﻿498 
  THE 
  OMAHA 
  TRIBE 
  [eth. 
  ANN. 
  27 
  

  

  in 
  the 
  lodge 
  at 
  the 
  time 
  the 
  Seven 
  Chiefs 
  entered, 
  wearing 
  their 
  robes 
  

   in 
  the 
  ceremonial 
  manner 
  and 
  bearing 
  the 
  pipe 
  to 
  be 
  used 
  in 
  the 
  

   ceremony. 
  A 
  buffalo 
  skin 
  was 
  placed 
  back 
  of 
  the 
  fireplace, 
  on 
  which 
  

   were 
  two 
  bunches 
  of 
  grass 
  that 
  were 
  to 
  serve 
  as 
  rests 
  for 
  the 
  pipe. 
  

   Near 
  the 
  fire 
  at 
  the 
  edge 
  of 
  the 
  robe 
  was 
  a 
  board 
  on 
  which 
  the 
  

   tobacco 
  to 
  be 
  used 
  in 
  tilling 
  the 
  pipe 
  was 
  placed. 
  The 
  two 
  Ni'kagahi 
  

   u'zhu 
  took 
  their 
  seats 
  in 
  the 
  center 
  at 
  the 
  back 
  of 
  the 
  lodge 
  and 
  

   the 
  other 
  members 
  of 
  the 
  Council 
  of 
  Seven 
  occupied 
  their 
  official 
  

   places. 
  Next 
  to 
  them, 
  on 
  both 
  sides 
  of 
  the 
  lodge, 
  sat 
  the 
  members 
  

   of 
  the 
  Ho 
  n 
  'hewachi. 
  The 
  candidate 
  took 
  his 
  seat 
  by 
  the 
  door 
  to 
  the 
  

   left 
  as 
  one 
  entered. 
  On 
  the 
  opposite 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  door 
  sat 
  the 
  herald. 
  

  

  During 
  all 
  the 
  years 
  that 
  the 
  candidate 
  had 
  been 
  preparing 
  for 
  

   this 
  occasion 
  he 
  had 
  kept 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  willow 
  sticks 
  about 
  a 
  foot 
  long, 
  

   each 
  one 
  of 
  which 
  represented 
  a 
  waihi 
  n 
  ' 
  eihe. 
  These 
  hundred 
  or 
  

   more 
  sticks, 
  tied 
  in 
  a 
  bundle, 
  were 
  handed 
  by 
  the 
  candidate 
  to 
  the 
  

   herald, 
  who 
  laid 
  them 
  before 
  the 
  Ni'kagahi 
  u'zhu. 
  The 
  u'zhu 
  chief 
  

   to 
  the 
  left, 
  representing 
  the 
  Hon'gashenu 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  hu'thuga 
  (tribal 
  

   circle), 
  took 
  up 
  the 
  bundle 
  and 
  passed 
  it 
  to 
  the 
  other 
  u'zhu, 
  repre- 
  

   senting 
  the 
  I 
  n 
  shta'eu 
  n 
  da 
  side, 
  who 
  in 
  turn 
  handed 
  it 
  to 
  the 
  chief 
  next 
  

   to 
  him. 
  In 
  this 
  way 
  the 
  bundle 
  representing 
  the 
  candidate's 
  " 
  count 
  " 
  

   was 
  passed 
  by 
  the 
  left 
  around 
  the 
  circle. 
  When 
  it 
  again 
  reached 
  the 
  

   ii'rJai 
  duel 
  who 
  first 
  took 
  it 
  up, 
  he 
  called 
  the 
  herald, 
  who 
  came 
  and 
  

   received 
  the 
  bundle 
  of 
  sticks 
  from 
  the 
  Ni'kagahi 
  u'zhu 
  and 
  carried 
  it 
  

   back 
  to 
  the 
  candidate 
  sitting 
  at 
  the 
  door. 
  

  

  Meanwhile 
  the 
  concourse 
  outside 
  the 
  lodge 
  had 
  steadily 
  increased 
  

   in 
  numbers 
  and 
  among 
  them 
  were 
  those 
  who 
  secretly 
  aspired 
  to 
  the 
  

   honor 
  of 
  becoming 
  members 
  of 
  the 
  Ho 
  n 
  'hewachi. 
  The 
  immediate 
  

   relatives 
  of 
  the 
  candidate 
  moved 
  anxiously 
  about, 
  desirous 
  of 
  help- 
  

   ing 
  his 
  memory 
  during 
  the 
  ordeal 
  of 
  "counting," 
  for 
  his 
  statements 
  

   could 
  be 
  controverted 
  by 
  the 
  outsiders 
  and 
  there 
  were 
  always 
  those 
  

   who 
  were 
  envious 
  of 
  his 
  attainments 
  and 
  sought 
  to 
  confuse 
  and 
  

   disconcert 
  him. 
  The 
  excitement 
  outside 
  the 
  lodge 
  contrasted 
  sharply 
  

   with 
  the 
  decorum 
  within, 
  where 
  the 
  candidate 
  stood 
  before 
  the 
  

   assembled 
  chiefs, 
  muffled 
  in 
  their 
  robes, 
  and 
  the 
  members 
  of 
  the 
  

   Ho 
  n 
  'hewachi, 
  who 
  sat 
  closely 
  watching 
  the 
  man 
  as 
  he 
  took 
  up 
  reed 
  

   after 
  reed 
  and 
  told 
  what 
  kind 
  of 
  gift 
  it 
  represented, 
  when, 
  where, 
  and 
  

   to 
  whom 
  it 
  was 
  made. 
  All 
  the 
  wathi"' 
  ethe 
  had 
  to 
  be 
  classified 
  as 
  

   to 
  kind 
  in 
  this 
  public 
  recital. 
  First 
  the 
  candidate 
  "counted" 
  the 
  

   gifts 
  of 
  horses. 
  When 
  the 
  statements 
  regarding 
  a 
  gift 
  were 
  contro- 
  

   verted, 
  a 
  witness 
  was 
  called 
  to 
  testify 
  to 
  the 
  truth 
  of 
  the 
  statements. 
  

   Robes, 
  bows 
  and 
  arrows 
  and 
  (pavers, 
  pipes, 
  and 
  shell 
  disks 
  were 
  

   "counted" 
  in 
  groups 
  or 
  classes. 
  The 
  "count" 
  began 
  in 
  the 
  early 
  

   morning 
  and 
  lasted 
  all 
  day. 
  It 
  was 
  a 
  severe 
  tax 
  on 
  a 
  man's 
  memory, 
  

   for 
  these 
  gifts 
  often 
  extended 
  over 
  a 
  period 
  of 
  ten 
  or 
  twenty 
  years. 
  

   At 
  the 
  close 
  of 
  his 
  "count" 
  the 
  chiefs 
  bade 
  the 
  man 
  enumerate 
  the 
  

  

  

  