﻿124 
  THE 
  OMAHA 
  TRIBE 
  [bth. 
  ANN. 
  27 
  

  

  Literal 
  translation: 
  Tigo 
  n 
  ha, 
  grandfather 
  — 
  a 
  form 
  of 
  respect 
  vised 
  

   when 
  addressing 
  the 
  person 
  of 
  power; 
  mo 
  n 
  shia, 
  far 
  above, 
  on 
  high; 
  

   ta, 
  from 
  shiata, 
  there, 
  used 
  to 
  express 
  an 
  indefinite 
  place: 
  ha, 
  end 
  of 
  

   sentence; 
  shdbe, 
  dark, 
  like 
  a 
  shadow; 
  tithe, 
  passing 
  before 
  one; 
  

   no 
  n 
  zhia, 
  human 
  hair; 
  shethu, 
  there 
  in 
  your 
  direction, 
  as 
  toward 
  the 
  

   one 
  addressed; 
  aha, 
  in 
  the 
  midst 
  of. 
  

  

  Free 
  translation 
  

  

  Grandfather! 
  far 
  above 
  on 
  high, 
  

  

  The 
  hair 
  like 
  a 
  shadow 
  passes 
  before 
  you. 
  

  

  Grandfather! 
  far 
  above 
  on 
  high, 
  

  

  Dark 
  like 
  a 
  shadow 
  the 
  hair 
  sweeps 
  before 
  you 
  into 
  the 
  midst 
  of 
  your 
  realm. 
  

  

  Grandfather! 
  there 
  above, 
  on 
  high, 
  

  

  Dark 
  like 
  a 
  shadow 
  the 
  hair 
  passes 
  before 
  you. 
  

  

  Grandfather! 
  dwelling 
  afar 
  on 
  high, 
  

  

  Like 
  a 
  dark 
  shadow 
  the 
  hair 
  sweeps 
  before 
  you 
  into 
  the 
  midst 
  of 
  your 
  realm. 
  

  

  Grandfather! 
  far 
  above 
  on 
  high, 
  

  

  The 
  hair 
  like 
  a 
  shadow 
  passes 
  before 
  you. 
  

  

  From 
  this 
  ritual 
  song 
  we 
  learn 
  that 
  the 
  lock 
  laid 
  away 
  in 
  the 
  

   sacred 
  case 
  in 
  care 
  of 
  the 
  Thunder 
  priest 
  symbolically 
  was 
  sent 
  to 
  

   the 
  Thunder 
  god 
  dwelling 
  "far 
  above 
  on 
  high," 
  who 
  was 
  ceremonially 
  

   addressed 
  as 
  "Grandfather" 
  — 
  the 
  term 
  of 
  highest 
  respect 
  in 
  the 
  lan- 
  

   guage. 
  The 
  hair 
  of 
  a 
  person 
  was 
  popularly 
  believed 
  to 
  have 
  a 
  vital 
  

   .connection 
  with 
  the 
  life 
  of 
  the 
  body, 
  so 
  that 
  anyone 
  becoming 
  pos- 
  

   sessed 
  of 
  a 
  lock 
  of 
  hair 
  might 
  work 
  his 
  will 
  on 
  the 
  individual 
  from 
  

   whom 
  it 
  came. 
  In 
  ceremonial 
  expressions 
  of 
  grief 
  the 
  throwing 
  of 
  

   locks 
  of 
  hair 
  upon 
  the 
  dead 
  was 
  indicative 
  of 
  the 
  vital 
  loss 
  sustained. 
  

   In 
  the 
  light 
  of 
  customs 
  that 
  obtained 
  among 
  the 
  people 
  the 
  hair, 
  

   under 
  certain 
  conditions, 
  might 
  be 
  said 
  to 
  typif} 
  T 
  life. 
  Because 
  of 
  

   the 
  belief 
  in 
  the 
  continuity 
  of 
  life 
  a 
  part 
  could 
  stand 
  for 
  the 
  whole, 
  

   so 
  in 
  this 
  rite 
  by 
  the 
  cutting 
  off 
  of 
  a 
  lock 
  of 
  the 
  boy's 
  hair 
  and 
  giving 
  

   it 
  to 
  the 
  Thunder 
  the 
  life 
  of 
  the 
  child 
  was 
  given 
  into 
  the 
  keeping 
  of 
  

   the 
  god. 
  It 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  noted 
  that 
  later, 
  when 
  the 
  hair 
  was 
  suffered 
  to 
  

   grow 
  on 
  the 
  boy's 
  head, 
  a 
  lock 
  on 
  the 
  crown 
  of 
  the 
  head 
  was 
  parted 
  

   in 
  a 
  circle 
  from 
  the 
  rest 
  of 
  the 
  hair 
  and 
  kept 
  constantly 
  distinct 
  and 
  

   neatly 
  braided. 
  Upon 
  this 
  lock 
  the 
  war 
  honors 
  of 
  the 
  warrior 
  were 
  

   worn, 
  and 
  it 
  was 
  this 
  lock 
  that 
  was 
  cut 
  from 
  the 
  head 
  of 
  a 
  slain 
  

   enemy 
  and 
  formed 
  the 
  central 
  object 
  in 
  the 
  triumph 
  ceremonies, 
  for 
  

   the 
  reason 
  that 
  it 
  preeminently 
  represented 
  the 
  life 
  of 
  the 
  man 
  who 
  

   had 
  been 
  slain 
  in 
  battle. 
  

  

  