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  PLDSCHE] 
  TRIBAL 
  ORGANIZATION 
  147 
  

  

  and 
  leadership 
  vested 
  in 
  this 
  gens 
  were 
  regarded 
  not 
  only 
  as 
  sacred 
  

   but* 
  as 
  absolutely 
  necessary, 
  so 
  much 
  so 
  that 
  it 
  was 
  said: 
  "If 
  the 
  last 
  

   I 
  n 
  ke'cabe 
  was 
  an 
  infant 
  in 
  its 
  mother's 
  arms 
  it 
  would 
  be 
  carried 
  to 
  

   lead 
  the 
  people 
  in 
  the 
  wano 
  n 
  'fe" 
  (the 
  surround 
  of 
  the 
  herd). 
  This 
  

   ancient 
  and 
  hereditary 
  office 
  came 
  to 
  an 
  end 
  at 
  the 
  last 
  buffalo 
  hunt 
  

   in 
  the 
  winter 
  of 
  1S75-76, 
  with 
  Pshta'thabi, 
  "He 
  who 
  is 
  eyes" 
  (for 
  

   the 
  people). 
  At 
  that 
  time 
  he 
  served 
  as 
  director 
  or 
  leader 
  of 
  the 
  sur- 
  

   round, 
  and 
  was 
  the 
  last 
  watho"' 
  of 
  the 
  wano 
  n 
  '(e. 
  (PI. 
  25.) 
  

  

  The 
  following 
  legend 
  is 
  said 
  to 
  have 
  given 
  rise 
  to 
  a 
  series 
  of 
  names 
  

   in 
  this 
  gens: 
  

  

  The 
  buffalo 
  were 
  underground. 
  A 
  young 
  bull 
  browsing 
  about 
  found 
  his 
  way 
  to 
  the 
  

   surface 
  of 
  the 
  earth. 
  [This 
  is 
  a 
  figurative 
  expression 
  referring 
  to 
  the 
  birth 
  of 
  the 
  

   species 
  buffalo 
  from 
  mother 
  earth.] 
  The 
  herd 
  followed 
  him. 
  As 
  they 
  went 
  they 
  came 
  

   to 
  a 
  river. 
  The 
  water 
  looked 
  shallow, 
  but 
  it 
  was 
  deep. 
  As 
  the 
  buffalo 
  jumped 
  in, 
  

   the 
  water 
  splashed 
  and 
  looked 
  gray 
  in 
  the 
  air. 
  The 
  herd 
  swam 
  on 
  and 
  over 
  the 
  stream, 
  

   where 
  on 
  the 
  other 
  side 
  they 
  found 
  good 
  pasture 
  and 
  remained 
  on 
  the 
  earth. 
  

  

  The 
  name 
  Niga'xude 
  refers 
  to 
  this 
  experience 
  of 
  the 
  new-born 
  

   buffalo 
  ; 
  the 
  word 
  is 
  compounded 
  of 
  ni, 
  "water; 
  ' 
  ' 
  ga, 
  " 
  to 
  strike 
  ;' 
  ' 
  xude, 
  

   "gray." 
  Niga'xude 
  was 
  the 
  name 
  given 
  to 
  the 
  first 
  born 
  son. 
  The 
  

   second 
  son 
  could 
  be 
  called 
  either 
  Heba'zhu, 
  "knob 
  horns," 
  referring 
  

   to 
  the 
  protuberances 
  on 
  the 
  head 
  of 
  the 
  calf, 
  or 
  Gthadi"'gtnitho 
  n 
  , 
  

   " 
  the 
  hungry 
  calf 
  running 
  crosswise 
  in 
  front 
  of 
  its 
  mother 
  and 
  stop- 
  

   ping 
  her 
  progress." 
  The 
  third 
  son 
  could 
  be 
  named 
  £iko 
  n 
  'xega, 
  

   "brown 
  ankles," 
  the 
  color 
  of 
  the 
  ankles 
  of 
  the 
  buffalo 
  calf. 
  When 
  

   these 
  boys 
  became 
  adults, 
  the 
  eldest 
  could 
  take 
  the 
  name 
  Pe'tho 
  n 
  ba, 
  

   "seven;" 
  the 
  second 
  could 
  have 
  Mo 
  n 
  'geto 
  n 
  ga, 
  "big 
  chest;" 
  the 
  third, 
  

   No 
  n 
  zhi'hato 
  n 
  ga, 
  "big 
  hah." 
  When 
  these 
  men 
  became 
  old, 
  they 
  

   could 
  take 
  the 
  following 
  names: 
  The 
  eldest, 
  He'ubagtho 
  n 
  de, 
  "worn 
  

   horns 
  of 
  the 
  old 
  buffalo 
  bull;" 
  the 
  next, 
  Mo 
  n 
  e'gahi, 
  "arrow 
  chief;" 
  

   and 
  the 
  youngest, 
  Mo 
  n 
  zho 
  n 
  'wakithe, 
  "land 
  of 
  the 
  buffalo." 
  

  

  The 
  I 
  n 
  ke'cabe 
  had 
  two 
  subgentes, 
  Nini'bato 
  11 
  and 
  Wathi'gizhe. 
  

  

  (a) 
  Nini'bato 
  11 
  {nini'ba, 
  "pipe;" 
  to 
  n 
  , 
  "to 
  possessor 
  keep"). 
  The 
  

   following 
  fragmentary 
  legend 
  is 
  connected 
  with 
  this 
  subgens 
  ami 
  its 
  

   tabu, 
  the 
  red 
  ear 
  of 
  corn: 
  

  

  The 
  Inke'cabe 
  were 
  the 
  first 
  of 
  the 
  Omaha 
  to 
  exist. 
  There 
  were 
  one 
  man 
  and 
  one 
  

   woman. 
  They 
  lived 
  together 
  and 
  children 
  were 
  born 
  to 
  then). 
  The 
  woman 
  went 
  

   out 
  one 
  day 
  and 
  found 
  little 
  mounds 
  on 
  the 
  ground. 
  In 
  a 
  few 
  days 
  she 
  went 
  again, 
  

   and 
  saw 
  that 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  mounds 
  plants 
  were 
  growing 
  not 
  known 
  to 
  her. 
  From 
  time 
  to 
  

   time 
  she 
  went 
  to 
  look 
  at 
  these 
  plants. 
  They 
  grew 
  tall, 
  and 
  by 
  and 
  by 
  ears 
  grew 
  on 
  

   them. 
  These 
  she 
  gathered 
  and 
  took 
  to 
  her 
  husband 
  and 
  children. 
  They 
  roasted 
  the 
  

   ears 
  by 
  the 
  fire 
  and 
  ate 
  them. 
  These 
  were 
  the 
  people 
  to 
  whom 
  the 
  corn 
  was 
  sacred; 
  

   so 
  to 
  this 
  day 
  they 
  do 
  not 
  eat 
  the 
  red 
  ear 
  of 
  corn. 
  

  

  It 
  was 
  the 
  duty 
  of 
  this 
  subgens 
  to 
  provide 
  the 
  ears 
  of 
  red 
  corn, 
  

   which 
  were 
  considered 
  the 
  sacred 
  corn, 
  and 
  to 
  give 
  them 
  to 
  the 
  

   Ho 
  n 
  'gaxti 
  division 
  of 
  the 
  Washa'beto" 
  subgens 
  of 
  the 
  Ho 
  n 
  'ga. 
  

   When 
  the 
  time 
  for 
  planting 
  arrived, 
  the 
  ceremonial 
  distribution 
  of 
  this 
  

   sacred 
  corn 
  took 
  place. 
  The 
  Ho 
  n 
  'gaxti 
  sang 
  the 
  ritual 
  of 
  the 
  maize 
  

  

  