﻿346 
  THE 
  OMAHA 
  TRIBE 
  [eth. 
  anx. 
  27 
  

  

  line 
  on 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  the 
  upper 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  moccasins; 
  the 
  larger 
  

   ones 
  were 
  used 
  in 
  decorating 
  the 
  flaps 
  about 
  the 
  ankle. 
  The 
  Omaha 
  

   did 
  not 
  often 
  ornament 
  garments 
  with 
  quill 
  work. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  said 
  by 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  old 
  women 
  that 
  in 
  early 
  times 
  only 
  black, 
  

   red, 
  and 
  white 
  were 
  used; 
  that 
  red 
  and 
  black 
  were 
  the 
  only 
  native 
  

   dyes; 
  and 
  that 
  yellow, 
  blue, 
  and 
  green 
  were 
  introduced 
  by 
  traders. 
  

   Yet 
  yellow 
  and 
  dark 
  blue 
  were 
  made 
  from 
  roots 
  known 
  to 
  some 
  of 
  

   the 
  women, 
  so 
  these 
  may 
  have 
  been 
  used 
  before 
  the 
  day 
  of 
  the 
  trader. 
  

  

  The 
  black 
  dye. 
  was 
  made 
  from 
  a 
  yellow 
  earth, 
  or 
  clay, 
  called 
  wape'- 
  

   zhide 
  nika. 
  This 
  earth 
  was 
  put 
  into 
  a 
  vessel 
  over 
  the 
  fire 
  and 
  a 
  piece 
  

   of 
  tallow 
  added. 
  The 
  earth 
  was 
  stirred 
  constantly 
  until 
  it 
  was 
  

   masted 
  black. 
  A 
  decoction 
  was 
  then 
  made 
  by 
  cutting 
  the 
  inner 
  

   bark 
  of 
  the 
  maple 
  into 
  strips, 
  adding 
  leaves 
  from 
  the 
  trees 
  that 
  had 
  

   been 
  mashed 
  and 
  boiling 
  these 
  in 
  water 
  until 
  it 
  became 
  a 
  dark 
  red. 
  

   The 
  roasted 
  earth 
  was 
  added 
  to 
  the 
  boiling 
  decoction. 
  After 
  the 
  

   earth 
  had 
  been 
  boiled 
  in 
  it, 
  the 
  water 
  was 
  very 
  black. 
  The 
  mixture 
  

   was 
  then 
  taken 
  off 
  the 
  fire 
  and 
  the 
  quills 
  were 
  put 
  into 
  it 
  and 
  left 
  

   over 
  night 
  ; 
  in 
  the 
  morning 
  they 
  would 
  be 
  found 
  dyed 
  black. 
  

  

  The 
  red 
  d} 
  7 
  e 
  was 
  made 
  from 
  the 
  root 
  of 
  a 
  small 
  plant 
  that 
  grows 
  

   in 
  the 
  marshes 
  or 
  lowlands. 
  This 
  root 
  was 
  boiled 
  in 
  water 
  and 
  the 
  

   quills 
  were 
  boiled 
  with 
  it 
  for 
  a 
  short 
  time 
  until 
  all 
  were 
  colored 
  a 
  

   bright 
  red. 
  The 
  Omaha 
  called 
  this 
  dye 
  "feather 
  dye." 
  The 
  plant 
  

   has 
  not 
  been 
  identified 
  botanicalry. 
  The 
  red 
  quills 
  were 
  dyed 
  early 
  

   in 
  the 
  morning, 
  before 
  the 
  first 
  meal 
  was 
  eaten, 
  as 
  the 
  process 
  was 
  

   thought 
  to 
  succeed 
  best 
  at 
  that 
  time. 
  It 
  is 
  said 
  that 
  but 
  few 
  

   persons 
  were 
  competent 
  to 
  dye 
  a 
  good 
  red. 
  

  

  The 
  yellow 
  dye 
  was 
  made 
  from 
  the 
  earl}' 
  buds 
  of 
  the 
  Cottonwood, 
  

   "the 
  buds 
  out 
  of 
  which 
  the 
  leaves 
  spring." 
  This 
  color 
  was 
  also 
  

   made 
  from 
  the 
  roots 
  of 
  a 
  vine 
  (not 
  identified). 
  After 
  these 
  roots 
  

   had 
  been 
  boiled 
  the 
  quills 
  were 
  dropped 
  into 
  the 
  water 
  but 
  were 
  

   allowed 
  to 
  remain 
  only 
  a 
  very 
  short 
  time. 
  

  

  White 
  was 
  the 
  natural 
  color 
  of 
  the 
  quills; 
  they 
  were 
  never 
  bleached. 
  

  

  Verdigris 
  was 
  used 
  for 
  coloring 
  green. 
  

  

  The 
  quills 
  were 
  never 
  split. 
  They 
  were 
  held 
  in 
  the 
  mouth 
  to 
  

   make 
  them 
  pliable, 
  as 
  they 
  needed 
  both 
  warmth 
  and 
  moisture 
  to 
  

   bring 
  about 
  that 
  condition. 
  Cold 
  water 
  would 
  not 
  serve 
  the 
  purpose. 
  

  

  To 
  flatten 
  them 
  for 
  working, 
  the 
  black 
  end, 
  or 
  tip, 
  was 
  held 
  by 
  the 
  

   thumb 
  and 
  finger 
  of 
  the 
  right 
  hand, 
  the 
  nails 
  being 
  used 
  to 
  flatten 
  

   the 
  quills, 
  which 
  were 
  warm 
  and 
  moist 
  and 
  pliable, 
  being 
  taken 
  

   directly 
  from 
  the 
  mouth 
  for 
  this 
  flattening 
  process. 
  A 
  number 
  woidd 
  

   be 
  treated 
  in 
  this 
  way 
  but 
  just 
  before 
  using 
  them 
  in 
  sewing 
  the 
  same 
  

   treatment 
  would 
  be 
  again 
  applied. 
  

  

  Quill 
  work 
  was 
  called 
  u'thifke, 
  an 
  old, 
  untranslatable 
  term. 
  

  

  The 
  patterns 
  were 
  not 
  often 
  traced. 
  They 
  were 
  generally 
  evolved 
  

   by 
  the 
  worker 
  as 
  she 
  r 
  jceeded. 
  In 
  olden 
  times 
  only 
  the 
  awl 
  was 
  

  

  