﻿FLETCHER-LA 
  FLESCHE] 
  MUSIC 
  379 
  

  

  Owing 
  to 
  the 
  loss 
  of 
  the 
  Omaha 
  ritual 
  used 
  when 
  "tying 
  the 
  

   pipes" 
  — 
  a 
  loss 
  consequent 
  on 
  the 
  death 
  of 
  the 
  old 
  men 
  who 
  knew 
  

   it 
  — 
  a 
  comprehensive 
  comparison 
  between 
  the 
  Pawnee 
  version, 
  

   already 
  secured," 
  and 
  the 
  Omaha 
  form 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  ceremony 
  is 
  im- 
  

   possible. 
  While 
  nearly 
  all 
  the 
  articles 
  used 
  and 
  their 
  symbolism 
  

   are 
  identical, 
  yet 
  the 
  absence 
  of 
  the 
  ear 
  of 
  com 
  from 
  the 
  Omaha 
  cere- 
  

   mony 
  forms 
  the 
  most 
  striking 
  difference 
  between 
  the 
  two. 
  With 
  

   the 
  Pawnee 
  the 
  corn 
  is 
  spoken 
  of 
  as 
  "Mother," 
  and 
  typifies 
  Mother 
  

   Earth, 
  to 
  whom 
  the 
  whereabouts 
  and 
  fortunes 
  of 
  man 
  are 
  known 
  

   (op. 
  cit., 
  p. 
  44 
  et 
  seq.). 
  In 
  the 
  Omaha 
  ceremony 
  the 
  corn 
  has 
  no 
  place. 
  

   With 
  the 
  latter 
  tribe 
  the 
  eagle 
  is 
  the 
  "Mother." 
  She 
  calls 
  to 
  her 
  

   nestlings 
  and 
  upon 
  her 
  strong 
  wings 
  she 
  bears 
  the 
  message 
  of 
  peace. 
  

   With 
  the 
  Omaha, 
  peace 
  and 
  its 
  symbol, 
  the 
  clear, 
  cloudless 
  sky, 
  are 
  

   the 
  theme 
  of 
  the 
  principal 
  songs 
  and 
  the 
  desirability 
  and 
  value 
  of 
  

   peace 
  are 
  more 
  directly 
  expressed 
  in 
  the 
  Omaha 
  songs 
  than 
  in 
  those 
  

   of 
  the 
  Pawnee 
  of 
  this 
  ceremony. 
  It 
  is 
  the 
  custom 
  among 
  the 
  Omaha, 
  

   when 
  preparing 
  the 
  feathered 
  stems, 
  to 
  draw 
  a 
  black 
  line 
  near 
  the 
  

   bowl 
  end. 
  The 
  line 
  does 
  not 
  show, 
  for 
  it 
  is 
  covered 
  by 
  the 
  neck 
  of 
  the 
  

   duck, 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  there, 
  with 
  its 
  symbolism. 
  It 
  represents 
  the 
  neck 
  or 
  

   throat 
  of 
  the 
  curlew. 
  This 
  bird 
  in 
  the 
  early 
  morning 
  stretches 
  its 
  

   neck 
  and 
  wings 
  as 
  it 
  sits 
  on 
  its 
  roost, 
  and 
  utters 
  a 
  long 
  note. 
  This 
  

   sound 
  is 
  considered 
  an 
  indication 
  that 
  the 
  day 
  will 
  be 
  cloudless. 
  So, 
  

   to 
  all 
  the 
  other 
  emblems 
  on 
  the 
  stem 
  this 
  prophetic 
  call 
  of 
  the 
  curlew 
  

   is 
  represented 
  as 
  adding 
  its 
  song 
  to 
  the 
  forces 
  that 
  make 
  for 
  the 
  

   symbol 
  of 
  peace. 
  In 
  the 
  Pke'cabe 
  gens, 
  which 
  had 
  the 
  keeping 
  of 
  

   the 
  tribal 
  pipes, 
  the 
  name 
  Ki'ko 
  n 
  to 
  n 
  ga, 
  "curlew," 
  is 
  found. 
  The 
  

   name 
  refers 
  to 
  this 
  symbolic 
  mark 
  on 
  the 
  Wa'wa" 
  pipes. 
  An 
  old 
  

   Omaha 
  explained 
  that 
  ''the 
  eagle, 
  whose 
  feathers 
  are 
  on 
  the 
  pipes, 
  

   and 
  the 
  wild 
  cat, 
  whose 
  skin 
  is 
  their 
  covering, 
  are 
  both 
  fierce 
  crea- 
  

   tures 
  and 
  do 
  not 
  fail 
  to 
  secure 
  their 
  prey; 
  but 
  here, 
  with 
  the 
  pipes, 
  all 
  

   their 
  powers 
  are 
  turned 
  from 
  destruction 
  to 
  the 
  making 
  of 
  peace 
  

   among 
  men." 
  

  

  Another 
  emphasis 
  of 
  peace 
  in 
  the 
  Omaha 
  ceremony 
  is 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  

   signification 
  of 
  the 
  name 
  given 
  the 
  child, 
  who 
  plays 
  the 
  same 
  part 
  in 
  

   both 
  the 
  Pawnee 
  and 
  the 
  Omaha 
  version 
  of 
  the 
  ceremony. 
  Among 
  

   the 
  Omaha 
  as 
  with 
  the 
  Pawnee, 
  the 
  child 
  represents 
  the 
  coming 
  gen- 
  

   erations, 
  the 
  perpetuation 
  of 
  the 
  race; 
  but 
  the 
  Omaha 
  emphasize 
  the 
  

   innocent 
  character 
  of 
  the 
  child, 
  the 
  absence 
  of 
  the 
  warlike 
  spirit. 
  

   The 
  name 
  given 
  the 
  child 
  is 
  Hu 
  n 
  'ga, 
  the 
  Ancient 
  one, 
  the 
  one 
  who 
  

   goes 
  before, 
  the 
  leader. 
  In 
  this 
  name 
  the 
  continuance 
  of 
  the 
  human 
  

   family 
  is 
  implied 
  but 
  the 
  name 
  in 
  this 
  ceremony 
  becomes 
  the 
  syn- 
  

   onym 
  for 
  peace 
  because 
  "the 
  child 
  thinks 
  no 
  harm." 
  The 
  word 
  

   IIu 
  n 
  'ga 
  forms 
  a 
  refrain 
  in 
  nearly 
  all 
  the 
  Omaha 
  songs 
  of 
  the 
  ceremony. 
  

   The 
  meaning 
  of 
  the 
  word 
  and 
  of 
  the 
  refrain 
  were 
  explained 
  to 
  the 
  

  

  a 
  See 
  The 
  Hako, 
  in 
  the 
  Twenty-second 
  Annual 
  He 
  port 
  of 
  the 
  Bureau 
  of 
  American 
  Ethnology, 
  pt. 
  2. 
  

  

  