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  SOCIETIES 
  

  

  There 
  were 
  two 
  classes 
  of 
  societies 
  among 
  the 
  Omaha 
  — 
  social 
  and 
  

   secret. 
  

  

  Membership 
  in 
  the 
  social 
  class 
  was 
  open 
  to 
  those 
  able 
  to 
  perform 
  

   the 
  acts 
  required 
  for 
  eligibility. 
  To 
  this 
  class 
  belong 
  the 
  warrior 
  

   societies 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  those 
  for 
  social 
  purposes 
  only. 
  

  

  The 
  secret 
  societies 
  dealt 
  with 
  mysteries 
  and 
  membership 
  was 
  

   generally 
  attained 
  by 
  virtue 
  of 
  a 
  dream 
  or 
  vision. 
  Some 
  of 
  these 
  

   secret 
  societies 
  had 
  knowledge 
  of 
  medicines, 
  roots, 
  and 
  plants 
  used 
  

   in 
  healing; 
  others 
  were 
  noted 
  for 
  their 
  occult 
  and 
  shamanistic 
  pro- 
  

   ceedings 
  and 
  furnish 
  the 
  only 
  examples 
  of 
  such 
  practices 
  in 
  the 
  tribe, 
  

  

  There 
  were 
  no 
  societies 
  composed 
  exclusively 
  of 
  women. 
  

  

  Social 
  Societies 
  

   the 
  hetiiu'shka 
  

  

  • 
  

  

  Among 
  the 
  societies 
  of 
  the 
  social 
  class 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  largest 
  and 
  

   most 
  important 
  was 
  the 
  Hethu'shka. 
  Tradition 
  and 
  song 
  indicate 
  

   that 
  this 
  society 
  was 
  known 
  when 
  the 
  Omaha, 
  the 
  Ponca, 
  and 
  their 
  

   close 
  cognates 
  were 
  living 
  together 
  as 
  one 
  tribe. 
  Among 
  the 
  Omaha 
  

   the 
  ceremonies 
  of 
  the 
  Hethu'shka 
  formerly 
  partook 
  of 
  tribal 
  impor- 
  

   tance. 
  The 
  Ko 
  n 
  'ce, 
  or 
  "Wind 
  people," 
  were 
  the 
  custodians 
  of 
  the 
  

   two 
  pipes 
  sacred 
  to 
  the 
  rites 
  observed 
  in 
  the 
  opening 
  ceremonies 
  

   when 
  the 
  members 
  met 
  together. 
  There 
  were 
  occasions 
  when 
  the 
  

   Hethu'shka 
  members 
  moved 
  in 
  a 
  procession 
  around 
  the 
  hu'thuga 
  

   (tribal 
  circle), 
  following 
  their 
  two 
  pipes, 
  borne 
  by 
  their 
  Ko 
  n 
  'ce 
  

   keepers. 
  The 
  office 
  of 
  keeping 
  and 
  filling 
  the 
  two 
  pipes 
  was 
  hered- 
  

   itary 
  in 
  a 
  family 
  of 
  the 
  Ko 
  n 
  'ce 
  gens 
  that 
  to-day 
  is 
  represented 
  by 
  

   one 
  surviving 
  member. 
  It 
  is 
  said 
  that 
  the 
  object 
  in 
  establishing 
  

   the 
  Hethu'shka 
  society 
  was 
  to 
  stimulate 
  an 
  heroic 
  spirit 
  among 
  the 
  

   people 
  and 
  to 
  keep 
  alive 
  the 
  memory 
  of 
  historic 
  and 
  valorous 
  acts. 
  

   Thunder 
  was 
  the 
  tutelar 
  god 
  of 
  the 
  Hethu'shka. 
  The 
  destructive 
  

   power 
  of 
  the 
  lightning, 
  with 
  its 
  accompanying 
  thunder 
  and 
  clouds 
  

   so 
  terrifying 
  to 
  man 
  and 
  beast, 
  was 
  recognized 
  in 
  the 
  ceremonies 
  and 
  

   songs 
  of 
  this 
  society. 
  Among 
  the 
  Osage 
  the 
  Hethu'shka 
  society 
  is 
  

   spoken 
  of 
  as 
  the 
  I 
  n 
  gtho 
  n 
  'ushko 
  n 
  , 
  "those 
  who 
  partake 
  of 
  the 
  nature 
  

   of 
  the 
  thunder." 
  The 
  society 
  is 
  known 
  not 
  only 
  to 
  the 
  close 
  cognates 
  

   but 
  to 
  the 
  Iowa 
  and 
  Oto 
  tribes 
  as 
  well. 
  

  

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