﻿342 
  THE 
  OMAHA 
  TRIBE 
  [eth. 
  ass. 
  27 
  

  

  Mushrooms 
  (mika'exthi, 
  "looks 
  like 
  tripe") 
  were 
  eaten 
  boiled 
  or 
  

   fried 
  in 
  fat. 
  

  

  The 
  leaves 
  of 
  Ceanotltus 
  americanus 
  , 
  "New 
  Jersey 
  tea," 
  were 
  made 
  

   into 
  a 
  tea 
  to 
  be 
  taken 
  with 
  the 
  food; 
  this 
  was 
  called 
  tabe'Tii. 
  

  

  The 
  shoulder 
  of 
  game 
  was 
  always 
  roasted 
  and 
  because 
  it 
  was 
  so 
  

   cooked 
  it 
  was 
  called 
  waba'pno". 
  

  

  The 
  thigh 
  was 
  cut 
  in 
  thin 
  slices 
  and 
  jerked. 
  This 
  meat 
  was 
  always 
  

   boiled 
  even 
  when 
  it 
  was 
  fresh. 
  The 
  broth 
  (tezhe'ga) 
  was 
  eaten 
  with 
  

   the 
  meat. 
  

  

  The 
  marrow 
  {wazhi'he) 
  from 
  the 
  fore-leg 
  and 
  hind-leg 
  bones 
  was 
  con- 
  

   sidered 
  a 
  delicacy. 
  The 
  bones 
  were 
  roasted 
  and 
  served 
  hot 
  with 
  the 
  

   roasted 
  shoulder. 
  A 
  brush 
  made 
  by 
  pounding 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  a 
  sprig 
  of 
  

   the 
  wild 
  cherry 
  was 
  used 
  in 
  serving 
  the 
  marrow. 
  This 
  cherry 
  stick 
  

   brush 
  was 
  called 
  wazhi'he 
  ibagu'de. 
  

  

  The 
  ribs 
  (tethi'te) 
  were 
  used 
  only 
  when 
  fresh; 
  they 
  were 
  roasted, 
  

   never 
  boiled. 
  

  

  The 
  tezhu', 
  a 
  special 
  cut 
  already 
  described, 
  was 
  either 
  roasted 
  or 
  

   boiled; 
  it 
  was 
  also 
  jerked. 
  

  

  Birds 
  were 
  both 
  boiled 
  and 
  roasted. 
  All 
  roasting 
  was 
  done 
  by 
  

   thrusting 
  the 
  bird 
  on 
  a 
  stick 
  which 
  was 
  then 
  stood 
  up 
  before 
  the 
  i\iv. 
  

   This 
  mode 
  of 
  cooking 
  was 
  called 
  Jxiciio"'. 
  

  

  The 
  methods 
  of 
  preparing 
  and 
  cooking 
  corn 
  have 
  been 
  already 
  

   described. 
  

  

  Salt 
  was 
  obtained 
  from 
  a 
  stream 
  near 
  the 
  present 
  city 
  of 
  Lincoln, 
  

   Nebraska, 
  known 
  to 
  the 
  Omaha 
  as 
  Salt 
  creek, 
  the 
  waters 
  of 
  which 
  

   left 
  on 
  the 
  grassy 
  banks 
  a 
  white 
  saline 
  deposit. 
  This 
  fine 
  salt 
  the 
  

   women 
  brushed 
  into 
  piles 
  by 
  means 
  of 
  feathers 
  and 
  afterward 
  it 
  was 
  

   deposited 
  in 
  bladder 
  bags 
  for 
  future 
  use. 
  

  

  DRESSING 
  AND 
  TANNING 
  SKINS 
  

  

  Among 
  the 
  most 
  important 
  of 
  the 
  woman's 
  duties 
  were 
  the 
  care 
  

   and 
  preparation 
  of 
  the 
  pelts, 
  as 
  on 
  these 
  the 
  people 
  depended 
  for 
  

   clothing 
  and 
  shelter. 
  The 
  work 
  of 
  dressing 
  and 
  tanning, 
  which 
  was 
  

   arduous, 
  bore 
  the 
  general 
  name 
  ivato 
  n 
  'tfte. 
  When 
  the 
  tribe 
  was 
  on 
  the 
  

   annual 
  hunt 
  a 
  certain 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  work 
  of 
  dressing 
  the 
  skins 
  had 
  to 
  

   be 
  done 
  at 
  once 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  preserve 
  the 
  pelts 
  for 
  future 
  use 
  and 
  

   tanning. 
  

  

  First, 
  the 
  green 
  skin 
  was 
  washed 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  remove 
  all 
  evidences 
  

   of 
  the 
  slaughter. 
  

  

  Second, 
  slits 
  were 
  cut 
  along 
  the 
  edges, 
  and 
  through 
  these 
  slits 
  pegs 
  

   were 
  driven 
  so 
  that 
  the 
  hide 
  could 
  he 
  stretched 
  taut 
  on 
  the 
  ground, 
  

   the 
  inner 
  side 
  uppermost. 
  

  

  Third, 
  an 
  implement 
  made 
  from 
  the 
  leg 
  bone 
  of 
  the 
  elk, 
  called 
  

   we'hashdbe 
  (fig. 
  70; 
  Peabody 
  Museum 
  no. 
  40109), 
  was 
  used 
  to 
  re- 
  

   move 
  any 
  fleshy 
  portions 
  adhering 
  to 
  the 
  green 
  skin, 
  which 
  was 
  

  

  