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  THE 
  OMAHA 
  TRIBE 
  [eth. 
  ANN. 
  27 
  

  

  The 
  Wa'wa" 
  Ceremony 
  

  

  The 
  Omaha 
  name 
  for 
  this 
  ceremony, 
  Wa'wa" 
  ("to 
  sing 
  for 
  some- 
  

   one"), 
  refers 
  to 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  marked 
  characteristics 
  of 
  the 
  ceremony, 
  

   the 
  singing 
  of 
  songs 
  accompanied 
  by 
  rhythmic 
  movements 
  of 
  the 
  two 
  

   peculiar 
  objects 
  essential 
  to 
  the 
  ceremony, 
  the 
  nini'ba 
  we'awan 
  (nini'ba 
  , 
  

   " 
  pipe;" 
  ire'aica", 
  " 
  to 
  sing 
  with.") 
  

  

  According 
  to 
  the 
  Sacred 
  Legend, 
  it 
  was 
  while 
  a 
  council 
  was 
  being 
  

   held 
  between 
  the 
  Omaha, 
  including 
  the 
  Ponca, 
  the 
  Cheyenne, 
  the 
  

   Ankara, 
  and 
  other 
  tribes, 
  to 
  bring 
  about 
  friendly 
  relations, 
  that 
  this 
  

   ceremony, 
  with 
  all 
  its 
  peaceful 
  obligations, 
  became 
  known 
  to 
  the 
  

   Omaha. 
  The 
  extent 
  of 
  country 
  over 
  which 
  this 
  rite 
  once 
  held 
  sway 
  

   has 
  been 
  referred 
  to. 
  (See 
  p. 
  74.) 
  It 
  was 
  a 
  ceremony 
  which 
  made 
  ba- 
  

   the 
  securing 
  of 
  peace 
  between 
  unrelated 
  groups 
  through 
  the 
  establish- 
  

   ment 
  of 
  a 
  ceremonial 
  tie 
  which 
  should 
  be 
  regarded 
  as 
  of 
  a 
  nature 
  as 
  

   inviolable 
  as 
  that 
  between 
  father 
  and 
  son. 
  

  

  The 
  two 
  objects 
  essential 
  to 
  this 
  ceremony 
  were 
  similar 
  to 
  pipe- 
  

   stems 
  and 
  ornamented 
  symbolically 
  but 
  they 
  were 
  not 
  attached 
  to 
  

   bowls 
  and 
  were 
  never 
  used 
  for 
  smoking. 
  Still 
  the}* 
  partook 
  of 
  the 
  

   significance 
  of 
  pipes 
  in 
  their 
  sanctity, 
  they 
  were 
  spoken 
  of 
  as 
  pipes, 
  

   and 
  were 
  held 
  in 
  the 
  greatest 
  reverence." 
  Songs 
  formed 
  an 
  important 
  

   feature 
  of 
  the 
  ceremony 
  and 
  the 
  singing 
  was 
  always 
  accompanied 
  by 
  

   rhythmic 
  movements 
  of 
  the 
  pipe 
  bearers 
  and 
  also 
  of 
  the 
  pipes. 
  This 
  

   movement 
  was 
  spoken 
  of 
  as 
  nini'ba 
  bazho 
  n 
  , 
  "shaking 
  or 
  waving 
  the 
  

   pipes." 
  

  

  Each 
  stem 
  was 
  of 
  ash; 
  a 
  hole 
  burned 
  through 
  the 
  entire 
  length 
  per- 
  

   mitted 
  the 
  passage 
  of 
  the 
  breath. 
  The 
  length 
  was 
  seven 
  stretches 
  

   between 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  thumb 
  and 
  the 
  tip 
  of 
  the 
  forefinger. 
  The 
  

   stem 
  was 
  feathered, 
  like 
  an 
  arrow, 
  from 
  the 
  wing 
  of 
  the 
  golden 
  eagle. 
  

   Around 
  the 
  mouthpiece 
  was 
  a 
  band 
  of 
  iridescent 
  feathers 
  from 
  the 
  

   neck 
  of 
  the 
  duck; 
  midway 
  the 
  length 
  was 
  a 
  ruff 
  of 
  owl 
  feathers; 
  over 
  

   the 
  bowl 
  end 
  were 
  stretched 
  the 
  head, 
  neck, 
  and 
  breast 
  of 
  the 
  mallard 
  

   duck, 
  tied 
  in 
  place 
  by 
  two 
  bands 
  of 
  buckskin 
  painted 
  red, 
  with 
  long, 
  

   flowing 
  ends. 
  Beyond 
  the 
  owl 
  ruff 
  were 
  three 
  streamers 
  of 
  horsehair 
  

   dyed 
  red, 
  one 
  at 
  the 
  tip 
  of 
  the 
  stem, 
  one 
  at 
  the 
  owl 
  feathers, 
  and 
  one 
  

   midway 
  between. 
  These 
  hair 
  streamers 
  were 
  bound 
  on 
  by 
  a 
  cord 
  

   made 
  of 
  the 
  white 
  hair 
  from 
  the 
  breast 
  of 
  the 
  rabbit. 
  From 
  each 
  

   stem 
  depended 
  a 
  fanlike 
  arrangement 
  of 
  feathers 
  from 
  the 
  tail 
  of 
  the 
  

   golden 
  eagle, 
  held 
  together 
  and 
  bound 
  to 
  the 
  stem 
  by 
  two 
  buckskin 
  

   thongs; 
  the 
  end, 
  which 
  hung 
  from 
  the 
  fan-shaped 
  appendage, 
  was 
  

   tipped 
  with 
  a 
  downy 
  eagle 
  feather. 
  One 
  of 
  these 
  fan-shaped 
  feather 
  

   arrangements 
  was 
  composed 
  of 
  ten 
  feathers 
  from 
  the 
  tail 
  of 
  a 
  mature 
  

   golden 
  eagle. 
  These 
  were 
  dark 
  and 
  mottled 
  in 
  appearance 
  and 
  

   were 
  fastened 
  to 
  the 
  blue 
  stem; 
  this 
  pipe 
  (fig. 
  87, 
  a) 
  represented 
  the 
  

  

  a 
  Throughout 
  this 
  section 
  these 
  articles 
  will 
  be 
  referred 
  to 
  as 
  pipes. 
  

  

  