﻿358 
  THE 
  OMAHA 
  TRIBE 
  [ETH. 
  ANN. 
  27 
  

  

  meat 
  was 
  to 
  be 
  secured, 
  the 
  priests 
  and 
  chiefs 
  wore 
  the 
  uncut 
  buffalo 
  

   robe, 
  the 
  hair 
  outside, 
  so 
  wrapped 
  about 
  their 
  bodies 
  that 
  as 
  they 
  

   sat 
  they 
  presented 
  somewhat 
  the 
  appearance 
  of 
  a 
  group 
  of 
  buffalo. 
  

   This 
  manner 
  of 
  wearing 
  the 
  robe 
  was 
  explained 
  as 
  being 
  in 
  recognition 
  

   of 
  the 
  transmission 
  of 
  life 
  from 
  the 
  buffalo 
  to 
  man 
  that 
  the 
  latter 
  might 
  

   live. 
  Again, 
  the 
  warrior 
  when 
  going 
  to 
  battle 
  might 
  wear 
  a 
  wolf 
  skin 
  

   over 
  his 
  shoulder 
  or 
  put 
  on 
  himself 
  the 
  skin 
  of 
  some 
  swift 
  bird 
  of 
  prey. 
  

   This 
  semblance 
  of 
  the 
  living 
  creature 
  not 
  only 
  indicated 
  an 
  appeal 
  for 
  

   help 
  but 
  was 
  believed 
  to 
  promote 
  the 
  transmission 
  of 
  the 
  help 
  and 
  to 
  

   make 
  it 
  more 
  direct 
  in 
  the 
  hour 
  of 
  need. 
  

  

  (c) 
  As 
  proclaiming 
  personal 
  achievements. 
  It 
  will 
  be 
  recalled 
  that 
  

   war 
  honors 
  were 
  graded 
  and 
  could 
  be 
  bestowed 
  only 
  at 
  the 
  public 
  

   ceremony 
  called 
  Wate'gictu, 
  and 
  that 
  each 
  grade 
  had 
  its 
  peculiar 
  

   decoration, 
  so 
  that 
  a 
  man's 
  costume 
  and 
  regalia 
  proclaimed 
  the 
  

   character 
  of 
  his 
  deeds, 
  his 
  personal 
  achievements. 
  The 
  decorations 
  

   which 
  appeared 
  on 
  the 
  face, 
  body, 
  or 
  garments 
  of 
  a 
  warrior 
  not 
  only 
  

   indicated 
  what 
  had 
  been 
  the 
  character 
  of 
  deeds 
  performed 
  by 
  him 
  in 
  

   battle 
  but 
  they 
  asserted 
  his 
  right 
  to 
  appeal 
  to 
  certain 
  powers 
  for 
  

   supernatural 
  aid. 
  

  

  Social 
  Significance 
  

  

  (a) 
  Marking 
  the 
  kinship 
  group. 
  As 
  the 
  life 
  of 
  the 
  people 
  became 
  

   more 
  complex, 
  the 
  idea 
  seems 
  to 
  have 
  developed 
  of 
  making 
  the 
  skins 
  of 
  

   the 
  helpful 
  animals 
  subservient 
  to 
  man 
  under 
  his 
  new 
  requirements. 
  

   This 
  idea 
  seems 
  to 
  have 
  found 
  expression 
  in 
  the 
  moccasin. 
  To 
  make 
  

   this 
  foot 
  gear 
  it 
  was 
  necessary 
  so 
  to 
  cut 
  the 
  skin 
  that 
  when 
  the 
  parts 
  

   were 
  sewed 
  together 
  all 
  semblance 
  of 
  the 
  animal 
  was 
  lost 
  and 
  the 
  form 
  

   pertained 
  wholly 
  to 
  man. 
  The 
  moccasin 
  also 
  became 
  typical 
  of 
  man 
  

   as 
  a 
  social 
  being. 
  In 
  the 
  Omaha 
  and 
  its 
  cognate 
  tribes 
  the 
  moccasin 
  

   held 
  an 
  important 
  place 
  in 
  rites 
  which 
  laid 
  stress 
  on 
  the 
  obligation 
  of 
  

   a 
  gens 
  ami 
  which 
  were 
  social 
  in 
  character. 
  For 
  example, 
  when 
  the 
  

   ceremony 
  took 
  place 
  which 
  marked 
  the 
  initiation 
  of 
  the 
  child 
  into 
  the 
  

   tribe 
  and 
  it 
  was 
  given 
  a 
  name 
  which 
  belonged 
  to 
  its 
  gens, 
  moccasins 
  

   were 
  put 
  on 
  its 
  feet 
  with 
  song 
  and 
  ritual 
  as 
  it 
  was 
  "turned 
  by 
  the 
  

   winds" 
  and 
  sent 
  forth 
  "into 
  the 
  walk 
  of 
  life." 
  Among 
  the 
  Ponca, 
  

   a 
  subdivision 
  of 
  the 
  Ni'kapashna 
  gens 
  to 
  whom 
  the 
  deer 
  was 
  tabu 
  

   put 
  on 
  their 
  dead 
  moccasins 
  made 
  from 
  deer 
  skin, 
  so 
  that 
  on 
  the 
  jour- 
  

   ney 
  the 
  spirit 
  might 
  be 
  recognized 
  by 
  its 
  own 
  people 
  and 
  not 
  lose 
  its 
  

   way. 
  The 
  same 
  custom 
  obtained 
  in 
  the 
  Tapa' 
  gens 
  of 
  the 
  Omaha 
  

   tribe, 
  which 
  had 
  the 
  same 
  tabu. 
  The 
  We'zhi 
  n 
  shte 
  gens 
  followed 
  a 
  

   similar 
  custom 
  and 
  put 
  on 
  the 
  feet 
  of 
  their 
  dead 
  members 
  moccasins 
  

   made 
  from 
  the 
  skin 
  of 
  the 
  elk, 
  the 
  elk 
  being 
  tabu 
  to 
  the 
  living. 
  

   Less 
  serious 
  in 
  character 
  but 
  still 
  related 
  to 
  the 
  ideas 
  embodied 
  

   in 
  the 
  above 
  rites 
  is 
  the 
  following 
  saying: 
  "On 
  a 
  journey 
  if 
  one's 
  

  

  a 
  Similar 
  customs 
  pertaining 
  to 
  moccasins 
  in 
  connection 
  with 
  the 
  dead 
  obtained 
  among 
  the 
  Osage. 
  

  

  