﻿122 
  THE 
  OMAHA 
  TRIBE 
  [eth. 
  ANN. 
  27 
  

  

  The 
  priest 
  next 
  instructed 
  the 
  child 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  tabu 
  it 
  must 
  observe, 
  

   and 
  what 
  would 
  be 
  the 
  penalty 
  for 
  disobedience. 
  If 
  the 
  child 
  was 
  a 
  

   girl, 
  she 
  now 
  passed 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  tent 
  and 
  rejoined 
  her 
  mother. 
  

  

  Up 
  to 
  this 
  point 
  the 
  ceremony 
  of 
  introducing 
  the 
  child 
  into 
  the 
  

   tribe 
  was 
  the 
  same 
  for 
  male 
  and 
  female; 
  but 
  in 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  boys 
  there 
  

   was 
  a 
  supplemental 
  rite 
  which 
  pertained 
  to 
  them 
  as 
  future 
  warriors. 
  

  

  CONSECRATION 
  OF 
  THE 
  BOY 
  TO 
  THUNDER 
  

  

  This 
  ceremony 
  was 
  called 
  We'bashna, 
  meaning 
  "to 
  cut 
  the 
  hair." 
  

   According 
  to 
  traditions, 
  this 
  specialized 
  ceremony 
  belonged 
  to 
  the 
  

   period 
  in 
  the 
  growth 
  of 
  the 
  political 
  development 
  of 
  the 
  tribe 
  when 
  

   efforts 
  were 
  being 
  made 
  to 
  hold 
  the 
  tribe 
  more 
  firmly 
  together 
  by 
  

   checking 
  the 
  independence 
  of 
  the 
  warriors 
  and 
  placing 
  them 
  under 
  

   control 
  — 
  efforts 
  that 
  finally 
  resulted 
  in 
  the 
  placing 
  of 
  the 
  rites 
  of 
  

   war 
  in 
  charge 
  of 
  the 
  We'zhi 
  n 
  shte 
  gens. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  ceremony 
  of 
  cutting 
  the 
  hair 
  the 
  priest 
  in 
  charge 
  gathered 
  

   a 
  tuft 
  from 
  the 
  crown 
  of 
  the 
  boy's 
  head, 
  tied 
  it, 
  then 
  cut 
  it 
  off 
  and 
  

   laid 
  it 
  away 
  in 
  a 
  parfleche 
  case, 
  which 
  was 
  kept 
  as 
  a 
  sacred 
  reposi- 
  

   tory, 
  singing 
  as 
  he 
  cut 
  the 
  lock 
  a 
  ritual 
  song 
  explanatory 
  of 
  the 
  

   action. 
  The 
  severing 
  of 
  the 
  lock 
  was 
  an 
  act 
  that 
  implied 
  the 
  conse- 
  

   cration 
  of 
  the 
  life 
  of 
  the 
  boy 
  to 
  Thunder, 
  the 
  symbol 
  of 
  the 
  power 
  

   that 
  controlled 
  the 
  life 
  and 
  death 
  of 
  the 
  warrior 
  — 
  for 
  every 
  man 
  

   had 
  to 
  be 
  a 
  warrior 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  defend 
  the 
  home 
  and 
  the 
  tribe. 
  The 
  

   ritual 
  song 
  which 
  followed 
  the 
  cutting 
  of 
  the 
  lock 
  indicated 
  the 
  

   acceptance 
  of 
  the 
  offering 
  made; 
  that 
  is, 
  the 
  life 
  of 
  the 
  warrior 
  hence- 
  

   forth 
  was 
  under 
  the 
  control 
  of 
  the 
  Thunder 
  to 
  prolong 
  or 
  to 
  cut 
  short 
  

   at 
  will. 
  

  

  The 
  Washe'to" 
  subgens, 
  which 
  had 
  charge 
  of 
  this 
  rite 
  of 
  the 
  conse- 
  

   cration 
  of 
  the 
  boy 
  to 
  the 
  Thunder 
  as 
  the 
  god 
  of 
  war, 
  camped 
  at 
  

   the 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  I 
  n 
  shta'cu 
  n 
  da 
  division, 
  and 
  formed 
  the 
  northern 
  side 
  

   of 
  the 
  entrance 
  into 
  the 
  Tvu'ihuga 
  when 
  the 
  opening 
  faced 
  the 
  east; 
  

   while 
  the 
  We'zhi 
  n 
  shte 
  gens, 
  which 
  had 
  charge 
  of 
  the 
  rites 
  pertaining 
  

   to 
  war, 
  including 
  the 
  bestowal 
  of 
  honors, 
  formed 
  the 
  southern 
  side 
  

   of 
  the 
  entrance. 
  Thus 
  the 
  "door," 
  through 
  which 
  all 
  must 
  pass 
  

   who 
  w 
  r 
  ould 
  enter 
  the 
  Ini'tliut/a 
  (see 
  p. 
  13S), 
  was 
  guarded 
  on 
  each 
  side 
  

   by 
  gentes 
  having 
  charge 
  of 
  rites 
  pertaining 
  to 
  Thunder, 
  as 
  the 
  god 
  

   of 
  war, 
  the 
  power 
  that 
  could 
  not 
  only 
  hold 
  in 
  check 
  enemies 
  from 
  

   without, 
  but 
  which 
  met 
  each 
  man 
  child 
  at 
  his 
  entrance 
  into 
  the 
  tribe 
  

   and 
  controlled 
  him 
  even 
  to 
  the 
  hour 
  of 
  his 
  death. 
  

  

  In 
  a 
  community 
  beginning 
  to 
  crystallize 
  into 
  organized 
  social 
  

   relations 
  the 
  sphere 
  of 
  the 
  warrior 
  would 
  naturally 
  rise 
  above 
  that 
  of 
  

   the 
  mere 
  fighter; 
  and 
  when 
  the 
  belief 
  of 
  the 
  people 
  concerning 
  nature 
  

   is 
  taken 
  into 
  consideration 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  surprising 
  that 
  the 
  movement 
  

   toward 
  social 
  organization 
  should 
  tend 
  to 
  place 
  the 
  warriors 
  — 
  the. 
  

  

  