﻿486 
  THE 
  OMAHA 
  TRIBE 
  [eth. 
  ANN. 
  27 
  

  

  seat 
  was 
  placed 
  a 
  bowl 
  or 
  platter 
  with 
  a 
  horn 
  spoon. 
  It 
  was 
  explained 
  

   that 
  this 
  place 
  was 
  kept 
  in 
  recognition 
  of 
  Wako 
  n 
  'da, 
  the 
  provider 
  and 
  

   ruler 
  of 
  mankind, 
  who 
  was 
  thus 
  present 
  with 
  the 
  men 
  as 
  they 
  met 
  

   together 
  and 
  talked. 
  This 
  society 
  was 
  given 
  up 
  about 
  1870, 
  when 
  the 
  

   changes 
  incident 
  to 
  contact 
  with 
  the 
  white 
  settlers 
  and 
  the 
  Govern- 
  

   ment 
  had 
  begun 
  seriously 
  to 
  affect 
  the 
  tribe. 
  

  

  the 
  t'e 
  ga'xe 
  

  

  T'e 
  ga'xe 
  (t'e, 
  death; 
  gaxe, 
  to 
  make, 
  to 
  simulate 
  — 
  to 
  simulate 
  

   death) 
  was 
  the 
  name 
  of 
  an 
  ancient 
  social 
  society 
  that 
  disappeared 
  

   before 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  the 
  last 
  century. 
  This 
  society 
  had 
  songs 
  which 
  

   were 
  sung 
  at 
  its 
  gatherings 
  but 
  they 
  are 
  lost, 
  together 
  with 
  the 
  

   customs 
  once 
  observed. 
  

  

  THE 
  MO 
  n 
  WA'DATHI 
  n 
  AND 
  THE 
  TOICA'LO 
  

  

  The, 
  Mo 
  n 
  wa'dathi 
  n 
  (Omaha 
  term 
  for 
  Mandan) 
  and 
  the 
  Toka'lo 
  

   (meaning 
  unknown) 
  were 
  social 
  societies 
  that 
  were, 
  borrowed 
  or 
  

   introduced 
  from 
  the 
  Dakota. 
  Both 
  of 
  these 
  societies 
  ceased 
  to 
  exist 
  

   about 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  the 
  last 
  century. 
  The 
  meetings 
  of 
  both 
  were 
  

   public; 
  they 
  had 
  a 
  formal 
  membership 
  open 
  to 
  any 
  man 
  of 
  good 
  

   repute. 
  The 
  members 
  sometimes 
  paraded 
  on 
  horseback 
  around 
  the 
  

   camp, 
  moving 
  to 
  the 
  rhythm 
  of 
  the 
  songs 
  of 
  the 
  society. 
  Their 
  

   dances 
  were 
  said 
  to 
  be 
  dignified 
  rather 
  than 
  dramatic 
  — 
  a 
  statement 
  

   borne 
  out 
  by 
  the 
  surviving 
  songs. 
  Whether 
  the 
  music 
  was 
  com- 
  

   posed 
  by 
  the 
  Omaha 
  or 
  came 
  from 
  the 
  Dakota 
  is 
  not 
  known. 
  

   There 
  are 
  no 
  words 
  to 
  the 
  songs, 
  a 
  fact 
  which 
  makes 
  it 
  probable 
  

   that 
  the 
  music 
  was 
  adopted 
  from 
  another 
  tribe, 
  the 
  foreign 
  words 
  

   being 
  dropped. 
  

  

  Secret 
  Societies 
  

  

  All 
  of 
  the 
  secret 
  societies 
  had 
  to 
  do 
  with 
  mysteries 
  and 
  were 
  

   spoken 
  of 
  by 
  the 
  general 
  term 
  Xu'be 
  wachi, 
  (xube, 
  "sacred," 
  "nrys- 
  

   terious," 
  "occult;" 
  wachi, 
  "dance" 
  — 
  that 
  is, 
  rhythmic 
  movements 
  

   of 
  the 
  body 
  keeping 
  time 
  with 
  the 
  melody 
  sung 
  and 
  also 
  expressive 
  

   of 
  the 
  emotion 
  aroused 
  by 
  the 
  music). 
  

  

  the 
  mo 
  n 
  chu' 
  itiiaethe 
  

  

  Entrance 
  into 
  the 
  Mo 
  n 
  chu' 
  ithaethe 
  (mo 
  n 
  chu, 
  " 
  bear;" 
  i'thaethe, 
  "to 
  

   show 
  compassion" 
  — 
  "those 
  to 
  whom 
  the 
  bear 
  has 
  shown 
  compas- 
  

   sion," 
  by 
  appearing 
  in 
  a 
  dream 
  or 
  vision 
  and 
  giving 
  power) 
  society 
  

   was 
  by 
  virtue 
  of 
  a 
  dream 
  of 
  the 
  bear. 
  To 
  this 
  society 
  belonged 
  the 
  

   knowledge 
  of 
  the 
  practice 
  of 
  sleight 
  of 
  hand, 
  as 
  the 
  thrusting 
  of 
  

   wands 
  down 
  the 
  throat 
  and 
  similar 
  performances. 
  This 
  knowledge 
  

   was 
  said 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  gained 
  originally 
  from 
  the 
  animals. 
  This 
  

   society 
  should 
  not 
  be 
  confused 
  with 
  the 
  Waca'be 
  itazhi 
  (Bear 
  sub- 
  

  

  