﻿488 
  

  

  THE 
  OMAHA 
  TRIBE 
  

  

  | 
  F.TII. 
  WW 
  21 
  

  

  man 
  to 
  defend 
  him. 
  I 
  made 
  my 
  way 
  through 
  the 
  crowd, 
  and, 
  peering 
  over 
  the 
  

   shoulders 
  of 
  another 
  boy, 
  I 
  saw 
  on 
  the 
  ground 
  a 
  little 
  form 
  that 
  I 
  recognized. 
  Blood 
  

   was 
  oozing 
  from 
  a 
  wound 
  in 
  the 
  back 
  of 
  the 
  boy's 
  head 
  and 
  from 
  one 
  under 
  the 
  right 
  

   eye 
  near 
  the 
  nose. 
  A 
  man 
  ordered 
  the 
  women 
  to 
  stop 
  wailing 
  and 
  bade 
  the 
  people 
  to 
  

   stand 
  back. 
  Soon 
  through 
  an 
  opening 
  in 
  the 
  crowd 
  I 
  saw 
  a 
  tall 
  man 
  wrapped 
  in 
  a 
  

   buffalo 
  robe 
  come 
  up 
  the 
  hill 
  and 
  pass 
  through 
  the 
  space 
  to 
  where 
  the 
  boy 
  lay. 
  He 
  

   stooped 
  over 
  the 
  child, 
  felt 
  of 
  his 
  wrist, 
  and 
  then 
  of 
  his 
  heart. 
  "He 
  is 
  alive," 
  the 
  

   man 
  said: 
  "set 
  up 
  a 
  lent 
  and 
  take 
  him 
  in." 
  The 
  little 
  body 
  was 
  lifted 
  on 
  a 
  robe 
  and 
  

   carried 
  by 
  two 
  men 
  into 
  a 
  large 
  tent 
  that 
  had 
  been 
  hastily 
  erected. 
  Meanwhile 
  a 
  

   young 
  man 
  had 
  been 
  sent 
  in 
  all 
  haste 
  to 
  call 
  the 
  buffalo 
  doctors. 
  Soon 
  they 
  were 
  seen 
  

   galloping 
  over 
  the 
  hill 
  on 
  their 
  horses, 
  one 
  or 
  two 
  at 
  a 
  time, 
  their 
  longhair 
  flowing 
  over 
  

   their 
  naked 
  backs. 
  They 
  dismounted 
  and 
  one 
  by 
  one 
  entered 
  the 
  tent, 
  where 
  they 
  

   joined 
  the 
  buffalo 
  doctor 
  who 
  lived 
  near 
  by 
  and 
  had 
  already 
  been 
  called. 
  A 
  short 
  

   consultation 
  was 
  held. 
  The 
  sides 
  of 
  the 
  tent 
  were 
  drawn 
  up 
  to 
  let 
  in 
  the 
  fresh 
  air 
  and 
  

   to 
  permit 
  the 
  people 
  to 
  witness 
  the 
  operation. 
  

  

  All 
  the 
  buffalo 
  medicine 
  men 
  sat 
  around 
  the 
  boy, 
  their 
  eyes 
  gleaming 
  over 
  their 
  

   wrinkled 
  faces. 
  Then 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  men 
  began 
  in 
  a 
  low 
  voice 
  to 
  tell 
  how 
  in 
  a 
  vision 
  he 
  

   had 
  seen 
  the 
  buffalo 
  which 
  had 
  revealed 
  to 
  him 
  the 
  secret 
  of 
  the 
  medicine 
  and 
  taught 
  

   him 
  the 
  song 
  he 
  must 
  sing 
  when 
  using 
  it. 
  At 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  every 
  sentence 
  the 
  boy's 
  

   father 
  thanked 
  him 
  in 
  terms 
  of 
  relationship. 
  Then 
  he 
  compounded 
  the 
  roots 
  he 
  had 
  

   taken 
  from 
  his 
  skin 
  pouch 
  and 
  started 
  his 
  song 
  at 
  the 
  top 
  of 
  his 
  voice. 
  The 
  other 
  

   doctors, 
  some 
  twenty 
  or 
  more, 
  joined 
  in, 
  and 
  sang 
  it 
  in 
  unison 
  with 
  a 
  volume 
  that 
  

   could 
  be 
  heard 
  a 
  mile 
  away. 
  The 
  song 
  was 
  accompanied 
  by 
  a 
  bone 
  whistle 
  imitating 
  

   the 
  cry 
  of 
  the 
  eagle. 
  After 
  the 
  doctor 
  had 
  started 
  the 
  song 
  he 
  put 
  the 
  bits 
  of 
  roots 
  into 
  

   his 
  mouth, 
  ground 
  them 
  with 
  his 
  teeth, 
  and 
  taking 
  a 
  mouthful 
  of 
  water 
  he 
  approached 
  

   the 
  boy 
  bellowing 
  and 
  pawing 
  the 
  earth 
  like 
  an 
  angry 
  buffalo 
  at 
  bay. 
  When 
  near 
  the 
  

   boy 
  he 
  drew 
  in 
  a 
  long 
  breath, 
  and 
  with 
  a 
  whizzing 
  noise 
  forced 
  the 
  water 
  from 
  his 
  

   mouth 
  into 
  the 
  wound. 
  The 
  boy 
  spread 
  out 
  his 
  hands 
  and 
  winced 
  as 
  though 
  he 
  had 
  

   been 
  struck. 
  The 
  man 
  uttered 
  a 
  series 
  of 
  short 
  exclamations: 
  "Hi! 
  hi! 
  hi!" 
  Then 
  

   the 
  father 
  and 
  the 
  man 
  who 
  had 
  wounded 
  the 
  boy 
  lifted 
  their 
  outspread 
  hands 
  toward 
  

   the 
  doctor 
  to 
  signify 
  their 
  thanks. 
  During 
  the 
  administration 
  of 
  the 
  medicine 
  all 
  the 
  

   men 
  and 
  two 
  women 
  doctors 
  sang 
  with 
  energy 
  the 
  following 
  song 
  which 
  had 
  been 
  

   started 
  by 
  the 
  operator: 
  

  

  (Sung 
  iu 
  octave 
  unison) 
  

  

  i 
  

  

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  Ni 
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  u" 
  

  

  shka-xe 
  

  

  P 
  

  

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  shka 
  - 
  xe 
  the-xe 
  

  

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  the 
  he.. 
  

  

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  the 
  

  

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  the 
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  thu 
  kom 
  btha 
  tha 
  the 
  he 
  kom 
  btha 
  he 
  he 
  the 
  

  

  the 
  

  

  Literal 
  translation: 
  ni 
  W'sldv 
  xi 
  (ma, 
  part 
  of 
  me, 
  hurt; 
  iC, 
  me, 
  

   you; 
  shka-xe, 
  make 
  — 
  you 
  hurt 
  me); 
  ego 
  n 
  , 
  then; 
  thethu, 
  here; 
  to", 
  from; 
  

   theathe, 
  I 
  send; 
  kombtha, 
  I 
  want 
  or 
  desire 
  — 
  from 
  here 
  I 
  desire 
  to 
  

   send 
  it. 
  

  

  A. 
  second 
  doctor 
  now 
  repeated 
  the 
  treatment 
  and 
  started 
  his 
  song, 
  all 
  the 
  others 
  

   joining 
  in 
  the 
  singing 
  as 
  before, 
  while 
  he 
  administered 
  the 
  remedy. 
  

  

  