﻿366 
  THE 
  OMAHA 
  TRIBE 
  [bth. 
  ann. 
  27 
  

  

  t 
  wi 
  i 
  groups, 
  or 
  parties. 
  This 
  is 
  the 
  game 
  before 
  referred 
  to 
  (see 
  p. 
  197) 
  

   as 
  sometimes 
  played 
  between 
  the 
  two 
  divisions 
  of 
  the 
  tribe, 
  which 
  

   had 
  a 
  cosmic 
  significance 
  in 
  reference 
  to 
  the 
  winds 
  and 
  the 
  earth. 
  

   When 
  it 
  was 
  played 
  between 
  the 
  two 
  divisions 
  of 
  the 
  tribe 
  it 
  had 
  to 
  

   be 
  formally 
  opened 
  by 
  a 
  member 
  of 
  the 
  Ko 
  n 
  'ce 
  gens 
  in 
  the 
  manner 
  

   already 
  described. 
  When 
  it 
  was 
  played 
  merely 
  for 
  pleasure 
  between 
  

   two 
  groups 
  of 
  boys, 
  if 
  among 
  the 
  number 
  there 
  chanced 
  to 
  be 
  a 
  boy 
  

   from 
  the 
  Ko 
  n 
  'ce 
  gens, 
  he. 
  would 
  be 
  the 
  one 
  to 
  open 
  the 
  game 
  and 
  first 
  

   to 
  toss 
  and 
  strike 
  the 
  ball. 
  Two 
  stakes, 
  as 
  goals 
  for 
  the 
  two 
  sides, 
  

   were 
  set 
  at 
  a 
  considerable 
  distance 
  apart. 
  The 
  players 
  with 
  the 
  ball 
  

   started 
  from 
  the 
  center. 
  The 
  aim 
  of 
  each 
  player 
  was 
  to 
  drive 
  the 
  ball 
  

   to 
  the 
  goal 
  of 
  his 
  side, 
  while 
  the 
  players 
  on 
  the 
  opposing 
  side 
  tried 
  to 
  

   prevent 
  this 
  and 
  to 
  drive 
  the 
  ball 
  to 
  their 
  own 
  goal. 
  The 
  bat 
  used 
  was 
  

   a 
  stick 
  crooked 
  at 
  one 
  end. 
  When 
  boy 
  neighbors 
  played 
  together, 
  the 
  

   "sides" 
  were 
  chosen 
  in 
  the 
  following 
  manner: 
  A 
  boy 
  was 
  selected 
  to 
  

   choose 
  the 
  sticks. 
  He 
  took 
  a 
  seat 
  on 
  the 
  ground 
  and 
  another 
  boy 
  stood 
  

   behind 
  him. 
  The 
  standing 
  boy 
  held 
  his 
  hands 
  over 
  the 
  eyes 
  of 
  the 
  

   seated 
  boy. 
  Then 
  all 
  the 
  sticks 
  were 
  laid 
  in 
  a 
  pile 
  before 
  the 
  latter. 
  

   He 
  took 
  two 
  sticks, 
  felt 
  them, 
  trying 
  to 
  recognize 
  to 
  what 
  boy 
  they 
  

   belonged. 
  Then 
  he 
  crossed 
  his 
  hands 
  and 
  laid 
  one 
  stick 
  on 
  one 
  side 
  and 
  

   the 
  other 
  on 
  the 
  other 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  place 
  where 
  he 
  was 
  sitting. 
  When 
  

   all 
  the 
  sticks 
  had 
  been 
  taken 
  up 
  and 
  laid 
  on 
  one 
  or 
  the 
  other 
  pile, 
  the 
  

   standing 
  boy 
  removed 
  his 
  hands 
  and 
  the 
  boy 
  who 
  had 
  chosen 
  the 
  

   sticks 
  indicated 
  to 
  which 
  pile 
  or 
  side 
  he 
  would 
  belong. 
  There 
  were 
  no 
  

   leaders 
  in 
  the 
  game 
  — 
  the 
  ball 
  was 
  tossed 
  and 
  the 
  sides 
  fell 
  to 
  playing. 
  

   When 
  men 
  played 
  this 
  game, 
  large 
  stakes 
  were 
  often 
  put 
  up, 
  as 
  gar- 
  

   ments, 
  robes, 
  horses, 
  bows 
  and 
  arrows, 
  and 
  guns. 
  No 
  stakes 
  were 
  

   ventured 
  when 
  boys 
  were 
  the 
  players. 
  

  

  Pa'pi 
  n 
  zhahe 
  was 
  a 
  game 
  adopted 
  from 
  the 
  Pawnee 
  some 
  generations 
  

   back. 
  It 
  was 
  played 
  with 
  a 
  hoop 
  and 
  a 
  peculiar 
  stick 
  which 
  was 
  

   thrown 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  intercept 
  the 
  rolling 
  hoop. 
  (Fig. 
  84; 
  Peabody 
  

   Museum 
  no. 
  37776.) 
  

  

  Lads 
  sometimes 
  indulged 
  in 
  a 
  game 
  called 
  wa'thade. 
  This 
  game, 
  

   which 
  may 
  be 
  called 
  "dare," 
  consisted 
  in 
  lads 
  doing 
  ridiculous 
  things, 
  

   which 
  required 
  exertion 
  to 
  accomplish. 
  Some 
  of 
  the 
  number 
  were 
  

   detailed 
  to 
  see 
  that 
  the 
  boys 
  actually 
  did 
  the 
  things 
  called 
  for. 
  

   Many 
  are 
  the 
  laughs 
  the 
  older 
  men 
  have 
  over 
  these 
  "hazing" 
  sports 
  

   of 
  their 
  youth, 
  as 
  they 
  recount 
  their 
  escapades. 
  

  

  Girls 
  had 
  a 
  game, 
  tabewaba' 
  'zhnade 
  (tahe, 
  "ball;" 
  waba' 
  zhnade 
  , 
  

   "stick"), 
  played 
  with 
  two 
  balls 
  tied 
  together 
  and 
  a 
  stick. 
  Two 
  goals 
  

   were 
  set 
  up 
  several 
  yards 
  apart. 
  The 
  players 
  were 
  divided 
  into 
  two 
  

   parties, 
  each 
  with 
  its 
  goal. 
  They 
  started 
  in 
  the 
  middle 
  and 
  each 
  

   side 
  tried 
  to 
  prevent 
  the 
  other's 
  balls 
  from 
  reaching 
  the 
  goal. 
  

  

  There 
  were 
  two 
  games 
  which 
  were 
  rarely, 
  if 
  ever, 
  played 
  except 
  for 
  

   stakes. 
  One 
  of 
  these 
  was 
  played 
  exclusively 
  by 
  women; 
  this 
  was 
  

  

  