﻿FLETCHER-LA 
  FLBSCHS] 
  THE 
  SACRED 
  POLE 
  221 
  

  

  A 
  warrior 
  who 
  had 
  won 
  honors 
  in 
  battles 
  was 
  entitled 
  to 
  the 
  privi- 
  

   lege 
  of 
  tattooing 
  his 
  body 
  or 
  that 
  of 
  his 
  wife 
  or 
  daughter 
  as 
  a 
  mark 
  

   of 
  distinction. 
  The 
  lowest 
  mark 
  of 
  such 
  honors 
  was 
  three 
  narrow 
  

   lines 
  beginning 
  at 
  the 
  top 
  of 
  each 
  shoulder 
  and 
  meeting 
  at 
  an 
  angle 
  

   at 
  the 
  lower 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  chest. 
  The 
  next 
  higher 
  mark 
  had 
  in 
  addition 
  

   to 
  the 
  lines 
  on 
  the 
  chest 
  three 
  narrow 
  lines 
  running 
  down 
  the 
  outer 
  sur- 
  

   face 
  of 
  the 
  arms 
  to 
  the 
  wrists. 
  The 
  highest 
  mark 
  had 
  in 
  addition 
  to 
  

   the 
  lines 
  on 
  the 
  chest 
  and 
  arms 
  three 
  narrow 
  lines 
  that 
  continued 
  

   from 
  the 
  shoulders, 
  where 
  the 
  lines 
  of 
  the 
  first 
  mark 
  began, 
  meeting 
  

   at 
  an 
  angle 
  in 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  the 
  back. 
  The 
  tattooing 
  was 
  done 
  by 
  

   a 
  man 
  who 
  was 
  learned 
  in 
  the 
  rituals 
  connected 
  with 
  the 
  ceremony. 
  

   The 
  needles 
  used 
  were 
  tipped 
  with 
  the 
  rattles 
  of 
  the 
  rattlesnake. 
  

  

  The 
  Sacred 
  Tents 
  

  

  The 
  tent 
  set 
  apart 
  for 
  the 
  Sacred 
  Pole 
  was 
  pitched 
  in 
  front 
  of 
  the 
  

   Waxthe'xeto 
  na 
  subgens 
  of 
  the 
  Ho 
  n 
  'ga 
  gens, 
  who, 
  as 
  their 
  name 
  im- 
  

   plies, 
  were 
  given 
  charge 
  of 
  the 
  Pole. 
  The 
  tent 
  was 
  decorated 
  with 
  

   round 
  red 
  spots, 
  which 
  probably 
  referred 
  to 
  the 
  sun. 
  Some 
  have 
  

   said 
  they 
  represented 
  the 
  buffalo 
  wallow, 
  but 
  this 
  seems 
  improbable, 
  

   judging 
  from 
  other 
  evidence 
  and 
  the 
  character 
  of 
  the 
  Pole. 
  The 
  

   three 
  Sacred 
  Tents 
  of 
  the 
  Omaha 
  tribe 
  were 
  all 
  objects 
  of 
  fear 
  to 
  the 
  

   people 
  because 
  of 
  the 
  character 
  of 
  their 
  contents. 
  No 
  one 
  unbidden 
  

   went 
  near 
  them 
  or 
  touched 
  them; 
  nor 
  could 
  anyone 
  borrow 
  fire 
  from 
  

   any 
  of 
  the 
  Sacred 
  Tents; 
  nor 
  could 
  holes 
  be 
  made 
  about 
  the 
  fireplace. 
  

   Should 
  any 
  person, 
  animal, 
  or 
  object, 
  as 
  a 
  tent 
  pole, 
  accidentally 
  

   come 
  in 
  contact 
  with 
  any 
  of 
  these 
  Sacred 
  Tents, 
  the 
  offending 
  person, 
  

   animal, 
  or 
  thing 
  had 
  to 
  be 
  taken 
  to 
  the 
  keeper 
  of 
  the 
  tent 
  that 
  had 
  

   been 
  touched 
  and 
  be 
  cleansed 
  ceremonially 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  prevent 
  the 
  

   evil 
  believed 
  to 
  follow 
  7 
  such 
  sacrilege. 
  A 
  piece 
  of 
  meat 
  that 
  chanced 
  

   to 
  drop 
  into 
  the 
  fire 
  while 
  being 
  roasted 
  in 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  Sacred 
  Tents 
  

   could 
  not 
  be 
  taken 
  out 
  but 
  was 
  left 
  to 
  be 
  entirely 
  consumed. 
  

  

  The 
  contents 
  of 
  two 
  of 
  the 
  Sacred 
  Tents 
  of 
  the 
  Omaha 
  tribe 
  have 
  

   been 
  placed 
  for 
  safe 
  keeping 
  in 
  the 
  Peabody 
  Museum 
  of 
  Harvard 
  

   University 
  — 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  Sacred 
  Tent 
  of 
  War 
  in 
  1884 
  and 
  the 
  Sacred 
  

   Pole 
  with 
  its 
  belongings, 
  in 
  1888. 
  (See 
  p. 
  411.) 
  All 
  these 
  relics 
  arc 
  

   unique 
  and 
  of 
  ethnologic 
  value. 
  The 
  disposition 
  to 
  be 
  made 
  of 
  these 
  

   sacred 
  objects, 
  which 
  for 
  generations 
  had 
  been 
  essential 
  in 
  the 
  tribal 
  

   ceremonies 
  and 
  expressive 
  of 
  the 
  authority 
  of 
  the 
  chiefs, 
  was 
  a 
  

   serious 
  problem 
  for 
  the 
  leading 
  men 
  of 
  the 
  tribe. 
  To 
  destroy 
  these 
  

   sacred 
  relics 
  was 
  not 
  to 
  be 
  thought 
  of, 
  and 
  it 
  was 
  finally 
  decided 
  that 
  

   they 
  should 
  be 
  buried 
  with 
  their 
  keepers. 
  

  

  For 
  many 
  years 
  the 
  writers 
  had 
  been 
  engaged 
  in 
  a 
  serious 
  study 
  

   of 
  the 
  tribe 
  and 
  it 
  seemed 
  a 
  grave 
  misfortune 
  that 
  these 
  venerable 
  

  

  a 
  Waithe'rc, 
  the 
  name 
  of 
  the 
  Sacred 
  Pole; 
  lm, 
  "to 
  possess" 
  or 
  "to 
  keep 
  and 
  care 
  for." 
  

  

  