﻿FLETCHER-LA 
  FLESCHE] 
  THE 
  SACRED 
  POLE 
  255 
  

  

  The 
  keepers 
  sat 
  in 
  a 
  circle 
  around 
  the 
  hole 
  and 
  again 
  smoked 
  

   the 
  pipe, 
  passing 
  it 
  four 
  times. 
  Down 
  of 
  swan, 
  a 
  water 
  bird 
  (the 
  

   significance 
  of 
  water 
  as 
  connecting 
  the 
  Above 
  and 
  the 
  Below 
  has 
  

   been 
  given), 
  and 
  tobacco, 
  the 
  offering 
  to 
  Wako 
  n 
  'da, 
  were 
  sprinkled 
  

   in 
  the 
  hole, 
  which 
  was 
  thus 
  made 
  ready 
  to 
  receive 
  the 
  symbolically 
  

   decorated 
  pole. 
  The 
  leader 
  said, 
  "It 
  is 
  finished; 
  raise, 
  him, 
  that 
  

   your 
  grandfather 
  may 
  see 
  him!" 
  And 
  the 
  pole 
  was 
  set 
  in 
  the 
  hole 
  

   and 
  made 
  steady 
  by 
  tamping 
  the 
  earth 
  about 
  it. 
  

  

  These 
  preparatory 
  ceremonies 
  occupied 
  three 
  days. 
  The 
  dance 
  

   and 
  public 
  festival 
  took 
  place 
  on 
  the 
  fourth 
  day. 
  

  

  The 
  pole 
  simulated 
  a 
  man; 
  the 
  black 
  covering 
  on 
  the 
  top, 
  his 
  

   head. 
  The 
  decorations 
  referred 
  to 
  the 
  cosmic 
  forces 
  which 
  gave 
  and 
  

   maintained 
  life. 
  As 
  a 
  tree 
  it 
  symbolized 
  the 
  tribe; 
  the 
  wands 
  of 
  the 
  

   people 
  were 
  its 
  branches, 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  whole. 
  Thus 
  w 
  r 
  as 
  the 
  idea 
  of 
  

   unity 
  symbolically 
  set 
  forth. 
  

  

  It 
  was 
  explained 
  that 
  seven 
  kinds 
  of 
  wood 
  were 
  sacred 
  to 
  this 
  

   ceremony 
  — 
  the 
  hard 
  and 
  the 
  soft 
  willow, 
  the 
  birch, 
  the 
  box 
  elder, 
  

   the 
  ironwood, 
  the 
  ash, 
  and 
  the 
  Cottonwood. 
  Of 
  these 
  the 
  cotton- 
  

   wood 
  furnished 
  the 
  pole; 
  the 
  elder, 
  the 
  charcoal 
  for 
  the 
  black 
  paint; 
  

   the 
  ash, 
  the 
  stem 
  of 
  the 
  pipe; 
  the 
  seeds 
  of 
  the 
  ironwood 
  were 
  used 
  

   for 
  the 
  rattles; 
  and 
  the 
  willow 
  for 
  the 
  wands 
  distributed 
  to 
  the 
  

   people. 
  The 
  birch 
  seems 
  to 
  have 
  dropped 
  out, 
  though 
  its 
  former 
  use 
  

   survives 
  in 
  a 
  personal 
  name 
  belonging 
  to 
  the 
  subgens 
  having 
  the 
  

   rite 
  in 
  charge. 
  The 
  significance 
  of 
  this 
  lies 
  in 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  male 
  

   personal 
  names 
  always 
  referred 
  to 
  rites 
  and 
  their 
  paraphernalia. 
  

   The 
  omission 
  of 
  the 
  birch 
  may 
  refer 
  to 
  a 
  change 
  in 
  environment. 
  

   It 
  will 
  be 
  recalled 
  that 
  the 
  Sacred 
  Legend 
  states 
  that 
  the 
  Omaha 
  

   once 
  used 
  birch-hark 
  canoes. 
  

  

  On 
  the 
  day 
  of 
  the 
  ceremony 
  the 
  people 
  were 
  astir 
  early. 
  The 
  

   women 
  put 
  on 
  their 
  gala 
  costume; 
  the 
  men 
  were 
  barefoot 
  and 
  naked 
  

   except 
  for 
  the 
  breechcloth. 
  They 
  wore 
  the 
  decoration 
  of 
  their 
  war 
  

   honors, 
  and 
  depicted 
  their 
  war 
  experiences 
  by 
  the 
  manner 
  of 
  painting 
  

   their 
  faces 
  and 
  bodies. 
  The 
  place 
  of 
  a 
  wound 
  was 
  painted 
  red 
  ; 
  if 
  a 
  man 
  

   had 
  been 
  struck 
  a 
  hand 
  was 
  painted 
  on 
  his 
  body 
  or 
  face 
  (fig. 
  63). 
  

   Some 
  painted 
  black 
  bands 
  on 
  their 
  arms 
  and 
  legs, 
  indicating 
  that 
  

   they 
  had 
  been 
  in 
  danger 
  of 
  death; 
  others 
  bore 
  white 
  spots 
  scattered 
  

   over 
  their 
  bodies, 
  to 
  show 
  that 
  they 
  had 
  been 
  where 
  the 
  birds 
  of 
  

   prey 
  dropped 
  their 
  excrement 
  on 
  the 
  bodies 
  of 
  the 
  slain 
  enemies. 
  

   The 
  man 
  who 
  had 
  cut 
  the 
  neck 
  of 
  an 
  enemy 
  drew 
  an 
  inflated 
  bladder 
  

   by 
  a 
  string, 
  to 
  set 
  forth 
  lus 
  act. 
  Those 
  warriors 
  who 
  had 
  taken 
  

   scalps 
  tied 
  to 
  the 
  wands 
  they 
  carried 
  in 
  t 
  lie 
  dance 
  bits 
  of 
  buffalo 
  

   hide 
  with 
  the 
  hair 
  on. 
  

  

  Meanwhile, 
  the 
  keepers 
  of 
  the 
  ceremony 
  selected 
  from 
  their 
  gens 
  

   the 
  young 
  men 
  who 
  were 
  to 
  sing. 
  These 
  men 
  received 
  pay 
  for 
  their 
  

  

  