﻿FLETCHER-LA 
  II. 
  Ksc 
  111: 
  | 
  WARFARE 
  457 
  

  

  from 
  the 
  beak 
  of 
  the 
  shell 
  had 
  been 
  broken 
  or 
  cut 
  away; 
  the 
  surface 
  

   had 
  been 
  rubbed 
  down." 
  It 
  is 
  possible 
  that 
  the 
  condition 
  of 
  the 
  

   shell 
  may 
  be 
  clue 
  to 
  human 
  agency, 
  although 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  accounted 
  

   for 
  otherwise 
  — 
  the 
  break, 
  by 
  a 
  fall 
  on 
  stones 
  of 
  the 
  boy 
  to 
  whom 
  the 
  

   bag 
  containing 
  the 
  shell 
  was 
  entrusted 
  (an 
  accident 
  said 
  to 
  have 
  

   occurred 
  more 
  than 
  once 
  during 
  the 
  last 
  century), 
  and 
  the 
  rubbed 
  

   appearance, 
  by 
  the 
  friction 
  caused 
  by 
  long 
  contact 
  with 
  the 
  bag. 
  

  

  The 
  contents 
  (fig. 
  104) 
  of 
  the 
  shell 
  were 
  wrapped 
  in 
  two 
  pieces 
  

   of 
  matting, 
  the 
  warp 
  of 
  which 
  is 
  twisted 
  vegetable 
  fiber 
  and 
  the 
  woof, 
  

   rush. 
  The 
  outer 
  matting 
  is 
  coarse 
  and 
  shows 
  a 
  selvage; 
  the 
  inner 
  

   wrapping 
  is 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  material, 
  but 
  of 
  finer 
  weave. 
  Near 
  the 
  

   hinge 
  of 
  the 
  shell 
  was 
  a 
  scalp 
  lock, 
  tied 
  witli 
  sinew 
  and 
  doubled 
  over; 
  

   beside 
  it 
  was 
  a 
  small 
  skin 
  receptacle, 
  greatly 
  compressed, 
  contain- 
  

   ing 
  a 
  dark 
  substance, 
  probably 
  earth, 
  in 
  which 
  were 
  a 
  few 
  seeds, 
  frag- 
  

   ments 
  of 
  what 
  may 
  have 
  been 
  grass, 
  and 
  some 
  hairs. 
  There 
  is 
  no 
  

   tradition 
  of 
  this 
  bag 
  having 
  been 
  opened 
  or 
  of 
  the 
  shell 
  having 
  been 
  

   exposed. 
  The 
  bag 
  was 
  said 
  to 
  contain 
  a 
  shell; 
  nothing 
  more 
  con- 
  

   cerning 
  it 
  was 
  known. 
  

  

  Shells 
  were 
  formerly 
  used 
  to 
  carry 
  coals 
  of 
  fire. 
  In 
  the 
  ancient 
  

   ceremonies 
  in 
  which 
  this 
  shell 
  had 
  a 
  part 
  it 
  may 
  have 
  served 
  some 
  

   such 
  purpose 
  either 
  actually 
  or 
  symbolically. 
  That 
  it 
  was 
  connected 
  

   with 
  fire 
  seems 
  probable 
  from 
  the 
  superstition 
  that 
  it 
  could 
  cause 
  

   great 
  heat. 
  The 
  fragments 
  of 
  cedar 
  and 
  the 
  scalp 
  would 
  indicate 
  

   some 
  association 
  with 
  thunder 
  and 
  death. 
  In 
  the 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  

   Shell 
  society 
  (p. 
  509) 
  it 
  will 
  be 
  seen 
  that 
  the 
  shell 
  was 
  connected 
  

   with 
  death 
  and 
  the 
  continuation 
  of 
  life 
  after 
  death, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  with 
  

   water 
  and 
  the 
  beginnings 
  of 
  life. 
  Osage 
  myths 
  associate 
  the 
  shell 
  

   with 
  the 
  introduction 
  of 
  life 
  on 
  the 
  earth. 
  

  

  If 
  additional 
  light 
  is 
  ever 
  thrown 
  on 
  this 
  Sacred 
  Shell 
  of 
  the 
  Omaha 
  

   tribe 
  it 
  will 
  probably 
  be 
  the 
  result 
  of 
  study 
  of 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  cognate 
  

   tribes, 
  which 
  may 
  have 
  preserved 
  some 
  tradition 
  of 
  a 
  ceremony 
  in 
  

   which 
  a 
  shell 
  of 
  this 
  kind 
  was 
  used. 
  

  

  THE 
  CEDAR 
  POLE 
  

  

  An 
  ancient 
  cedar 
  pole 
  (fig. 
  57) 
  was 
  also 
  in 
  the 
  keeping 
  of 
  the 
  

   We'zhi 
  n 
  shte 
  gens, 
  and 
  was 
  lodged 
  in 
  the 
  Tent 
  of 
  War. 
  This 
  vener- 
  

   able 
  object 
  was 
  once 
  the 
  central 
  figure 
  in 
  rites 
  that 
  have 
  been 
  lost. 
  

   In 
  Creation 
  myths 
  the 
  cedar 
  tree 
  is 
  associated 
  with 
  the 
  advent 
  of 
  the 
  

   human 
  race; 
  other 
  myths 
  connect 
  this 
  tree 
  with 
  the 
  thunder. 
  The 
  

   thunder 
  birds 
  were 
  said 
  to 
  live 
  "in 
  a 
  forest 
  of 
  cedars." 
  The 
  phe- 
  

   nomenon 
  of 
  lightning 
  striking 
  a 
  tree 
  was 
  explained 
  as, 
  "the 
  thunder 
  

   bird 
  has 
  lit 
  on 
  the 
  tree." 
  What, 
  if 
  any. 
  relation 
  existed 
  between 
  the 
  

   rites 
  connected 
  with 
  the 
  Cedar 
  Pole 
  and 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  Sacred 
  Shell 
  

   can 
  not 
  now 
  be 
  ascertained 
  among 
  the 
  Omaha. 
  The 
  fact 
  that 
  both 
  

  

  