﻿88 
  THE 
  OMAHA 
  TRIBE 
  [eth. 
  ann. 
  27 
  

  

  occupied, 
  although 
  the 
  people 
  frequently 
  brougnt 
  their 
  dead 
  from 
  

   their 
  camps 
  to 
  the 
  southward 
  and 
  westward 
  to 
  he 
  buried 
  where 
  their 
  

   fathers 
  had 
  dwelt. 
  

  

  The 
  country 
  through 
  which 
  the 
  tribe 
  was 
  accustomed 
  to 
  hunt 
  cov- 
  

   ered 
  a 
  range 
  of 
  several 
  hundred 
  miles 
  north 
  and 
  south 
  and 
  east 
  and 
  

   west. 
  Its 
  topography 
  was 
  well 
  known 
  to 
  the 
  Omaha, 
  not 
  only 
  the 
  

   general 
  direction 
  of 
  the 
  rivers 
  and 
  their 
  numerous 
  branches, 
  but 
  the 
  

   turns 
  and 
  twists 
  of 
  the 
  streams 
  and 
  the 
  valleys, 
  also 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  

   days 
  or 
  camps 
  required 
  to 
  go 
  from 
  one 
  point 
  to 
  another; 
  short 
  cuts 
  

   were 
  known 
  by 
  which 
  time 
  could 
  be 
  saved, 
  an 
  important 
  considera- 
  

   tion 
  in 
  a 
  journey 
  for 
  which 
  food 
  and 
  shelter 
  had 
  to 
  be 
  transported. 
  

   It 
  was 
  not 
  unusual 
  for 
  directions 
  as 
  to 
  a 
  certain 
  route 
  to 
  be 
  supple- 
  

   mented 
  by 
  a 
  rude 
  map 
  of 
  the 
  country 
  to 
  be 
  traversed, 
  traced 
  on 
  the 
  

   ground 
  with 
  a 
  finger 
  or 
  a 
  stick, 
  on 
  which 
  were 
  indicated 
  the 
  trails, 
  

   streams, 
  and 
  fords, 
  and 
  perhaps 
  other 
  details, 
  as 
  the 
  locations 
  of 
  

   trees, 
  springs, 
  or 
  creeks, 
  affording 
  suitable 
  places 
  to 
  make 
  camps, 
  and 
  

   of 
  stretches 
  where 
  water 
  or 
  wood 
  would 
  have 
  to 
  be 
  carried. 
  These 
  

   maps 
  were 
  always 
  oriented, 
  so 
  that 
  one 
  could 
  follow 
  the 
  course 
  laid 
  

   down, 
  by 
  the 
  sun 
  during 
  the 
  day 
  or 
  at 
  night 
  by 
  the 
  north 
  star. 
  All 
  

   the 
  large 
  rivers 
  known 
  to 
  the 
  Omaha 
  flow 
  in 
  a 
  southerly 
  direction; 
  

   their 
  tributaries 
  running 
  northward 
  were 
  said 
  to 
  "flow 
  backward." 
  

  

  The 
  accompam 
  T 
  ing 
  map 
  (pi. 
  21) 
  shows 
  the 
  country 
  known 
  to 
  the 
  

   Omaha 
  tribe; 
  the 
  Omaha 
  and 
  Ponca 
  names 
  of 
  the 
  streams 
  which 
  

   flow 
  through 
  territory 
  once 
  claimed 
  by 
  the 
  Omaha 
  as 
  their 
  hunting 
  

   grounds 
  are 
  given 
  below. 
  Much 
  of 
  this 
  region 
  was 
  disputed 
  by 
  other 
  

   tribes, 
  who 
  coveted 
  the 
  "sand 
  hills" 
  to 
  the 
  westward, 
  where 
  game 
  was 
  

   plentiful. 
  The 
  Omaha 
  villages 
  lay 
  near 
  the 
  Missouri, 
  not 
  farther 
  west 
  

   than 
  the 
  Elkhorn; 
  but 
  the 
  hunting 
  grounds 
  claimed 
  by 
  the 
  tribe 
  

   extended 
  on 
  the 
  east 
  from 
  the 
  Missouri 
  to 
  the 
  Raccoon 
  or 
  Des 
  Moines 
  

   river, 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  west 
  to 
  the 
  country 
  of 
  the 
  Padouca, 
  whose 
  most 
  

   easterly 
  village, 
  in 
  the 
  forks 
  of 
  the 
  Dismal 
  river, 
  was 
  known 
  to 
  the 
  

   Omaha. 
  The 
  Pawnee 
  in 
  their 
  northeastern 
  migration 
  encroached 
  

   on 
  the 
  country 
  watered 
  by 
  the 
  Loup. 
  They 
  moved 
  down 
  the 
  Platte 
  

   to 
  that 
  river 
  and 
  built 
  their 
  villages 
  there. 
  In 
  the 
  battles 
  which 
  

   ensued 
  the 
  Pawnee 
  villages 
  were 
  destroyed, 
  but 
  only 
  to 
  be 
  rebuilt. 
  

   Peace 
  was 
  made 
  between 
  the 
  two 
  tribes, 
  and 
  soon 
  broken. 
  Wars 
  

   were 
  followed 
  by 
  alliances 
  against 
  other 
  enemies. 
  Meanwhile 
  the 
  

   Pawnee 
  continued 
  to 
  encroach 
  and 
  finally 
  obtained 
  a 
  foothold, 
  but 
  

   the 
  ancient 
  hunting 
  right 
  of 
  the 
  Omaha 
  on 
  the 
  land 
  was 
  recognized 
  

   by 
  the 
  Pawnee, 
  for 
  when 
  the 
  two 
  tribes 
  hunted 
  together 
  north 
  of 
  

   the 
  Platte, 
  as 
  they 
  frequently 
  did 
  in 
  the 
  first 
  half 
  of 
  the 
  last 
  century, 
  

   the 
  Omaha 
  led, 
  and 
  Omaha 
  officers 
  controlled 
  all 
  persons 
  taking 
  part 
  

  

  o 
  The 
  map 
  indicates 
  the 
  places 
  where 
  well-known 
  battles 
  took 
  place 
  during 
  contentions 
  for 
  control 
  ot 
  

   this 
  territory. 
  Minor 
  battle 
  fields 
  are 
  not 
  marked; 
  only 
  those 
  are 
  indicated 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  number 
  siain 
  on 
  

   both 
  sides 
  left 
  a 
  deep 
  impression 
  on 
  the 
  memory 
  of 
  the 
  people. 
  

  

  