﻿246 
  THE 
  OMAHA 
  TEIBE 
  [eth. 
  ANN. 
  27 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  evening 
  my 
  playmate 
  came 
  and 
  we 
  ate 
  fried 
  bread 
  and 
  drank 
  black 
  coffee 
  

   together. 
  When 
  we 
  had 
  finished 
  the 
  little 
  boy 
  snapped 
  his 
  black 
  eyes 
  at 
  me 
  and 
  said: 
  

   " 
  Friend, 
  let 
  us 
  go 
  and 
  play 
  in 
  the 
  Holy 
  (communal) 
  Tent; 
  the 
  boys 
  will 
  be 
  there 
  and 
  

   we 
  will 
  have 
  fun." 
  We 
  went, 
  and 
  there 
  was 
  the 
  Holy 
  Tent, 
  60 
  or 
  70 
  feet 
  in 
  length. 
  

   The 
  two 
  Sacred 
  Tents 
  of 
  tin- 
  Ho 
  n/ 
  ga 
  gens 
  had 
  been 
  united 
  and 
  a 
  dozen 
  or 
  more 
  other 
  

   skin 
  tents 
  were 
  added 
  to 
  them 
  on 
  either 
  side, 
  making 
  a 
  tent 
  that 
  could 
  easily 
  hold 
  

   two 
  or 
  three 
  hundred 
  people. 
  No 
  grown 
  people 
  were 
  there, 
  so 
  we 
  youngsters 
  had 
  no 
  

   end 
  of 
  fun 
  playing 
  hide 
  and 
  seek 
  in 
  the 
  folds 
  of 
  the 
  great 
  tent, 
  while 
  the 
  serious 
  sages 
  

   were 
  taking 
  the 
  census 
  of 
  the 
  people 
  elsewhere, 
  using 
  small 
  sticks 
  to 
  count 
  with, 
  pre- 
  

   paratory 
  to 
  calling 
  upon 
  each 
  family 
  to 
  contribute 
  to 
  the 
  coming 
  ceremony. 
  

  

  The 
  next 
  night 
  we 
  youngsters 
  had 
  again 
  our 
  fun 
  in 
  the 
  Holy 
  Tent. 
  On 
  the 
  third 
  

   night, 
  when 
  we 
  went, 
  to 
  play 
  as 
  usual, 
  we 
  found 
  at 
  the 
  Tent 
  two 
  officers 
  with 
  whips, 
  who 
  

   told 
  us 
  that 
  boys 
  would 
  not 
  be 
  permitted 
  to 
  play 
  in 
  the 
  Tent 
  that 
  night. 
  Still 
  we 
  lin- 
  

   gered 
  around 
  and 
  saw 
  that 
  even 
  older 
  persons 
  were 
  not 
  allowed 
  to 
  come 
  near, 
  but 
  

   were 
  told 
  to 
  make 
  a 
  wide 
  detour 
  in 
  passing, 
  so 
  as 
  not 
  to 
  disturb 
  the 
  fresh 
  grass 
  in 
  front 
  

   of 
  the 
  Tent. 
  Dogs 
  were 
  fired 
  at 
  with 
  shotguns 
  if 
  they 
  approached 
  too 
  near. 
  The 
  cere- 
  

   mony 
  was 
  to 
  begin 
  the 
  next 
  day, 
  so 
  the 
  chiefs 
  and 
  priests, 
  through 
  the 
  crier, 
  requested 
  

   the 
  people 
  to 
  conduct 
  themselves 
  in 
  such 
  manner 
  as 
  the 
  dignity 
  of 
  the 
  occasion 
  re- 
  

   quired. 
  

  

  Early 
  in 
  the 
  morning 
  I 
  was 
  wakened 
  by 
  my 
  mother 
  and 
  told 
  to 
  sit 
  up 
  and 
  listen. 
  I 
  

   did 
  so 
  and 
  soon 
  heard 
  the 
  voice 
  of 
  an 
  old 
  man 
  calling 
  the 
  names 
  of 
  boys. 
  Most 
  of 
  

   them 
  I 
  recognized 
  as 
  my 
  playmates. 
  Suddenly 
  I 
  heard 
  my 
  own 
  name 
  distinctly 
  

   called. 
  I 
  arose 
  to 
  make 
  answer 
  but 
  was 
  held 
  back 
  by 
  my 
  mother, 
  who 
  put 
  in 
  my 
  

   arms 
  a 
  large 
  piece 
  of 
  meat, 
  with 
  no 
  wrapping 
  whatever, 
  regardless 
  of 
  my 
  clean 
  calico 
  

   shirt, 
  while 
  she 
  bade 
  me 
  go 
  to 
  where 
  I 
  was 
  called. 
  When 
  I 
  emerged 
  from 
  the 
  tent 
  

   with 
  my 
  burden 
  the 
  crier 
  stopped 
  calling 
  my 
  name, 
  and 
  called 
  the 
  boy 
  in 
  the 
  next 
  

   tent. 
  As 
  I 
  neared 
  the 
  Holy 
  Tent 
  to 
  which 
  I 
  had 
  been 
  summoned, 
  an 
  old 
  man. 
  wearing 
  

   a 
  band 
  of 
  buffalo 
  skin 
  around 
  his 
  head 
  and 
  a 
  buffalo 
  robe 
  about 
  his 
  body, 
  came 
  for- 
  

   ward 
  to 
  meet 
  me. 
  He 
  put 
  both 
  his 
  hands 
  on 
  my 
  head 
  and 
  passed 
  them 
  down 
  my 
  

   sides; 
  then 
  he 
  took 
  from 
  me 
  the 
  meat 
  and 
  laid 
  it 
  down 
  on 
  the 
  grass 
  in 
  front 
  of 
  a 
  dark 
  

   pole 
  standing 
  aslant 
  in 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  the 
  Holy 
  Tent, 
  a 
  scalp 
  dangling 
  on 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  it. 
  

   I 
  recognized 
  this 
  pole 
  as 
  the 
  one 
  that 
  was 
  carried 
  by 
  the 
  old 
  man 
  whom 
  my 
  horses 
  ran 
  

   against 
  only 
  a 
  few 
  weeks 
  before. 
  The 
  calling 
  of 
  the 
  names 
  still 
  went 
  on; 
  a 
  man 
  

   sat 
  immediately 
  back 
  of 
  the 
  pole 
  with 
  two 
  piles 
  of 
  small 
  sticks 
  before 
  him; 
  he 
  would 
  

   pick 
  up 
  a 
  stick 
  from 
  one 
  pile 
  and 
  give 
  a 
  name 
  to 
  the 
  crier, 
  who, 
  leaning 
  on 
  a 
  staff, 
  

   called 
  it 
  out 
  at 
  the 
  top 
  of 
  his 
  voice; 
  when 
  this 
  was 
  done 
  the 
  stick 
  was 
  placed 
  on 
  the 
  

   other 
  pile. 
  

  

  When 
  every 
  family 
  in 
  the 
  tribe 
  excepting 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  Ho 
  n/ 
  ga 
  gens 
  had 
  thus 
  been 
  

   called 
  upon 
  to 
  make 
  an 
  offering, 
  the 
  priests 
  began 
  to 
  sing 
  the 
  songs 
  pertaining 
  to 
  this 
  

   peculiar 
  ceremony. 
  I 
  was 
  now 
  very 
  much 
  interested 
  and 
  watched 
  every 
  movement 
  

   of 
  the 
  men 
  who 
  officiated. 
  Four 
  of 
  the 
  fattest 
  pieces 
  of 
  meat 
  were 
  selected 
  and 
  placed 
  

   just 
  ;it 
  the 
  foot 
  of 
  the 
  Sacred 
  Pole. 
  A 
  song 
  was 
  sung 
  and 
  a 
  man 
  stood 
  ready 
  with 
  a 
  

   knife 
  near 
  the 
  meat 
  ; 
  when 
  the 
  last 
  note 
  died 
  out 
  the 
  man 
  made 
  a 
  feint 
  at 
  cutting 
  and 
  

   then 
  resumed 
  his 
  position. 
  Three 
  times 
  the 
  song 
  was 
  repeated 
  with 
  its 
  accompanying 
  

   act. 
  when 
  on 
  the 
  fourth 
  time 
  the 
  man 
  in 
  great 
  haste 
  carved 
  out 
  all 
  of 
  the 
  fat 
  from 
  the 
  

   four 
  pieces 
  of 
  choice 
  meat 
  and 
  put 
  it 
  in 
  a 
  wooden 
  bowl. 
  After 
  the 
  fat 
  had 
  been 
  mixed 
  

   with 
  burnt 
  red 
  clay 
  and 
  kneaded 
  into 
  a 
  paste, 
  another 
  song 
  was 
  sung, 
  and 
  the 
  same 
  

   priest 
  stood 
  ready 
  with 
  bowl 
  and 
  brush 
  in 
  hand 
  beside 
  the 
  Pole. 
  At 
  the 
  close 
  of 
  the 
  

   song 
  he 
  made 
  a 
  feint 
  at 
  the 
  Pole 
  with 
  the 
  brush 
  and 
  resumed 
  his 
  former 
  position. 
  

   Four 
  times 
  this 
  song 
  was 
  sung, 
  each 
  time 
  followed 
  by 
  a 
  feint. 
  Then 
  a 
  new 
  stanza 
  

   was 
  sung, 
  at 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  which 
  the 
  priest 
  touched 
  the 
  Pole 
  lightly 
  with 
  his 
  brush 
  

   the 
  entire 
  length. 
  This 
  song 
  and 
  act 
  were 
  repeated 
  four 
  times. 
  Then 
  a 
  different 
  

   song 
  was 
  sung, 
  the 
  words 
  of 
  which 
  I 
  can 
  remember 
  even 
  to 
  this 
  day: 
  " 
  I 
  make 
  him 
  

  

  