﻿272 
  THE 
  OMAHA 
  TRIBE 
  [eth. 
  axx. 
  27 
  

  

  These 
  were 
  graded 
  and 
  assigned 
  by 
  custom 
  to 
  the 
  helpers 
  in 
  the 
  order 
  

   of 
  their 
  beginning 
  work 
  on 
  the 
  carcass. 
  The 
  man 
  who 
  shot 
  the 
  animal 
  

   might 
  find, 
  on 
  reaching 
  it, 
  men 
  already 
  engaged 
  in 
  cutting 
  it 
  up. 
  In 
  

   that 
  case 
  he 
  would 
  go 
  to 
  work 
  on 
  some 
  other 
  man's 
  game. 
  He 
  did 
  not, 
  

   however, 
  lose 
  his 
  rights 
  in 
  the 
  animal 
  he 
  had 
  shot. 
  As 
  every 
  man's 
  

   arrows 
  bore 
  the 
  owner's 
  peculiar 
  mark, 
  there 
  could 
  be 
  no 
  dispute 
  as 
  

   to 
  who 
  fired 
  the 
  fatal 
  shot 
  and 
  so 
  owned 
  the 
  killer's 
  share. 
  

  

  All 
  animals 
  were 
  made 
  ready 
  for 
  butchering 
  by 
  being 
  rolled 
  on 
  the 
  

   back 
  with 
  the 
  head 
  pulled 
  around 
  backward 
  by 
  the 
  beard 
  until 
  the 
  

   face 
  lay 
  on 
  the 
  ground; 
  next, 
  the 
  head 
  was 
  pushed 
  under 
  the 
  edge 
  

   of 
  the 
  side 
  to 
  serve 
  as 
  a 
  support 
  to 
  the 
  body 
  as 
  it 
  lay 
  on 
  its 
  back 
  with 
  

   feet 
  upward. 
  First, 
  the 
  skin 
  was 
  removed 
  in 
  this 
  way: 
  An 
  incision 
  

   was 
  made 
  at 
  the 
  lower 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  dewlap 
  and 
  the 
  knife 
  ran 
  up 
  to 
  the 
  

   middle 
  of 
  the 
  underlip; 
  the 
  knife 
  was 
  then 
  again 
  inserted 
  at 
  the 
  

   starting 
  point 
  and 
  a 
  straight 
  cut 
  was 
  made 
  down 
  to 
  the 
  vent; 
  again 
  the 
  

   knife 
  was 
  inserted 
  at 
  the 
  starting 
  point 
  and 
  a 
  straight 
  cut 
  made 
  down 
  

   the 
  inside 
  of 
  each 
  fore 
  leg 
  to 
  the 
  ankle. 
  A 
  straight 
  cut 
  was 
  made 
  

   down 
  the 
  inner 
  side 
  of 
  each 
  hind 
  leg 
  to 
  the 
  ankle. 
  A 
  cut 
  was 
  then 
  

   made 
  around 
  the 
  mouth 
  and 
  up 
  the 
  line 
  of 
  the 
  nose 
  to 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  

   horns 
  and 
  around 
  the 
  horns, 
  leaving 
  the 
  hide, 
  when 
  taken 
  from 
  the 
  

   deer, 
  antelope, 
  elk, 
  or 
  buffalo, 
  in 
  one 
  piece. 
  The 
  hide 
  was 
  called 
  

   hit: 
  this 
  belonged 
  to 
  the 
  man 
  who 
  killed 
  the 
  animal. 
  The 
  summer 
  

   hide 
  of 
  the 
  buffalo 
  was 
  called 
  teshna'ha, 
  meaning 
  "hide 
  without 
  

   hair." 
  From 
  the 
  teshna'ha 
  clothing, 
  moccasins, 
  and 
  tent 
  covers 
  

   were 
  made, 
  as 
  these 
  hides 
  were 
  easily 
  tanned 
  on 
  both 
  sides. 
  The 
  

   hides 
  taken 
  in 
  winter 
  were 
  called 
  meha; 
  these 
  were 
  used 
  for 
  robes 
  

   and 
  bedding 
  and 
  were 
  tanned 
  on 
  one 
  side 
  only. 
  The 
  hide 
  of 
  an 
  

   old 
  bull 
  was 
  preferred 
  for 
  bedding. 
  In 
  flaying 
  the 
  animal 
  for 
  this 
  

   purpose 
  the 
  usual 
  incisions 
  were 
  made 
  on 
  the 
  breast; 
  after 
  this 
  was 
  

   flayed 
  it 
  was 
  turned 
  thereon, 
  the 
  hind 
  legs 
  were 
  stretched 
  out 
  back- 
  

   ward, 
  the 
  fore 
  legs 
  doubled 
  under 
  the 
  body, 
  and 
  a 
  straight 
  cut 
  was 
  

   made 
  down 
  the 
  back; 
  then 
  the 
  skin 
  was 
  drawn 
  off 
  on 
  each 
  side. 
  

   Skill 
  was 
  required 
  to 
  make 
  straight 
  cuts 
  and 
  was 
  the 
  result 
  of 
  much 
  

   practice. 
  One 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  difficult 
  cuts 
  to 
  make 
  was 
  to 
  follow 
  the 
  

   dewlap. 
  A 
  true 
  outline 
  was 
  the 
  pride 
  of 
  the 
  hunter 
  and 
  added 
  to 
  

   the 
  value 
  of 
  a 
  skin, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  to 
  its 
  beauty, 
  particularly 
  when 
  it 
  was 
  

   to 
  be 
  used 
  as 
  a 
  robe. 
  

  

  After 
  flaying 
  a 
  buffalo, 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  hind 
  legs 
  was 
  disjointed 
  at 
  the 
  hip 
  

   and 
  cut 
  off. 
  The 
  flesh 
  of 
  the 
  leg 
  was 
  cut 
  lengthwise, 
  following 
  the 
  

   natural 
  folds 
  of 
  the 
  muscle, 
  and 
  the 
  bone 
  extracted; 
  this 
  portion 
  

   was 
  called 
  tezhe'ga. 
  The 
  next 
  act 
  was 
  to 
  open 
  the 
  body 
  sufficiently 
  

   to 
  remove 
  the 
  intestines. 
  The 
  large 
  intestine, 
  the 
  stomach, 
  and 
  the 
  

   bladder 
  were 
  removed 
  and 
  laid 
  to 
  one 
  side. 
  The 
  fore 
  leg 
  was 
  then 
  

   unjointed 
  and 
  cut 
  off 
  at 
  the 
  shoulder 
  and 
  the 
  bone 
  extracted; 
  this 
  

   portion 
  was 
  called 
  tea'. 
  The 
  breast 
  was 
  next 
  cut; 
  this 
  portion 
  

  

  