﻿406 
  THE 
  OMAHA 
  TRIBE 
  [kth. 
  ANN. 
  27 
  

  

  ever, 
  the 
  men 
  were 
  about 
  to 
  make 
  the 
  attack, 
  each 
  man 
  fastened 
  his 
  

   own 
  charm 
  bag 
  on 
  his 
  person. 
  

  

  There 
  were 
  four 
  of 
  these 
  Sacred 
  Packs 
  among 
  the 
  Omaha. 
  A 
  

   difference 
  of 
  opinion 
  existed 
  among 
  the 
  old 
  men 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  rank 
  of 
  

   these 
  packs; 
  but, 
  taking 
  all 
  the 
  evidence 
  obtainable 
  into 
  considera- 
  

   tion, 
  it 
  seems 
  probable 
  that 
  the 
  pack 
  which 
  belonged 
  to 
  the 
  Sacred 
  

   Tent 
  of 
  War, 
  in 
  charge 
  of 
  the 
  We'zhi 
  n 
  shte 
  gens, 
  had 
  the 
  widest 
  

   authority 
  and 
  significance. 
  Its 
  rival 
  was 
  a 
  pack 
  that 
  was 
  the 
  hered- 
  

   itary 
  charge 
  of 
  Geu 
  n 
  'habi, 
  of 
  the 
  Wazhi 
  n 
  'ga 
  itazhi 
  subgens 
  of 
  the 
  

   Tha'tada 
  gens. 
  This 
  pack 
  was 
  associated 
  with 
  a 
  remarkable 
  man 
  

   named 
  Wa'backa, 
  who 
  lived 
  in 
  the 
  eighteenth 
  century 
  and 
  who 
  

   led 
  a 
  memorable 
  fight 
  against 
  the 
  Pawnee. 
  On 
  that 
  occasion, 
  not 
  

   only 
  did 
  Wa'backa 
  obtain 
  authority 
  for 
  his 
  war 
  party 
  from 
  the 
  

   keeper 
  of 
  this 
  special 
  pack 
  but 
  he 
  carried 
  the 
  pack 
  with 
  him. 
  It 
  

   was 
  because, 
  of 
  the 
  association 
  of 
  the 
  pack 
  with 
  this 
  historic 
  event 
  

   that 
  it 
  became 
  specially 
  honored 
  by 
  the 
  Omaha 
  tribe. 
  As 
  the 
  story 
  

   illustrates 
  Omaha 
  customs 
  and 
  is 
  well 
  known 
  to 
  the 
  people, 
  it 
  is 
  here 
  

   given 
  : 
  

  

  The 
  Omaha 
  and 
  the 
  Pawnee 
  were 
  at 
  peace, 
  when 
  some 
  Pawnee 
  men 
  raided 
  the 
  

   Omaha 
  village 
  and 
  drove 
  off 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  horses. 
  At 
  that 
  time 
  horses 
  were 
  not 
  so 
  plen- 
  

   tiful 
  as 
  they 
  became 
  later; 
  they 
  were 
  a 
  comparatively 
  new 
  acquisition 
  and 
  were 
  very 
  

   valuable 
  Wa'backa 
  was 
  not 
  a 
  chief 
  but 
  a 
  man 
  of 
  position 
  and 
  had 
  what 
  might 
  be 
  

   called 
  wealth, 
  as 
  he 
  owned 
  several 
  horses. 
  All 
  these 
  were 
  driven 
  away 
  by 
  the 
  robbers. 
  

   Thinking 
  that 
  the 
  act 
  was 
  committed 
  by 
  some 
  thoughtless, 
  adventurous 
  young 
  men 
  — 
  

   for 
  the 
  two 
  tribes 
  were 
  on 
  friendly 
  terms 
  — 
  Wa'backa, 
  accompanied 
  by 
  a 
  few 
  men 
  

   who 
  also 
  had 
  suffered 
  loss, 
  started 
  for 
  the 
  Pawnee 
  village 
  to 
  lay 
  their 
  grievance 
  before 
  

   the 
  principal 
  chief, 
  who 
  they 
  felt 
  would 
  surely 
  require 
  the 
  young 
  men 
  to 
  restore 
  the 
  

   property 
  taken 
  from 
  a 
  friendly 
  tribe. 
  There 
  are 
  different 
  stories 
  told 
  of 
  what 
  hap- 
  

   pened 
  on 
  this 
  visit 
  but 
  all 
  show 
  that 
  the 
  chief 
  did 
  not 
  take 
  the 
  matter 
  so 
  seriously 
  

   as 
  the 
  Omaha 
  thought 
  he 
  should. 
  He 
  said 
  that 
  his 
  young 
  men 
  were 
  in 
  need 
  of 
  horses 
  

   and 
  had 
  borrowed 
  them, 
  and 
  bade 
  the 
  Omaha 
  go 
  back 
  home 
  and 
  make 
  arrows 
  for 
  

   the 
  Pawnee 
  (the 
  Pawnee 
  were 
  not 
  as 
  good 
  arrow 
  and 
  bow 
  makers 
  as 
  the 
  Omaha) 
  and 
  

   in 
  the 
  spring 
  they 
  might 
  come 
  again 
  and 
  the 
  Pawnee 
  would 
  return 
  the 
  horses 
  for 
  the 
  

   arrows. 
  Another 
  story 
  runs 
  that 
  a 
  Pawnee 
  chief, 
  to 
  whom 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  party 
  appealed, 
  

   placed 
  before 
  the 
  Omaha 
  a 
  large 
  bowl 
  of 
  beans, 
  and, 
  laying 
  beside 
  it 
  a 
  war 
  club, 
  

   bade 
  the 
  Omaha 
  eat 
  all 
  the 
  food 
  on 
  pain 
  of 
  death. 
  In 
  any 
  event, 
  the 
  Omaha 
  felt 
  

   themselves 
  insulted 
  — 
  they 
  had 
  come 
  peaceably 
  and 
  were 
  willing 
  to 
  condone 
  the 
  

   Pawnee 
  action 
  if 
  only 
  the 
  property 
  were 
  restored. 
  When 
  they 
  were 
  bidden 
  to 
  come 
  

   again 
  with 
  arrows 
  to 
  exchange 
  for 
  their 
  own 
  horses, 
  Wa'backa 
  said 
  he 
  would 
  go 
  back 
  

   and 
  make 
  arrows 
  and 
  return 
  with 
  more 
  than 
  the 
  Pawnee 
  would 
  care 
  to 
  see. 
  As 
  

   In- 
  bit 
  the 
  Pawnee 
  village 
  the 
  boys 
  and 
  young 
  men 
  laughed 
  at 
  him 
  and 
  his 
  friends 
  

   because 
  of 
  their 
  fruitless 
  errand. 
  

  

  On 
  the 
  way 
  back 
  Wa'ba<,ka 
  threw 
  away 
  his 
  moccasins, 
  leggings, 
  and 
  shirt, 
  cut 
  off 
  

   tin' 
  corners 
  of 
  his 
  robe, 
  and 
  on 
  entering 
  the 
  Omaha 
  village 
  went 
  to 
  the 
  chief's 
  house 
  

   and 
  stood 
  there 
  wailing, 
  his 
  hands 
  lifted 
  to 
  heaven. 
  He 
  cried 
  aloud 
  of 
  the 
  insult 
  

   that 
  had 
  been 
  put 
  on 
  the 
  ( 
  bnaha 
  by 
  the 
  Pawnee 
  and 
  called 
  on 
  the 
  people 
  to 
  avenge 
  the 
  

   wrong 
  done. 
  The 
  people 
  listened 
  but 
  said 
  nothing. 
  At 
  length 
  a 
  young 
  man 
  who 
  was 
  

   greatly 
  moved 
  composed 
  a 
  song 
  telling 
  of 
  the 
  occurrence, 
  and 
  went 
  about 
  the 
  village 
  

   singing 
  it. 
  He 
  called 
  on 
  the 
  people 
  to 
  rise 
  and 
  wipe 
  out 
  the 
  insult 
  put 
  upon 
  them. 
  

  

  