﻿232 
  

  

  THE 
  OMAHA 
  TRIBE 
  

  

  [ETH. 
  ANN 
  -JT 
  

  

  about 
  (5 
  inches 
  long. 
  As 
  soon 
  as 
  a 
  song 
  was 
  sung, 
  its 
  counter 
  was 
  

   laid 
  at 
  one 
  side. 
  If 
  the 
  Ho 
  n 
  'ga 
  had 
  any 
  doubt 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  proper 
  song 
  

   in 
  the 
  sequence 
  of 
  the 
  ritual, 
  they 
  consulted 
  the 
  Xu'ka. 
  

  

  If 
  by 
  any 
  chance 
  a 
  mistake 
  occurred 
  during 
  the 
  ceremonies 
  con- 
  

   nected 
  with 
  the 
  .Sacred 
  Pole, 
  and 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  songs 
  was 
  sung 
  out 
  of 
  

   sequence, 
  then 
  the 
  following 
  ceremony 
  became 
  obligatory: 
  All 
  the 
  

   Waxthe'xeto" 
  subgens 
  of 
  the 
  Ho 
  n 
  'ga, 
  they 
  who 
  had 
  charge 
  of 
  the 
  

   Sacred 
  Pole 
  and 
  its 
  rites, 
  arose, 
  lifted 
  their 
  arms, 
  held 
  their 
  hands 
  

   with 
  the 
  palms 
  upward, 
  and, 
  standing 
  thus 
  in 
  the 
  attitude 
  of 
  suppli- 
  

   cation, 
  wept. 
  After 
  a 
  few 
  moments 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  official 
  servers 
  came 
  

   forward, 
  passed 
  in 
  front 
  of 
  the 
  line 
  of 
  standing 
  singers, 
  and 
  wiped 
  the 
  

  

  Fig 
  58 
  Communal 
  ceremonial 
  strueturi 
  — 
  grass 
  ligures 
  in 
  foreground 
  inatiro 
  drawing). 
  

  

  tears 
  from 
  each 
  man's 
  face. 
  Then 
  the 
  singers 
  resumed 
  their 
  places, 
  

   and 
  the 
  ceremony 
  began 
  again 
  from 
  the 
  beginning 
  as 
  though 
  for 
  the 
  

   first 
  time. 
  This 
  ceremony 
  of 
  contrition 
  took 
  place 
  only 
  when 
  by 
  

   accident 
  the 
  sequence 
  of 
  the 
  songs 
  of 
  the 
  Sacred 
  Pole 
  was 
  broken. 
  

  

  The 
  Xu'ka 
  also 
  acted 
  as 
  prompters 
  when 
  the 
  Washa'beto" 
  sub- 
  

   gens 
  of 
  the 
  Ho 
  n 
  'ga 
  sang 
  the 
  ritual 
  of 
  the 
  Sacred 
  White 
  Buffalo 
  Hide. 
  

   1 
  1' 
  a 
  song 
  of 
  that 
  ritual 
  was 
  sung 
  out 
  of 
  its 
  order 
  the 
  entire 
  ritual 
  had 
  to 
  

   be 
  begun 
  again, 
  for 
  there 
  must 
  be 
  no 
  break 
  in 
  the 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  ritual 
  

   its 
  course 
  "must 
  be 
  straight." 
  

  

  On 
  the 
  ceremonial 
  occasion 
  here 
  described 
  the 
  herald 
  wore 
  a 
  band 
  

   of 
  matted 
  buffalo 
  wool 
  about 
  his 
  head, 
  with 
  a 
  downy 
  eagle 
  feather 
  

   standing 
  in 
  it. 
  

  

  