﻿408 
  THE 
  OMAHA 
  TRIBE 
  [eth. 
  axn. 
  27 
  

  

  As 
  horses 
  were 
  scarce 
  and 
  the 
  skin 
  tents 
  heavy, 
  when 
  about 
  half 
  a 
  days 
  journey 
  

   from 
  the 
  Pawnee 
  village 
  the 
  people 
  halted 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  banks 
  of 
  Maple 
  creek 
  (a 
  branch 
  

   of 
  the 
  Elkhorn 
  river, 
  Nebraska) 
  they 
  buried 
  their 
  tents; 
  this 
  act 
  gave 
  rise 
  to 
  the 
  

   name 
  Ti'haxaike, 
  which 
  the 
  stream 
  still 
  bears 
  among 
  the 
  Omaha. 
  

  

  Before 
  day 
  the 
  warriors, 
  led 
  by 
  Wa'backa, 
  started 
  for 
  the 
  Pawnee 
  village, 
  which 
  

   was 
  surrounded 
  by 
  a 
  strong 
  palisade. 
  This 
  they 
  leaped 
  and 
  rushed 
  in 
  on 
  the 
  sleep- 
  

   ing 
  Pawnee. 
  Tearing 
  away 
  the 
  sods 
  from 
  their 
  earth 
  lodges, 
  they 
  set 
  fire 
  to 
  the 
  

   straw 
  that 
  covered 
  the 
  wooden 
  structure 
  beneath 
  and 
  as 
  the 
  smoke 
  drove 
  the 
  people 
  

   out 
  they 
  were 
  slaughtered. 
  Wa'backa 
  went 
  direct 
  to 
  the 
  lodge 
  of 
  the 
  chief 
  who 
  had 
  

   slighted 
  the 
  peaceful 
  overtures 
  made 
  the 
  year 
  before 
  and 
  clubbed 
  him 
  to 
  death. 
  The 
  

   battle 
  was 
  fierce; 
  many 
  were 
  slain 
  on 
  both 
  sides. 
  The 
  Omaha 
  were 
  avenged. 
  They 
  

   took 
  all 
  the 
  booty 
  they 
  could 
  carry; 
  but 
  the 
  battle 
  cost 
  them 
  the 
  life 
  of 
  their 
  leader, 
  

   Wa'bai/ka, 
  who 
  fell, 
  fighting 
  to 
  the 
  last 
  for 
  the 
  honor 
  of 
  his 
  tribe. 
  His 
  death 
  brought 
  

   the 
  battle 
  to 
  a 
  close. 
  

  

  The 
  club 
  made 
  and 
  used 
  by 
  Wa'backa 
  is 
  said 
  to 
  be 
  preserved 
  in 
  the 
  pack 
  he 
  carried 
  

   al 
  that 
  time. 
  An 
  old 
  man 
  who, 
  before 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  the 
  last 
  century, 
  had 
  been 
  

   instructed 
  as 
  a 
  war 
  leader 
  from 
  this 
  pack, 
  said 
  that 
  it 
  contained 
  one 
  bird 
  hawk, 
  one 
  

   blackbird, 
  one 
  swallow, 
  one 
  crow, 
  and 
  a 
  bladder 
  tobacco 
  bag. 
  This 
  old 
  man's 
  party 
  

   killed 
  a 
  Dakota 
  and 
  brought 
  back 
  the 
  man's 
  scalp; 
  when 
  the 
  victory 
  dance 
  was 
  being 
  

   held 
  some 
  blackbirds 
  came 
  and 
  alighted 
  on 
  the 
  pole 
  to 
  which 
  the 
  scalp 
  was 
  attached 
  

   and 
  swallows 
  swept 
  over 
  and 
  about 
  the 
  camp. 
  As 
  the 
  old 
  man 
  saw 
  the 
  birds, 
  he 
  called 
  

   to 
  the 
  people: 
  "They 
  have 
  come 
  to 
  greet 
  us!" 
  He 
  had 
  carried 
  on 
  the 
  warpath 
  a 
  

   blackbird 
  and 
  a 
  swallow 
  from 
  the 
  pack 
  Wa'backa 
  had 
  used 
  and 
  he 
  believed 
  that 
  the 
  

   living 
  representatives 
  of 
  the 
  birds 
  he 
  took 
  to 
  watch 
  over 
  him 
  had 
  come 
  to 
  approve 
  and 
  

   to 
  welcome 
  the 
  victorious 
  party; 
  all 
  the 
  people 
  rejoiced 
  at 
  this 
  favorable 
  omen 
  

   and 
  believed 
  it 
  had 
  been 
  sent 
  by 
  the 
  Thunder 
  god. 
  

  

  ORGANIZATION 
  OF 
  A 
  WAR 
  PARTY 
  

  

  A 
  war 
  party 
  varied 
  in 
  numbers 
  from 
  eight 
  or 
  ten 
  up 
  to 
  a 
  hundred 
  

   warriors. 
  A 
  man 
  seldom 
  went 
  on 
  the 
  warpath 
  alone 
  unless 
  under 
  

   the 
  stress 
  of 
  great 
  sorrow, 
  as 
  that 
  caused 
  Irr 
  the 
  death 
  of 
  a 
  child 
  or 
  

   other 
  near 
  relative. 
  lie 
  might 
  then 
  go 
  forth 
  to 
  seek 
  opportunity 
  to 
  

   kill 
  some 
  one 
  who 
  would 
  be 
  a 
  spirit 
  companion 
  for 
  the 
  one 
  who 
  

   had 
  recently 
  died. 
  If 
  it 
  was 
  a 
  child 
  whose 
  loss 
  sent 
  the 
  father 
  

   tn 
  seek 
  an 
  enemy, 
  the 
  little, 
  one's 
  moccasins 
  were 
  taken 
  along 
  in 
  the 
  

   father's 
  belt. 
  If 
  he 
  found 
  a 
  man 
  and 
  killed 
  him, 
  he 
  placed 
  the 
  

   moccasins 
  beside 
  the 
  dead 
  man 
  and, 
  addressing 
  the 
  spirit, 
  bade 
  it 
  

   accompany 
  the 
  child 
  and 
  guide 
  it 
  safely 
  to 
  relatives 
  in 
  the 
  spirit 
  

   land. 
  

  

  All 
  members 
  of 
  a 
  war 
  party 
  were 
  volunteers. 
  As 
  soon 
  as 
  a 
  man 
  

   determined 
  to 
  become 
  one 
  of 
  a 
  war 
  party 
  and 
  gave 
  notice 
  of 
  his 
  

   determination, 
  tribal 
  custom 
  obliged 
  him 
  to 
  observe 
  strict 
  continence 
  

   until 
  Ms 
  return 
  to 
  the 
  tribe; 
  disobedience 
  of 
  this 
  requirement, 
  it 
  was 
  

   believed, 
  would 
  bring 
  disaster 
  to 
  him 
  or 
  to 
  the 
  people. 
  The 
  old 
  

   men 
  explained 
  that 
  this 
  rule 
  was 
  based 
  on 
  the 
  same 
  reason 
  as 
  that 
  

   which 
  forbade 
  marriage 
  at 
  such 
  a 
  time 
  (p. 
  325) 
  ; 
  moreover 
  if 
  the 
  man 
  

   were 
  married 
  and 
  should 
  be 
  killed, 
  he 
  might 
  leave, 
  an 
  unborn 
  child 
  

   to 
  come 
  into 
  life 
  without 
  a 
  father. 
  

  

  War 
  parties 
  were 
  of 
  two 
  classes 
  — 
  those 
  organized 
  for 
  the 
  purpose 
  

   of 
  securing 
  spoils 
  and 
  those 
  which 
  had 
  for 
  their 
  object 
  the 
  avenging 
  

  

  