﻿496 
  THE 
  OMAHA 
  TEIBE 
  [eth. 
  ANN. 
  27 
  

  

  mourner 
  cut 
  his 
  hair, 
  put 
  on 
  gala 
  dress, 
  and 
  distributed 
  the 
  gifts 
  

   among 
  his 
  near 
  kindred, 
  while 
  the 
  herald 
  proclaimed 
  throughout 
  the 
  

   village: 
  "You, 
  the 
  people, 
  are 
  told 
  to 
  be 
  joyous 
  again!" 
  Songs 
  and 
  

   dances 
  were 
  resumed 
  and 
  the 
  people 
  made 
  merry 
  after 
  their 
  long 
  

   silence. 
  This 
  ceremony 
  has 
  not 
  been 
  performed 
  since 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  

   the 
  last 
  century. 
  

  

  Another 
  form 
  of 
  giving 
  was 
  to 
  place 
  a 
  robe 
  on 
  the 
  arm 
  of 
  a 
  child 
  

   and 
  bid 
  it 
  take 
  the 
  gift 
  to 
  the 
  lodge 
  of 
  a 
  leading 
  man, 
  who, 
  on 
  receiving 
  

   the 
  gift, 
  would 
  emerge 
  from 
  his 
  tent 
  and 
  call 
  aloud 
  the 
  name 
  of 
  the 
  

   giver. 
  

  

  All 
  contributions 
  to 
  a 
  Wa'wa" 
  party, 
  or 
  gifts 
  made 
  through 
  this 
  

   ceremony, 
  could 
  be 
  "counted." 
  as 
  these 
  were 
  in 
  the 
  interest 
  of 
  peace 
  

   within 
  and 
  without 
  the 
  tribe. 
  For 
  similar 
  reasons 
  the 
  gifts 
  made 
  

   during 
  the 
  festival 
  of 
  the 
  He'dewachi 
  were 
  "counted 
  " 
  

  

  Giftsof 
  horseswere 
  accounted 
  amongthe 
  most, 
  valuable. 
  Sometimes 
  

   the 
  "count 
  " 
  of 
  a 
  horse 
  was 
  connected 
  with 
  peculiar 
  circumstances, 
  as 
  

   in 
  the 
  following 
  case 
  : 
  Waha'xi 
  had 
  a 
  son 
  whom 
  he 
  hoped 
  would 
  one 
  day 
  

   be 
  a 
  chief, 
  but 
  who 
  died 
  prematurely. 
  At 
  his 
  funeral 
  a 
  fine 
  white 
  horse 
  

   wasabout 
  to 
  be 
  killed, 
  when 
  the 
  fathered 
  Kaxe'no 
  n 
  ba 
  brought 
  forward 
  

   a 
  mule 
  and 
  asked 
  that 
  it 
  be 
  killed 
  and 
  the 
  fine 
  horse 
  spared. 
  Knowing 
  

   that 
  the 
  mule 
  also 
  could 
  not 
  well 
  be 
  spared 
  by 
  the 
  man, 
  Waha'xi 
  

   decided 
  not 
  to 
  kill 
  either 
  the 
  horse 
  or 
  the 
  mule 
  but 
  bade 
  the 
  man 
  to 
  

   "count" 
  both 
  horse 
  and 
  mule 
  as 
  waihi 
  n 
  'etht 
  . 
  Such 
  gifts 
  were 
  classed 
  

   as 
  "gone 
  to 
  see 
  the 
  dead." 
  

  

  The 
  We'ku 
  feast 
  offered 
  another 
  occasion 
  for 
  men 
  to 
  make 
  gifts 
  

   which 
  could 
  be 
  "counted." 
  This 
  feast 
  occurred 
  when 
  there 
  had 
  

   been 
  a 
  difference 
  between 
  two 
  tribes 
  and 
  the 
  chiefs 
  wished 
  to 
  make 
  

   peace. 
  The 
  Seven 
  Chiefs 
  called 
  the 
  various 
  chiefs 
  and 
  young 
  warriors 
  

   together 
  and 
  told 
  them 
  of 
  the 
  proposed 
  We'ku 
  feast, 
  to 
  which 
  the 
  tribe 
  

   with 
  whom 
  there 
  had 
  been 
  trouble 
  had 
  been 
  invited. 
  The 
  men 
  then 
  

   volunteered 
  to 
  make 
  gifts 
  toward 
  receiving 
  the 
  tribe. 
  Hewho 
  intended 
  

   to 
  offer 
  a 
  large 
  gift 
  would 
  say. 
  "I 
  will 
  give 
  some 
  small 
  article" 
  Those 
  

   who 
  could 
  make 
  only 
  a 
  small 
  donation 
  said 
  nothing. 
  When 
  all 
  the 
  gifts 
  

   were 
  gathered, 
  three 
  or 
  four 
  of 
  the 
  donors 
  who 
  were 
  men 
  of 
  rank 
  and 
  

   respected 
  by 
  the 
  people 
  were 
  sent 
  to 
  invite 
  the 
  other 
  tribe 
  to 
  the 
  

   feast. 
  As 
  the 
  guests 
  were 
  seen 
  approaching, 
  all 
  the 
  men 
  who 
  had 
  

   contributed 
  gifts 
  mounted 
  their 
  horses 
  and 
  rode 
  out 
  to 
  meet 
  the 
  

   coming 
  tribe, 
  charging 
  upon 
  them 
  as 
  if 
  upon 
  an 
  enemy. 
  The 
  leader 
  

   horc 
  a 
  pipe 
  prepared 
  for 
  smoking 
  and 
  offered 
  it 
  to 
  the 
  leader 
  of 
  the 
  

   guests 
  who, 
  after 
  it 
  was 
  lighted, 
  accepted 
  it. 
  The 
  gifts 
  were 
  then 
  

   distributed, 
  the 
  feast 
  eaten, 
  and 
  peace 
  concluded 
  between 
  the 
  tribes. 
  

   After 
  the 
  feast 
  the 
  guests 
  were 
  entertained 
  as 
  individuals 
  among 
  

   Omaha 
  families. 
  All 
  gifts 
  made 
  on 
  such 
  an 
  occasion 
  could 
  be 
  counted 
  

   as 
  ir<ifh'i"'< 
  the. 
  The 
  We'ku 
  feast 
  took 
  place 
  for 
  the 
  last 
  time 
  shortly 
  

   before 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  the 
  nineteenth 
  century. 
  

  

  