﻿248 
  THE 
  OMAHA 
  TRIBE 
  [eth. 
  axx. 
  27 
  

  

  eralty. 
  Their 
  petition 
  was 
  granted 
  by 
  an 
  act 
  of 
  Congress 
  and 
  the 
  work 
  of 
  appor- 
  

   tioning 
  the 
  lands 
  was 
  assigned 
  to 
  a 
  lady 
  who 
  is 
  now 
  known 
  among 
  the 
  scientists 
  of 
  

   this 
  and 
  other 
  countries. 
  I 
  was 
  detailed 
  to 
  assist 
  her 
  in 
  this 
  work, 
  and 
  together 
  

   we 
  went 
  to 
  the 
  reservation 
  to 
  complete 
  the 
  task. 
  

  

  While 
  driving 
  over 
  the 
  reservation 
  one 
  day 
  we 
  came 
  to 
  a 
  small 
  frame 
  house 
  with 
  

   a 
  porch 
  in 
  front. 
  Around 
  this 
  dwelling 
  were 
  patches 
  of 
  corn 
  and 
  other 
  vegetables 
  

   and 
  near 
  by 
  was 
  an 
  orchard 
  of 
  apple 
  trees 
  with 
  ripening 
  fruit. 
  In 
  strange 
  contrast 
  

   with 
  all 
  this 
  there 
  stood 
  in 
  the 
  back 
  yard 
  an 
  Indian 
  tent, 
  carefully 
  pitched, 
  and 
  

   the 
  ground 
  around 
  it 
  scrupulously 
  clean. 
  My 
  companion 
  asked, 
  "What 
  is 
  that?'' 
  

   "It 
  is 
  the 
  Holy 
  Tent 
  of 
  the 
  Omahas," 
  I 
  replied. 
  "What 
  is 
  inside 
  of 
  it?" 
  "The 
  

   Sacred 
  Pole," 
  I 
  answered. 
  "I 
  want 
  to 
  see 
  it." 
  "You 
  can 
  not 
  enter 
  the 
  Tent 
  unless 
  

   you 
  get 
  permission 
  from 
  the 
  Keeper." 
  The 
  Keeper 
  was 
  not 
  at 
  home, 
  but 
  his 
  wife 
  

   kindly 
  conducted 
  us 
  to 
  the 
  entrance 
  of 
  the 
  Tent, 
  and 
  we 
  entered. 
  There 
  in 
  the 
  

   place 
  of 
  honor 
  stood 
  my 
  friend, 
  the 
  "Venerable 
  Man," 
  leaning 
  aslant 
  as 
  I 
  saw 
  him 
  

   years 
  before 
  when 
  I 
  carried 
  to 
  him 
  the 
  large 
  offering 
  of 
  choice 
  meat. 
  He 
  had 
  served 
  

   a 
  great 
  purpose; 
  although 
  lacking 
  the 
  power 
  of 
  speech, 
  or 
  any 
  of 
  the 
  faculties 
  with 
  

   which 
  man 
  is 
  gifted, 
  he 
  had 
  kept 
  closely 
  cemented 
  the 
  Seven 
  Chiefs 
  and 
  the 
  gentes 
  

   of 
  the 
  tribe 
  for 
  hundreds 
  of 
  years. 
  He 
  was 
  the 
  object 
  of 
  reverence 
  of 
  young 
  and 
  

   old. 
  When 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  Government 
  became 
  indebted 
  to. 
  the 
  tribe 
  for 
  lands 
  

   sold, 
  he, 
  too, 
  was 
  accounted 
  as 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  creditors 
  and 
  was 
  paid 
  the 
  same 
  as 
  a 
  man 
  

   of 
  flesh 
  and 
  blood. 
  He 
  now 
  stood 
  before 
  us, 
  abandoned 
  by 
  all 
  save 
  his 
  last 
  Keeper, 
  

   who 
  was 
  now 
  bowed 
  with 
  age. 
  The 
  Keeper 
  seemed 
  even 
  to 
  be 
  a 
  part 
  of 
  him, 
  bearing 
  

   the 
  name 
  "Smoked 
  Yellow," 
  a 
  name 
  referring 
  both 
  to 
  the 
  age 
  and 
  to 
  the 
  accumu- 
  

   lation 
  of 
  smoke 
  upon 
  the 
  Pole. 
  Silently 
  we 
  stood 
  gazing 
  upon 
  him, 
  we 
  three, 
  the 
  

   white 
  woman 
  in 
  the 
  middle. 
  Almost 
  in 
  a 
  whisper, 
  and 
  with 
  a 
  sigh, 
  the 
  Keeper's 
  

   wife 
  said, 
  "I 
  am 
  the 
  only 
  one 
  now 
  who 
  takes 
  care 
  of 
  him. 
  \Yhen 
  it 
  rains 
  I 
  come 
  

   to 
  close 
  the 
  flaps 
  of 
  the 
  Tent, 
  at 
  all 
  hours 
  of 
  the 
  night. 
  Many 
  were 
  the 
  offerings 
  once 
  

   brought 
  to 
  him, 
  but 
  now 
  he 
  is 
  left 
  all 
  alone. 
  The 
  end 
  has 
  come!" 
  [For 
  portrait 
  

   of 
  the 
  wife 
  of 
  the 
  keeper 
  of 
  the 
  Pole, 
  see 
  pi. 
  26.] 
  

  

  A 
  few 
  years 
  later 
  I 
  went 
  to 
  the 
  house 
  of 
  Smoked 
  Yellow 
  and 
  was 
  hospitably 
  enter- 
  

   tained 
  by 
  him 
  and 
  his 
  kind 
  wife. 
  After 
  dinner, 
  as 
  we 
  sat 
  smoking 
  in 
  the 
  shade 
  of 
  the 
  

   trees, 
  we 
  spoke 
  of 
  the 
  past 
  life 
  of 
  the 
  tribe 
  and 
  from 
  time 
  to 
  time 
  in 
  our 
  conversation 
  

   I 
  pleasantly 
  reminded 
  him 
  of 
  important 
  events 
  within 
  my 
  own 
  knowledge, 
  and 
  of 
  

   others 
  of 
  which 
  I 
  had 
  heard, 
  where 
  his 
  knowledge 
  guided 
  the 
  actions 
  of 
  the 
  people. 
  

   This 
  seemed 
  to 
  please 
  him 
  very 
  much 
  and 
  he 
  spoke 
  more 
  freely 
  of 
  the 
  peculiar 
  cus- 
  

   toms 
  of 
  the 
  Omaha. 
  He 
  was 
  an 
  important 
  man 
  in 
  his 
  younger 
  days 
  and 
  quite 
  an 
  

   orator. 
  I 
  have 
  heard 
  him 
  deliver 
  an 
  address 
  on 
  the 
  spur 
  of 
  the 
  moment 
  that 
  would 
  

   have 
  done 
  credit 
  to 
  almost 
  any 
  speaker 
  in 
  either 
  branch 
  of 
  our 
  Congress. 
  He 
  was 
  one 
  

   of 
  the 
  signers 
  of 
  the 
  treaty 
  entered 
  into 
  between 
  the 
  Omaha 
  and 
  the 
  United 
  States. 
  

  

  As 
  my 
  visit 
  was 
  drawing 
  to 
  a 
  close, 
  without 
  any 
  remarks 
  leading 
  thereto, 
  I 
  suddenly 
  

   swooped 
  down 
  upon 
  the 
  old 
  chief 
  with 
  the 
  audacious 
  question: 
  "Why 
  don't 
  you 
  send 
  

   the 
  ' 
  Venerable 
  Man 
  ' 
  to 
  some 
  eastern 
  city 
  where 
  he 
  could 
  dwell 
  in 
  a 
  great 
  brick 
  house 
  

   instead 
  of 
  a 
  ragged 
  tent?" 
  A 
  smile 
  crept 
  over 
  the 
  face 
  of 
  the 
  chieftain 
  as 
  he 
  softly 
  

   whistled 
  a 
  tune 
  and 
  tapped 
  the 
  ground 
  with 
  his 
  pipe 
  stick 
  before 
  he 
  replied, 
  while 
  I 
  

   sat 
  breathlessly 
  awaiting 
  the 
  answer, 
  for 
  I 
  greatly 
  desired 
  the 
  preservation 
  of 
  this 
  

   ancient 
  and 
  unique 
  relic. 
  The 
  pipe 
  had 
  cooled 
  and 
  he 
  proceeded 
  to 
  clean 
  it. 
  He 
  

   blew 
  through 
  it 
  now 
  and 
  then 
  as 
  he 
  gave 
  me 
  this 
  answer: 
  "My 
  son, 
  I 
  have 
  thought 
  

   about 
  this 
  myself 
  but 
  no 
  one 
  whom 
  I 
  could 
  trust 
  has 
  hitherto 
  approached 
  me 
  upon 
  

   this 
  subject. 
  I 
  shall 
  think 
  about 
  it, 
  and 
  will 
  give 
  you 
  a 
  definite 
  answer 
  when 
  I 
  see 
  

   you 
  again." 
  

  

  The 
  next 
  time 
  I 
  was 
  at 
  his 
  house 
  he 
  conducted 
  me 
  to 
  the 
  Sacred 
  Tent 
  and 
  delivered 
  

   to 
  me 
  the 
  Pole 
  and 
  its 
  belongings. 
  [See 
  fig. 
  50 
  for 
  portrait 
  of 
  the 
  last 
  keeper 
  of 
  the 
  

   Sacred 
  Pole.] 
  This 
  was 
  the 
  first 
  time 
  that 
  it 
  was 
  purposely 
  touched 
  by 
  anyone 
  outside 
  

  

  