﻿FLETCHER-LA 
  FLESCHE] 
  TRIBAL 
  GOVERNMENT 
  211 
  

  

  Should 
  a 
  sudden 
  attack 
  be 
  made 
  on 
  the 
  tribe 
  the 
  Seven 
  Chiefs 
  

   would 
  then 
  join 
  in 
  the 
  defense 
  and 
  if 
  need 
  be 
  lead 
  the 
  people 
  against 
  

   the 
  enemy. 
  The 
  council 
  cooperated 
  with 
  the 
  keeper 
  of 
  the 
  Tent 
  of 
  

   War 
  in 
  sending 
  out 
  scouts 
  during 
  the 
  annual 
  tribal 
  hunt 
  (see 
  p. 
  279). 
  

   The 
  punishment 
  of 
  men 
  who 
  slipped 
  away 
  on 
  unauthorized 
  warfare, 
  

   devolved 
  on 
  these 
  chiefs 
  (see 
  p. 
  404). 
  On 
  one 
  notable 
  occasion 
  the 
  

   Council 
  of 
  Seven 
  temporarily 
  resigned, 
  and 
  placed 
  the 
  entire 
  tribe 
  

   under 
  the 
  control 
  of 
  one 
  man, 
  Wa'backa, 
  who 
  led 
  the 
  people 
  

   against 
  the 
  Pawnee. 
  This 
  exception 
  to 
  all 
  tribal 
  rule 
  has 
  been 
  pre- 
  

   served 
  in 
  both 
  story 
  and 
  song 
  (see 
  p. 
  406). 
  When 
  a 
  man 
  desired 
  to 
  

   perform 
  the 
  Wa'wa" 
  ceremony 
  (see 
  p. 
  376) 
  and 
  carry 
  the 
  pipes 
  to 
  

   another 
  tribe 
  or 
  to 
  a 
  man 
  within 
  the 
  tribe, 
  permission 
  from 
  the 
  chiefs 
  

   had 
  first 
  to 
  be 
  obtained. 
  The 
  consent 
  of 
  the 
  Seven 
  Chiefs 
  was 
  also 
  

   necessary 
  to 
  the 
  admission 
  of 
  a 
  candidate 
  to 
  the 
  Ho'"hewachi. 
  

  

  There 
  were 
  no 
  other 
  governing 
  chiefs 
  in 
  the 
  tribe 
  besides 
  those 
  of 
  

   the 
  council. 
  No 
  gens 
  had 
  a 
  chief 
  possessing 
  authority 
  over 
  it, 
  nor 
  was 
  

   there 
  any 
  council 
  of 
  a 
  gens, 
  nor 
  could 
  a 
  gens 
  act 
  by 
  itself. 
  There 
  was 
  

   one 
  possible 
  exception; 
  sometimes 
  a 
  gens 
  went 
  on 
  a 
  hunt 
  under 
  the 
  

   leadership 
  of 
  its 
  chiefs, 
  for 
  there 
  were 
  chiefs 
  in 
  every 
  gens, 
  men 
  who 
  

   belonged 
  to 
  the 
  order 
  of 
  Xi'kagahi 
  xu'de 
  or 
  who 
  had 
  entered 
  the 
  

   ranks 
  of 
  the 
  Ni'kagahi 
  sha'be; 
  but 
  none 
  of 
  these 
  men 
  could 
  individ- 
  

   ually 
  exercise 
  governing 
  power 
  within 
  a 
  gens 
  or 
  in 
  the 
  tribe. 
  The 
  gens, 
  

   as 
  has 
  been 
  shown, 
  was 
  not 
  a 
  political 
  organization, 
  but 
  a 
  group 
  of 
  

   kindred, 
  united 
  through 
  a 
  common 
  rite. 
  The 
  leading 
  men 
  of 
  a 
  gens 
  

   were 
  those 
  who 
  had 
  charge 
  of 
  its 
  rites; 
  those 
  who 
  could 
  count 
  many 
  

   wathi 
  n 
  ' 
  ethe 
  , 
  and 
  those 
  who 
  had 
  been 
  designated 
  to 
  act 
  as 
  "soldiers." 
  

   Such 
  men 
  were 
  invited 
  on 
  various 
  occasions 
  to 
  sit 
  with 
  the 
  Council 
  of 
  

   Seven, 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  communal 
  tent 
  when 
  the 
  ceremony 
  of 
  anointing 
  the 
  

   Sacred 
  Pole 
  took 
  place. 
  There 
  was 
  no 
  tribal 
  assembly 
  or 
  tribal 
  

   council. 
  All 
  power 
  for 
  both 
  decision 
  and 
  action 
  was 
  lodged 
  in 
  the 
  

   Council 
  of 
  Seven. 
  

  

  The 
  old 
  Omaha 
  men, 
  who 
  are 
  the 
  authority 
  for 
  the 
  interpreta- 
  

   tions 
  of 
  tribal 
  rites 
  and 
  customs 
  contained 
  in 
  this 
  memoir, 
  have 
  

   earnestly 
  sought 
  to 
  impress 
  upon 
  the 
  writers 
  that 
  peace 
  and 
  order 
  

   within 
  the 
  tribe 
  were 
  of 
  prime 
  importance; 
  without 
  these 
  it 
  was 
  

   declared 
  neither 
  the 
  people 
  nor 
  the 
  tribe 
  as 
  an 
  organization 
  could 
  

   exist. 
  War 
  was 
  secondary; 
  its 
  true 
  function 
  was 
  protective 
  — 
  to 
  

   guard 
  the 
  people 
  from 
  outside 
  enemies. 
  Aggressive 
  warfare 
  was 
  to 
  

   be 
  discouraged; 
  any 
  gains 
  made 
  by 
  it 
  were 
  more 
  than 
  offset 
  by 
  the 
  

   troubles 
  entailed, 
  ft 
  was 
  recognized 
  that 
  it 
  was 
  difficult 
  to 
  restrain 
  

   young 
  men; 
  therefore 
  restrictions 
  were 
  thrown 
  about 
  predatory 
  

   warfare 
  (see 
  p. 
  404), 
  that 
  all 
  who 
  went 
  on 
  the 
  warpath 
  should 
  first 
  

   secure 
  permission, 
  while 
  the 
  special 
  honors 
  accorded 
  to 
  those 
  

   whose 
  brave 
  acts 
  were 
  performed 
  in 
  defense 
  of 
  the 
  tribe 
  tended 
  to 
  

   make 
  war 
  secondary 
  to 
  peace. 
  

  

  