﻿202 
  THE 
  OMAHA 
  TRIBE 
  [bth. 
  ans. 
  27 
  

  

  however, 
  with 
  any 
  of 
  such 
  rites, 
  nor 
  did 
  they 
  deprive 
  the 
  Xiih'bato 
  11 
  

   families 
  from 
  participating 
  in 
  them. 
  A 
  new 
  class 
  of 
  obligations 
  to 
  

   Wako 
  n 
  'da 
  and 
  to 
  all 
  persons 
  composing 
  the 
  tribe 
  were 
  laid 
  upon 
  the 
  

   Nini'bato 
  11 
  and 
  the 
  new 
  council. 
  

  

  CHIEFTAINSHIP 
  

  

  The 
  earliest 
  tradition 
  among 
  the 
  Omaha 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  establishment 
  of 
  

   chiefs 
  is 
  contained 
  in 
  the 
  story 
  already 
  recounted 
  concerning 
  the 
  

   formation 
  of 
  the 
  Nini'bato 
  11 
  and 
  governing 
  council, 
  which 
  was 
  to 
  be 
  

   composed 
  of 
  hereditary 
  chiefs. 
  How 
  long 
  the 
  hereditary 
  character 
  

   was 
  maintained 
  and 
  what 
  had 
  previously 
  constituted 
  leadersliip 
  in 
  

   the 
  tribe 
  are 
  not 
  known, 
  nor 
  is 
  there 
  any 
  knowledge 
  as 
  to 
  how 
  the 
  

   change 
  from 
  hereditary 
  to 
  competitive 
  membership 
  in 
  the 
  council 
  

   came 
  about. 
  It 
  may 
  be 
  that 
  the 
  change 
  was 
  the 
  result 
  of 
  increasing 
  

   recognition 
  of 
  the 
  importance 
  of 
  strengthening 
  the 
  power 
  of 
  the 
  

   governing 
  council 
  by 
  making 
  it 
  both 
  the 
  source 
  and 
  the 
  goal 
  of 
  

   tribal 
  honors, 
  thus 
  enhancing 
  its 
  authority 
  and 
  at 
  the 
  same 
  time 
  

   emphasizing 
  the 
  desirability 
  of 
  tribal 
  unity. 
  All 
  that 
  the 
  writers 
  

   have 
  been 
  able 
  to 
  ascertain 
  concerning 
  the 
  change 
  in 
  the 
  composi- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  the 
  council 
  from 
  hereditary 
  to 
  competitive 
  membership 
  has 
  

   been 
  that 
  it 
  took 
  place 
  several 
  generations 
  ago, 
  how 
  many 
  could 
  not 
  

   be 
  learned. 
  

  

  ( 
  Irdebs 
  of 
  Chiefs 
  

  

  The 
  period 
  of 
  the 
  establishment 
  of 
  these 
  orders 
  is 
  lost 
  in 
  the 
  past, 
  

   but 
  internal 
  evidence 
  seems 
  to 
  point 
  to 
  their 
  formation 
  after 
  the 
  coun- 
  

   cil 
  with 
  its 
  Nini'bato" 
  membership 
  had 
  been 
  fully 
  established 
  and 
  

   accepted 
  by 
  the 
  people. 
  

  

  There 
  were 
  two 
  orders 
  of 
  chiefs, 
  the 
  Xi'kagahi 
  xu'de 
  and 
  the 
  

   Xi'kagahi 
  sha'be. 
  The 
  name 
  of 
  the 
  first 
  (ni'kagahi, 
  "chief;" 
  xu'de, 
  

   "brown") 
  has 
  reference 
  to 
  a 
  uniform 
  color, 
  as 
  of 
  the 
  brown 
  earth, 
  

   where 
  all 
  are 
  practically 
  alike, 
  of 
  one 
  hue 
  or 
  rank. 
  The 
  Xi'kaga- 
  

   hi 
  xu'de 
  order 
  was 
  unlimited 
  as 
  to 
  membership, 
  but 
  admittance 
  into 
  

   it 
  depended 
  upon 
  the 
  consent 
  of 
  the 
  Xi'kagahi 
  sha'be 
  (ni'kagahi, 
  

   "chief," 
  sha'be, 
  "dark"). 
  The 
  word 
  sha'be 
  does 
  not 
  refer 
  to 
  color, 
  

   but 
  to 
  the 
  appearance 
  of 
  an 
  object 
  raised 
  above 
  the 
  uniform 
  level 
  

   and 
  seen 
  against 
  the 
  horizon 
  as 
  a 
  dark 
  object. 
  Men 
  who 
  had 
  risen 
  

   from 
  the 
  Xi'kagahi 
  xu'de 
  into 
  the 
  limited 
  order 
  of 
  the 
  Ni'kagahi 
  

   sha'be 
  were 
  regarded 
  as 
  elevated 
  before 
  the 
  people. 
  

  

  \vathi 
  n 
  "ethe 
  

  

  Entrance 
  into 
  this 
  order 
  was 
  possible 
  only 
  when 
  a 
  vacancy 
  

   occurred, 
  and 
  then 
  only 
  to 
  a 
  member 
  of 
  the 
  order 
  of 
  Xi'kagahi 
  xu'de 
  

   after 
  the 
  performance 
  of 
  certain 
  acts 
  known 
  as 
  waihi 
  n 
  'e(he 
  (iromwa, 
  

   "thing 
  having 
  power;" 
  flii", 
  from 
  thi 
  n 
  'ge, 
  "nothing:" 
  tin. 
  "to 
  make" 
  

   or 
  " 
  to 
  cause." 
  the 
  word 
  meaning 
  something 
  done 
  or 
  given 
  lor 
  wliich 
  

  

  