﻿154 
  THE 
  OMAHA 
  TEIBE 
  [eth. 
  ask. 
  27 
  

  

  Upon 
  the 
  Ho 
  n 
  'ga 
  devolved 
  the 
  leadership 
  in 
  the 
  governing 
  power 
  of 
  

   the 
  tribe 
  (see 
  p. 
  201) 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  rites 
  connected 
  with 
  the 
  quest 
  for 
  food. 
  

  

  There 
  were 
  two 
  subgentes, 
  the 
  Waxthe'xeto 
  n 
  and 
  the 
  Washa'beto". 
  

   These 
  had 
  charge 
  of 
  the 
  two 
  Sacred 
  Tents, 
  their 
  contents, 
  and 
  the 
  

   ceremonies 
  pertaining 
  to 
  the 
  objects 
  kept 
  in 
  them. 
  The 
  tents 
  were 
  

   pitched 
  in 
  front 
  of 
  the 
  place 
  where 
  the 
  two 
  subgentes 
  came 
  together, 
  

   and 
  were 
  set 
  about 
  30 
  feet 
  in 
  front 
  of 
  the 
  line, 
  toward 
  the 
  center 
  of 
  

   the 
  hu'thuga. 
  about 
  25 
  feet 
  apart. 
  

  

  The 
  two 
  tents 
  represented 
  "both 
  sides 
  of 
  the 
  house," 
  the 
  hu'thuga. 
  

   From 
  the 
  rites 
  connected 
  with 
  the 
  White 
  Buffalo 
  Hide, 
  lodged 
  in 
  the 
  

   tent 
  (13) 
  set 
  in 
  front 
  of 
  the 
  Washa'beto 
  11 
  subgens, 
  it 
  is 
  probable 
  that 
  

   this 
  tent 
  represented 
  the 
  Ho 
  n 
  'gashenu 
  division, 
  to 
  which 
  were 
  commit- 
  

   ted 
  the 
  physical 
  welfare 
  of 
  the 
  people, 
  the 
  rites 
  pertaining 
  to 
  the 
  quest 
  

   of 
  food, 
  and 
  the 
  control 
  of 
  warfare. 
  The 
  tent 
  (12) 
  pitched 
  in 
  front 
  of 
  

   the 
  Waxthe'xeto" 
  subgens 
  contained 
  the 
  Sacred 
  Pole, 
  which 
  was 
  allied 
  

   to 
  Thunder 
  and 
  the 
  supernatural 
  Powers, 
  and 
  symbolized 
  the 
  authority 
  

   of 
  the 
  chiefs 
  — 
  an 
  authority 
  believed 
  to 
  be 
  derived 
  from 
  Wako 
  n 
  'da. 
  

   This 
  tent 
  probably 
  represented 
  the 
  Sky 
  people, 
  the 
  I 
  n 
  shta'cu°da 
  

   division, 
  which 
  had 
  charge 
  of 
  the 
  rites 
  pertaining 
  to 
  the 
  people's 
  rela- 
  

   tion 
  to 
  the 
  supernatural. 
  

  

  Waxthe'xeton 
  subgens 
  (a) 
  

  

  Waxthe'xe 
  (waxthe'xe, 
  "mottled, 
  as 
  by 
  shadows," 
  "a 
  mottled 
  

   object" 
  — 
  the 
  name 
  of 
  the 
  Sacred 
  Pole 
  (see 
  pi. 
  38); 
  to 
  n 
  , 
  "to 
  possess 
  

   or 
  have 
  charge 
  of) 
  implied 
  that 
  the 
  object 
  thus 
  described 
  had 
  the 
  

   power 
  to 
  confer 
  distinction, 
  as 
  the 
  xthe'xe, 
  " 
  the 
  mark 
  of 
  honor." 
  The 
  

   tabu 
  of 
  this 
  subgens 
  was 
  a 
  double 
  one, 
  the 
  tezhu' 
  and 
  the 
  crane. 
  The 
  

   tezhu' 
  was 
  a 
  particular 
  cut 
  of 
  meat 
  from 
  the 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  buffalo 
  (see 
  

   p. 
  273) 
  , 
  that 
  was 
  brought 
  as 
  an 
  offering 
  to 
  the 
  Sacred 
  Pole 
  at 
  the 
  great 
  

   tribal 
  ceremony 
  when 
  the 
  Pole 
  was 
  anointed. 
  The 
  feathers 
  of 
  the 
  

   crane 
  were 
  used 
  on 
  the 
  divining 
  arrows 
  that 
  had 
  a 
  part 
  in 
  this 
  same 
  

   ceremony. 
  

  

  A 
  group 
  of 
  families 
  belonging 
  to 
  the 
  Waxthe'xeto" 
  subgens 
  was 
  set 
  

   apart 
  as 
  servers; 
  these 
  were 
  called 
  wathi'to 
  11 
  (from 
  thito"', 
  "to 
  work"), 
  

   "workers". 
  Their 
  duties 
  were 
  connected 
  with 
  ceremonies 
  pertaining 
  

   to 
  the 
  Sacred 
  Pole. 
  They 
  prepared 
  and 
  distributed 
  the 
  meat 
  brought 
  

   as 
  offerings 
  by 
  the 
  people 
  at 
  the 
  anointing 
  rites. 
  The 
  tabu 
  of 
  this 
  

   group 
  was 
  the 
  same 
  as 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  subgens 
  of 
  which 
  they 
  were 
  a 
  

   part 
  — 
  the 
  tezhu' 
  and 
  the 
  crane. 
  This 
  group 
  camped 
  next 
  to 
  the 
  

   I'ekithe 
  of 
  the 
  Pke'cabe 
  gens, 
  and 
  at 
  their 
  left 
  camped 
  the 
  remainder 
  

   of 
  the 
  Waxthe'xeto 
  11 
  subgens. 
  

  

  Washa'beto 
  n 
  subgens 
  i 
  b 
  i 
  

  

  The 
  Washa'beto 
  11 
  (washa'be, 
  "a 
  dark 
  object," 
  the 
  word 
  "dark" 
  

   referring 
  not 
  to 
  color, 
  but 
  to 
  the 
  general 
  appearance 
  of 
  an 
  object 
  at 
  

   a 
  distance 
  — 
  the 
  name 
  of 
  a 
  peculiar 
  staff 
  ((ig. 
  27) 
  belonging 
  to 
  the 
  

  

  