﻿230 
  THE 
  OMAHA 
  TRIBE 
  [bth. 
  anx. 
  27 
  

  

  The 
  following 
  incident 
  occurred 
  during 
  the 
  early 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  last 
  

  

  century: 
  

  

  The 
  keeper 
  of 
  the 
  Pole 
  had 
  become 
  a 
  very 
  old 
  man, 
  but 
  he 
  still 
  clung 
  to 
  his 
  duties- 
  

   Misfortune 
  had 
  come 
  to 
  him, 
  and 
  he 
  had 
  no 
  horse 
  when 
  the 
  time 
  came 
  for 
  the 
  tribe 
  

   to 
  move 
  out 
  on 
  the 
  annual 
  hunt. 
  The 
  old 
  man 
  and 
  his 
  aged 
  wife 
  had 
  no 
  one 
  to 
  help 
  

   them 
  to 
  carry 
  their 
  tent 
  and 
  provisions, 
  which, 
  added 
  to 
  the 
  Sacred 
  Pole, 
  made 
  a 
  heavy 
  

   load 
  for 
  the 
  old 
  people. 
  The 
  old 
  man 
  struggled 
  on 
  for 
  some 
  days, 
  his 
  strength 
  gradu- 
  

   ally 
  failing. 
  At 
  last 
  the 
  time 
  came 
  when 
  he 
  had 
  to 
  choose 
  between 
  carrying 
  food 
  or 
  

   carrying 
  the 
  Pole. 
  The 
  tribe 
  had 
  started 
  on; 
  he 
  hesitated, 
  then 
  self-preservation 
  

   decided 
  in 
  favor 
  of 
  the 
  food, 
  so 
  leaving 
  the 
  Pole 
  as 
  it 
  stood 
  the 
  old 
  man 
  slowly 
  walked 
  

   away. 
  As 
  he 
  neared 
  the 
  tribal 
  camp 
  a 
  young 
  man 
  saw 
  him 
  and 
  asked 
  what 
  had 
  hap- 
  

   pened 
  that 
  he 
  was 
  without 
  the 
  Pole. 
  The 
  old 
  man 
  told 
  his 
  story. 
  The 
  young 
  man 
  

   was 
  poor 
  and 
  had 
  only 
  the 
  horse 
  he 
  was 
  riding, 
  but 
  he 
  at 
  once 
  turned 
  back 
  to 
  the 
  

   deserted 
  camp 
  to 
  rescue 
  the 
  Pole. 
  The 
  ride 
  was 
  a 
  dangerous 
  one, 
  for 
  there 
  were 
  

   enemies 
  near. 
  He 
  risked 
  his 
  life 
  to 
  save 
  the 
  Pole 
  by 
  turning 
  back. 
  He 
  found 
  it 
  

   where 
  it 
  had 
  been 
  left 
  by 
  the 
  old 
  man; 
  then 
  mounting 
  his 
  horse 
  with 
  it 
  he 
  made 
  

   haste 
  to 
  rejoin 
  the 
  tribe. 
  When 
  he 
  came 
  near 
  to 
  where 
  the 
  people 
  were 
  camped 
  he 
  

   dismounted, 
  took 
  the 
  Pole 
  on 
  his 
  back, 
  and 
  leading 
  his 
  horse 
  made 
  his 
  way 
  to 
  the 
  old 
  

   keeper, 
  delivered 
  to 
  him 
  the 
  Pole, 
  and 
  at 
  the 
  same 
  time 
  presented 
  his 
  horse 
  to 
  the 
  

   old 
  man. 
  This 
  was 
  the 
  only 
  time 
  the 
  Pole 
  was 
  ever 
  carried 
  on 
  horseback. 
  The 
  act 
  

   of 
  the 
  young 
  man 
  was 
  at 
  once 
  known, 
  and 
  he 
  was 
  publicly 
  thanked 
  by 
  the 
  Ho 
  n 
  'ga 
  

   subgens 
  that 
  had 
  charge 
  of 
  the 
  Pole 
  and 
  its 
  ceremonies. 
  A 
  few 
  days 
  later 
  the 
  Seven 
  

   ( 
  ihiefs 
  were 
  called 
  to 
  a 
  council, 
  and 
  they 
  sent 
  for 
  the 
  young 
  man, 
  bidding 
  him 
  to 
  come 
  

   to 
  them 
  and 
  to 
  wear 
  his 
  robe 
  in 
  the 
  ceremonial 
  manner. 
  He 
  hesitated 
  at 
  what 
  seemed 
  

   to 
  him 
  must 
  be 
  a 
  mistake 
  in 
  the 
  summons, 
  but 
  he 
  was 
  told 
  he 
  must 
  obey. 
  When 
  he 
  

   entered 
  the 
  tent 
  where 
  the 
  chiefs 
  were 
  sitting 
  he 
  was 
  motioned 
  to 
  a 
  vacant 
  place 
  

   beside 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  principal 
  chiefs. 
  The 
  young 
  man 
  was 
  thus 
  made 
  an 
  honorary 
  chief 
  

   because 
  of 
  his 
  generous 
  act 
  toward 
  the 
  Pole; 
  he 
  could 
  sit 
  with 
  the 
  chiefs, 
  but 
  he 
  had 
  

   no 
  voice 
  in 
  their 
  deliberations. 
  

  

  Anointing 
  the 
  Sacred 
  Pole 
  

  

  The 
  name 
  of 
  this 
  ceremony 
  was 
  Waxthe'xe 
  xigithe 
  ( 
  Waxthe'xe, 
  

   "the 
  Sacred 
  Pole;" 
  xigithe, 
  "to 
  tinge 
  with 
  red"). 
  The 
  ceremony 
  of 
  

   Anointing 
  the 
  Pole 
  was 
  commemorative 
  of 
  the 
  original 
  presentation 
  

   of 
  the 
  Pole 
  to 
  the 
  people, 
  and 
  the 
  season 
  set 
  for 
  this 
  ceremony 
  made 
  

   it 
  also 
  a 
  ceremony 
  of 
  thanksgiving 
  for 
  the 
  gifts 
  received 
  through 
  

   the 
  hunt. 
  The 
  ceremony 
  took 
  place, 
  after 
  the 
  fourth 
  tribal 
  chase 
  

   and 
  the 
  four 
  ceremonies 
  connected 
  witli 
  the 
  buffalo 
  tongues 
  and 
  

   hearts 
  had 
  taken 
  place. 
  Then 
  the 
  Waxtlie'xeto 
  11 
  subgens 
  of 
  the 
  

   Ho 
  n 
  'ga 
  gens, 
  which 
  had 
  charge 
  of 
  the 
  Pole, 
  called 
  the 
  Seven 
  Chiefs, 
  

   the 
  governing 
  council, 
  to 
  the 
  Sacred 
  Tent 
  to 
  transact 
  the 
  preliminary 
  

   business. 
  They 
  sat 
  there 
  with 
  the 
  tent 
  closed 
  tight, 
  clad 
  in 
  their 
  

   buffalo 
  robes, 
  worn 
  ceremonially, 
  the 
  hair 
  outside 
  and 
  the 
  head 
  

   falling 
  on 
  the 
  left 
  arm; 
  in 
  a 
  crouching 
  attitude, 
  without 
  a 
  knife 
  or 
  

   spoon, 
  in 
  imitation 
  of 
  the 
  buffalo's 
  feeding, 
  they 
  ate 
  the 
  food 
  provided 
  

   and 
  took 
  care 
  not 
  to 
  drop 
  any 
  of 
  it. 
  Should 
  a 
  morsel 
  fall 
  on 
  the 
  

   ground, 
  however, 
  it 
  was 
  carefully 
  pushed 
  toward 
  the 
  fire; 
  such 
  a 
  

   morsel 
  was 
  said 
  to 
  be 
  desired 
  by 
  the 
  Pole, 
  and 
  as 
  the 
  Legend 
  says, 
  

   "No 
  one 
  must 
  take 
  anything 
  claimed 
  by 
  the 
  Pole." 
  

  

  When 
  the 
  council 
  hail 
  agreed 
  on 
  the 
  day 
  for 
  the 
  ceremony 
  they 
  

   smoked 
  the 
  pipe 
  belonging 
  to 
  the 
  Pole, 
  and 
  the 
  herald 
  announced 
  the 
  

  

  