﻿234 
  THE 
  OMAHA 
  TRIBE 
  [ETB 
  ANN. 
  27 
  

  

  Literal 
  translation: 
  TTieama, 
  here 
  are 
  they 
  (the 
  people); 
  wagthi- 
  

   t<i"lii 
  — 
  the 
  prefix 
  wa 
  indicates 
  that 
  the 
  object 
  has 
  power, 
  gthito 
  n 
  H, 
  

   touching 
  what 
  is 
  theirs 
  ("touching" 
  here 
  means 
  the 
  touching 
  that 
  is 
  

   necessary 
  for 
  a 
  preparation 
  of 
  the 
  objects); 
  tho 
  ho' 
  is 
  an 
  exclamation 
  

   here 
  used 
  in 
  the 
  sense 
  of 
  a 
  call 
  to 
  Wako 
  n 
  'da, 
  to 
  arrest 
  attention, 
  to 
  

   announce 
  that 
  something 
  is 
  in 
  progress 
  relating 
  to 
  serious 
  matters: 
  

   te'xi, 
  that 
  which 
  is 
  of 
  (lie 
  most 
  precious 
  or 
  sacred 
  nature: 
  cite, 
  I 
  say. 
  

  

  Free 
  translation 
  

  

  The 
  people 
  cry 
  aloud 
  — 
  tho 
  ho! 
  before 
  thee. 
  

   Here 
  they 
  prepare 
  for 
  sacred 
  rites— 
  tho 
  ho! 
  

   Their 
  Sacred, 
  Sacred 
  Pole. 
  

  

  With 
  reverent 
  hands, 
  1 
  say, 
  they 
  touch 
  the 
  Sacred 
  Pole 
  before 
  thee. 
  

  

  After 
  the 
  Pole 
  was 
  in 
  place, 
  the 
  one 
  who 
  officiated 
  and 
  repre- 
  

   sented 
  the 
  keepers 
  of 
  the 
  Pole, 
  the 
  Waxthe'xeto" 
  subgens 
  of 
  the 
  

   lIo"'jra, 
  advanced 
  toward 
  the 
  Pole 
  to 
  untie 
  the 
  skin 
  which 
  concealed 
  

   the 
  wickerwork 
  object 
  hound 
  to 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  the 
  Pole. 
  As 
  this 
  was 
  

   being 
  done, 
  the 
  IIo"'ga 
  keepers 
  sang 
  the 
  next 
  stanza: 
  

  

  Wagthiahkabi, 
  wagthishkabi 
  tho 
  ho! 
  gthiahkaba 
  

  

  Wagthishkabi, 
  wagthishkabi 
  tho 
  ho 
  

  

  Te'xi 
  ehe 
  gthishkaba 
  

  

  Wagthishkabi, 
  wagthishkabi, 
  te'xi 
  ehe 
  gthishkaba 
  

  

  Literal 
  translation: 
  Wagthishkabi 
  — 
  the 
  prefix 
  wa 
  indicates 
  that 
  the 
  

   object 
  has 
  power; 
  gihishkabi, 
  undoing, 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  expose 
  to 
  view 
  that 
  

   which 
  is 
  covered 
  or 
  encased. 
  The 
  rest 
  of 
  the 
  words 
  have 
  been 
  

   translated 
  in 
  the 
  first 
  stanza. 
  

  

  Free 
  translation 
  

  

  We 
  now 
  unloose 
  and 
  bring 
  to 
  view, 
  tho 
  ho! 
  before 
  thee, 
  

  

  We 
  brine; 
  to 
  view 
  for 
  saered 
  rites, 
  tho 
  ho! 
  

  

  This 
  saered, 
  sacred 
  thing, 
  

  

  These 
  sacred 
  rites, 
  this 
  sacred 
  thing 
  comes 
  to 
  view 
  before 
  thee. 
  

  

  In 
  front 
  of 
  the 
  Pole 
  the 
  symbolic 
  figure, 
  called 
  uzhi"'eii, 
  figure 
  59 
  

   (see 
  p. 
  241), 
  was 
  then 
  cut 
  on 
  the 
  ground, 
  the 
  sod 
  removed, 
  and 
  the 
  

   earth 
  loosened, 
  after 
  which 
  the 
  following 
  song 
  was 
  sung: 
  

  

  