﻿458 
  THE 
  OMAHA 
  TRIBE 
  [eth. 
  ANN. 
  27 
  

  

  these 
  relics 
  of 
  past 
  ceremonials 
  were 
  in 
  charge 
  of 
  one 
  gens 
  would 
  

   seem 
  to 
  indicate 
  some 
  sort 
  of 
  connection. 
  

  

  This 
  Cedar 
  Pole 
  was 
  called 
  Waxthe'xe, 
  a 
  name 
  afterward 
  trans- 
  

   ferred 
  to 
  the 
  Sacred 
  Pole 
  in 
  charge 
  of 
  the 
  Ho°'ga 
  gens. 
  The 
  Sacred 
  

   Pole 
  symbolized 
  the 
  power 
  of 
  the 
  chiefs 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  improbable 
  that 
  

   the 
  Cedar 
  Pole 
  stood 
  for 
  the 
  power 
  of 
  Thunder, 
  the 
  god 
  of 
  war. 
  

  

  The 
  Cedar 
  Pole 
  was 
  1 
  m. 
  25 
  cm. 
  in 
  length. 
  To 
  it 
  was 
  bound 
  by 
  a 
  

   rope 
  of 
  sinew 
  a 
  similar 
  piece 
  of 
  rounded 
  cedar 
  61 
  cm. 
  long 
  called 
  the 
  

   zhi'be, 
  or 
  "leg." 
  In 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  the 
  pole 
  was 
  bound 
  another 
  rounded 
  

   piece 
  of 
  the 
  wood, 
  steadied 
  by 
  a 
  third 
  and 
  smaller 
  one, 
  as 
  three 
  round 
  

   sticks 
  can 
  be 
  bound 
  together 
  more 
  firmly 
  than 
  two. 
  It 
  is 
  said 
  that 
  

   the 
  pole 
  typified 
  a 
  manlike 
  being. 
  As 
  stated 
  above, 
  the 
  lower 
  piece 
  

   was 
  called 
  "the 
  leg," 
  and 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  that 
  the 
  stick 
  bound 
  to 
  the 
  

   middle 
  represented 
  a 
  club. 
  The 
  Thunder 
  god, 
  we 
  are 
  told, 
  used 
  a 
  

   club 
  for 
  a 
  weapon. 
  One 
  of 
  the 
  ritual 
  songs 
  used 
  in 
  the 
  ceremony 
  for 
  

   awarding 
  honors 
  says: 
  

  

  Behold 
  how 
  fearful 
  is 
  he, 
  your 
  Grandfather. 
  

   He 
  lifts 
  his 
  long 
  club, 
  fearful 
  is 
  he. 
  

  

  There 
  is 
  a 
  tradition 
  that 
  in 
  olden 
  times, 
  in 
  the 
  spring 
  after 
  the 
  first 
  

   thunder 
  had 
  sounded, 
  in 
  the 
  ceremony 
  which 
  then 
  took 
  place 
  this 
  

   Cedar 
  Pole 
  was 
  painted, 
  with 
  rites 
  similar 
  to 
  those 
  observed 
  when 
  the 
  

   Sacred 
  Pole 
  was 
  painted 
  and 
  anointed 
  at 
  the 
  great 
  tribal 
  festival 
  

   held 
  while 
  on 
  the 
  buffalo 
  hunt. 
  If 
  this 
  tradition 
  is 
  true, 
  these 
  cere- 
  

   monies 
  must 
  have 
  taken 
  place 
  long 
  ago, 
  as 
  no 
  indication 
  of 
  any 
  such 
  

   painting 
  remains 
  on 
  the 
  Cedar 
  Pole. 
  (See 
  p. 
  229). 
  

  

  