﻿126 
  THE 
  OMAHA 
  TRIBE 
  [BTH. 
  ANN. 
  27 
  

  

  gods; 
  shabe, 
  dark, 
  like 
  a 
  shadow; 
  Tee 
  indicates 
  that 
  the 
  object 
  is 
  long 
  

   and 
  is 
  lying 
  down; 
  zhide, 
  red. 
  

  

  Free 
  translation 
  

  

  What 
  time 
  I 
  will, 
  then 
  only 
  then, 
  

   A 
  man 
  lies 
  dead, 
  a 
  gruesome 
  thing. 
  

   What 
  time 
  I 
  will, 
  then 
  suddenly 
  

   A 
  man 
  lies 
  dead, 
  a 
  gruesome 
  thing. 
  

   What 
  time 
  I 
  will, 
  then, 
  only 
  then, 
  

   Like 
  a 
  shadow 
  dark 
  the 
  man 
  shall 
  lie. 
  

   What 
  time 
  I 
  will, 
  then 
  suddenly 
  

   A 
  man 
  lies 
  dead, 
  a 
  gruesome 
  thing. 
  

   What 
  time 
  I 
  will, 
  then, 
  only 
  then, 
  

   Reddened 
  and 
  stark 
  a 
  man 
  lies 
  dead. 
  

   What 
  time 
  I 
  will, 
  then 
  suddenly 
  

   A 
  man 
  lies 
  dead, 
  a 
  gruesome 
  thing 
  

  

  The 
  word 
  shabe, 
  dark 
  like 
  a 
  shadow, 
  is 
  used 
  in 
  the 
  preceding 
  song 
  

   to 
  describe 
  the 
  lock 
  of 
  hair 
  that 
  was 
  cut 
  from 
  the 
  child's 
  head 
  as 
  a 
  

   symbol 
  that 
  his 
  life 
  was 
  offered 
  to 
  the 
  god 
  ; 
  in 
  this 
  song 
  the 
  same 
  

   word, 
  shabe, 
  is 
  applied 
  to 
  the 
  man 
  who, 
  "like 
  a 
  shadow 
  dark," 
  

   "shall 
  lie" 
  when 
  his 
  life 
  has 
  been 
  taken 
  by 
  the 
  god. 
  The 
  use 
  of 
  this 
  

   word 
  bears 
  out 
  the 
  meaning 
  of 
  the 
  rite 
  that 
  accompanied 
  the 
  pre- 
  

   ceding 
  song, 
  that 
  by 
  the 
  giving 
  of 
  the 
  lock 
  of 
  hair 
  the 
  life 
  of 
  the 
  per- 
  

   son 
  was 
  given 
  to 
  the 
  god. 
  This 
  song 
  shows 
  that 
  the 
  god 
  intends 
  

   to 
  do 
  as 
  he 
  wills 
  with 
  that 
  life. 
  There 
  are 
  other 
  songs 
  used 
  in 
  the 
  

   tribe 
  which 
  iterate 
  this 
  belief 
  that 
  a 
  man 
  dies 
  only 
  when 
  the 
  gods 
  

   decree. 
  

  

  The 
  music 
  is 
  in 
  the 
  five-tone 
  scale, 
  and 
  the 
  phrase 
  which 
  carries 
  

   the 
  assertion 
  of 
  the 
  god 
  rises 
  and 
  dwells 
  on 
  the 
  tonic, 
  a 
  movement 
  

   rare 
  in 
  Omaha 
  songs, 
  the 
  general 
  trend 
  being 
  from 
  higher 
  to 
  lower 
  

   tones. 
  

  

  The 
  imperfect 
  account 
  of 
  this 
  ritual 
  makes 
  it 
  impossible 
  to 
  state 
  

   whether 
  or 
  not 
  the 
  six 
  songs 
  here 
  given 
  were 
  all 
  that 
  belonged 
  to 
  

   this 
  ceremony. 
  It 
  is 
  also 
  uncertain 
  whether 
  or 
  not 
  the 
  invocation 
  

   to 
  the 
  winds 
  was 
  sung 
  before 
  the 
  turning 
  of 
  every 
  child; 
  it 
  may 
  

   have 
  been 
  sung 
  only 
  once, 
  at 
  the 
  opening 
  of 
  the 
  general 
  ceremony, 
  

   there 
  being 
  indications 
  that 
  such 
  was 
  the 
  case. 
  It 
  is 
  probable 
  that 
  

   the 
  song 
  given 
  below 
  was 
  also 
  sung 
  but 
  once, 
  at 
  the 
  close 
  of 
  the 
  general 
  

   ceremony, 
  but 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  impossible 
  to 
  obtain 
  accurate 
  information 
  

   on 
  this 
  point. 
  Only 
  one 
  point 
  is 
  certain 
  — 
  that 
  the 
  following 
  was 
  

   the 
  final 
  song 
  of 
  the 
  ceremony: 
  

  

  