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  THE 
  OMAHA 
  TRIBE 
  [ETH. 
  ANN. 
  27 
  

  

  the 
  keeper 
  again 
  addressed 
  him 
  as 
  "My 
  servant," 
  and 
  accorded 
  to 
  him 
  the 
  honor 
  

   belonging 
  to 
  his 
  action. 
  The 
  honors 
  were 
  as 
  foil 
  » 
  - 
  

  

  First 
  honor: 
  To 
  strike 
  an 
  unwounded 
  man. 
  The 
  sign 
  of 
  this 
  honor 
  was 
  an 
  eagle 
  

   feather 
  worn 
  upright 
  in 
  the 
  scalp 
  luck; 
  moccasin 
  strings 
  made 
  of 
  the 
  skin 
  of 
  the 
  gray 
  

   wolf; 
  the 
  upper 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  body 
  painted 
  black; 
  and 
  authority 
  given 
  the 
  man 
  to 
  nom- 
  

   inate 
  "soldiers." 
  Soldiers 
  were 
  those 
  whose 
  duty 
  it 
  was 
  to 
  ride 
  on 
  the 
  outside 
  of 
  the 
  

   camp 
  during 
  any 
  ceremony 
  and 
  to 
  maintain 
  tribal 
  order. 
  

  

  Second 
  honor: 
  To 
  be 
  the 
  first 
  to 
  strike 
  a 
  fallen 
  enemy, 
  one 
  who 
  had 
  been 
  wounded 
  or 
  

   who 
  by 
  some 
  accident 
  was 
  prostrate. 
  The 
  sign 
  of 
  this 
  honor 
  was 
  an 
  eagle 
  feather 
  

   worn 
  horizontal 
  in 
  the 
  seal]) 
  lock, 
  painting 
  the 
  body 
  irregularly 
  in 
  black 
  stripes, 
  and 
  

   to 
  be 
  called 
  upon 
  to 
  serve 
  as 
  a 
  "soldier." 
  

  

  Third 
  honor: 
  To 
  be 
  the 
  second 
  to 
  strike 
  a 
  fallen 
  enemy. 
  Therewae 
  no 
  badge 
  for 
  this 
  

   honor 
  but 
  the 
  man 
  was 
  entitled 
  to 
  a 
  seat 
  in 
  the 
  gathering 
  of 
  soldiers 
  and 
  could 
  eat 
  

   with 
  them. 
  He 
  had 
  also 
  the 
  office 
  of 
  stopping 
  the 
  camp 
  if 
  the 
  people 
  continued 
  to 
  

   move 
  and 
  did 
  not 
  stop 
  and 
  camp 
  where 
  they 
  had 
  been 
  ordered; 
  also, 
  when 
  the 
  camp 
  

   was 
  moving, 
  if 
  there 
  were 
  any 
  stragglers, 
  it 
  was 
  his 
  duty 
  to 
  drive 
  them 
  up. 
  (This 
  

   duty 
  referred 
  to 
  the 
  time 
  when 
  the 
  tribe 
  was 
  on 
  the 
  buffalo 
  hunt.) 
  

  

  Fourth 
  honor: 
  To 
  kill 
  a 
  man. 
  If 
  this 
  was 
  done 
  with 
  a 
  gun, 
  the 
  slayer 
  was 
  to 
  carry 
  

   to 
  the 
  dances 
  his 
  gun 
  with 
  the 
  end 
  painted 
  red, 
  and 
  to 
  wear 
  a 
  necklace 
  of 
  shavings 
  (the 
  

   shavings 
  represented 
  wadding). 
  He 
  was 
  entitled 
  also 
  to 
  the 
  cut 
  of 
  the 
  buffalo 
  meat 
  

   called 
  i'nakuge, 
  which 
  was 
  taken 
  from 
  the 
  back 
  and 
  included 
  a 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  shoulders 
  

   and 
  of 
  the 
  hind 
  quarter. 
  It 
  was 
  roasted 
  with 
  the 
  skin 
  sewed 
  about 
  it 
  and 
  was 
  con- 
  

   sidered 
  a 
  choice 
  cut. 
  If 
  the 
  killing 
  was 
  done 
  with 
  an 
  arrow, 
  the 
  man 
  was 
  entitled 
  to 
  

   wear 
  an 
  arrow 
  in 
  the 
  scalp 
  lock, 
  one-half 
  of 
  the 
  shaft 
  to 
  be 
  painted 
  red. 
  He 
  was 
  entitled 
  

   also 
  to 
  the 
  cut 
  called 
  tezhu'. 
  He 
  could 
  wear 
  this 
  arrow 
  badge 
  of 
  his 
  honor 
  when 
  on 
  

   the 
  buffalo 
  hunt, 
  so 
  that 
  the 
  people 
  could 
  see 
  to 
  what 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  animal 
  he 
  was 
  

   entitled 
  and 
  set 
  it 
  aside 
  for 
  him. 
  

  

  Fifth 
  honor: 
  To 
  take 
  a 
  scalp. 
  The 
  sign 
  of 
  this 
  honor 
  was 
  to 
  paint 
  the 
  face 
  with 
  a 
  

   slight 
  tinge 
  of 
  red 
  and 
  put 
  black 
  stripes 
  across 
  it 
  and 
  to 
  be 
  servant 
  to 
  the 
  "soldiers." 
  

   There 
  was 
  no 
  fighting 
  when 
  a 
  scalp 
  was 
  taken, 
  for 
  the 
  man 
  was 
  dead; 
  so 
  there 
  was 
  

   little 
  honor 
  in 
  taking 
  a 
  scalp. 
  To 
  wear 
  scalps 
  was 
  not 
  an 
  honor 
  from 
  the 
  pack. 
  It 
  

   was 
  done 
  on 
  a 
  man's 
  own 
  responsibility. 
  

  

  Sixth 
  honor: 
  Capturing 
  horses 
  from 
  the 
  enemy. 
  The 
  badge 
  of 
  this 
  honor 
  was 
  to 
  

   wear 
  at 
  the 
  dances 
  a 
  coil 
  of 
  rope 
  around 
  the 
  body 
  and 
  to 
  paint 
  on 
  the 
  body 
  figures 
  

   shaped 
  like 
  the 
  impression 
  of 
  a 
  horse's 
  hoof. 
  At 
  any 
  ceremonies 
  that 
  required 
  the 
  

   use 
  of 
  horses, 
  the 
  man 
  could 
  paint 
  on 
  his 
  horse 
  the 
  prints 
  of 
  horses' 
  hoofs. 
  

  

  The 
  following 
  incident 
  was 
  told 
  many 
  years 
  ago 
  by 
  an 
  old 
  Ponca 
  

   chief, 
  now 
  dead. 
  The 
  occurrence 
  took 
  place 
  before 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  the 
  

   last 
  century 
  and 
  throws 
  light 
  on 
  the 
  beliefs 
  connected 
  with 
  this 
  cere- 
  

   mony 
  of 
  bestowing 
  honors. 
  

  

  I 
  was 
  present 
  at 
  the 
  ceremony. 
  The 
  keeper 
  of 
  the 
  Sacred 
  Pack 
  said 
  to 
  the 
  honor 
  

   candidates 
  before 
  him: 
  "I 
  appear 
  before 
  you 
  as 
  a 
  representative 
  of 
  Thunder, 
  whose 
  

   loud 
  voice 
  you 
  hear. 
  Whatever 
  words 
  are 
  to 
  be 
  spoken 
  by 
  you 
  must 
  be 
  in 
  strict 
  

   accordance 
  with 
  the 
  truth, 
  so 
  that 
  the 
  wrath 
  of 
  the 
  Thunder 
  may 
  not 
  fall 
  on 
  anyone. 
  

   Any 
  words 
  spoken 
  without 
  regard 
  for 
  the 
  truth 
  will 
  bring 
  on 
  the 
  speaker 
  death 
  by 
  

   the 
  stroke 
  of 
  lightning, 
  or 
  he 
  will 
  be 
  gored 
  by 
  a 
  bull 
  or 
  be 
  bitten 
  by 
  a 
  snake, 
  or 
  in 
  some 
  

   way 
  hi* 
  life 
  will 
  suddenly 
  cease." 
  The 
  candidates 
  responded: 
  "Thou 
  god 
  Thunder, 
  

   who 
  standest 
  before 
  us, 
  hear 
  the 
  words 
  I 
  am 
  about 
  to 
  give 
  you 
  before 
  the 
  people. 
  I 
  

   know 
  the 
  punishment 
  I 
  must 
  expect 
  if 
  I 
  should 
  turn 
  aside 
  from 
  the 
  truth. 
  I 
  give 
  to 
  

   you 
  my 
  story 
  as 
  it 
  is 
  known 
  to 
  myself, 
  with 
  directness 
  and 
  without 
  fear, 
  knowing 
  that 
  

   1 
  speak 
  the 
  truth." 
  Two 
  men 
  then 
  stepped 
  forward, 
  one 
  with 
  a 
  gun 
  and 
  the 
  other 
  

   with 
  a 
  bow, 
  and 
  both 
  claimed 
  the 
  same 
  first-grade 
  honor. 
  The 
  man 
  with 
  the 
  gun 
  said 
  

   that 
  he 
  struck 
  the 
  enemy 
  first 
  with 
  his 
  gun 
  and 
  that 
  the 
  other 
  claimant 
  did 
  not 
  strike 
  

   the 
  enemy 
  with 
  his 
  bow, 
  but 
  struck 
  the 
  gun 
  instead. 
  The 
  man 
  with 
  the 
  bow 
  said 
  he 
  

  

  