﻿FLETCHDR-LA 
  flesche] 
  TRIBAL 
  ORGANIZATION 
  137 
  

  

  posite 
  group, 
  made 
  up 
  of 
  subgentes 
  or 
  subdivisions 
  which 
  were 
  some- 
  

   times 
  called 
  to 
  n 
  'wo 
  n 
  gtho 
  n 
  zhi 
  n 
  ga, 
  "little 
  villages," 
  or 
  to 
  n 
  'wo 
  n 
  gtho 
  n 
  uga'gne, 
  

   uga'fne 
  meaning 
  " 
  that 
  which 
  is 
  split," 
  and 
  implying 
  that 
  the 
  subdivision 
  

   had 
  been 
  split 
  off, 
  although 
  it 
  still 
  kept 
  with 
  the 
  main 
  body. 
  Each 
  of 
  

   the 
  subgentes 
  had 
  its 
  name, 
  its 
  rite, 
  which 
  was 
  of 
  the 
  Ni'kie 
  class, 
  

   its 
  set 
  of 
  personal 
  names, 
  its 
  tabu, 
  and 
  its 
  place 
  when 
  the 
  gens 
  camped 
  

   with 
  the 
  tribe 
  in 
  ceremonial 
  order. 
  A 
  subdivision 
  differed 
  from 
  a 
  sub- 
  

   gens 
  in 
  not 
  having 
  a 
  distinctive 
  rite, 
  although 
  it 
  had 
  a 
  particular 
  office 
  

   in 
  the 
  rite 
  belonging 
  to 
  the 
  gens. 
  A 
  subdivision 
  might 
  have 
  its 
  tabu, 
  

   wliich 
  would 
  refer 
  to 
  its 
  duties 
  in 
  the 
  rite, 
  and 
  its 
  set 
  of 
  personal 
  

   names, 
  but 
  it 
  was 
  bound 
  to 
  the 
  gens 
  by 
  a 
  common 
  rite 
  and 
  observed 
  

   the 
  tabu 
  of 
  the 
  gens. 
  The 
  number 
  of 
  subgentes 
  or 
  subdivisions 
  in 
  a 
  

   gens 
  does 
  not 
  seem 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  uniform. 
  The 
  common 
  bond 
  be- 
  

   tween 
  the 
  subgentes 
  of 
  a 
  gens 
  was 
  that 
  of 
  kinship, 
  traced 
  solely 
  

   through 
  the 
  father. 
  Marriage 
  between 
  the 
  members 
  of 
  the 
  subgentes 
  

   or 
  subdivisions 
  of 
  a 
  gens 
  was 
  forbidden. 
  When 
  a 
  person 
  was 
  asked 
  

   where 
  he 
  belonged, 
  he 
  did 
  not 
  give 
  the 
  name 
  of 
  the 
  subgens 
  into 
  

   which 
  he 
  was 
  born, 
  but 
  the 
  name 
  of 
  the 
  gens 
  of 
  wliich 
  his 
  birth 
  group 
  

   was 
  a 
  part. 
  If 
  more 
  definite 
  information 
  was 
  desired, 
  then 
  he 
  would 
  

   grve 
  the 
  name 
  of 
  his 
  subgens 
  or 
  subdivision. 
  The 
  gens 
  was 
  regarded 
  

   as 
  paramount 
  to 
  the 
  subgentes 
  or 
  to 
  the 
  subdivisions, 
  as 
  it 
  contained 
  

   them 
  all, 
  even 
  as 
  the 
  tribe 
  embraced 
  all 
  the 
  gentes 
  and 
  stood 
  as 
  one 
  

   body. 
  

  

  There 
  were 
  ten 
  gentes 
  in 
  the 
  tribe. 
  The 
  meaning 
  of 
  the 
  Omaha 
  

   word 
  for 
  tribe, 
  uJci'te, 
  has 
  already 
  been 
  discussed 
  (p. 
  35). 
  This 
  word 
  

   is 
  distinct 
  in 
  meaning 
  from 
  hu'thuga, 
  the 
  term 
  used 
  to 
  designate 
  the 
  

   form 
  or 
  order 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  tribal 
  organization 
  ceremonially 
  camped, 
  

   in 
  which 
  each 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  villages, 
  or 
  gens, 
  had 
  its 
  definite 
  place. 
  

   Hu'thuga 
  is 
  an 
  old 
  term 
  and 
  carries 
  the 
  idea 
  of 
  a 
  dwelling. 
  The 
  

   order 
  of 
  camping 
  expressed 
  by 
  hu'thuga 
  was 
  used 
  when 
  the 
  tribe 
  

   was 
  away 
  from 
  its 
  village 
  on 
  the 
  annual 
  buffalo 
  hunt. 
  This 
  hunt 
  

   was 
  a 
  serious 
  occasion, 
  when 
  all 
  the 
  people 
  united 
  in 
  a 
  common 
  effort 
  

   to 
  secure 
  a 
  supply 
  of 
  meat 
  and 
  pelts, 
  food 
  and 
  clothing, 
  for 
  them- 
  

   selves 
  and 
  for 
  their 
  children; 
  therefore 
  it 
  was 
  initiated 
  and 
  conducted 
  

   with 
  religious 
  ceremonies. 
  The 
  people 
  were 
  placed 
  under 
  the 
  con- 
  

   trol 
  of 
  men 
  who 
  through 
  elaborate 
  and 
  sacred 
  rites 
  were 
  appointed 
  

   for 
  the 
  direction 
  of 
  the 
  hunt, 
  and 
  to 
  these 
  appointed 
  men 
  all 
  persons, 
  

   including 
  the 
  chiefs, 
  had 
  to 
  render 
  obedience. 
  It 
  was 
  while 
  on 
  this 
  

   hunt 
  that 
  the 
  great 
  tribal 
  ceremonies 
  took 
  place, 
  at 
  which 
  time 
  the 
  

   people 
  camped 
  according 
  to 
  their 
  gentes 
  in 
  the 
  form 
  known 
  as 
  

   hu'thuga. 
  

  

  This 
  form 
  was 
  circular, 
  with 
  an 
  opening 
  to 
  the 
  east, 
  which 
  

   represented 
  the 
  door 
  of 
  a 
  dwelling. 
  "Through 
  it," 
  the 
  old 
  men 
  

   said, 
  "the 
  people 
  went 
  forth 
  in 
  quest 
  of 
  the 
  game, 
  and 
  through 
  it 
  

  

  