﻿FLETCHieii-LA 
  fi.ksche] 
  TBIBAL 
  GOVEENMENT 
  201 
  

  

  to 
  stay 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  disintegrating 
  tendencies 
  it 
  did 
  not 
  have 
  the 
  

   positive 
  unifying 
  force 
  that 
  was 
  desired. 
  If 
  other 
  tie 
  vices 
  were 
  tried 
  

   to 
  bring 
  about 
  this 
  result 
  nothing 
  is 
  known 
  of 
  them. 
  

  

  The 
  Sacred 
  Legend 
  and 
  other 
  accounts 
  tell 
  the 
  story 
  of 
  the 
  way 
  in 
  

   which 
  a 
  central 
  governing 
  body 
  was 
  finally 
  formed 
  and 
  all 
  agree 
  that 
  it 
  

   was 
  devised 
  for 
  the 
  purpose 
  of 
  ''holding 
  the 
  people 
  together." 
  One 
  

   version 
  speaks 
  of 
  seven 
  old 
  men 
  who, 
  while 
  visitors 
  to 
  the 
  tribe, 
  inaugu- 
  

   rated 
  the 
  governing 
  council. 
  The 
  Sacred 
  Legend 
  declares 
  that 
  the 
  

   council 
  was 
  the 
  outcome 
  of 
  "thought" 
  and 
  "consultation 
  among 
  the 
  

   wise 
  old 
  men," 
  their 
  purpose 
  taking 
  form 
  in 
  the 
  plan 
  to 
  establish 
  a 
  

   Nini'bato 
  11 
  ° 
  subdivision 
  in 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  gentes, 
  each 
  subdivision 
  to 
  

   furnish 
  one 
  member 
  to 
  the 
  council, 
  which 
  was 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  governing 
  

   authority, 
  exercising 
  control 
  over 
  the 
  people, 
  maintaining 
  peace 
  in 
  

   the 
  tribe, 
  but 
  having 
  no 
  relation 
  to 
  offensive 
  warfare. 
  According 
  

   to 
  the 
  Legend 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  formation 
  of 
  the 
  Nini'bato 
  11 
  , 
  "two 
  old 
  

   men," 
  one 
  from 
  the 
  IIo 
  n 
  'ga 
  gens 
  and 
  the 
  otherfrom 
  the 
  Pke'cabe 
  gens, 
  

   were 
  commissioned 
  to 
  carry 
  out 
  the 
  plan 
  of 
  the 
  "wise 
  old 
  men." 
  The 
  

   term 
  "old" 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  respect 
  and 
  indicates 
  that 
  these 
  men 
  had 
  gained 
  

   wisdom 
  from 
  experience, 
  and 
  that 
  their 
  plan 
  was 
  the 
  result 
  of 
  knowl- 
  

   edge 
  and 
  thought 
  concerning 
  actual 
  conditions 
  in 
  the 
  past 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  

   present, 
  rather 
  than 
  one 
  based 
  on 
  speculative 
  notions. 
  The 
  "two 
  

   old 
  men" 
  were 
  entrusted 
  with 
  the 
  two 
  Sacred 
  Tribal 
  Pipes; 
  as 
  they 
  

   passed 
  around 
  the 
  hu'thuga 
  they 
  would 
  stop 
  at 
  a 
  certain 
  gens, 
  desig- 
  

   nating 
  a 
  family 
  which 
  was 
  to 
  become 
  a 
  Nini'bato 
  11 
  and 
  making 
  this 
  

   choice 
  official 
  by 
  the 
  presentation 
  of 
  a 
  pipe. 
  For 
  some 
  unknown 
  

   reason 
  in 
  tins 
  circuit 
  of 
  the 
  tribe 
  the 
  "old 
  men" 
  passed 
  by 
  the 
  I 
  n 
  gthe'- 
  

   zhide 
  gens 
  and 
  did 
  not 
  give 
  them 
  a 
  pipe. 
  Nor 
  was 
  a 
  pipe 
  given 
  to 
  the 
  

   We'zhi 
  n 
  shte 
  gens 
  or 
  to 
  the 
  IIo 
  n 
  'ga 
  gens. 
  It 
  was 
  explained 
  concerning 
  

   these 
  latter 
  omissions 
  that 
  the 
  We'zhi 
  n 
  shte 
  had 
  already 
  been 
  given 
  

   the 
  control 
  of 
  the 
  war 
  rites 
  of 
  the 
  tribe, 
  while 
  the 
  duties 
  of 
  the 
  council 
  

   formed 
  from 
  the 
  Nini'bato" 
  subdivisions 
  were 
  to 
  be 
  solely 
  in 
  the 
  

   interests 
  of 
  peace, 
  and 
  to 
  the 
  Ho 
  n 
  'ga 
  gens 
  was 
  to 
  belong 
  the 
  duty 
  of 
  

   calling 
  together 
  this 
  governing 
  council. 
  

  

  The 
  two 
  Sacred 
  Pipes 
  carried 
  by 
  the 
  "two 
  old 
  men" 
  were 
  their 
  

   credentials. 
  The 
  authority 
  of 
  these 
  two 
  pipes 
  must 
  have 
  been 
  of 
  

   long 
  standing 
  and 
  undisputed 
  by 
  the 
  people 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  have 
  made 
  

   it 
  possible 
  for 
  their 
  bearers 
  to 
  inaugurate 
  such 
  an 
  innovation 
  as 
  setting 
  

   apart 
  a 
  certain 
  family 
  within 
  a 
  gens 
  and 
  giving 
  to 
  it 
  a 
  new 
  class 
  of 
  

   duties 
  — 
  duties 
  that 
  were 
  to 
  be 
  civil 
  and 
  not 
  connected 
  with 
  the 
  

   established 
  rights 
  of 
  the 
  gentes. 
  These 
  new 
  duties 
  did 
  not 
  conflict, 
  

  

  n 
  The 
  word 
  nini'baton 
  means 
  "to 
  possess 
  a 
  pipe." 
  The 
  origin 
  of 
  the 
  significant 
  use 
  of 
  the 
  pipe 
  lies 
  

   ui 
  a 
  remote 
  past. 
  Among 
  the 
  Omaha 
  and 
  cognate 
  tribes 
  the 
  pipe 
  was 
  regarded 
  as 
  a 
  medium 
  by 
  

   which 
  the 
  breath 
  of 
  man 
  ascended 
  to 
  Wako 
  n 
  'da 
  through 
  the 
  fragrant 
  smoke 
  and 
  conveyed 
  the 
  prayer 
  or 
  

   aspiration 
  of 
  the 
  person 
  smoking; 
  the 
  act 
  also 
  partook 
  of 
  the 
  nature 
  of 
  an 
  oath, 
  an 
  affirmation 
  to 
  attest 
  

   sincerity 
  and 
  responsibility. 
  The 
  pipe 
  was 
  a 
  credential 
  known 
  and 
  respected 
  by 
  all. 
  

  

  