﻿446 
  THE 
  OMAHA 
  TRIBE 
  [eth. 
  ANN. 
  27 
  

  

  the 
  wolf 
  to 
  help 
  men 
  in 
  battle 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  hunt. 
  To 
  preserve 
  the 
  

   story 
  of 
  this 
  association 
  and 
  promise, 
  the 
  war 
  ornament, 
  "the 
  Crow," 
  

   was 
  devised. 
  The 
  Ponca 
  and 
  the 
  Omaha 
  claim 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  joint 
  

   originators 
  of 
  this 
  insignia, 
  which 
  has 
  since 
  been 
  adopted 
  by 
  other 
  

   tribes. 
  

  

  The 
  following 
  was 
  told 
  by 
  a 
  Ponca 
  chief 
  (pi. 
  57), 
  more 
  than 
  ten 
  

   years 
  ago: 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  said 
  that 
  when 
  the 
  Crow 
  came 
  to 
  offer 
  his 
  services 
  to 
  the 
  people 
  he 
  had 
  in 
  his 
  

   bill 
  a 
  wahi 
  n/ 
  Qon 
  — 
  a 
  ball 
  of 
  white 
  down 
  from 
  the 
  brant. 
  This 
  he 
  laid 
  before 
  the 
  leader 
  

   of 
  the 
  people 
  as 
  a 
  token 
  of 
  his 
  ability 
  to 
  fulfill 
  his 
  promise 
  of 
  help. 
  

  

  When 
  the 
  leader 
  of 
  a 
  war 
  party 
  wishes 
  to 
  practise 
  augury 
  to 
  ascertain 
  whether 
  or 
  not 
  

   he 
  will 
  be 
  successful, 
  he 
  relies 
  on 
  the 
  wolf 
  or 
  the 
  crow 
  to 
  reveal 
  to 
  him 
  future 
  events. 
  

   The 
  'following 
  story 
  is 
  told 
  of 
  Shu'degaxe 
  and 
  Mixa'cka, 
  who 
  years 
  ago 
  led 
  a 
  party 
  

   against 
  the 
  Pawnee: 
  

  

  "One 
  evening 
  a 
  wolf 
  was 
  heard 
  howling 
  and 
  Shu'degaxe 
  listened 
  to 
  it 
  for 
  a 
  long 
  

   time, 
  when 
  he 
  said 
  to 
  his 
  warriors: 
  'The 
  wolf 
  which 
  you 
  have 
  heard 
  howling 
  has 
  

   promised 
  me 
  success 
  if 
  I 
  would 
  vow 
  to 
  feast 
  with 
  him. 
  I 
  now 
  give 
  such 
  vow 
  and 
  I 
  

   will 
  eat 
  a 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  flesh 
  of 
  any 
  enemy 
  we 
  may 
  slay.' 
  In 
  two 
  days 
  the 
  war 
  party 
  

   encountered 
  the 
  Pawnee 
  and 
  completely 
  routed 
  them. 
  Many 
  Pawnee 
  were 
  killed 
  

   and 
  many 
  of 
  their 
  horses 
  taken. 
  True 
  to 
  his 
  vow, 
  Shu'degaxe 
  took 
  a 
  bit 
  of 
  the 
  flesh 
  

   of 
  an 
  enemy 
  he 
  had 
  himself 
  slain 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  presence 
  of 
  his 
  men 
  undertook 
  to 
  keep 
  

   his 
  word. 
  After 
  much 
  singing 
  (which 
  is 
  often 
  done 
  before 
  a 
  great 
  undertaking) 
  the 
  

   leader 
  dropped 
  the 
  bit 
  of 
  human 
  flesh 
  down 
  his 
  throat, 
  but 
  threw 
  it 
  up 
  after 
  writhing 
  

   in 
  pain. 
  He 
  made 
  two 
  unsuccessful 
  attempts. 
  At 
  last 
  he 
  wrapped 
  the 
  bit 
  of 
  flesh 
  

   in 
  a 
  piece 
  of 
  buffalo 
  fat, 
  when 
  he 
  was 
  able 
  to 
  keep 
  it 
  down. 
  

  

  Another 
  story 
  is 
  told 
  of 
  a 
  warrior 
  to 
  whom 
  the 
  crows 
  offered 
  their 
  services 
  as 
  scouts. 
  

   "These 
  crows," 
  said 
  the 
  leader 
  to 
  his 
  men, 
  "have 
  promised 
  to 
  go 
  in 
  search 
  of 
  our 
  

   enemy. 
  They 
  say 
  that 
  they 
  want 
  to 
  feast 
  on 
  human 
  flesh. 
  They 
  will 
  return 
  to 
  us 
  

   on 
  the 
  morning 
  of 
  the 
  second 
  day 
  after 
  this. 
  Notice 
  how 
  yonder 
  crow 
  is 
  marked; 
  

   one 
  feather 
  is 
  missing 
  from 
  his 
  right 
  wing. 
  By 
  this 
  mark 
  you 
  will 
  recognize 
  him 
  on 
  

   his 
  return 
  day 
  after 
  to-morrow." 
  The 
  birds 
  returned 
  on 
  the 
  morning 
  set 
  for 
  the 
  report. 
  

   They 
  gave 
  to 
  the 
  leader 
  even 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  the 
  people 
  he 
  would 
  encounter 
  and 
  how 
  

   many 
  were 
  to 
  be 
  slain. 
  It 
  all 
  came 
  true 
  and 
  the 
  war 
  party 
  returned 
  successful. 
  

  

  These 
  two, 
  the 
  crow 
  and 
  the 
  wolf, 
  offered 
  their 
  company 
  to 
  the 
  people 
  and 
  it 
  was 
  

   for 
  mutual 
  aid. 
  The 
  crow 
  and 
  the 
  wolf 
  were 
  to 
  direct 
  the 
  people 
  in 
  finding 
  enemies 
  

   and 
  game 
  and 
  the 
  people 
  were 
  to 
  make 
  sure 
  of 
  killing 
  so 
  that 
  the 
  wolf 
  and 
  the 
  crow 
  

   could 
  feast 
  on 
  the 
  flesh 
  left 
  on 
  the 
  field 
  of 
  battle 
  or 
  in 
  the 
  chase. 
  

  

  THE 
  FEATHER 
  WAR 
  BONNET 
  

  

  There 
  was 
  one 
  ornament 
  which 
  stood 
  for 
  the 
  social 
  relation, 
  the 
  

   interdependence 
  of 
  men, 
  and 
  which 
  was 
  not 
  directly 
  connected 
  with 
  

   the 
  supernatural. 
  This 
  was 
  the 
  imposing 
  eagle-feather 
  war 
  bonnet 
  

   (pi. 
  55). 
  The 
  right 
  to 
  possess 
  and 
  wear 
  this 
  regalia 
  could 
  be 
  obtained 
  

   only 
  by 
  the 
  consent 
  of 
  a 
  man's 
  fellow-warriors. 
  To 
  be 
  sure, 
  the 
  per- 
  

   son 
  to 
  whom 
  the 
  right 
  was 
  given 
  must 
  have 
  already 
  received, 
  publicly, 
  

   war 
  honors 
  ; 
  but 
  he 
  must 
  also 
  have 
  gained 
  the 
  respect 
  of 
  the 
  leading 
  

   men 
  of 
  the 
  community. 
  

  

  The 
  materials 
  required 
  to 
  make 
  the 
  bonnet 
  were 
  gathered 
  by 
  the 
  

   man 
  who 
  wished 
  to 
  possess 
  it 
  but 
  its 
  manufacture 
  depended 
  on 
  the 
  

  

  