﻿Fletcher 
  la 
  pleSchb] 
  TBIBAL 
  GOVERNMENT 
  207 
  

  

  two 
  Sacred 
  Tribal 
  Pipes. 
  The 
  two 
  stood 
  for 
  the 
  fundamental 
  idea 
  

   in 
  the 
  dual 
  organization 
  of 
  the 
  Jiu'th/uga 
  (see 
  p. 
  137). 
  This 
  was 
  

   recognized 
  also 
  in 
  the 
  ceremonial 
  custody 
  and 
  preparation 
  of 
  the 
  

   Pipes. 
  The 
  keeping 
  of 
  them 
  belonged 
  to 
  the 
  I 
  n 
  ke'cabe 
  gens 
  of 
  the 
  

   southern 
  (earth) 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  hu'thuga; 
  the 
  office 
  of 
  ceremonially 
  filling 
  

   the 
  Pipes, 
  making 
  them 
  ready 
  for 
  use, 
  was 
  vested 
  in 
  the 
  I 
  n 
  shta'cu 
  n 
  da 
  

   gens 
  of 
  the 
  northern 
  (upper) 
  realm 
  of 
  the 
  liu'thuga, 
  representative 
  of 
  

   the 
  abode 
  of 
  the 
  supernatural 
  forces 
  to 
  which 
  man 
  must 
  appeal 
  for 
  help. 
  

   Through 
  the 
  ceremonies 
  and 
  use 
  of 
  the 
  two 
  Sacred 
  Pipes 
  the 
  halves 
  

   of 
  the 
  hu'thuga 
  were 
  welded, 
  as 
  it 
  were, 
  the 
  Pipes 
  thus 
  becoming 
  

   representative 
  of 
  the 
  tribe 
  as 
  a 
  whole. 
  The 
  prominence 
  given 
  to 
  the 
  

   Pipes, 
  as 
  the 
  credential 
  of 
  the 
  "old 
  men," 
  as 
  their 
  authority 
  in 
  the 
  

   creation 
  of 
  chief's 
  and 
  the 
  governing 
  council, 
  seems 
  to 
  indicate 
  that 
  

   the 
  institution 
  of 
  the 
  Nini'bato" 
  and 
  the 
  establishment 
  of 
  the 
  ouncil, 
  

   although 
  a 
  progressive 
  movement, 
  was 
  a 
  growth, 
  a 
  development 
  of 
  

   earlier 
  forms, 
  rather 
  than 
  an 
  invention 
  or 
  arbitrary 
  arrangement 
  of 
  

   the 
  "old 
  men." 
  The 
  retaining 
  of 
  the 
  two 
  Pipes 
  as 
  the 
  supreme 
  or 
  

   confirmatory 
  authority 
  within 
  the 
  council 
  rather 
  than 
  giving 
  that 
  

   power 
  to 
  a 
  head 
  chief 
  was 
  consonant 
  with 
  the 
  fundamental 
  idea 
  

   embodied 
  in 
  the 
  tribal 
  organization. 
  The 
  number 
  of 
  the 
  council 
  

   (seven) 
  probably 
  had 
  its 
  origin 
  in 
  the 
  significance 
  of 
  the 
  number 
  

   which 
  represented 
  the 
  whole 
  of 
  man's 
  environment 
  — 
  the 
  four 
  quarters 
  

   where 
  were 
  the 
  four 
  paths 
  down 
  which 
  the 
  Above 
  came 
  to 
  the 
  Below, 
  

   where 
  stood 
  man. 
  The 
  ancient 
  ideas 
  and 
  beliefs 
  of 
  the 
  people 
  con- 
  

   cerning 
  man's 
  relation 
  to 
  the 
  cosmos 
  were 
  thus 
  interwoven 
  with 
  then- 
  

   latest 
  social 
  achievement, 
  the 
  establishment 
  of 
  a 
  representative 
  

   governing 
  body. 
  

  

  Whether 
  the 
  ornamentation 
  of 
  the 
  two 
  Tribal 
  Pipes 
  was 
  authorized 
  

   at 
  this 
  time 
  is 
  not 
  known; 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  probable 
  that 
  in 
  this 
  as 
  in 
  every 
  

   other 
  arrangement 
  there 
  was 
  the 
  adaptation 
  or 
  modification 
  of 
  some 
  

   old 
  and 
  accepted 
  form 
  of 
  expression 
  to 
  meet 
  the 
  needs 
  of 
  newer 
  

   conditions. 
  It 
  is 
  said 
  that 
  the 
  seven 
  woodpecker 
  heads 
  on 
  one 
  of 
  

   the 
  Tribal 
  Pipes 
  stood 
  for 
  the 
  seven 
  chiefs 
  that 
  composed 
  the 
  govern- 
  

   ing 
  council, 
  while 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  but 
  one 
  woodpecker 
  head 
  on 
  the 
  other 
  

   pipe 
  represented 
  the 
  unity 
  of 
  authority 
  of 
  the 
  chiefs. 
  This 
  explana- 
  

   tion 
  explains 
  only 
  in 
  part. 
  The 
  reason 
  for 
  the 
  choice 
  of 
  the 
  wood- 
  

   pecker 
  as 
  a 
  symbol 
  lies 
  far 
  back 
  in 
  the 
  history 
  of 
  the 
  people, 
  and 
  it 
  

   may 
  be 
  that 
  it 
  did 
  not 
  originate 
  in 
  this 
  linguistic 
  group. 
  In 
  myths 
  

   found 
  throughout 
  a 
  wide 
  region 
  this 
  bird 
  was 
  connected 
  with 
  the 
  sun. 
  

   It 
  was 
  used 
  on 
  the 
  calumet 
  pipes, 
  which 
  had 
  a 
  wide 
  range, 
  covering 
  

   almost 
  the 
  whole 
  of 
  the 
  Mississippi 
  drainage. 
  It 
  is 
  not 
  improbable 
  

   that 
  the 
  woodpecker 
  symbol 
  was 
  accepted 
  at 
  the 
  time 
  the 
  calumet 
  

   ceremony 
  became 
  known 
  to 
  the 
  Omaha 
  and 
  adopted 
  as 
  a 
  symbol 
  

   of 
  peaceful 
  authority, 
  but 
  a 
  definite 
  statement 
  on 
  the 
  subject 
  at 
  

   present 
  is 
  impossible. 
  

  

  