﻿FLETOHER-I.A 
  FMSSCHE] 
  TRIBAL 
  GOVERNMENT 
  205 
  

  

  value 
  of 
  these 
  articles, 
  rated 
  by 
  ordinary 
  trading 
  terms, 
  was 
  not 
  

   less 
  than 
  $100 
  to 
  $130. 
  The 
  performance 
  of 
  the 
  first 
  grade 
  four 
  

   times 
  would 
  constitute 
  the 
  highest 
  act 
  possible 
  for 
  a 
  man. 
  No 
  Omaha 
  

   has 
  ever 
  accomplished 
  this 
  act 
  so 
  many 
  times. 
  

  

  Second. 
  Bo 
  n 
  'wakithe 
  ("I 
  caused 
  the 
  herald 
  to 
  call")- 
  The 
  

   aspirant 
  requested 
  the 
  tribal 
  herald 
  to 
  summon 
  the 
  Ni'kagahi 
  sha'be 
  

   together 
  with 
  the 
  keeper 
  of 
  the 
  ritual 
  used 
  in 
  filling 
  the 
  Sacred 
  Pipes, 
  

   from 
  the 
  I 
  n 
  shta'cii 
  n 
  da 
  gens, 
  to 
  a 
  feast. 
  Besides 
  providing 
  for 
  the 
  

   feast, 
  gifts 
  of 
  leggings, 
  robes, 
  bows 
  and 
  arrows, 
  and 
  tobacco 
  were 
  

   required 
  as 
  gifts 
  for 
  the 
  guests. 
  If 
  it 
  chanced 
  that 
  the 
  aspirant 
  for 
  

   honors 
  was 
  not 
  on 
  friendly 
  terms 
  with 
  the 
  keeper 
  of 
  the 
  ritual, 
  or 
  if 
  

   from 
  any 
  other 
  motive 
  the 
  keeper 
  desired 
  to 
  check 
  the 
  man's 
  ambi- 
  

   tion, 
  it 
  lay 
  in 
  his 
  power 
  to 
  thwart 
  it 
  by 
  allowing 
  the 
  pipes 
  to 
  remain 
  

   unfilled, 
  in 
  which 
  case 
  the 
  gifts 
  and 
  feast 
  went 
  for 
  nothing. 
  

  

  Third. 
  U'gashkegtho 
  11 
  ("to 
  tether 
  a 
  horse"). 
  A 
  man 
  would 
  make 
  

   a 
  feast 
  for 
  the 
  Ni'kagahi 
  sha'be 
  and 
  tie 
  at 
  the 
  door 
  of 
  his 
  tent 
  a 
  

   horse 
  with 
  a 
  new 
  robe 
  thrown 
  over 
  it. 
  The 
  horse 
  and 
  the 
  robe 
  were 
  

   gifts 
  to 
  his 
  guests. 
  A 
  man 
  once 
  gained 
  renown 
  by 
  "counting" 
  seven 
  

   acts 
  of 
  this 
  grade, 
  performing 
  four 
  in 
  one 
  day. 
  

  

  Fourth. 
  Gaci'ge 
  no 
  n 
  shto 
  n 
  wakithe 
  (gafi'ge, 
  "marching 
  abreast;" 
  

   7io 
  n 
  shto 
  n 
  , 
  "to 
  halt;" 
  wakithe, 
  "to 
  make 
  or 
  cause"), 
  "causing 
  the 
  

   people 
  to 
  halt." 
  This 
  act 
  was 
  possible 
  only 
  during 
  the 
  annual 
  hunt. 
  

   As 
  the 
  people 
  were 
  moving, 
  the 
  Sacred 
  Pole 
  and 
  the 
  governing 
  

   chiefs 
  in 
  advance, 
  a 
  man 
  would 
  bring 
  a 
  horse 
  or 
  a 
  new 
  robe 
  and 
  

   present 
  it 
  to 
  the 
  Pole. 
  The 
  gift 
  was 
  appropriated 
  by 
  the 
  Waxthe'- 
  

   xeto 
  n 
  subgens 
  of 
  the 
  Ho 
  n 
  'ga, 
  who 
  had 
  charge 
  of 
  the 
  Pole. 
  During 
  

   this 
  act 
  the 
  entire 
  tribe 
  halted, 
  while 
  the 
  herald 
  proclaimed 
  the 
  name 
  

   of 
  the 
  giver. 
  This 
  act 
  should 
  be 
  repeated 
  four 
  times 
  in 
  one 
  day. 
  

  

  Fifth. 
  Te 
  thishke' 
  wakithe 
  (te, 
  "buffalo;" 
  thishJce', 
  "to 
  untie:" 
  

   wakithe, 
  "to 
  make 
  or 
  cause"), 
  "causing 
  the 
  Sacred 
  White 
  Buffalo 
  

   Hide 
  to 
  be 
  opened 
  and 
  shown." 
  During 
  this 
  ceremony 
  of 
  exhibiting 
  

   the 
  White 
  Buffalo 
  Hide 
  a 
  shell 
  disk 
  or 
  some 
  other 
  article 
  of 
  value 
  

   was 
  presented 
  to 
  the 
  Hide, 
  the 
  gifts 
  becoming 
  the 
  property 
  of 
  the 
  

   Waxthe'beto" 
  subgens 
  of 
  the 
  Ho"'ga, 
  who 
  had 
  charge 
  of 
  this 
  sacred 
  

   object. 
  This 
  act 
  had 
  to 
  be 
  repeated 
  four 
  times 
  in 
  one 
  day. 
  

  

  Sixth. 
  Wa't'edo 
  n 
  be 
  (wa, 
  "things 
  having 
  power 
  and 
  purpose;" 
  t'e, 
  

   "dead;" 
  do"be, 
  "to 
  see"). 
  This 
  act 
  consisted 
  in 
  taking 
  gifts 
  to 
  the 
  

   family 
  of 
  a 
  chief 
  when 
  a 
  death 
  occurred. 
  The 
  costliest 
  donation 
  

   remembered 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  made 
  under 
  this 
  class 
  was 
  on 
  the 
  occasion 
  

   of 
  the 
  death 
  of 
  the 
  son 
  of 
  old 
  Big 
  Elk, 
  who 
  died 
  of 
  smallpox 
  in 
  the 
  

   early 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  nineteenth 
  century, 
  when 
  a 
  fine 
  horse 
  on 
  which 
  was 
  

   spread 
  a 
  bearskin 
  was 
  offered 
  in 
  honor 
  of 
  the 
  dead. 
  

  

  Seventh. 
  When 
  a 
  person 
  had 
  been 
  killed 
  accidentally 
  or 
  in 
  anger 
  

   the 
  chiefs 
  took 
  the 
  Sacred 
  Tribal 
  Pipes 
  to 
  the 
  kindled 
  of 
  the 
  man, 
  

   accompanied 
  by 
  gifts, 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  prevent 
  any 
  revengeful 
  act. 
  All 
  

  

  