﻿282 
  THE 
  OMAHA 
  TRIBE 
  [eth. 
  ann. 
  27 
  

  

  aster 
  was 
  regarded 
  as 
  a 
  supernatural 
  punishment 
  of 
  his 
  irreverent 
  

   action 
  in 
  interrupting 
  the 
  prescribed 
  order 
  of 
  procedure. 
  

  

  When 
  the 
  designated 
  place 
  for 
  the 
  attack 
  was 
  reached 
  the 
  two 
  

   youths 
  paused 
  while 
  the 
  hunters 
  divided 
  into 
  two 
  parties. 
  One 
  was 
  

   to 
  follow 
  the 
  youth 
  with 
  the 
  washa'be; 
  the 
  other 
  the 
  youth 
  with 
  the 
  

   pipestem. 
  At 
  the 
  command 
  of 
  the 
  watho 
  n 
  ' 
  the 
  two 
  young 
  men 
  

   started 
  and 
  ran 
  at 
  full 
  speed 
  to 
  circle 
  the 
  entire 
  herd, 
  followed 
  by 
  

   the 
  horsemen. 
  The 
  marshals 
  with 
  their 
  whips 
  held 
  the 
  riders 
  back 
  

   and 
  in 
  order, 
  for 
  no 
  one 
  was 
  allowed 
  to 
  break 
  into 
  the 
  herd 
  or 
  advance 
  

   beyond 
  the 
  washa'be 
  or 
  the 
  pipestem. 
  Whosoever 
  attempted 
  to 
  do 
  so 
  

   or 
  who 
  failed 
  to 
  control 
  his 
  horse 
  and 
  keep 
  in 
  line 
  was 
  flogged, 
  the 
  

   rawhide 
  thong 
  of 
  the 
  marshal 
  falling 
  on 
  the 
  bare 
  body 
  of 
  the 
  hunter 
  

   with 
  all 
  the 
  force 
  of 
  the 
  strong 
  arm 
  of 
  the 
  officer. 
  These 
  officers 
  

   were 
  the 
  only 
  men 
  to 
  wear 
  ornaments 
  on 
  the 
  hunts. 
  They 
  were 
  

   decorated 
  with 
  the 
  highly 
  prized 
  insignia, 
  " 
  the 
  Crow." 
  All 
  of 
  the 
  

   hunters 
  were 
  nude 
  except 
  for 
  moccasins 
  and 
  breechcloths. 
  When 
  

   the 
  two 
  youths 
  bearing 
  the 
  -washa'be 
  and 
  the 
  pipestem 
  met, 
  the 
  

   washa'be 
  was 
  thrust 
  into 
  the 
  ground 
  and 
  the 
  pipestem 
  tied 
  to 
  it. 
  

   This 
  was 
  the 
  signal 
  at 
  which 
  the 
  marshals 
  gave 
  the 
  word 
  of 
  com- 
  

   mand 
  to 
  charge 
  on 
  the 
  herd. 
  The 
  hunters 
  responded 
  with 
  shouts 
  

   and 
  yells, 
  driving 
  the 
  bewildered 
  buffalo 
  in 
  confused 
  circles 
  toward 
  

   the 
  camp. 
  When 
  the 
  two 
  youths 
  started 
  with 
  the 
  emblems 
  of 
  

   authority 
  to 
  circle 
  the 
  herd 
  their 
  places 
  were 
  immediately 
  taken 
  by 
  

   the 
  two 
  boys 
  who 
  had 
  been 
  selected 
  to 
  secure 
  the 
  tongues 
  and 
  

   heart 
  for 
  the 
  sacred 
  feast. 
  As 
  soon 
  as 
  the 
  hunters 
  rushed 
  on 
  

   the 
  herd 
  and 
  a 
  buffalo 
  was 
  seen 
  to 
  fall, 
  these 
  boys 
  pushed 
  in, 
  dodg- 
  

   ing 
  in 
  and 
  out 
  among 
  the 
  animals 
  and 
  hunters, 
  for 
  they 
  r"*st 
  take 
  

   the 
  tongue 
  from 
  a 
  buffalo 
  before 
  it 
  had 
  been 
  touched 
  with 
  a 
  knife. 
  

   They 
  carried 
  their 
  bows 
  unstrung 
  and 
  thrust 
  the 
  tongues 
  on 
  them. 
  

   They 
  had 
  been 
  instructed 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  maimer 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  tongues 
  

   must 
  be 
  taken. 
  An 
  opening 
  was 
  made 
  in 
  the 
  throat 
  of 
  the 
  buffalo 
  

   and 
  the 
  tongue 
  pulled 
  through 
  anil 
  taken 
  out; 
  then 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  

   tongue 
  was 
  bent 
  over 
  and 
  the 
  fold 
  cut. 
  It 
  was 
  thought 
  that 
  if 
  a 
  knife 
  

   was 
  thrust 
  through 
  the 
  tongue 
  to 
  make 
  a 
  hole, 
  it 
  would 
  bring 
  bad 
  

   luck. 
  Through 
  the 
  slit 
  thus 
  made 
  the 
  unstrung 
  bow 
  was 
  thrust. 
  Ten 
  

   tongues 
  were 
  carried 
  on 
  one 
  bow. 
  When 
  the 
  twenty 
  tongues 
  and 
  

   the 
  heart 
  were 
  secured, 
  the 
  boys 
  returned 
  with 
  these 
  articles 
  to 
  

   the 
  Sacred 
  Tent 
  of 
  the 
  White 
  Buffalo 
  Hide. 
  Meanwhile 
  the 
  slaughter 
  

   of 
  the 
  game 
  went 
  on. 
  The 
  Omah.. 
  were 
  expert 
  hunters 
  and 
  many 
  

   a 
  man 
  could 
  boast 
  of 
  sending 
  his 
  arrow 
  clear 
  through 
  a 
  buffalo 
  and 
  

   wounding 
  a 
  second 
  one 
  beyond 
  with 
  the 
  same 
  missile. 
  (PI. 
  40.) 
  

   At 
  the 
  conclusion 
  of 
  the 
  hunt 
  the 
  washa'be 
  and 
  the 
  pipestem 
  were 
  

   brought 
  back 
  and 
  delivered 
  to 
  the 
  waiho"'. 
  The 
  meat 
  was 
  packed 
  on 
  

   the 
  horses 
  and 
  taken 
  to 
  camp, 
  where 
  it 
  was 
  jerked 
  by 
  the 
  women. 
  On 
  

   the 
  night 
  of 
  the 
  surround 
  the 
  feast 
  of 
  tongues 
  and 
  heart 
  was 
  held 
  in 
  the 
  

  

  