﻿Fletcher-la 
  flesciie] 
  ENVIRONMENT; 
  RESULTANT 
  INFLUENCES 
  85 
  

  

  be 
  yours; 
  take 
  him 
  and 
  mount." 
  As 
  the 
  old 
  man 
  raised 
  his 
  arms 
  

   in 
  thanks 
  the 
  chief 
  turned 
  and 
  rode 
  off 
  alone. 
  

  

  The 
  interference 
  of 
  the 
  traders, 
  and 
  later 
  of 
  Government 
  officials, 
  

   in 
  tribal 
  affairs, 
  caused 
  two 
  classes 
  of 
  chiefs 
  to 
  be 
  recognized 
  — 
  - 
  

   those 
  whose 
  office 
  was 
  due 
  to 
  white 
  influence 
  and 
  those 
  who 
  were 
  

   chiefs 
  according 
  to 
  tribal 
  right 
  and 
  custom. 
  The 
  first 
  were 
  desig- 
  

   nated 
  "paper 
  chiefs," 
  because 
  they 
  usually 
  had 
  some 
  written 
  docu- 
  

   ment 
  setting 
  forth 
  their 
  claim 
  to 
  the 
  office; 
  the 
  second 
  class 
  were 
  

   known 
  simply 
  as 
  "chiefs." 
  This 
  conflict 
  in 
  authority 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  

   making 
  of 
  chiefs 
  was 
  a 
  potent 
  factor 
  in 
  the 
  disintegration 
  of 
  the 
  

   ancient 
  tribal 
  life. 
  

  

  The 
  Omaha 
  Country 
  

  

  villages 
  on 
  the 
  missouri 
  

  

  Traditions 
  are 
  somewhat 
  vague 
  as 
  to 
  Omaha 
  villages 
  on 
  the 
  Mis- 
  

   souri 
  river. 
  While 
  in 
  this 
  region 
  the 
  people 
  seem 
  to 
  have 
  suffered 
  

   from 
  wars 
  and 
  also 
  from 
  lack 
  of 
  food. 
  Near 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  White 
  

   river, 
  South 
  Dakota, 
  the 
  tribe 
  once 
  found 
  a 
  flock 
  of 
  snowbirds, 
  

   which 
  brought 
  so 
  much 
  relief 
  to 
  the 
  hungry 
  people 
  that 
  the 
  village 
  

   they 
  erected 
  at 
  that 
  place 
  was 
  known 
  as 
  "Where 
  the 
  snowbirds 
  

   came." 
  They 
  seem 
  to 
  have 
  stayed 
  in 
  this 
  village 
  for 
  a 
  considerable 
  

   time, 
  but 
  were 
  finally 
  driven 
  away 
  by 
  wars. 
  There 
  is 
  no 
  mention 
  

   of 
  any 
  village 
  being 
  built 
  on 
  their 
  southward 
  movements 
  until 
  after 
  

   they 
  had 
  passed 
  the 
  Niobrara 
  river. 
  On 
  Bow 
  creek, 
  Nebraska, 
  

   near 
  where 
  the 
  present 
  town 
  of 
  St. 
  James 
  stands, 
  a 
  village 
  of 
  earth 
  

   lodges 
  was 
  erected, 
  and 
  here 
  the 
  people 
  remained 
  until 
  a 
  tragedy 
  

   occurred 
  which 
  caused 
  a 
  separation 
  in 
  the 
  tribe 
  and 
  an 
  abandon- 
  

   ment 
  of 
  this 
  village 
  by 
  all 
  the 
  people. 
  The 
  site 
  was 
  known 
  and 
  

   pointed 
  out 
  in 
  the 
  last 
  century 
  as 
  the 
  place 
  where 
  stood 
  the 
  

   To 
  n 
  'wo 
  n 
  pezhi, 
  "Bad 
  Village," 
  

  

  The 
  following 
  is 
  the 
  story 
  of 
  how 
  this 
  village 
  came 
  to 
  be 
  aban- 
  

   doned 
  and 
  received 
  the 
  name 
  of 
  "Bad 
  Village." 
  It 
  is 
  a 
  story 
  that 
  

   used 
  frequently 
  to 
  be 
  told 
  and 
  is 
  probably 
  historical 
  and 
  suggests 
  

   how 
  separations 
  may 
  have 
  come 
  about 
  in 
  the 
  more 
  remote 
  past. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  Teci 
  n 
  'de 
  gens 
  lived 
  a 
  man 
  and 
  his 
  wife 
  with 
  their 
  three 
  sons 
  and 
  one 
  daughter. 
  

   Although 
  the 
  man 
  was 
  not 
  a 
  chief, 
  he 
  was 
  respected 
  and 
  honored 
  by 
  the 
  people 
  because 
  

   of 
  his 
  bravery 
  and 
  hospitality. 
  His 
  daughter 
  was 
  sought 
  in 
  marriage 
  by 
  many 
  

   men 
  in 
  the 
  tribe. 
  There 
  was 
  one 
  whom 
  she 
  preferred, 
  and 
  to 
  whom 
  she 
  gave 
  her 
  

   word 
  to 
  be 
  his 
  wife. 
  This 
  fact 
  was 
  not 
  known 
  to 
  her 
  parents, 
  who 
  promised 
  her 
  to 
  a 
  

   warrior 
  long 
  past 
  his 
  youth. 
  Against 
  her 
  will 
  she 
  was 
  taken 
  to 
  the 
  warrior's 
  dwelling 
  

   with 
  the 
  usual 
  ceremonies 
  in 
  such 
  marriages. 
  The 
  girl 
  determined 
  in 
  her 
  own 
  mind 
  

   never 
  to 
  be 
  his 
  wife. 
  She 
  did 
  not 
  cry 
  or 
  struggle 
  when 
  they 
  took 
  her, 
  but 
  acted 
  well 
  

   her 
  part 
  at 
  the 
  wedding 
  feast, 
  and 
  none 
  knew 
  her 
  purpose. 
  When 
  the 
  feast 
  was 
  over 
  

   and 
  the 
  sun 
  had 
  set, 
  she 
  slipped 
  away 
  in 
  the 
  dark 
  and 
  was 
  gone. 
  At 
  once 
  a 
  search 
  

   was 
  started, 
  which 
  was 
  kept 
  up 
  by 
  the 
  disappointed 
  old 
  warrior 
  and 
  his 
  relatives 
  for 
  

   several 
  days, 
  but 
  without 
  success. 
  The 
  girl's 
  mother 
  grieved 
  over 
  the 
  loss 
  of 
  her 
  

  

  