﻿fletcher-la 
  flesche] 
  ENVIRONMENT; 
  RESULTANT 
  INFLUENCES 
  113 
  

  

  The 
  character 
  of 
  the 
  environmental 
  conditions 
  noted 
  above 
  seems 
  

   reflected 
  in 
  the 
  Sacred 
  Legend, 
  which 
  preserves 
  in 
  fragmentary 
  form 
  

   the 
  story 
  of 
  the 
  people. 
  The 
  value 
  of 
  this 
  Legend 
  is 
  psychic 
  rather 
  

   than 
  historic, 
  for 
  little 
  is 
  told 
  in 
  it 
  that 
  is 
  definite 
  as 
  to 
  movements 
  or 
  

   localities; 
  it 
  is 
  singularly 
  free 
  from 
  the 
  mythic 
  element; 
  it 
  contains 
  

   no 
  marvels, 
  but 
  reveals 
  the 
  mental 
  atmosphere 
  through 
  which 
  the 
  

   people 
  beheld 
  their 
  past 
  achievements, 
  and 
  constitutes 
  a 
  narrative 
  

   remarkably 
  true 
  to 
  what 
  seems 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  Omaha 
  character, 
  religious, 
  

   thoughtful, 
  and 
  practical 
  rather 
  than 
  imaginative 
  and 
  emotional. 
  

  

  The 
  Omaha 
  depended 
  on 
  their 
  powers 
  of 
  observation 
  and 
  thought 
  

   as 
  the 
  means 
  by 
  which 
  they 
  could 
  better 
  the 
  conditions 
  of 
  their 
  daily 
  

   life 
  and, 
  as 
  will 
  be 
  seen 
  later, 
  they 
  utilized 
  their 
  observation 
  of 
  nature 
  

   hi 
  forming 
  their 
  ethical 
  code. 
  The 
  character 
  of 
  the 
  people 
  is 
  indi- 
  

   cated 
  in 
  their 
  names 
  for 
  living 
  forms 
  and 
  for 
  natural 
  phenomena 
  ; 
  

   these 
  show 
  how 
  the 
  Omaha 
  looked 
  on 
  their 
  environment 
  and 
  differ- 
  

   entiated 
  what 
  they 
  saw 
  and 
  experienced. 
  The 
  influence 
  of 
  hunting 
  is 
  

   detected 
  in 
  the 
  familiarity 
  displayed 
  with 
  the 
  anatomy 
  of 
  the 
  larger 
  

   animals, 
  a 
  knowledge 
  which, 
  as 
  has 
  been 
  seen, 
  the 
  Omaha 
  applied 
  to 
  

   the 
  human 
  form. 
  Some 
  of 
  the 
  terms, 
  as 
  those 
  designating 
  parts 
  of 
  

   the 
  human 
  face, 
  the 
  corners 
  of 
  the 
  mouth, 
  the 
  depression 
  on 
  the 
  fore- 
  

   head, 
  indicate 
  close 
  observation. 
  In 
  color 
  perception 
  the 
  Omaha 
  

   seem 
  to 
  be 
  of 
  somewhat 
  limited 
  capacity, 
  as 
  is 
  true 
  also 
  of 
  the 
  sensa- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  taste, 
  but 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  noteworthy 
  appreciation 
  of 
  the 
  gradation 
  

   of 
  light 
  in 
  the 
  coming 
  and 
  the 
  going 
  of 
  the 
  day. 
  The 
  names 
  of 
  the 
  

   months 
  and 
  of 
  the 
  points 
  of 
  the 
  compass 
  are 
  not 
  fanciful 
  or 
  sym- 
  

   bolic 
  but 
  express 
  the 
  results 
  of 
  practical 
  observations 
  or 
  experiences. 
  

   All 
  the 
  names 
  bear 
  out 
  the 
  sober-minded, 
  self-contained 
  character 
  

   indicated 
  in 
  the 
  Sacred 
  Legend 
  and 
  add 
  to 
  its 
  value 
  in 
  helping 
  

   toward 
  an 
  understanding 
  of 
  the 
  tribe. 
  

  

  The 
  map 
  of 
  the 
  Omaha 
  country 
  (pi. 
  21) 
  presents 
  the 
  region 
  with 
  

   which 
  the 
  people 
  have 
  been 
  familiar 
  from 
  the 
  sixteenth 
  century 
  to 
  

   the 
  present, 
  and 
  such 
  lustoric 
  data 
  have 
  been 
  given 
  as 
  may 
  throw 
  

   light 
  on 
  the 
  movements 
  of 
  the 
  tribe 
  during 
  that 
  period. 
  The 
  steady 
  

   westward 
  advance 
  of 
  the 
  white 
  settlements 
  from 
  their 
  becdnninjrs 
  on 
  

   the 
  Atlantic 
  coast, 
  together 
  with 
  the 
  eonsecpient 
  contentions 
  with 
  

   the 
  tribes 
  native 
  to 
  that 
  region, 
  pressed 
  the 
  eastern 
  tribes 
  back 
  on 
  

   their 
  western 
  neighbors, 
  creating 
  disturbances 
  whose 
  effects 
  traveled 
  

   westward 
  and 
  were 
  felt 
  by 
  all 
  the 
  people 
  dwelling 
  on 
  and 
  beyond 
  the 
  

   Lakes 
  and 
  the 
  Mississippi, 
  forcing 
  many 
  tribes 
  through 
  influences 
  

   they 
  did 
  not 
  understand 
  or 
  recognize 
  to 
  move 
  westward. 
  The 
  

   Omaha 
  could 
  not 
  escape 
  the 
  effect 
  of 
  this 
  general 
  disturbance, 
  

   although 
  they 
  did 
  not 
  become 
  embroiled 
  in 
  wars 
  between 
  the 
  Indians 
  

   and 
  the 
  white 
  people 
  dwelling 
  to 
  the 
  eastward 
  of 
  them. 
  

   83993°— 
  27 
  eth— 
  11 
  8 
  

  

  