﻿426 
  THE 
  OMAHA 
  TRIBE 
  [ETH. 
  ANN. 
  27 
  

  

  If 
  at 
  any 
  time 
  enemies 
  were 
  suddenly 
  discovered 
  by 
  a 
  man 
  

   who 
  might 
  be 
  outside 
  the 
  camp 
  looking 
  after 
  horses 
  or 
  otherwise 
  

   employed, 
  he 
  hastened 
  at 
  once 
  to 
  a 
  vantage 
  point 
  and 
  waved 
  his 
  

   robe 
  above 
  his 
  head. 
  This 
  sign 
  was 
  called 
  we'pa 
  ("to 
  make 
  a 
  

   noise 
  or 
  give 
  an 
  alarm"). 
  In 
  such 
  case 
  the 
  camp 
  was 
  prepared 
  at 
  once 
  

   for 
  defense. 
  The 
  women 
  threw 
  up 
  breastworks 
  with, 
  their 
  planting 
  

   hoes 
  (iio"'ni, 
  the 
  word 
  for 
  "breastworks," 
  later 
  was 
  applied 
  to 
  fences 
  

   of 
  all 
  kinds). 
  In 
  the 
  attack, 
  if 
  the 
  warriors 
  were 
  hard 
  pressed 
  and 
  

   there 
  was 
  danger 
  of 
  defeat, 
  the 
  men 
  fell 
  back 
  to 
  the 
  breastworks. 
  If 
  

   the 
  camping 
  place 
  was 
  near 
  timber, 
  in 
  case 
  of 
  disaster 
  the 
  women 
  

   and 
  children 
  hastened 
  to 
  hide 
  among 
  the 
  trees 
  and 
  the 
  warriors 
  

   sometimes 
  followed. 
  Instances 
  have 
  been 
  related 
  by 
  old 
  women 
  of 
  

   how, 
  when 
  the 
  camp 
  had 
  been 
  surprised, 
  they 
  thrust 
  their 
  children 
  

   into 
  holes 
  and 
  threw 
  themselves 
  on 
  top 
  as 
  if 
  dead. 
  In 
  one 
  case 
  a 
  

   woman 
  Mas 
  stabbed 
  with 
  a 
  knife 
  while 
  feigning 
  death, 
  but 
  she 
  made 
  

   no 
  movement 
  and 
  so 
  saved 
  her 
  children; 
  this 
  woman 
  recovered 
  from 
  

   the 
  wound 
  and 
  lived 
  to 
  tell 
  the 
  story. 
  

  

  DEPARTURE 
  OF 
  A 
  DEFENSIVE 
  WAR 
  PARTY 
  

  

  When 
  the 
  warriors 
  went 
  forth 
  to 
  battle 
  in 
  defense 
  of 
  their 
  homes 
  

   there 
  were 
  no 
  public 
  ceremonies 
  or 
  dances 
  but 
  here 
  and 
  there 
  the 
  

   voice 
  of 
  a 
  woman 
  would 
  be 
  heard 
  singing 
  a 
  song 
  to 
  inspirit 
  the 
  men, 
  

   and 
  at 
  its 
  close 
  she 
  gave 
  the 
  cry 
  of 
  the 
  bird-hawk 
  to 
  evoke 
  the 
  

   supernatural 
  power 
  of 
  this 
  bird, 
  which 
  was 
  associated 
  with 
  the 
  god 
  

   of 
  war. 
  

  

  The 
  following 
  is 
  an 
  example 
  of 
  these 
  rally 
  songs 
  which 
  are 
  com- 
  

   posed 
  by 
  women 
  and 
  sung 
  solely 
  by 
  them 
  to 
  encourage 
  their 
  defenders 
  

   on 
  their 
  departure 
  to 
  battle. 
  Only 
  vocables 
  are 
  used 
  in 
  the 
  first 
  part 
  

   of 
  the 
  song, 
  and 
  these 
  are 
  employed 
  to 
  eke 
  out 
  the 
  musical 
  phrase 
  

   of 
  the 
  second 
  part. 
  

  

  RALLY 
  SONG 
  

  

  a 
  he 
  i 
  ya 
  be 
  be 
  a 
  be 
  the 
  i 
  ya 
  be 
  i 
  ya 
  be 
  

   ya 
  lie 
  the 
  a 
  be 
  a 
  he 
  the 
  be 
  the 
  Nu- 
  do" 
  - 
  

  

  