not 
  speak 
  or 
  go 
  near 
  them. 
  

   For 
  several 
  days 
  they 
  watched; 
  then 
  the 
  strangers 
  entered 
  into 
  the 
  white 
  objects 
  

   and 
  floated 
  off. 
  They 
  left, 
  however, 
  a 
  man 
  — 
  a 
  leader, 
  the 
  Indians 
  thought. 
  He 
  

   was 
  in 
  a 
  starving 
  condition. 
  Seeing 
  this, 
  the 
  Indians 
  approached 
  him, 
  extending 
  

   toward 
  him 
  a 
  stalk 
  of 
  maize 
  having 
  ears 
  on 
  it, 
  and 
  bade 
  him 
  eat 
  and 
  live. 
  He 
  did 
  

   eat, 
  and 
  expressed 
  his 
  gratitude 
  by 
  signs. 
  The 
  Indians 
  kept 
  this 
  man, 
  treating 
  him 
  

   kindly, 
  until 
  his 
  companions 
  returned. 
  Thus 
  the 
  white 
  people 
  became 
  acquainted 
  

   with 
  the 
  Omaha 
  by 
  means 
  of 
  one 
  whom 
  the 
  latter 
  had 
  befriended. 
  In 
  return 
  the 
  

   white 
  people 
  gave 
  the 
  Indians 
  implements 
  of 
  iron. 
  It 
  was 
  in 
  this 
  way 
  that 
  we 
  gained 
  

   iron 
  among 
  us. 
  

  

  From 
  the 
  story 
  of 
  this 
  encounter 
  and 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  the 
  Omaha 
  are 
  

   known 
  historically 
  to 
  have 
  traded 
  at 
  a 
  fort 
  near 
  Lake 
  Winnipeg, 
  it 
  

   is 
  probable 
  that 
  the 
  incident 
  cited 
  in 
  the 
  legend 
  refers 
  to 
  some 
  

   reconnoitering 
  party 
  of 
  white 
  adventurers, 
  possibly 
  of 
  the 
  Hudson 
  

   Bay 
  Company, 
  one 
  of 
  whose 
  number 
  remained 
  behind, 
  and 
  was 
  later 
  

   picked 
  up 
  or 
  joined 
  b} 
  T 
  the 
  rest 
  of 
  the 
  party. 
  

  

  The 
  Omaha 
  had 
  come 
  into 
  contact 
  with 
  the 
  French 
  prior 
  to 
  1724. 
  

   At 
  that 
  time, 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  prevent 
  the 
  eastward 
  spread 
  of 
  Spanish 
  

   influence, 
  a 
  trading 
  post 
  was 
  established 
  on 
  the 
  Missouri 
  river. 
  The 
  

   French 
  then 
  counted 
  on 
  the 
  friendship 
  of 
  the 
  Omaha, 
  Osage, 
  Iowa, 
  

   Oto, 
  and 
  Pawnee, 
  and 
  were 
  instrumental 
  in 
  bringing 
  about 
  peace 
  

   between 
  these 
  tribes 
  and 
  the 
  Padouca 
  at 
  a 
  council 
  called 
  by 
  M. 
  de 
  

   Bourgmont, 
  commandant 
  of 
  Fort 
  Orleans, 
  which 
  was 
  held 
  on 
  one 
  of 
  

   the 
  western 
  tributaries 
  of 
  the 
  Kansas 
  river. 
  

  

  The 
  following 
  tradition 
  may 
  refer 
  to 
  an 
  occurrence 
  not 
  long 
  prior 
  

   to 
  this 
  council: 
  

  

  "The 
  Omaha 
  were 
  camped 
  in 
  the 
  timber, 
  and 
  one 
  day 
  a 
  man 
  

   heard 
  pounding 
  in 
  the 
  woods. 
  He 
  went 
  to 
  see 
  what 
  caused 
  the 
  

   strange 
  noise 
  and 
  returned 
  to 
  the 
  camp 
  in 
  great 
  fright. 
  He 
  said 
  he 
  

  

  a 
  Carver's 
  Three 
  Years' 
  Travel 
  Through 
  the 
  Interior 
  Parts 
  of 
  North-America, 
  etc., 
  i>9, 
  Philadelphia, 
  17%. 
  

   bThe 
  Appendix 
  to 
  this 
  volume 
  deals 
  with 
  the 
  more 
  recent 
  history 
  of 
  the 
  Omaha 
  in 
  their 
  relations 
  

   with 
  the 
  whites. 
  

  

  83993°— 
  27 
  eth— 
  11 
  6 
  

  

  