﻿FLETCHER— 
  LA 
  FLESCHE] 
  

  

  WARFARE 
  

  

  415 
  

  

  seal]) 
  Lock. 
  (Fig. 
  9fi; 
  Peabody 
  Museum 
  no. 
  48264.) 
  A 
  war 
  party 
  

   sometimes 
  resorted 
  to 
  augury 
  to 
  ascertain 
  the 
  conditions 
  in 
  the 
  coun- 
  

   try 
  to 
  which 
  they 
  were 
  going 
  and 
  to 
  learn 
  of 
  their 
  future 
  success. 
  

   The 
  wolf 
  skin 
  was 
  then 
  used 
  in 
  the 
  following 
  manner: 
  It 
  was 
  soaked 
  

   in 
  water 
  and 
  thus 
  made 
  pliable. 
  Then 
  it 
  was 
  put 
  about 
  the 
  throat 
  

   of 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  party, 
  who 
  was 
  seated 
  on 
  the 
  ground 
  and 
  supported 
  a( 
  

   the 
  hack 
  by 
  another 
  member. 
  Two 
  men, 
  holding 
  the 
  ends 
  of 
  the 
  skin 
  

   wound 
  about 
  the 
  throat 
  of 
  the 
  seated 
  man, 
  drew 
  it 
  firm 
  and 
  taut 
  

   but 
  did 
  not 
  choke 
  the 
  man, 
  who 
  soon 
  became 
  unconscious. 
  While 
  

   in 
  that 
  condition 
  he 
  was 
  supposed 
  to 
  he. 
  able 
  to 
  look 
  into 
  the 
  future, 
  

   viewing 
  the 
  country 
  and 
  the 
  people 
  whither 
  the 
  party 
  were 
  going, 
  

   and 
  discerning 
  also 
  what 
  was 
  to 
  happen. 
  The 
  Winnebago 
  were 
  

   accustomed 
  to 
  use 
  an 
  otter 
  skin 
  for 
  the 
  same 
  purpose 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  

   same 
  manner. 
  

  

  While 
  this 
  pack 
  could 
  give 
  authority 
  to 
  aggressive 
  war 
  parties, 
  and, 
  

   it 
  is 
  said, 
  was 
  sometimes 
  taken 
  along 
  by 
  the 
  leader 
  of 
  a 
  very 
  large 
  war 
  

  

  ^=sJF 
  

  

  Jfcf 
  

  

  Fig. 
  97. 
  l 
  J 
  i 
  i»<-s 
  from 
  Sacred 
  War 
  Pack. 
  

  

  party, 
  one 
  of 
  a 
  hundred 
  or 
  more 
  warriors 
  (a 
  inula"' 
  lii"to 
  n 
  ga), 
  it 
  was 
  

   the 
  only 
  pack 
  entitled 
  to 
  authorize 
  defensive 
  warfare. 
  When 
  that 
  

   was 
  done 
  the 
  two 
  pipes 
  (fig. 
  !)7; 
  Peabody 
  Museum 
  no. 
  37551) 
  belong- 
  

   ing 
  to 
  this 
  pack 
  were 
  ceremonially 
  smoked. 
  

  

  DEPARTURE 
  CEREMONIES 
  OF 
  AN 
  AGGRESSIVE 
  WAR 
  PARTY 
  

  

  When 
  the 
  leader 
  of 
  an 
  aggressive 
  war 
  party 
  had 
  obtained 
  authority 
  

   from 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  four 
  Sacred 
  Packs, 
  lie 
  was 
  not 
  held 
  responsible 
  

   for 
  the 
  death 
  of 
  any 
  member 
  of 
  his 
  party 
  or 
  for 
  any 
  disasters 
  that 
  

   might 
  happen 
  to 
  it. 
  Each 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  party, 
  through 
  the 
  leader, 
  had 
  

   placed 
  himself 
  under 
  the 
  authority 
  of 
  the 
  war 
  power, 
  the 
  Thunder 
  

   god, 
  through 
  his 
  accredited 
  representatives, 
  the 
  birds 
  contained 
  in 
  the 
  

   u-ai"' 
  irn.nib, 
  , 
  the 
  Sacred 
  War 
  Pack. 
  We 
  here 
  find 
  another 
  illustra- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  the 
  Omaha 
  belief 
  in 
  the 
  continuity 
  of 
  all 
  life, 
  so 
  that 
  a 
  part 
  

   could 
  represent 
  the 
  whole 
  and 
  that 
  all 
  forms, 
  animate 
  and 
  inanimate, 
  

   were 
  linked 
  together 
  by 
  the 
  pervading 
  life-giving 
  power 
  of 
  Wako 
  D 
  'da. 
  

   Because 
  of 
  this 
  belief 
  the 
  Thunder 
  and 
  its 
  representative 
  birds, 
  and 
  

   the 
  charms, 
  or 
  "medicines," 
  which 
  were 
  generally 
  some 
  product 
  of 
  

   the 
  earth, 
  were 
  able 
  to 
  influence 
  men 
  and 
  their 
  fortunes 
  in 
  all 
  avoca- 
  

  

  