﻿212 
  THE 
  OMAHA 
  TRIBE 
  [eth. 
  ann. 
  27 
  

  

  "Plentiful 
  food 
  and 
  peace," 
  it 
  was 
  said, 
  "are 
  necessary 
  to 
  the 
  

   prosperity 
  of 
  the 
  tribe." 
  

  

  In 
  later 
  years, 
  under 
  the 
  influence 
  of 
  traders 
  and 
  of 
  United 
  States 
  

   Government 
  officials, 
  the 
  old 
  order 
  of 
  chieftainship 
  lost 
  much 
  of 
  its 
  

   power. 
  Men 
  who 
  were 
  pliant 
  were 
  enriched 
  by 
  traders 
  and 
  became 
  

   unduly 
  important, 
  and 
  the 
  same 
  was 
  frequently 
  true 
  of 
  the 
  men 
  who 
  

   were 
  made 
  "chiefs" 
  by 
  United 
  States 
  Government 
  officials. 
  Some 
  of 
  

   these 
  have 
  been 
  men 
  who 
  had 
  no 
  rightful 
  claim 
  according 
  to 
  tribal 
  

   usage 
  to 
  that 
  office. 
  Chiefs 
  made 
  by 
  the 
  Government 
  were 
  called 
  

   "paper 
  chiefs. 
  " 
  These 
  men 
  sometimes 
  exercised 
  considerable 
  influ- 
  

   ence, 
  as 
  they 
  were 
  supposed 
  by 
  the 
  people 
  to 
  be 
  supported 
  by 
  the 
  

   Government, 
  but 
  their 
  influence 
  was 
  that 
  born 
  of 
  expediency 
  rather 
  

   than 
  that 
  growing 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  ancient 
  belief 
  that 
  the 
  chief 
  was 
  one 
  who 
  

   was 
  favored 
  by 
  Wako 
  n 
  'da 
  and 
  who 
  represented 
  before 
  the 
  people 
  

   certain 
  aspects 
  of 
  that 
  mysterious 
  power. 
  

  

  Emoluments 
  of 
  Chiefs 
  and 
  Keepers 
  

  

  Entrance 
  into 
  the 
  order 
  of 
  chieftainship 
  was 
  secured 
  through 
  cer- 
  

   tain 
  prescribed 
  acts 
  and 
  gifts 
  called 
  wathi 
  n 
  'ethe 
  (seep. 
  202). 
  All 
  of 
  

   the 
  gifts, 
  except 
  those 
  belonging 
  to 
  the 
  first 
  and 
  second 
  grades 
  (see 
  

   p. 
  204), 
  were 
  made 
  to 
  the 
  Seven 
  Chiefs. 
  The 
  two 
  exceptions 
  were 
  

   contributions 
  to 
  ceremonies 
  connected 
  with 
  the 
  maintenance 
  of 
  order 
  

   and 
  the 
  consequent 
  welfare 
  of 
  the 
  tribe. 
  While 
  all 
  the 
  wathi 
  n 
  'ethe 
  

   were 
  in 
  ' 
  a 
  sense 
  voluntary, 
  they 
  were 
  obligatory 
  on 
  the 
  man 
  who 
  

   desired 
  to 
  rise 
  to 
  a 
  position 
  of 
  prominence 
  in 
  the 
  tribe. 
  It 
  was 
  

   explained 
  that 
  " 
  the 
  gifts 
  made 
  to 
  the 
  chiefs 
  were 
  not 
  only 
  in 
  recogni- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  their 
  high 
  office 
  and 
  authority 
  as 
  the 
  governing 
  power 
  of 
  the 
  

   tribe 
  but 
  to 
  supply 
  them 
  with 
  the 
  means 
  to 
  meet 
  the 
  demands 
  made 
  

   upon 
  them 
  because 
  of 
  their 
  official 
  position." 
  It 
  was 
  further 
  

   explained 
  that 
  — 
  

  

  Chiefs 
  were 
  expected 
  to 
  entertain 
  all 
  visitors 
  from 
  other 
  tribes, 
  also 
  the 
  leading 
  men 
  

   within 
  the 
  tribe 
  and 
  to 
  make 
  adequate 
  gifts 
  to 
  their 
  visitors. 
  Both 
  Chiefs 
  and 
  Keepers 
  

   were 
  often 
  deterred 
  from 
  hunting 
  by 
  their 
  official 
  duties 
  and 
  thus 
  were 
  prevented 
  from 
  

   securing 
  a 
  large 
  supply 
  of 
  food 
  or 
  of 
  the 
  raw 
  material 
  needed 
  for 
  the 
  manufacture 
  of 
  

   articles 
  suitable 
  to 
  present 
  as 
  gifts 
  to 
  visitors. 
  The 
  gifts 
  made 
  by 
  aspirants 
  to 
  tribal 
  

   office 
  therefore 
  partook 
  of 
  the 
  nature 
  of 
  payment 
  to 
  the 
  Chiefs 
  and 
  Keepers 
  for 
  the 
  

   services 
  they 
  rendered 
  to 
  the 
  people. 
  

  

  Not 
  only 
  did 
  the 
  wathi 
  n 
  'ethe 
  accomplish 
  the 
  purpose 
  as 
  explained 
  

   above, 
  but 
  the 
  custom 
  stimulated 
  industry 
  and 
  enterprise 
  among 
  the 
  

   men 
  and 
  women, 
  and 
  thus 
  indirectly 
  served 
  the 
  cause 
  of 
  peace 
  within 
  

   the 
  tribe. 
  

  

  Beside 
  their 
  use 
  as 
  stated 
  above, 
  gifts 
  were 
  demanded 
  as 
  entrance 
  

   fees 
  to 
  the 
  various 
  societies. 
  Those 
  requisite 
  for 
  admission 
  to 
  the 
  

   Ho 
  n 
  'hewachi 
  were 
  particularly 
  costly 
  (see 
  p. 
  493). 
  Moreover, 
  the 
  

   meetings 
  of 
  the 
  societies 
  made 
  demands 
  on 
  the 
  accumulated 
  wealth, 
  

  

  