﻿200 
  THE 
  OMAHA 
  TRIBE 
  [eth. 
  ann. 
  27 
  

  

  formed 
  when 
  it 
  entered 
  on 
  its 
  tribal 
  life 
  (see 
  p. 
  117): 
  in 
  the 
  names 
  

   bestowed 
  on 
  females, 
  which 
  generally 
  refer 
  to 
  natural 
  phenomena 
  or 
  

   objects 
  rather 
  than 
  to 
  religious 
  observances; 
  in 
  the 
  ceremonies 
  con- 
  

   nected 
  with 
  Thunder 
  as 
  the 
  god 
  of 
  war 
  and 
  arbiter 
  of 
  the 
  life 
  and 
  

   death 
  of 
  man. 
  There 
  are 
  indications 
  that 
  other 
  rites 
  relating 
  to 
  

   cosmic 
  forces 
  have 
  been 
  lost 
  in 
  the 
  passage 
  of 
  years. 
  Among 
  the 
  

   Omaha 
  certain 
  articles 
  still 
  survive 
  rites 
  long 
  since 
  disused, 
  as 
  the 
  

   Cedar 
  Pole 
  and 
  the 
  Sacred 
  Shell, 
  both 
  of 
  which 
  were 
  preserved 
  until 
  

   recently 
  in 
  the 
  Sacred 
  Tent 
  of 
  War 
  in 
  charge 
  of 
  the 
  We'zhi 
  n 
  shte 
  gens. 
  

   It 
  is 
  probable 
  that 
  the 
  rites 
  connected 
  with 
  the 
  Sacred 
  Shell 
  were 
  the 
  

   older 
  and 
  that 
  they 
  once 
  held 
  an 
  important 
  place 
  and 
  exercised 
  a 
  

   widespread 
  influence 
  in 
  the 
  tribe, 
  as 
  indicated 
  by 
  the 
  reverence 
  and 
  

   fear 
  with 
  which 
  this 
  object 
  was 
  regarded 
  by 
  the 
  people 
  of 
  every 
  

   Omaha 
  gens. 
  Other 
  Omaha 
  rites, 
  as 
  has 
  been 
  shown, 
  have 
  ceased 
  

   to 
  be 
  observed 
  — 
  those 
  connected 
  with 
  the 
  thunder 
  (p. 
  142), 
  the 
  stars 
  

   (p. 
  177), 
  and 
  the 
  winds 
  (p. 
  169). 
  The 
  disappearance 
  of 
  former 
  rites 
  

   may 
  indicate 
  physiographic 
  changes 
  experienced 
  by 
  the 
  people, 
  which 
  

   affected 
  their 
  food 
  supply, 
  avocations, 
  and 
  other 
  phases 
  of 
  life, 
  

   thereby 
  causing 
  certain 
  rites 
  to 
  be 
  superseded 
  by 
  others 
  more 
  in 
  

   harmony 
  with 
  a 
  changed 
  environment. 
  Thus 
  life 
  in 
  the 
  buffalo 
  

   country 
  naturally 
  resulted 
  in 
  rites 
  which 
  pertained 
  to 
  hunting 
  the 
  

   buffalo 
  finally 
  taking 
  precedence 
  over 
  those 
  which 
  pertained 
  to 
  the 
  

   cultivation 
  of 
  the 
  maize 
  (see 
  pp. 
  147, 
  155). 
  

  

  There 
  are 
  indications 
  that 
  under 
  these 
  and 
  other 
  disturbing 
  and 
  

   disintegrating 
  influences 
  certain 
  ceremonies 
  were 
  instituted 
  to 
  coun- 
  

   teract 
  these 
  tendencies 
  by 
  fostering 
  tribal 
  consciousness 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  

   help 
  to 
  bind 
  the 
  people 
  together. 
  The 
  Hede'wachi 
  ceremony 
  is 
  of 
  

   this 
  character 
  and 
  seems 
  to 
  date 
  far 
  back 
  in 
  the 
  history 
  of 
  the 
  Omaha 
  

   tribe. 
  It 
  is 
  impossible 
  to 
  trace 
  as 
  in 
  a 
  sequence 
  the 
  growth 
  of 
  the 
  

   idea 
  of 
  the 
  desirability 
  of 
  political 
  unity, 
  for 
  there 
  were 
  many 
  influ- 
  

   ences, 
  religious 
  and 
  secular, 
  at 
  work 
  to 
  bring 
  about 
  modifications 
  of 
  

   customs 
  and 
  actual 
  changes 
  in 
  government. 
  The 
  efforts 
  to 
  regulate 
  

   warfare 
  and 
  to 
  place 
  it 
  under 
  greater 
  control 
  and 
  at 
  the 
  same 
  time 
  

   to 
  enhance 
  the 
  honor 
  with 
  which 
  the 
  warrior 
  was 
  to 
  be 
  regarded 
  seem 
  

   to 
  have 
  been 
  among 
  the 
  first 
  steps 
  taken 
  toward 
  developing 
  a 
  defi- 
  

   nite 
  governing 
  power 
  within 
  the 
  tribe. 
  The 
  act 
  of 
  placing 
  the 
  rites 
  

   pertaining 
  to 
  war 
  in 
  charge 
  of 
  one 
  gens 
  was 
  probably 
  the 
  result 
  of 
  

   combined 
  influences. 
  When 
  this 
  modification 
  of 
  earlier 
  forms 
  was 
  

   accomplished 
  a 
  new 
  name 
  seems 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  given 
  to 
  the 
  gens 
  

   holding 
  this 
  office, 
  and 
  thus 
  the 
  present 
  term 
  We'zhi 
  n 
  shte 
  (see 
  p. 
  142) 
  

   came 
  into 
  use. 
  The 
  former 
  name 
  of 
  this 
  kinship 
  group 
  is 
  not 
  known, 
  

   but 
  judging 
  from 
  analog} 
  7 
  it 
  probably 
  had 
  reference 
  to 
  one 
  or 
  the 
  

   other 
  of 
  the 
  lost 
  ceremonies 
  connected 
  with 
  the 
  sacred 
  articles 
  left 
  

   in 
  its 
  care. 
  While 
  the 
  segregation 
  of 
  the 
  war 
  power 
  may 
  have 
  tended 
  

  

  