﻿FLETCHER-LA 
  FLESCHB] 
  WARFARE 
  403 
  

  

  the 
  god 
  of 
  war. 
  The 
  warrior 
  was 
  taught 
  thai 
  it 
  was 
  this 
  god, 
  

   not 
  man, 
  who 
  decreed 
  the 
  death 
  on 
  the 
  field 
  of 
  battle; 
  this 
  mode 
  

   of 
  death 
  was 
  called 
  i 
  n 
  'gthu 
  n 
  gaxthi 
  (i 
  n 
  'gthu 
  n 
  t 
  "thunder;" 
  ga, 
  "ac- 
  

   tion 
  by 
  the 
  hand;" 
  xthi, 
  "to 
  bruise," 
  as 
  with 
  a 
  club), 
  the 
  term 
  applied 
  

   also 
  to 
  death 
  caused 
  by 
  lightning. 
  In 
  this 
  connection 
  should 
  be 
  

   remembered 
  the 
  reference 
  to 
  the 
  " 
  Grandfather's 
  club 
  " 
  in 
  a 
  song 
  used 
  

   in 
  the 
  Wate'gictu 
  (p. 
  437) 
  and 
  also 
  the 
  round 
  stick 
  bound 
  to 
  the 
  

   ancient 
  cedar 
  pole 
  (fig. 
  57). 
  The 
  application 
  of 
  this 
  term 
  to 
  death 
  

   on 
  the 
  battlefield 
  probably 
  had 
  a 
  double 
  significance; 
  it 
  referred 
  to 
  

   the 
  teaching 
  that 
  the 
  life 
  of 
  a 
  warrior 
  was 
  in 
  the 
  keeping 
  of 
  the 
  

   Thunder 
  god 
  (see 
  p. 
  126) 
  and 
  to 
  the 
  time 
  when 
  the 
  club 
  was 
  the 
  only 
  

   weapon 
  of 
  the 
  man. 
  The 
  word 
  is 
  said 
  to 
  be 
  an 
  old 
  term, 
  as 
  evi- 
  

   denced 
  by 
  its 
  transference 
  to 
  a 
  warrior's 
  death 
  by 
  an 
  arrow 
  or 
  a 
  gun. 
  

   This 
  teaching 
  tended 
  to 
  change, 
  in 
  the 
  Omaha 
  mind, 
  the 
  character 
  

   of 
  warfare; 
  it 
  placed 
  the 
  warrior 
  under 
  a 
  supernatural 
  power 
  over 
  

   which 
  he 
  had 
  no 
  control, 
  and, 
  while 
  it 
  did 
  not 
  eliminate 
  from 
  him 
  

   the 
  spirit 
  of 
  revenge 
  or 
  hatred, 
  it 
  curtailed 
  a 
  man's 
  estimate 
  of 
  his 
  

   own 
  ability 
  to 
  exploit 
  vengeance 
  on 
  his 
  fellows. 
  This 
  teaching 
  was 
  

   formulated 
  in 
  rites 
  the 
  performance 
  of 
  which 
  was 
  essential 
  to 
  the 
  

   initiation 
  of 
  aggressive 
  warlike 
  expeditions, 
  rites 
  that 
  became 
  an 
  

   effective 
  means 
  of 
  establishing 
  and 
  maintaining 
  tribal 
  control 
  over 
  

   warfare. 
  

  

  The 
  close 
  connection 
  between 
  Thunder 
  and 
  the 
  Sacred 
  Tent 
  of 
  

   War 
  was 
  confirmed 
  in 
  popular 
  belief 
  by 
  coincidences 
  that 
  were 
  

   interpreted 
  to 
  indicate 
  the 
  watchfulness 
  of 
  the 
  Thunder 
  god 
  over 
  the 
  

   war 
  rites 
  of 
  the 
  tribe. 
  Within 
  the 
  last 
  century 
  the 
  keeper 
  of 
  the 
  

   Sacred 
  Tent 
  of 
  War 
  died 
  and 
  the 
  man 
  to 
  whom 
  the 
  office 
  descended 
  

   was 
  so 
  afraid 
  of 
  the 
  Tent 
  and 
  its 
  duties 
  that 
  he 
  refused 
  to 
  assume 
  

   the 
  office 
  and 
  kept 
  away 
  from 
  the 
  Tent. 
  His 
  brother 
  was 
  the 
  next 
  

   in 
  the 
  hereditary 
  line, 
  but 
  he 
  also 
  feared 
  the 
  responsibility 
  and 
  left 
  

   the 
  Tent 
  standing 
  alone 
  and 
  uncared 
  for. 
  Shortly 
  afterward 
  both 
  

   men 
  were 
  killed 
  by 
  lightning, 
  and 
  their 
  deaths 
  were 
  regarded 
  as 
  a 
  

   punishment 
  sent 
  by 
  the 
  Thunder 
  god 
  for 
  the 
  disrespect 
  shown 
  the 
  

   office 
  of 
  keeper 
  by 
  their 
  neglect 
  of 
  duty 
  toward 
  the 
  sacred 
  rites 
  

   committed 
  to 
  their 
  care. 
  The 
  punishment 
  was 
  believed 
  to 
  apply 
  

   only 
  to 
  this 
  life; 
  it 
  shortened 
  the 
  days 
  of 
  theoffenders 
  but 
  did 
  not 
  

   affect 
  their 
  life 
  after 
  death. 
  

  

  Aggressive 
  warfare 
  was 
  called 
  iniatathislio" 
  (nu, 
  "man;" 
  ata'thisho 
  n 
  , 
  

   "in 
  the 
  direction 
  of;" 
  that 
  is, 
  "war 
  with 
  men"). 
  The 
  use 
  of 
  the 
  word 
  

   nu, 
  "man" 
  or 
  "male," 
  is 
  noteworthy, 
  particularly 
  in 
  connection 
  

   with 
  a 
  ritual 
  song 
  used 
  in 
  according 
  honors 
  to 
  the 
  warrior, 
  where 
  

   again 
  the 
  word 
  is 
  employed, 
  indicating 
  that 
  war 
  was 
  waged 
  against 
  

   men. 
  While 
  it 
  is 
  true 
  that 
  in 
  attacks 
  on 
  villages 
  women 
  and 
  chil- 
  

   dren 
  were 
  sometimes 
  killed 
  they 
  were 
  not 
  invariably 
  put 
  to 
  death 
  

  

  