﻿FLETCHER-LA 
  FLESCHE] 
  WARFARE 
  439 
  

  

  dances. 
  Later, 
  when 
  guns 
  were 
  introduced 
  among 
  the 
  Omaha, 
  the 
  

   man 
  who 
  killed 
  the 
  enemy 
  with 
  a 
  gun 
  wore 
  a 
  necklace 
  of 
  shavings; 
  

   this 
  represented 
  the 
  wadding 
  formerly 
  used 
  in 
  loading 
  guns. 
  

  

  The 
  fifth 
  grade 
  ranked 
  with 
  the 
  third, 
  and 
  the 
  eagle 
  feather 
  was 
  

   worn 
  hanging 
  from 
  the 
  scalp 
  lock. 
  

  

  The 
  sixth 
  grade 
  was 
  not 
  marked 
  by 
  any 
  regalia 
  but 
  the 
  man 
  who 
  

   had 
  performed 
  the 
  deed 
  that 
  constituted 
  this 
  grade 
  was 
  entitled 
  to 
  

   act 
  as 
  master 
  of 
  ceremonies 
  at 
  the 
  feast 
  held 
  at 
  the 
  meetings 
  of 
  the 
  

   Hethu'shka 
  society 
  of 
  warriors. 
  

  

  Besides 
  the 
  wearing 
  of 
  the 
  eagle 
  feather, 
  men 
  who 
  had 
  won 
  honors 
  

   of 
  the 
  first, 
  second, 
  and 
  third 
  grades 
  were 
  entitled 
  to 
  wear 
  on 
  cere- 
  

   monial 
  occasions 
  the 
  deer-tail 
  headdress 
  (fig. 
  98). 
  This 
  was 
  a 
  sort 
  

   of 
  roach 
  made 
  of 
  the 
  deer's 
  tail 
  and 
  the 
  tuft 
  of 
  coarse 
  hair 
  from 
  the 
  

   neck 
  of 
  the 
  turkey. 
  The 
  deer's 
  tail 
  was 
  dyed 
  red; 
  the 
  turkey 
  hair 
  

   was 
  used 
  in 
  its 
  natural 
  color 
  of 
  black. 
  

  

  THE 
  PONCA 
  CEREMONY 
  OF 
  CONFERRING 
  WAR 
  HONORS 
  

  

  The 
  ceremony 
  of 
  conferring 
  war 
  honors 
  bore 
  the 
  same 
  name 
  among 
  

   the 
  Ponca 
  as 
  among 
  the 
  Omaha. 
  The 
  following 
  account, 
  given 
  nearly 
  

   twenty 
  years 
  ago 
  by 
  an 
  old 
  and 
  leading 
  man, 
  whose 
  honor 
  count 
  

   was 
  next 
  to 
  the 
  highest 
  in 
  the 
  tribe, 
  is 
  presented 
  to 
  facilitate 
  a 
  com- 
  

   parison 
  between 
  the 
  customs 
  of 
  the 
  two 
  tribes: 
  

  

  There 
  were 
  three 
  ancient 
  packs 
  in 
  the 
  tribe. 
  One 
  was 
  kept 
  by 
  Uno 
  n 
  'baha, 
  of 
  the 
  

   Mo 
  n 
  ko 
  n/ 
  gens; 
  one 
  by 
  Ta'ikawahu, 
  of 
  the 
  Thi'xida 
  gens; 
  and 
  one 
  by 
  We'gacapi, 
  of 
  the 
  

   same 
  gens. 
  The 
  keepers 
  of 
  the 
  first 
  two 
  dreamed 
  of 
  Thunder. 
  The 
  last 
  one 
  descended 
  

   to 
  its 
  keeper 
  from 
  his 
  grandfather 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  said 
  that 
  all 
  the 
  old 
  man's 
  dreams 
  were 
  of 
  

   the 
  gray 
  wolf. 
  There 
  are 
  two 
  modern 
  packs, 
  one 
  kept 
  by 
  Shu'degaxe, 
  of 
  the 
  Thi'xida 
  

   gens, 
  and 
  the 
  other 
  by 
  Sho 
  n/ 
  geoabe, 
  of 
  the 
  Washa'be 
  gens. 
  These 
  men 
  had 
  dreams 
  

   of 
  Thunder, 
  so 
  their 
  packs 
  were 
  for 
  the 
  Thunder 
  gods. 
  

  

  There 
  was 
  no 
  fixed 
  time 
  for 
  the 
  ceremony. 
  Sometimes 
  several 
  seasons 
  would 
  pass 
  

   between 
  one 
  ceremony 
  and 
  the 
  next. 
  The 
  keepers 
  of 
  the 
  pack 
  decided 
  the 
  time, 
  

   which 
  must 
  be 
  in 
  the 
  summer, 
  when 
  all 
  animals, 
  bugs, 
  and 
  snakes 
  are 
  out 
  and 
  above 
  

   ground 
  and 
  the 
  thunder 
  has 
  sounded. 
  

  

  When 
  the 
  ceremony 
  was 
  to 
  take 
  place 
  the 
  people 
  were 
  ordered 
  to 
  camp 
  in 
  the 
  order 
  

   of 
  the 
  gentes 
  and 
  to 
  make 
  the 
  hu'thuqa 
  complete. 
  When 
  this 
  was 
  done 
  all 
  the 
  men 
  

   who 
  had 
  been 
  on 
  the 
  warpath 
  and 
  had 
  come 
  back 
  victorious 
  and 
  all 
  the 
  men 
  who 
  had 
  

   been 
  in 
  defensive 
  battle 
  at 
  home 
  were 
  placed 
  in 
  a 
  line 
  near 
  the 
  center 
  of 
  the 
  tribal 
  

   circle, 
  facing 
  the 
  entrance. 
  The 
  keeper 
  of 
  the 
  pack 
  who 
  was 
  to 
  confer 
  the 
  honors 
  

   designated 
  a 
  man 
  to 
  carry 
  the 
  pack. 
  Previously 
  all 
  the 
  candidates 
  for 
  war 
  honors 
  had 
  

   sent 
  to 
  the 
  keeper 
  of 
  the 
  pack 
  that 
  was 
  to 
  be 
  used 
  gifts 
  of 
  horses 
  and 
  goods, 
  as 
  fees 
  fur 
  

   his 
  services 
  in 
  the 
  ceremony. 
  The 
  man 
  with 
  the 
  pack 
  took 
  his 
  place 
  in 
  front 
  of 
  the 
  

   line 
  of 
  warrii 
  ire, 
  at 
  a 
  little 
  distance 
  from 
  them, 
  leaning 
  on 
  a 
  forked 
  staff 
  which 
  he 
  planted 
  

   on 
  the 
  ground, 
  and 
  maintained 
  this 
  position 
  during 
  the 
  entire 
  ceremony. 
  The 
  keeper 
  

   of 
  the 
  pack 
  then 
  called 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  warriors 
  and 
  thus 
  addressed 
  him: 
  "My 
  servant, 
  

   strengthen 
  yourself 
  and 
  I'll 
  a 
  Btraight 
  story. 
  If 
  you 
  do 
  not 
  tell 
  a 
  straight 
  story, 
  if 
  you 
  

   do 
  not 
  give 
  the 
  exact 
  truth, 
  the 
  gods 
  whom 
  you 
  hear 
  crashing 
  among 
  the 
  clouds 
  will 
  

   strike 
  you 
  dead. 
  If 
  you 
  do 
  not 
  make 
  your 
  story 
  in 
  a 
  straight 
  path 
  and 
  tell 
  all 
  the 
  truth, 
  

   though 
  you 
  may 
  feel 
  your 
  feet 
  firm 
  upon 
  the 
  back 
  of 
  this 
  our 
  grandmother 
  [the 
  earth], 
  

   you 
  shall 
  stumble 
  and 
  fall 
  [die]." 
  The 
  man 
  then 
  addressed 
  the 
  pack 
  and 
  told 
  his 
  

   story 
  to 
  it, 
  not 
  to 
  any 
  man. 
  I 
  f 
  no 
  one 
  present 
  questioned, 
  disputed, 
  or 
  corrected 
  him, 
  

  

  