﻿148 
  THE 
  OMAHA 
  TRIBE 
  [bth. 
  ann. 
  27 
  

  

  and 
  then 
  gave 
  the 
  sacred 
  kernels 
  to 
  this 
  subgens, 
  who 
  acted 
  as 
  servers 
  

   and 
  distributed 
  four 
  of 
  the 
  kernels 
  to 
  each 
  family 
  in 
  the 
  tribe. 
  

  

  To 
  a 
  family 
  within 
  this 
  subgens 
  was 
  given 
  the 
  hereditary 
  charge 
  of 
  

   the 
  Sacred 
  Tribal 
  Pipes. 
  In 
  this 
  connection 
  it 
  is 
  noteworthy 
  that 
  the 
  

   custodianship 
  of 
  these 
  Sacred 
  Pipes 
  was 
  bestowed 
  on 
  those 
  to 
  whom 
  

   belonged 
  rites 
  in 
  connection 
  with 
  the 
  cultivation 
  of 
  the 
  maize, 
  whose 
  

   tabu 
  was 
  the 
  sacred 
  corn. 
  This 
  indicates 
  that 
  the 
  group 
  who 
  con- 
  

   trolled 
  the 
  rites 
  of 
  the 
  maize 
  were 
  regarded 
  as 
  the 
  proper 
  persons 
  to 
  

   have 
  the 
  care 
  of 
  the 
  symbol 
  of 
  tribal 
  authority 
  because 
  of 
  their 
  con- 
  

   nection 
  with 
  ancient 
  sacred 
  rites 
  which 
  secured 
  food 
  for 
  the 
  people. 
  

   The 
  symbolic 
  cut 
  of 
  the 
  hair 
  of 
  the 
  children 
  of 
  this 
  subgens 
  was 
  

   peculiar. 
  All 
  hair 
  was 
  cut 
  off 
  the 
  head 
  except 
  two 
  small 
  bunches, 
  

   one 
  on 
  each 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  crown 
  (fig. 
  24). 
  This 
  style 
  was 
  observed 
  in 
  all 
  

   the 
  Nini'bato 
  11 
  subdivisions 
  of 
  the 
  other 
  gentes 
  of 
  the 
  tribe. 
  These 
  

   two 
  little 
  tufts 
  of 
  hair 
  may 
  refer 
  to 
  the 
  little 
  mounds, 
  spoken 
  of 
  in 
  

   the 
  legend, 
  from 
  which 
  the 
  corn 
  grew. 
  

  

  There 
  were 
  two 
  subdivisions 
  of 
  the 
  Nini'bato" 
  subgens, 
  the 
  No"xthe'- 
  

   bitube 
  and 
  the 
  I'ekithe. 
  To 
  the 
  first 
  was 
  given 
  the 
  hereditary 
  right 
  

   to 
  prepare 
  the 
  paint 
  for 
  the 
  decoration 
  of 
  the 
  pole 
  

   used 
  in 
  the 
  Ile'dewachi 
  ceremony. 
  The 
  name 
  No 
  n 
  - 
  

   xthe'bitube 
  was 
  descriptive 
  of 
  their 
  duty 
  (no 
  n 
  xthe, 
  

   "charred 
  box 
  elder 
  wood;" 
  bitu'be, 
  "to 
  pidverize 
  

   by 
  rubbing''). 
  This 
  group 
  not 
  only 
  observed 
  the 
  

   tabu 
  of 
  their 
  subgens, 
  the 
  red 
  ear 
  of 
  corn, 
  but 
  had 
  

   an 
  additional 
  tabu, 
  the 
  charcoal, 
  which 
  referred 
  to 
  

   their 
  office 
  of 
  painting 
  the 
  Pole 
  and 
  preparing 
  the 
  

   no. 
  24. 
  cutofhair.Ninr- 
  paint 
  for 
  the 
  ceremony. 
  As 
  the 
  painting 
  on 
  the 
  

   Pole 
  was 
  symbolic, 
  it 
  was 
  religious 
  in 
  character. 
  

   I'ekithe 
  signifies 
  "he 
  who 
  speaks 
  or 
  proclaims." 
  The 
  hereditary 
  

   office 
  of 
  tribal 
  herald 
  belonged 
  to 
  this 
  subdivision. 
  The 
  herald 
  had 
  to 
  

   have 
  a 
  strong, 
  clear 
  voice, 
  as 
  his 
  duty 
  was 
  to 
  proclaim 
  the 
  decisions 
  

   of 
  the 
  chiefs 
  and 
  to 
  give 
  out 
  orders 
  to 
  the 
  people 
  when 
  the 
  tribe 
  was 
  

   on 
  its 
  annual 
  hunt. 
  If 
  by 
  any 
  chance 
  the 
  official 
  herald 
  was 
  inca- 
  

   pacitated, 
  his 
  substitute 
  had 
  to 
  be 
  chosen 
  from 
  the 
  same 
  subdivision. 
  

   The 
  I'ekithe 
  observed 
  the 
  tabu 
  of 
  the 
  subgens 
  to 
  which 
  they 
  belonged, 
  

   the 
  red 
  ear 
  of 
  corn. 
  

  

  (b) 
  Wathi'gizhe. 
  The 
  name 
  of 
  this 
  subgens 
  was 
  also 
  the 
  name 
  of 
  the 
  

   hoop 
  used 
  in 
  a 
  ceremonial 
  game 
  which, 
  it 
  is 
  said, 
  was 
  formerly 
  played 
  

   by 
  the 
  chiefs 
  alone, 
  and 
  was 
  connected 
  with 
  the 
  following 
  story, 
  which 
  

   belongs 
  to 
  the 
  class 
  designated 
  Jii'go 
  71 
  , 
  a 
  word 
  meaning 
  "the 
  story 
  

   is 
  not 
  literally 
  true:" 
  

  

  The 
  people 
  were 
  without 
  food, 
  and 
  no 
  game 
  could 
  be 
  found 
  to 
  keep 
  the 
  people 
  from 
  

   starving. 
  Outside 
  the 
  village 
  lived 
  an 
  orphan 
  boy 
  with 
  his 
  grandmother, 
  and 
  these 
  

   two 
  consulted 
  together 
  as 
  to 
  how 
  they 
  could 
  help 
  the 
  people 
  to 
  procure 
  food. 
  At 
  

   last 
  they 
  agreed 
  upon 
  a 
  plan, 
  and 
  the 
  boy 
  set 
  to 
  work 
  and 
  made 
  a 
  hoop. 
  After 
  it 
  was 
  

   made 
  he 
  gave 
  it 
  to 
  his 
  grandmother, 
  and 
  according 
  to 
  their 
  plan 
  she 
  took 
  it 
  to 
  the 
  top 
  

  

  