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  THE 
  OMAHA 
  TRIBE 
  [ETH. 
  ANN. 
  27 
  

  

  those 
  who 
  contributed 
  toward 
  these 
  gifts 
  could 
  "count" 
  them 
  as 
  

   belonging 
  to 
  the 
  seventh 
  grade. 
  If 
  the 
  aggrieved 
  party 
  smoked 
  

   the 
  pipe 
  and 
  accepted 
  the 
  gifts, 
  bloodshed 
  was 
  averted 
  and 
  peace 
  

   maintained 
  in 
  the 
  tribe. 
  

  

  All 
  of 
  the 
  gifts 
  constituting 
  these 
  seven 
  grades 
  were 
  made 
  to 
  the 
  

   chiefs 
  of 
  the 
  governing 
  council 
  in 
  recognition 
  of 
  their 
  authority. 
  

   They 
  were 
  for 
  a 
  definite 
  purpose 
  — 
  to 
  enable 
  the 
  giver 
  to 
  secure 
  

   entrance 
  into 
  the 
  order 
  of 
  Xi'kagahi 
  sha'be 
  whenever 
  a 
  vacancy 
  

   should 
  occur 
  in 
  that 
  body. 
  

  

  It 
  will 
  be 
  noticed 
  that 
  the 
  act 
  constituting 
  the 
  first 
  grade 
  differed 
  

   from 
  the 
  other 
  six 
  in 
  t 
  hat 
  it 
  was 
  not 
  a 
  direct 
  gift 
  made 
  to 
  the 
  chiefs, 
  

   but 
  was 
  connected 
  with 
  the 
  ceremonial 
  staff 
  of 
  the 
  leader 
  of 
  the 
  

   annual 
  buffalo 
  hunt. 
  It 
  was, 
  however, 
  a 
  recognition 
  of 
  authority, 
  an 
  

   authority 
  which 
  held 
  the 
  people 
  in 
  order 
  and 
  made 
  it 
  possible 
  for 
  

   each 
  family 
  to 
  secure 
  its 
  supply 
  of 
  food 
  and 
  clothing. 
  It 
  was 
  there- 
  

   fore, 
  in 
  its 
  intrinsic 
  character, 
  in 
  harmony 
  with 
  the 
  purpose 
  of 
  the 
  

   other 
  six 
  graded 
  wathi 
  nf 
  efhe. 
  

  

  Waba'ho' 
  1 
  , 
  designated 
  an 
  act 
  not 
  belonging 
  to 
  the 
  regular 
  wathi"'- 
  

   ethe, 
  but 
  esteemed 
  as 
  a 
  generous 
  deed 
  that 
  redounded 
  to 
  the 
  credit 
  

   of 
  the 
  doer. 
  The 
  term 
  means 
  "to 
  raise 
  or 
  push 
  up," 
  and 
  refers 
  to 
  

   placing 
  a 
  deer, 
  buffalo, 
  or 
  elk 
  on 
  its 
  breast 
  and 
  putting 
  bits 
  of 
  tobacco 
  

   along 
  its 
  back, 
  all 
  of 
  which 
  signified 
  that 
  the 
  hunter 
  had 
  dedicated 
  

   the 
  animal 
  as 
  a 
  gift 
  to 
  the 
  chiefs. 
  A 
  chief 
  could 
  not 
  receive 
  such 
  a 
  

   gift, 
  however, 
  unless 
  he 
  had 
  performed 
  the 
  act 
  of 
  waba'Jio 
  n 
  four 
  

   times. 
  If 
  he 
  had 
  not 
  performed 
  the 
  acts 
  and 
  desired 
  to 
  receive 
  the 
  

   gift 
  he 
  could 
  call 
  on 
  his 
  near 
  of 
  kin 
  to 
  help 
  him 
  to 
  "count." 
  If 
  he 
  

   was 
  thus 
  able 
  to 
  receive 
  the 
  gift, 
  it 
  became 
  his 
  duty 
  to 
  divide 
  the 
  

   game 
  with 
  those 
  who 
  had 
  helped 
  him 
  by 
  lending 
  their 
  "count." 
  If 
  

   he 
  was 
  able 
  to 
  "count" 
  four 
  waba'ho 
  n 
  himself, 
  he 
  could 
  then 
  keep 
  

   the 
  entire 
  animal 
  for 
  his 
  own 
  use. 
  

  

  In 
  admitting 
  a 
  man 
  to 
  cither 
  order 
  of 
  chiefs 
  his 
  personal 
  character 
  

   was 
  always 
  taken 
  into 
  consideration. 
  If 
  he 
  was 
  of 
  a 
  disputatious 
  or 
  

   quarrelsome 
  nature 
  no 
  amount 
  of 
  gifts 
  would 
  secure 
  his 
  election 
  to 
  

   the 
  order 
  of 
  Xi'kagahi 
  xu'de 
  or 
  make 
  possible 
  a 
  place 
  for 
  him 
  in 
  the 
  

   Xi'kagahi 
  sha'be. 
  The 
  maxim 
  was: 
  "A 
  chief 
  must 
  be 
  a 
  man 
  who 
  can 
  

   govern 
  himself." 
  

  

  The 
  i 
  ouncil 
  of 
  Seven 
  Chiefs 
  

  

  The 
  origin 
  of 
  this 
  governing 
  council 
  as 
  given 
  in 
  the 
  Sacred 
  Legend 
  

   and 
  elsewhere 
  has 
  been 
  recounted 
  and 
  the 
  change 
  from 
  the 
  early 
  

   form 
  of 
  hereditary 
  membership 
  mentioned. 
  The 
  institution 
  of 
  a 
  

   small 
  body 
  representing 
  the 
  entire 
  tribe, 
  to 
  have 
  full 
  control 
  of 
  the 
  

   people, 
  to 
  settle 
  all 
  contentions, 
  and 
  to 
  subordinate 
  all 
  factions 
  to 
  a 
  

   central 
  authority, 
  was 
  an 
  important 
  governmental 
  movement. 
  The 
  

   credential 
  of 
  this 
  authority 
  both 
  for 
  the 
  act 
  of 
  its 
  creation 
  and 
  for 
  the 
  

   exercise 
  of 
  its 
  functions 
  was 
  the 
  presence 
  and 
  ceremonial 
  use 
  of 
  the 
  

  

  