﻿378 
  THE 
  OMAHA 
  TEIBE 
  [BTH. 
  ANN. 
  27 
  

  

  Two 
  parties, 
  composed 
  of 
  persons 
  having 
  no 
  blood 
  relationship, 
  

   were 
  the 
  principals 
  in 
  the 
  ceremony. 
  One 
  was 
  associated 
  with 
  the 
  

   man 
  who 
  presented 
  the 
  pipes, 
  the 
  other 
  with 
  the 
  man 
  who 
  received 
  

   them. 
  Among 
  the 
  Omaha 
  the 
  first 
  was 
  called 
  wa'wa 
  n 
  aka, 
  "the 
  one 
  

   who 
  sings;" 
  the 
  second 
  was 
  spoken 
  of 
  as 
  a'wa 
  n 
  idka, 
  "the 
  one 
  who 
  

   is 
  sung 
  to." 
  A 
  man 
  of 
  one 
  gens 
  could 
  carry 
  the 
  pipes 
  to 
  a 
  man 
  

   of 
  another 
  gens 
  within 
  his 
  own 
  tribe 
  but 
  not 
  to 
  a 
  man 
  belonging 
  

   to 
  his 
  own 
  gens; 
  or 
  he 
  could 
  take 
  the 
  pipes 
  to 
  a 
  man 
  of 
  another 
  

   tribe. 
  The 
  relation 
  ceremonially 
  established 
  by 
  taking 
  and 
  receiving 
  

   the 
  pipes 
  was 
  equivalent 
  to 
  that 
  of 
  father 
  anil 
  son 
  and 
  the 
  two 
  

   parties 
  were 
  spoken 
  of 
  by 
  these 
  terms. 
  

  

  Only 
  a 
  man 
  who 
  had 
  had 
  the 
  Wa'wa" 
  pipes 
  presented 
  to 
  liim 
  

   four 
  times 
  was 
  considered 
  to 
  be 
  sufficiently 
  instructed 
  in 
  the 
  rites 
  of 
  

   this 
  important 
  ceremony 
  to 
  inaugurate 
  a 
  Wa'wa 
  11 
  party. 
  Before 
  he 
  

   could 
  take 
  definite 
  action 
  looking 
  toward 
  gathering 
  the 
  party 
  together, 
  

   he 
  had 
  to 
  obtain 
  the 
  consent 
  of 
  the 
  Seven 
  Chiefs 
  (see 
  pp. 
  206, 
  376), 
  

   particularly 
  if 
  he 
  proposed 
  to 
  carry 
  the 
  pipes 
  to 
  another 
  tribe. 
  

  

  A 
  large 
  amount 
  of 
  property 
  was 
  required 
  to 
  make 
  up 
  the 
  gifts 
  

   which 
  must 
  attend 
  the 
  presentation, 
  of 
  the 
  pipes; 
  consequently 
  

   the 
  man 
  who 
  initiated 
  the 
  party 
  was 
  generally 
  assisted 
  by 
  his 
  rela- 
  

   tives 
  or 
  close 
  friends. 
  The 
  gifts 
  that 
  went 
  with 
  the 
  pipes 
  were 
  

   eagle-feather 
  bonnets, 
  bows 
  and 
  arrows, 
  red 
  pipestone 
  pipes, 
  em- 
  

   broidered 
  tobacco 
  bags, 
  otter 
  skins, 
  robes, 
  and, 
  in 
  later 
  years, 
  brass 
  

   kettles, 
  guns, 
  and 
  blankets. 
  The 
  return 
  gifts 
  were 
  horses 
  (in 
  earlier 
  

   days 
  burden-bearing 
  dogs), 
  bows 
  and 
  arrows, 
  pottery, 
  robes, 
  and 
  

   skin 
  tent-covers. 
  All 
  these 
  gifts, 
  because 
  they 
  helped 
  toward 
  the 
  

   peace 
  and 
  welfare 
  of 
  the 
  tribe, 
  could 
  be 
  counted 
  as 
  wathi 
  n 
  'ethe 
  either 
  

   toward 
  cliieftainship 
  or 
  toward 
  admission 
  into 
  the 
  Ho 
  n 
  'hewachi 
  and 
  

   thus 
  the 
  assistance 
  given 
  the 
  "father" 
  or 
  the 
  "son" 
  of 
  a 
  Wa'wa" 
  

   party 
  accrued 
  to 
  the 
  giver's 
  benefit 
  by 
  adding 
  to 
  his 
  "count." 
  

  

  A 
  Wa'wa 
  11 
  party 
  consisted 
  of 
  a 
  dozen 
  or 
  more 
  men. 
  Sometimes 
  the 
  

   wives 
  of 
  a 
  few 
  of 
  the 
  leading 
  men 
  accompanied 
  them 
  and 
  assisted 
  in 
  

   the 
  work 
  of 
  the 
  party. 
  All 
  the 
  members 
  contributed 
  toward 
  the 
  gifts 
  

   to 
  be 
  made 
  and 
  also 
  toward 
  accumulating 
  provisions 
  that 
  would 
  be 
  

   needed 
  on 
  the 
  journey, 
  if 
  a 
  distant 
  tribe 
  was 
  to 
  be 
  visited, 
  and 
  for 
  the 
  

   feasts 
  to 
  be 
  given 
  the 
  receiving 
  party 
  during 
  the 
  four 
  days 
  and 
  nights 
  

   occupied 
  by 
  the 
  ceremony. 
  Ponies 
  were 
  sometimes 
  taken 
  as 
  pack 
  

   horses 
  and 
  occasionally 
  the 
  visiting 
  men 
  rode 
  but 
  generally 
  the 
  

   journey 
  was 
  made 
  on 
  foot. 
  The 
  pipes, 
  incased 
  in 
  the 
  catskin 
  cover, 
  

   were 
  carried 
  by 
  their 
  bearer, 
  who 
  with 
  the 
  leader 
  of 
  the 
  party 
  walked 
  

   in 
  advance, 
  the 
  other 
  members 
  following 
  closely. 
  If 
  game 
  was 
  

   abundant, 
  hunting 
  was 
  permitted 
  to 
  some 
  extent; 
  otherwise 
  the 
  party 
  

   moved 
  rapidly 
  to 
  its 
  destination. 
  No 
  songs 
  were 
  sung 
  on 
  the 
  journey 
  

   but 
  in 
  those 
  sung 
  during 
  the 
  ceremony 
  there 
  were 
  references 
  to 
  the 
  

   traveling 
  and 
  the 
  various 
  events 
  preparatory 
  to 
  the 
  actual 
  ceremony. 
  

  

  