﻿112 
  THE 
  OMAHA 
  TRIBE 
  [eth. 
  ann. 
  27 
  

  

  WEATHER 
  SIGNS 
  

  

  The 
  storm 
  which 
  usually 
  precedes 
  the 
  coming 
  of 
  the 
  new 
  moon 
  was 
  called 
  

   Mia'no 
  n 
  xthe, 
  "the 
  hiding 
  of 
  the 
  moon 
  " 
  (the 
  act 
  of 
  the 
  storm). 
  

  

  Early 
  in 
  the 
  month 
  of 
  February 
  there 
  is 
  usually 
  a 
  severe 
  storm, 
  often 
  a 
  blizzard. 
  

   This 
  storm 
  was 
  called 
  Mi'xa 
  ikino"xthe 
  agthi 
  ike. 
  "the 
  geese 
  come 
  home 
  hidden 
  

   by 
  the 
  storm." 
  It 
  is 
  said 
  that 
  soon 
  after 
  this 
  storm 
  a 
  few 
  geese 
  are 
  seen, 
  which 
  are 
  

   shortly 
  followed 
  by 
  the 
  flocks. 
  

  

  A 
  ring 
  around 
  the 
  moon 
  is 
  a 
  sign 
  of 
  rain. 
  

  

  When 
  the 
  horns 
  of 
  the 
  moon 
  are 
  turned 
  upward, 
  it 
  is 
  a 
  sign 
  that 
  cold 
  weather 
  is 
  

   coming. 
  

  

  When 
  the 
  fireflies 
  swarm 
  it 
  will 
  rain 
  during 
  the 
  night. 
  

  

  When 
  birds 
  sing 
  in 
  the 
  early 
  morning 
  the 
  day 
  will 
  be 
  clear. 
  

  

  A 
  mist 
  in 
  the 
  morning 
  portends 
  a 
  hot 
  day. 
  

  

  After 
  a 
  long 
  rain, 
  when 
  the 
  horses 
  prick 
  up 
  their 
  ears 
  and 
  play, 
  it 
  is 
  known 
  that 
  

   the 
  rain 
  is 
  over. 
  

  

  White 
  spots 
  on 
  the 
  nails 
  betoken 
  the 
  approach 
  of 
  spring. 
  If 
  they 
  come 
  in 
  sum- 
  

   mer 
  it 
  is 
  because 
  summer 
  is 
  here; 
  if 
  in 
  winter, 
  they 
  indicate 
  that 
  spring 
  will 
  surely 
  

   come, 
  no 
  matter 
  how 
  long 
  or 
  cold 
  the 
  season. 
  

  

  To 
  break 
  a 
  moccasin 
  string 
  is 
  a 
  sign 
  that 
  summer 
  is 
  coming. 
  

  

  Summary 
  

  

  From 
  the 
  evidence 
  afforded 
  by 
  the 
  native 
  names 
  of 
  animals 
  and 
  

   trees 
  it 
  would 
  seem 
  that 
  the 
  physical 
  environment 
  of 
  the 
  Omaha 
  has 
  

   not 
  greatly 
  varied 
  in 
  the 
  course 
  of 
  the 
  last 
  few 
  centuries; 
  during 
  

   that 
  period 
  the 
  tribe 
  does 
  not 
  appear 
  to 
  have 
  experienced 
  conditions 
  

   that 
  prevail 
  in 
  the 
  extreme 
  north 
  or 
  far 
  to 
  the 
  southward, 
  or 
  that 
  

   are 
  peculiar 
  to 
  the 
  region 
  w 
  r 
  est 
  of 
  the 
  Rocky 
  Mountains. 
  This 
  seem- 
  

   ingly 
  persistent 
  character 
  of 
  the 
  Omaha 
  surroundings 
  made 
  possible 
  

   the 
  development 
  of 
  the 
  tribe 
  along 
  lines 
  that 
  led 
  to 
  substantial 
  rather 
  

   than 
  to 
  striking 
  results. 
  

  

  During 
  this 
  period 
  both 
  the 
  peaceful 
  and 
  the 
  warlike 
  relations 
  of 
  

   the 
  Omaha 
  were 
  for 
  the 
  most 
  part 
  with 
  tribes 
  to 
  which 
  they 
  were 
  

   more 
  or 
  less 
  closely 
  related 
  linguistically, 
  tribes 
  which 
  presumably 
  

   had 
  many 
  ideas 
  and 
  customs 
  in 
  common. 
  There 
  was. 
  therefore, 
  little 
  

   in 
  this 
  contact 
  likely 
  to 
  deflect 
  the 
  Omaha 
  from 
  their 
  natural 
  course 
  

   of 
  development. 
  To 
  this, 
  however, 
  their 
  relations 
  with 
  the 
  Arikara 
  

   constituted 
  an 
  exception. 
  This 
  tribe 
  belongs 
  to 
  the 
  Caddoan, 
  a 
  

   southwestern 
  stock, 
  different 
  from 
  the 
  Omaha 
  in 
  mental 
  character- 
  

   istics 
  and 
  in 
  culture. 
  From 
  the 
  Arikara 
  the 
  Omaha 
  adopted 
  the 
  

   use 
  of 
  the 
  earth 
  lodge; 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  that 
  contact 
  with 
  this 
  tribe 
  stimu- 
  

   lated 
  a 
  general 
  revival 
  of 
  the 
  cultivation 
  of 
  the 
  maize; 
  and 
  the 
  

   knowledge 
  of 
  the 
  Wawa" 
  ceremony 
  was 
  probably 
  derived 
  from 
  the 
  

   same 
  source. 
  While 
  the 
  Arikara 
  exercised 
  on 
  the 
  Omaha 
  a 
  somewhat 
  

   stimulating 
  influence, 
  the 
  contact 
  does 
  not 
  seem 
  to 
  have 
  had 
  any 
  

   vital 
  effect 
  on 
  the 
  development 
  of 
  the 
  hitter's 
  tribal 
  organization 
  and 
  

   government 
  . 
  

  

  