﻿FLETCHF.R-LA 
  FLESI'III.] 
  SOCIAL 
  LIFE 
  357 
  

  

  old 
  keeper, 
  this 
  passage 
  referred 
  to 
  the 
  natural 
  birth, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  to 
  

   the 
  development 
  of 
  the 
  people, 
  who 
  then 
  dwelt 
  near 
  " 
  a 
  great 
  water," 
  

   and 
  whose 
  "desire 
  for 
  covering" 
  marked 
  the 
  arousing 
  of 
  self-conscious- 
  

   ness. 
  The 
  words 
  used 
  in 
  the 
  Legend 
  are 
  itha'kigtha 
  xade, 
  "to 
  cover 
  

   ones' 
  self 
  with;" 
  and 
  the 
  expression 
  is 
  distinct 
  from 
  wa'thaha, 
  the 
  

   word 
  for 
  clothing. 
  The 
  words 
  used 
  in 
  the 
  Legend 
  carry 
  the 
  idea 
  of 
  

   something 
  placed 
  on 
  the 
  body 
  of 
  a 
  person 
  with 
  the 
  motive 
  of 
  

   withdrawing 
  himself 
  and 
  differentiating 
  himself 
  from 
  his 
  fellows 
  — 
  a 
  

   simple 
  act 
  of 
  self-consciousness 
  expressive 
  of 
  the 
  idea 
  fundamental 
  to 
  

   costume, 
  decoration, 
  and 
  regalia. 
  

  

  (b) 
  As 
  symbolizing 
  dependence 
  on 
  the 
  supernatural. 
  Nature 
  was 
  

   looked 
  on 
  subjectively 
  and 
  anthropomorphically; 
  all 
  life 
  was 
  con- 
  

   sidered 
  as 
  one 
  and 
  as 
  related. 
  Man's 
  physical 
  existence 
  is 
  sustained 
  

   by 
  other 
  forms 
  of 
  life. 
  Eating 
  the 
  products 
  of 
  the 
  earth 
  and 
  the 
  flesh 
  

   of 
  the 
  animals 
  is 
  essential 
  to 
  bodily 
  vigor. 
  And 
  this 
  physical 
  de- 
  

   pendence 
  on 
  living 
  forms 
  was 
  carried 
  a 
  step 
  further 
  in 
  the 
  idea 
  that 
  

   man's 
  spirit 
  (;wazhi 
  n 
  '), 
  his 
  will, 
  his 
  power 
  to 
  do, 
  can 
  be 
  strengthened 
  

   by 
  being 
  supplemented 
  by 
  the 
  spirit 
  o,r 
  power 
  of 
  the 
  bird, 
  the 
  animal, 
  

   or 
  the 
  plant, 
  since 
  he 
  believed, 
  first, 
  that 
  all 
  things 
  on 
  the 
  earth 
  or 
  

   above 
  in 
  the 
  sky 
  are 
  permeated 
  by 
  the 
  same 
  life 
  or 
  force 
  that 
  man 
  

   is 
  conscious 
  of 
  within 
  himself; 
  second, 
  that 
  this 
  invisible 
  life 
  or 
  force 
  

   is 
  continuous, 
  not 
  to 
  be 
  broken 
  even 
  by 
  physical 
  death; 
  and, 
  third, 
  

   that 
  the 
  qualities 
  or 
  potentialities 
  of 
  one 
  form 
  can 
  be 
  transmitted 
  to 
  

   another 
  form 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  augment 
  power. 
  Moreover, 
  as 
  man 
  has 
  to 
  

   make 
  an 
  effort, 
  has 
  to 
  perform 
  some 
  act 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  secure 
  food 
  for 
  the 
  

   nourishment 
  of 
  his 
  body, 
  the 
  Omaha 
  seems 
  to 
  have 
  argued 
  by 
  analogy 
  

   that 
  he 
  would 
  have 
  to 
  go 
  through 
  some 
  form 
  of 
  appeal 
  if 
  he 
  desired 
  to 
  

   have 
  his 
  spirit 
  strengthened. 
  The 
  visible 
  medium 
  of 
  help 
  for 
  both 
  

   body 
  and 
  spirit 
  was 
  some 
  natural 
  form 
  imbued 
  with 
  life 
  from 
  Wako 
  n 
  'da. 
  

   In 
  accordance 
  with 
  these 
  beliefs, 
  rites 
  seem 
  to 
  have 
  grown 
  up 
  around 
  

   the 
  quest 
  for 
  food 
  and 
  the 
  dress 
  worn 
  at 
  these 
  ceremonies 
  exemplifies 
  

   these 
  beliefs. 
  

  

  In 
  common 
  with 
  other 
  tribes 
  the 
  Omaha 
  conserved 
  in 
  his 
  religious 
  

   ceremonies 
  those 
  articles 
  which 
  had 
  contributed 
  to 
  the 
  betterment 
  of 
  

   t 
  lie 
  people 
  in 
  their 
  long, 
  slow 
  struggle 
  upward. 
  One 
  of 
  the 
  earliest, 
  if 
  

   not 
  the 
  earliest, 
  garment 
  which 
  served 
  to 
  protect 
  the 
  body 
  from 
  cold 
  

   and 
  storm 
  seems 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  the 
  unfashioned 
  hide. 
  This 
  garment 
  

   retained 
  the 
  semblance 
  of 
  the 
  animal 
  and 
  the 
  comfort 
  the 
  skin 
  con- 
  

   tributed 
  to 
  the 
  body 
  seems 
  to 
  have 
  served 
  to 
  increase 
  the 
  native 
  confi- 
  

   dence 
  in 
  the 
  close 
  relation 
  he 
  conceived 
  to 
  exist 
  between 
  all 
  other 
  visible 
  

   forms 
  and 
  himself. 
  Although 
  in 
  later 
  times 
  his 
  ordinary 
  clothing 
  

   ceased 
  to 
  exemplify 
  this 
  close 
  relation, 
  yet 
  when 
  the 
  Omaha 
  entered 
  

   on 
  sacred 
  ceremonies 
  with 
  the 
  desire 
  of 
  securing 
  supernatural 
  aid 
  

   there 
  was 
  a 
  return 
  in 
  his 
  apparel 
  to 
  the 
  primitive 
  form. 
  For 
  example, 
  

   in 
  the 
  rites 
  preceding 
  the 
  tribal 
  buffalo 
  hunt, 
  when 
  the 
  main 
  supply 
  of 
  

  

  