﻿454 
  

  

  THE 
  OMAHA 
  TRTBE 
  

  

  [i:tii. 
  axx. 
  27 
  

  

  keeping. 
  Should 
  there 
  come 
  a 
  time 
  when 
  I 
  might 
  crave 
  to 
  see 
  once 
  more 
  these 
  things 
  

   that 
  have 
  been 
  with 
  my 
  fathers, 
  I 
  would 
  like 
  to 
  be 
  permitted 
  to 
  do 
  so. 
  I 
  know 
  that 
  

   the 
  members 
  of 
  my 
  family 
  are 
  willing 
  that 
  I 
  should 
  do 
  this 
  thing 
  and 
  no 
  others 
  have 
  

   a 
  right 
  to 
  question 
  my 
  action. 
  There 
  are 
  men 
  in 
  the 
  tribe 
  who 
  will 
  say 
  hard 
  things 
  

   of 
  me 
  because 
  of 
  ibis 
  act 
  but 
  I 
  think 
  it 
  best 
  to 
  do 
  as 
  I 
  am 
  doing. 
  

  

  It 
  was 
  late 
  in 
  the 
  afternoon 
  when 
  the 
  writers 
  went 
  to 
  get 
  the 
  articles. 
  

   The 
  old 
  man 
  was 
  sitting 
  alone 
  outside 
  his 
  dwelling. 
  He 
  had 
  

   carefully 
  gathered 
  the. 
  contents 
  of 
  the 
  Tent 
  of 
  War 
  and 
  was 
  taking 
  

   his 
  last 
  look 
  at 
  them 
  in 
  the 
  fading 
  light. 
  Then 
  with 
  his 
  own 
  hands 
  

   and 
  with 
  quiet 
  haste, 
  he 
  lifted 
  them 
  into 
  our 
  wagon. 
  "They 
  are 
  all 
  

   there," 
  he 
  said, 
  and 
  turned 
  away 
  as 
  the 
  round 
  moon 
  rose 
  over 
  

  

  the 
  valley. 
  This 
  act 
  of 
  

   Mo"'hi 
  n 
  thi 
  n 
  ge 
  drew 
  asharp 
  

   line 
  that 
  marked 
  the 
  close 
  

   of 
  a 
  chapter 
  in 
  Omaha 
  

   history. 
  It 
  is 
  fitting 
  that 
  

   the 
  name 
  of 
  one. 
  who 
  was 
  

   brave 
  enough 
  to 
  draw 
  that 
  

   line 
  should 
  be 
  remembered 
  

   with 
  honor 
  and 
  sympathy 
  

   for 
  his 
  courageous 
  act. 
  

  

  THE 
  SACKED 
  SHELL 
  

  

  On 
  the 
  reorganization 
  

   of 
  the 
  tribal 
  government 
  

   the 
  rites 
  of 
  defensive 
  war- 
  

   fare 
  were 
  placed 
  in 
  charge 
  

   of 
  the 
  We'zhi 
  n 
  shte 
  gens. 
  

   This 
  gens 
  had 
  probably 
  

   held 
  an 
  important 
  place 
  in 
  

   the 
  previous 
  tribal 
  order 
  

   to 
  have 
  had 
  given 
  to 
  it 
  

   such 
  prominence 
  in 
  the 
  

   new 
  order. 
  It 
  is 
  likely 
  that 
  the 
  earlier 
  prominence 
  was 
  connected 
  

   with 
  the 
  rites 
  that 
  were 
  the 
  special 
  care 
  of 
  this 
  people 
  — 
  rites 
  which 
  

   must 
  have 
  commanded 
  a 
  tribal 
  recognition 
  — 
  and 
  the 
  ancient 
  name 
  

   of 
  the 
  gens, 
  judging 
  from 
  tribal 
  custom, 
  probably 
  referred 
  to 
  these 
  

   rites. 
  Both 
  the 
  name 
  and 
  the 
  rites 
  which 
  gave 
  the 
  name 
  have 
  long 
  

   been 
  lost, 
  but 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  dim 
  past 
  a 
  ceremonial 
  object 
  has 
  come 
  down 
  

   as 
  a 
  heritage 
  of 
  the 
  gens 
  — 
  the 
  Sacred 
  Shell. 
  No 
  one 
  knew 
  what 
  it 
  

   stood 
  for, 
  but 
  everyone 
  held 
  it 
  in 
  superstitious 
  dread 
  ; 
  in 
  all 
  the 
  tribe 
  

   there 
  was 
  not 
  a 
  person 
  exempt 
  from 
  fear 
  of 
  this 
  shell. 
  The 
  supersti- 
  

   tions 
  that 
  clung 
  about 
  it 
  indicated 
  that 
  its 
  rites 
  related 
  to 
  the 
  cosmic 
  

   forces 
  and 
  to 
  fundamental 
  beliefs 
  relative 
  to 
  life 
  and 
  death. 
  When 
  it 
  

   became 
  known 
  in 
  the 
  tribe 
  that 
  the 
  keeper 
  of 
  the 
  Tent 
  of 
  War 
  had 
  

  

  FIG. 
  102. 
  Bug 
  containing 
  Snored 
  Shell. 
  

  

  