﻿128 
  THE 
  OMAHA 
  TRIBE 
  [BTH. 
  ANN. 
  27 
  

  

  In 
  this 
  closing 
  song 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  return 
  to 
  the 
  cosmic 
  forces 
  which 
  

   were 
  appealed 
  to 
  and 
  represented 
  in 
  the 
  ceremony 
  of 
  Turning 
  the 
  

   Child. 
  In 
  early 
  times 
  before 
  this 
  ceremony 
  had 
  been 
  arranged 
  so 
  

   as 
  to 
  include 
  the 
  rite 
  of 
  consecrating 
  the 
  boy 
  to 
  the 
  Thunder 
  god, 
  

   the 
  song 
  which 
  appears 
  on 
  the 
  preceding 
  page 
  was 
  sung 
  probably 
  

   soon 
  after, 
  if 
  not 
  immediately 
  at 
  the 
  conclusion 
  of, 
  the 
  third 
  song 
  

   given 
  in 
  this 
  account. 
  

  

  At 
  the 
  conclusion 
  of 
  this 
  tribal 
  ceremony, 
  when 
  the 
  child 
  reached 
  

   its 
  home 
  the 
  father 
  cut 
  the 
  hair 
  of 
  his 
  son 
  after 
  the 
  symbolic 
  manner 
  

   of 
  his 
  gens; 
  a 
  the 
  hair 
  was 
  thus 
  worn 
  until 
  the 
  second 
  dentition. 
  

   Then 
  the 
  hair 
  was 
  allowed 
  to 
  grow, 
  and 
  the 
  scalp 
  lock, 
  the 
  sign 
  of 
  the 
  

   warrior 
  to 
  which 
  reference 
  has 
  already 
  been 
  made 
  was 
  parted 
  off 
  and 
  

   kept 
  carefully 
  braided, 
  n<> 
  matter 
  how 
  frowzy 
  and 
  tangled 
  the 
  rest 
  

   of 
  the 
  hair 
  might 
  be. 
  

  

  CEREMONIAL 
  INTRODUCTION 
  TO 
  INDIVIDUAL 
  LIFE 
  AND 
  TO 
  THE 
  

  

  SLTPERNATURAL 
  

  

  The 
  next 
  stage 
  in 
  the 
  life 
  of 
  the 
  Omaha 
  youth 
  was 
  marked 
  by 
  the 
  

   rite 
  known 
  by 
  the 
  name 
  of 
  No 
  n 
  'zhi 
  n 
  zho 
  n 
  . 
  The 
  literal 
  meaning 
  of 
  the 
  

   word 
  is 
  "to 
  stand 
  sleeping;" 
  it 
  here 
  implies 
  that 
  during 
  the 
  rite 
  the 
  

   person 
  stands 
  as 
  if 
  oblivious 
  of 
  the 
  outward 
  world 
  and 
  conscious 
  

   only 
  of 
  what 
  transpires 
  within 
  himself, 
  his 
  own 
  niind. 
  This 
  rite 
  

   took 
  place 
  at 
  puberty, 
  when 
  the 
  mind 
  of 
  the 
  child 
  had 
  "become 
  

   white." 
  This 
  characterization 
  was 
  drawn 
  from 
  the 
  passing 
  of 
  night 
  

   into 
  day. 
  It 
  should 
  be 
  remembered 
  that 
  in 
  native 
  symbolism 
  night 
  

   is 
  the 
  mother 
  of 
  day; 
  so 
  the 
  mind 
  of 
  the 
  new-born 
  child 
  is 
  dark, 
  

   like 
  the 
  night 
  of 
  its 
  birth; 
  gradually 
  it 
  begins 
  to 
  discern 
  and 
  remem- 
  

   ber 
  things 
  as 
  objects 
  seen 
  in 
  the 
  early 
  dawn; 
  finally 
  it 
  is 
  able 
  to 
  

   remember 
  and 
  observe 
  discriminatingly; 
  then 
  its 
  mind 
  is 
  said 
  to 
  be 
  

   "white," 
  as 
  with 
  the 
  clear 
  light 
  of 
  day. 
  At 
  the 
  period 
  when 
  the 
  

   youth 
  is 
  at 
  the 
  verge 
  of 
  his 
  conscious 
  individual 
  life, 
  is 
  "old 
  

   enough 
  to 
  know 
  sorrow," 
  it 
  was 
  considered 
  time 
  that 
  through 
  the 
  

   rite 
  No 
  n 
  'zhi 
  n 
  zho 
  n 
  he 
  should 
  enter 
  into 
  personal 
  relations 
  with 
  the 
  

   mysterious 
  power 
  that 
  permeates 
  and 
  controls 
  all 
  nature 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  

   his 
  own 
  existence. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  Sacred 
  Legend, 
  which 
  recounts 
  brief!}' 
  the 
  history 
  of 
  the 
  

   people 
  and 
  from 
  which 
  quotations 
  have 
  been 
  made, 
  the 
  origin 
  of 
  this 
  

   rite 
  is 
  thus 
  given: 
  

  

  The 
  people 
  felt 
  themselves 
  weak 
  and 
  poor. 
  Then 
  the 
  old 
  men 
  gathered 
  together 
  

   and 
  said: 
  "Let 
  us 
  make 
  our 
  children 
  cry 
  to 
  Wako 
  n/ 
  da 
  that 
  he 
  may 
  give 
  us 
  strength." 
  

   So 
  all 
  the 
  parents 
  took 
  their 
  children 
  who 
  were 
  old 
  enough 
  to 
  pray 
  in 
  earnest, 
  put 
  

   soft 
  clay 
  on 
  their 
  faces, 
  and 
  sent 
  them 
  forth 
  to 
  lonely 
  places. 
  The 
  old 
  men 
  said 
  to 
  

   the 
  youths: 
  "You 
  shall 
  go 
  forth 
  to 
  cry 
  to 
  Wako 
  n/ 
  da. 
  When 
  on 
  the 
  hills 
  you 
  shall 
  

   not 
  ask 
  for 
  any 
  particular 
  thing. 
  The 
  answer 
  may 
  not 
  come 
  to 
  you 
  as 
  you 
  expect; 
  

  

  "The 
  various 
  styles 
  of 
  cutting 
  the 
  child's 
  hair 
  to 
  symbolize 
  the 
  tabu 
  of 
  his 
  gens 
  are 
  shown 
  with 
  the 
  

   account 
  given 
  of 
  the 
  gentes 
  (pp. 
  144-188). 
  

  

  