﻿338 
  THE 
  OMAHA 
  TRIBE 
  [eth. 
  ann. 
  27 
  

  

  Avocations 
  of 
  Men 
  

  

  The 
  avocations 
  of 
  men 
  were 
  chiefly 
  those 
  connected 
  with 
  their 
  

   duties 
  as 
  providers 
  for 
  and 
  protectors 
  of 
  the 
  family. 
  As 
  hunter 
  

   (p. 
  270) 
  the 
  man 
  secured 
  the 
  meat 
  and 
  the 
  pelts 
  but 
  the 
  work 
  of 
  trans- 
  

   forming 
  these 
  into 
  food, 
  clothing, 
  and 
  shelter 
  did 
  not 
  belong 
  to 
  him. 
  

   As 
  warrior 
  (p. 
  474) 
  he 
  was 
  obliged 
  to 
  be 
  on 
  the 
  alert 
  and 
  ever 
  

   ready 
  to 
  respond 
  at 
  once 
  to 
  the 
  cry 
  of 
  danger. 
  Men 
  made 
  all 
  their 
  

   own 
  weapons." 
  Bows 
  and 
  arrows 
  were 
  used 
  for 
  the 
  hunt 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  

   for 
  battle 
  (for 
  the 
  method 
  employed 
  in 
  making 
  these 
  see 
  p. 
  449). 
  The 
  

   manufacture 
  of 
  stone 
  implements 
  was 
  accomplished 
  in 
  two 
  ways: 
  

   (1 
  ) 
  by 
  flaking 
  by 
  pressure 
  from 
  an 
  elk 
  horn, 
  or 
  (2) 
  by 
  placing 
  the 
  piece 
  

   of 
  flint 
  between 
  the 
  folds 
  of 
  a 
  strip 
  of 
  rawhide, 
  holding 
  this 
  between 
  

   the 
  teeth 
  as 
  in 
  a 
  vise 
  and 
  working 
  it 
  sideways 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  break 
  or 
  chip 
  

   the 
  edge 
  of 
  the 
  flint 
  within 
  the 
  skin 
  without 
  injury 
  to 
  the 
  teeth, 
  a 
  

   somewhat 
  difficult 
  and 
  hazardous 
  process. 
  Men 
  made 
  all 
  the 
  stone 
  

   implements 
  used 
  in 
  felling 
  trees, 
  as 
  the 
  stone 
  ax 
  and 
  wedge; 
  these 
  

   were 
  ground 
  into 
  shape 
  and 
  smoothed, 
  a 
  slow 
  and 
  tedious 
  operation. 
  

   Disks 
  about 
  four 
  inches 
  hi 
  diameter 
  and 
  an 
  inch 
  in 
  thickness 
  were 
  

   made 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  manner. 
  These 
  disks 
  (l 
  n 
  'thapa) 
  were 
  used 
  to 
  crush 
  

   kernels 
  of 
  corn 
  into 
  meal, 
  also 
  wild 
  cherries 
  into 
  pulp 
  for 
  cooking; 
  

   they 
  were 
  mainly 
  used 
  for 
  grinding 
  corn 
  when 
  traveling, 
  as 
  the 
  large 
  

   mortar 
  and 
  pestle 
  were 
  inconvenient 
  for 
  transportation. 
  

  

  The 
  making 
  of 
  wooden 
  articles 
  was 
  also 
  the 
  task 
  of 
  the 
  men. 
  The 
  

   mortar 
  (u'he), 
  which 
  was 
  a 
  necessity 
  in 
  every 
  household, 
  was 
  formed 
  

   from 
  a 
  section 
  of 
  a 
  tree-trunk 
  a 
  foot 
  or 
  so 
  in 
  diameter 
  and 
  about 
  three 
  

   feet 
  long. 
  One 
  end 
  was 
  chipped 
  to 
  a 
  point 
  so 
  that 
  it 
  could 
  be 
  thrust 
  

   into 
  the 
  ground 
  to 
  hold 
  the 
  utensil 
  steady 
  when 
  in 
  use; 
  the 
  other 
  end 
  

   was 
  hollowed 
  out 
  to 
  form 
  the 
  receptacle 
  for 
  the 
  corn, 
  by 
  the 
  follow- 
  

   ing 
  process: 
  Coals 
  were 
  placed 
  on 
  the 
  surface 
  and 
  were 
  kept 
  "alive" 
  

   by 
  being 
  fanned 
  as 
  they 
  slowly 
  burned 
  their 
  way 
  into 
  the 
  wood, 
  

   until 
  a 
  sufficiently 
  large 
  cavity 
  had 
  been 
  burned 
  out, 
  when 
  the 
  mortar 
  

   was 
  smoothed 
  with 
  sandstone 
  and 
  water, 
  inside 
  and 
  outside. 
  The 
  pestle 
  

   (we'he) 
  was 
  between 
  three 
  and 
  four 
  feet 
  long, 
  large 
  and 
  heavy 
  at 
  one 
  

   end, 
  and 
  smaller 
  and 
  tapering 
  at 
  the 
  other. 
  When 
  in 
  use 
  the 
  small 
  

   end 
  was 
  inserted 
  into 
  the 
  mortar, 
  the 
  weight 
  of 
  the 
  large 
  end 
  giving 
  

   added 
  force 
  to 
  the 
  pounding 
  of 
  the 
  corn. 
  Wooden 
  bowls 
  (zho 
  n 
  u'xpe) 
  

   were 
  made 
  from 
  the 
  burrs 
  of 
  the 
  black 
  walnut. 
  These 
  were 
  burned 
  

   into 
  shape 
  as 
  described 
  and 
  polished 
  with 
  sand 
  and 
  water; 
  expe- 
  

   rience 
  and 
  skill 
  were 
  needed 
  to 
  make 
  the 
  bowl 
  symmetrical. 
  Some 
  of 
  

   these 
  bowls 
  were 
  beautiful 
  in 
  the 
  marking 
  and 
  grain 
  of 
  the 
  wood 
  as 
  

   well 
  as 
  in 
  form. 
  The 
  one 
  shown 
  in 
  the 
  illustration 
  (fig. 
  68) 
  was 
  made 
  

   in 
  the 
  eighteenth 
  century 
  and 
  was 
  prized 
  as 
  an 
  heirloom. 
  Each 
  of 
  the 
  

   several 
  societies 
  had 
  its 
  ceremonial 
  bowl 
  or 
  bowls. 
  Wooden 
  ladles 
  

  

  <• 
  The 
  manufacture 
  of 
  the 
  shield, 
  the 
  war 
  club, 
  and 
  the 
  spear 
  is 
  dealt 
  with 
  on 
  p. 
  448. 
  

  

  