﻿196 
  THE 
  OMAHA 
  TRIBE 
  [eth. 
  ann. 
  27 
  

  

  the 
  hereditary 
  right 
  to 
  be 
  keepers, 
  or 
  priests," 
  in 
  the 
  ceremonies 
  

   that 
  were 
  in 
  charge 
  of 
  the 
  gens. 
  The 
  Omaha 
  gens, 
  the 
  two 
  grand 
  

   divisions 
  composing 
  the 
  tribe, 
  and 
  the 
  tribe 
  as 
  a 
  whole, 
  were 
  each 
  and 
  

   all 
  expressive 
  and 
  representative 
  of 
  certain 
  fundamental 
  religious 
  ideas 
  

   and 
  beliefs 
  that 
  were 
  dramatized 
  in 
  rites. 
  

  

  Later, 
  when 
  the 
  tribe 
  was 
  reorganized 
  into 
  its 
  present 
  form, 
  the 
  

   political 
  government 
  of 
  the 
  people 
  was 
  vested 
  in 
  certain 
  chiefs, 
  but 
  

   these 
  did 
  not 
  derive 
  their 
  position 
  from 
  their 
  gentes 
  as 
  representatives 
  

   of 
  political 
  organizations. 
  

  

  INTERRELATION 
  OF 
  THE 
  TWO 
  GRAND 
  DIVISIONS 
  

  

  Looking 
  at 
  the 
  hu'fhuga, 
  we 
  observe 
  that 
  the 
  rites 
  and 
  duties 
  

   belonging 
  to 
  the 
  gentes 
  composing 
  the 
  Ho 
  n 
  'gashenu 
  division 
  bear 
  out 
  

   their 
  designation 
  as 
  "the 
  Earth 
  people." 
  All 
  the 
  rites 
  and 
  all 
  the 
  

   duties 
  intrusted 
  to 
  these 
  gentes 
  have 
  a 
  direct 
  relation 
  to 
  the 
  physical 
  

   welfare 
  of 
  the 
  people. 
  The 
  ceremonies 
  connected 
  with 
  the 
  warrior 
  

   as 
  the 
  protector 
  of 
  the 
  life 
  and 
  property 
  of 
  the 
  tribe 
  were 
  in 
  charge 
  

   of 
  the 
  We'zhi 
  n 
  shte 
  gens, 
  whose 
  place 
  was 
  at 
  the 
  eastern 
  end 
  of 
  this 
  

   division 
  and 
  at 
  the 
  southern 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  opening, 
  or 
  ''door," 
  of 
  the 
  

   Jm'thuga, 
  viewed 
  as 
  when 
  oriented. 
  The 
  rites 
  pertaining 
  to 
  the 
  

   people's 
  food 
  supply 
  — 
  the 
  hunting 
  of 
  the 
  buffalo, 
  the 
  planting 
  of 
  the 
  

   maize, 
  the 
  protection 
  of 
  the 
  growing 
  crops 
  from 
  the 
  depredations 
  of 
  

   birds, 
  and 
  the 
  fostering 
  help 
  of 
  wind 
  and 
  rain 
  — 
  were 
  in 
  charge 
  of 
  the 
  

   other 
  four 
  gentes 
  of 
  this 
  division, 
  each 
  gens 
  having 
  its 
  special 
  share 
  in 
  

   these 
  ceremonies. 
  Besides 
  these 
  rites 
  which 
  bore 
  directly 
  upon 
  the 
  

   food 
  supply, 
  there 
  were 
  other 
  duties 
  which 
  were 
  concerned 
  with 
  the 
  

   governing 
  power 
  and 
  the 
  maintenance 
  of 
  peace 
  within 
  the 
  tribe. 
  

   When 
  the 
  governing 
  power 
  was 
  vested 
  in 
  a 
  Council 
  of 
  Seven 
  Chiefs, 
  

   the 
  right 
  to 
  convene 
  this 
  council 
  became 
  the 
  duty 
  of 
  the 
  Ho 
  n 
  'ga 
  

   gens, 
  and 
  the 
  custody 
  of 
  the 
  two 
  Sacred 
  Tribal 
  Pipes 
  was 
  given 
  to 
  the 
  

   I 
  n 
  ke'cabe 
  gens. 
  The 
  presence, 
  and 
  use 
  of 
  these 
  pipes 
  were 
  essential 
  

   to 
  any 
  authoritative 
  proceeding 
  but 
  the 
  preparation 
  of 
  the 
  pipes 
  

   for 
  use 
  could 
  not 
  be 
  undertaken 
  by 
  any 
  member 
  of 
  the 
  Ho 
  I1 
  'gashenu 
  

   division. 
  This 
  preparation 
  belonged 
  solely 
  to 
  the 
  I 
  n 
  slita'cu 
  n 
  da 
  gens. 
  

   Therefore 
  the 
  pipes 
  when 
  in 
  use 
  became 
  tribal, 
  and 
  represented 
  both 
  

   of 
  the 
  divisions 
  of 
  the 
  tribe. 
  

  

  The 
  i"shta'cu"da 
  division, 
  spoken 
  of 
  as 
  "the 
  Sky 
  people," 
  had 
  

   charge 
  of 
  those 
  rites 
  by 
  which 
  supernatural 
  aid 
  was 
  sought 
  and 
  

   secured. 
  The 
  rites 
  committed 
  to 
  the 
  gentes 
  composing 
  this 
  division 
  

   were 
  all 
  connected 
  with 
  the 
  creation 
  and 
  the 
  maintenance 
  on 
  the 
  

   earth 
  of 
  all 
  living 
  forms. 
  To 
  the 
  I 
  n 
  shta'cu"da 
  gens 
  belonged 
  the 
  

   rites 
  which 
  enforced 
  the 
  belief 
  that 
  the 
  life 
  and 
  the 
  death 
  of 
  each 
  

   person 
  was 
  in 
  the 
  keeping 
  of 
  a 
  supernatural 
  power 
  — 
  a 
  power 
  that 
  

   could 
  punish 
  an 
  offender 
  and 
  that 
  alone 
  could 
  give 
  authority 
  to 
  the 
  

  

  