﻿132 
  THE 
  OMAHA 
  TEIBE 
  [eth. 
  ANN. 
  27 
  

  

  "not 
  so 
  good," 
  although 
  possessing 
  great 
  recuperative 
  power. 
  The 
  

   elk 
  was 
  fleet. 
  Snakes 
  were 
  "not 
  good," 
  etc. 
  To 
  dream 
  of 
  the 
  moon 
  

   might 
  bring 
  a 
  great 
  calamity. 
  It 
  is 
  said 
  that 
  the 
  moon 
  would 
  appear 
  

   to 
  a 
  man 
  having 
  in 
  one 
  hand 
  a 
  burden 
  strap, 
  in 
  the 
  other 
  a 
  bow 
  and 
  

   arrows, 
  and 
  the 
  man 
  would 
  be 
  bidden 
  to 
  make 
  a 
  choice. 
  When 
  he 
  

   reached 
  for 
  the 
  bow, 
  the 
  moon 
  would 
  cross 
  its 
  hands 
  and 
  try 
  to 
  force 
  

   the 
  strap 
  on 
  the 
  man. 
  If 
  he 
  awaked 
  before 
  he 
  took 
  the 
  strap, 
  or 
  

   if 
  he 
  succeeded 
  in 
  capturing 
  the 
  bow, 
  he 
  escaped 
  the 
  penalty 
  of 
  the 
  

   dream. 
  If, 
  on 
  the 
  other 
  hand, 
  he 
  failed 
  and 
  the 
  strap 
  came 
  into 
  

   his 
  hand, 
  he 
  was 
  doomed 
  to 
  forfeit 
  his 
  manhood 
  and 
  become, 
  like 
  a 
  

   woman. 
  He 
  must 
  speak 
  as 
  a 
  woman, 
  pursue 
  her 
  avocations, 
  adopt 
  

   her 
  dress, 
  and' 
  sometimes 
  become 
  subject 
  to 
  gross 
  actions. 
  It 
  is 
  said 
  

   that 
  there 
  have 
  been 
  those 
  who, 
  having 
  dreamed 
  of 
  the 
  moon 
  and 
  

   having 
  had 
  the 
  burden 
  strap 
  forced 
  on 
  them, 
  have 
  tried 
  to 
  conceal 
  

   their 
  ill 
  luck 
  for 
  a 
  time, 
  but 
  that 
  few 
  have 
  succeeded. 
  Instances 
  are 
  

   known 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  unfortunate 
  dreamer, 
  even 
  with 
  the 
  help 
  of 
  his 
  

   parents, 
  could 
  not 
  ward 
  off 
  the 
  evil 
  influence 
  of 
  the 
  dream, 
  and 
  

   resorted 
  to 
  suicide 
  as 
  the 
  only 
  means 
  of 
  escape. 
  

  

  The 
  following 
  stories 
  of 
  Osage 
  men 
  who 
  through 
  dreams 
  became 
  

   as 
  women 
  were 
  given 
  by 
  Black 
  Dog 
  in 
  1898: 
  

  

  Men 
  who 
  become 
  as 
  women 
  are 
  called 
  Mveu'ga 
  (mi, 
  "moon"; 
  xu'ga, 
  "to 
  in- 
  

   struct 
  - 
  '— 
  "instructed 
  by 
  the 
  moon"). 
  The 
  young 
  men 
  who 
  go 
  to 
  fast 
  sometimes 
  

   remain 
  out 
  many 
  days. 
  This 
  is 
  done 
  to 
  secure 
  dreams 
  or 
  visions 
  which 
  will 
  support 
  

   them 
  in 
  manly 
  enterprises, 
  in 
  war 
  or 
  in 
  hunting 
  — 
  that 
  is, 
  give 
  them 
  strength. 
  But 
  

   sometimes 
  it 
  happens 
  that 
  a 
  young 
  man 
  has 
  dreams 
  or 
  sees 
  visions 
  which 
  make 
  him 
  

   imagine 
  that 
  he 
  is 
  a 
  woman. 
  From 
  that 
  time 
  he 
  takes 
  upon 
  himself 
  the 
  dress 
  and 
  

   occupations 
  of 
  a 
  woman. 
  He 
  lets 
  his 
  hair 
  grow, 
  parts 
  it 
  in 
  the 
  middle, 
  and 
  wears 
  

   braids. 
  From 
  days 
  beyond 
  the 
  memory 
  of 
  man 
  the 
  Osage 
  men 
  shaved 
  the 
  head, 
  

   leaving 
  a 
  roach 
  on 
  the 
  top. 
  Only 
  the 
  women 
  wore 
  the 
  hair 
  long 
  and 
  parted 
  it 
  in 
  the 
  

   middle. 
  Now 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  Osage 
  men 
  wear 
  the 
  hair 
  long 
  and 
  parted 
  in 
  the 
  middle, 
  

   in 
  imitation 
  of 
  the 
  Ponca, 
  who, 
  I 
  think, 
  took 
  the 
  fashion 
  from 
  the 
  Sioux. 
  

  

  Once 
  a 
  young 
  man 
  went 
  to 
  fast, 
  and 
  was 
  gone 
  many 
  days. 
  He 
  started 
  home, 
  not 
  

   having 
  had 
  any 
  dreams 
  or 
  visions, 
  and 
  on 
  his 
  way 
  home 
  he 
  met 
  a 
  matronly 
  woman 
  

   who 
  addressed 
  him 
  as 
  " 
  daughter. 
  ' 
  ' 
  She 
  said 
  to 
  the 
  young 
  man: 
  " 
  You 
  are 
  my 
  daugh- 
  

   ter, 
  and 
  you 
  shall 
  be 
  as 
  I 
  am. 
  I 
  give 
  to 
  you 
  this 
  hoe. 
  With 
  it 
  you 
  shall 
  cultivate 
  the 
  

   ground, 
  raise 
  corn, 
  beans, 
  and 
  squash, 
  and 
  you 
  shall 
  be 
  skillful 
  in 
  braiding 
  buffalo 
  

   hair 
  and 
  in 
  embroidering 
  moccasins, 
  leggings, 
  and 
  robes." 
  In 
  speaking 
  to 
  the 
  woman 
  

   the 
  young 
  man 
  discovered 
  that 
  he 
  had 
  been 
  unconsciously 
  using 
  the 
  feminine 
  ter- 
  

   minals 
  of 
  speech. 
  He 
  tried 
  to 
  recover 
  himself 
  and 
  use 
  the 
  speech 
  of 
  man, 
  but 
  he 
  

   failed. 
  On 
  his 
  return 
  to 
  his 
  people 
  he 
  dressed 
  himself 
  as 
  a 
  woman, 
  and 
  took 
  upon 
  

   himself 
  the 
  avocations 
  of 
  a 
  woman. 
  

  

  A 
  young 
  man 
  went 
  to 
  fast, 
  and 
  was 
  gone 
  many 
  days. 
  On 
  his 
  way 
  home 
  he 
  came 
  

   to 
  an 
  earth 
  lodge 
  and 
  entered. 
  There 
  were 
  four 
  men 
  in 
  the 
  lodge, 
  who 
  greeted 
  him 
  

   very 
  cordially 
  and 
  assigned 
  to 
  him 
  the 
  usual 
  place 
  of 
  a 
  guest. 
  The 
  young 
  man 
  looked 
  

   about 
  the 
  lodge 
  and 
  saw 
  hung 
  upon 
  the 
  posts 
  bows 
  and 
  arrows, 
  shields 
  and 
  spears. 
  

   Food 
  was 
  prepared 
  for 
  him, 
  and 
  he 
  ate 
  with 
  the 
  strangers. 
  When 
  he 
  had 
  finished 
  

   his 
  visit 
  he 
  thanked 
  these 
  people 
  and 
  started 
  to 
  go 
  out. 
  As 
  he 
  was 
  about 
  to 
  pass 
  

   the 
  doorway 
  he 
  was 
  halted 
  and 
  his 
  attention 
  was 
  directed 
  to 
  two 
  objects 
  which 
  hung 
  

   one 
  on 
  each 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  door. 
  One 
  was 
  a 
  spear 
  and 
  the 
  other 
  a 
  battle-ax. 
  The 
  young 
  

   man 
  was 
  told 
  to 
  take 
  his 
  choice. 
  He 
  was 
  long 
  in 
  choosing. 
  The 
  battle-ax 
  is 
  consid- 
  

   ered 
  the 
  manliest 
  of 
  weapons. 
  This 
  the 
  young 
  man 
  remembered, 
  and 
  he 
  finally 
  

  

  