﻿404 
  THE 
  OMAHA 
  TRIBE 
  [bth. 
  ANN. 
  27 
  

  

  Aggressive 
  warfare 
  was 
  under 
  the 
  control 
  of 
  rites 
  which 
  were 
  

   connected 
  with 
  the 
  wai 
  n 
  'waxube, 
  or 
  Sacred 
  Packs 
  of 
  War. 
  (~\Yai"' 
  

   was 
  the 
  common 
  name 
  for 
  a 
  pack 
  — 
  a 
  receptacle 
  made 
  of 
  skin, 
  fre- 
  

   quently 
  of 
  parfleche, 
  in 
  which 
  articles 
  could 
  be 
  laid 
  away 
  and 
  kept 
  

   safely; 
  waxu'be, 
  "sacred"). 
  There 
  was 
  another 
  name 
  applied 
  to 
  these 
  

   packs: 
  waflii'.cabe, 
  "things 
  flayed," 
  referring 
  to 
  the 
  contents 
  of 
  the 
  

   packs, 
  which 
  were 
  the 
  skins 
  of 
  certain 
  birds. 
  It 
  was 
  the 
  presence 
  of 
  

   these 
  bird 
  skins, 
  which 
  represented 
  the 
  species 
  and 
  the 
  life 
  embodied 
  

   in 
  the 
  species, 
  thai 
  made 
  the 
  irai"' 
  , 
  or 
  pack, 
  waxu'be, 
  or 
  sacred. 
  

  

  There 
  is 
  no 
  tradition 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  origin 
  of 
  these 
  packs. 
  Probably 
  

   none 
  of 
  those 
  now 
  existing 
  in 
  the 
  Omaha 
  tribe 
  are 
  much 
  more 
  than 
  

   two 
  centuries 
  old. 
  The 
  pack 
  itself 
  was 
  not 
  sacred, 
  only 
  the 
  con- 
  

   tents. 
  The 
  association 
  of 
  birds 
  with 
  the 
  powers 
  of 
  the 
  air 
  is 
  very 
  

   ancient. 
  Particular 
  birds 
  were 
  thought 
  to 
  he 
  in 
  close 
  relation 
  with 
  

   the 
  storm 
  and 
  the 
  storm 
  cloud, 
  the 
  abode 
  of 
  Thunder, 
  the 
  god 
  

   of 
  war. 
  The 
  flight 
  of 
  the 
  birds 
  brought 
  them 
  near 
  the 
  god 
  and 
  

   they 
  were 
  regarded 
  as 
  his 
  special 
  messengers; 
  moreover, 
  from 
  their 
  

   vantage 
  point 
  these 
  denizens 
  of 
  the 
  air 
  could 
  observe 
  all 
  that 
  oc- 
  

   curred 
  on 
  the 
  earth 
  beneath. 
  When 
  the 
  warrior 
  went 
  forth 
  to 
  

   battle 
  the 
  birds 
  watched 
  his 
  every 
  act 
  and 
  through 
  them 
  the 
  Thun- 
  

   der 
  became 
  cognizant 
  of 
  all 
  his 
  deeds. 
  The 
  swallows 
  that 
  fly 
  before 
  

   the 
  coming 
  tempest 
  were 
  regarded 
  as 
  heralds 
  of 
  the 
  approaching 
  

   god. 
  The 
  hawk 
  and 
  other 
  birds 
  of 
  prey 
  were 
  connected 
  with 
  the 
  

   destruction 
  caused 
  by 
  the 
  death-dealing 
  storm. 
  The 
  crow 
  and 
  

   other 
  carrion 
  birds 
  haunted 
  the 
  places 
  where 
  the 
  dead 
  lay 
  and 
  were 
  

   allied 
  to 
  the 
  devastating 
  forces 
  of 
  the 
  god 
  of 
  war. 
  Upon 
  this 
  ancient 
  

   belief 
  relative 
  to 
  the 
  connection 
  between 
  the 
  birds 
  of 
  the 
  air 
  and 
  the 
  

   ma 
  infestations 
  of 
  the 
  powers 
  dwelling 
  in 
  the 
  sky 
  (the 
  wind, 
  the 
  thunder, 
  

   and 
  the 
  lightning) 
  the 
  war 
  rites 
  of 
  the 
  Omaha 
  were 
  built. 
  It 
  was 
  only 
  

   after 
  the 
  performance 
  of 
  certain 
  ceremonies 
  connected 
  with 
  these 
  

   packs, 
  wherein 
  were 
  kept 
  the 
  representatives 
  of 
  the 
  birds 
  which 
  

   could 
  act 
  as 
  officers, 
  so 
  to 
  speak, 
  of 
  the 
  Thunder, 
  that 
  the 
  Omaha 
  

   warrior 
  could 
  go 
  forth 
  to 
  aggressive 
  warfare 
  with 
  the 
  sanction 
  of 
  

   the 
  recognized 
  war 
  power 
  of 
  the 
  tribe. 
  How 
  important 
  this 
  sanction 
  

   was 
  is 
  revealed 
  in 
  the 
  responsibility 
  ami 
  punishment 
  accorded 
  the 
  

   war 
  leader 
  who 
  omitted 
  to 
  secure 
  it 
  for 
  his 
  venture. 
  If 
  a 
  man 
  

   among 
  the 
  Omaha 
  wdio 
  organized 
  a 
  war 
  party 
  secretly 
  and 
  stole 
  away 
  

   to 
  carry 
  out 
  his 
  designs 
  of 
  revenge 
  or 
  the 
  acquiring 
  of 
  booty, 
  in 
  the 
  

   battling 
  chanced 
  to 
  lose 
  a 
  member 
  of 
  his 
  party, 
  he 
  was 
  accounted 
  

   and 
  punished 
  as 
  a 
  murderer. 
  In 
  any 
  event, 
  no 
  matter 
  how 
  bravely 
  

   he 
  might 
  have 
  acted, 
  none 
  of 
  his 
  deeds 
  could 
  receive 
  the 
  public 
  honor 
  

   which 
  otherwise 
  he 
  would 
  have 
  secured. 
  

  

  Early 
  in 
  the 
  last 
  century 
  such 
  an 
  unauthorized 
  party 
  stole 
  away. 
  

   Thev 
  met 
  with 
  disaster 
  and 
  one 
  of 
  their 
  number 
  was 
  killed. 
  This 
  

  

  