﻿516 
  THE 
  OMAHA 
  TRIBE 
  [ETH. 
  ANN. 
  27 
  

  

  magiG 
  power. 
  The 
  man 
  and 
  woman 
  each 
  initiated 
  seven 
  others. 
  Then 
  they 
  waited 
  

   four 
  years, 
  as 
  they 
  had 
  been 
  told 
  to 
  do. 
  They 
  made 
  packs 
  in 
  which 
  to 
  keep 
  the 
  arti- 
  

   cles 
  they 
  must 
  wear 
  when 
  the 
  society 
  met 
  and 
  also 
  the 
  medicinal 
  roots 
  which 
  the 
  

   stranger 
  had 
  pointed 
  out 
  to 
  them. 
  Some 
  of 
  these 
  roots 
  were 
  to 
  heal 
  diseases; 
  others 
  

   were 
  poisons 
  which 
  were 
  to 
  be 
  used 
  to 
  punish 
  offenders 
  by 
  causing 
  them 
  to 
  die. 
  A 
  

   knowledge 
  of 
  all 
  these 
  roots 
  and 
  herbs 
  was 
  given 
  as 
  secrets 
  by 
  the 
  stranger 
  to 
  the 
  man 
  

   and 
  his 
  wife, 
  never 
  to 
  be 
  imparted 
  except 
  to 
  those 
  who 
  should 
  be 
  initiated 
  into 
  the 
  

   society. 
  Not 
  only 
  could 
  the 
  man 
  and 
  his 
  wife 
  thus 
  impart 
  this 
  knowledge, 
  but 
  they 
  

   could 
  also 
  give 
  to 
  those 
  who 
  were 
  initiated 
  a 
  share 
  in 
  the 
  magic 
  power 
  bestowed 
  on 
  

   them 
  1 
  >y 
  the 
  mysterious 
  stranger, 
  who 
  was 
  the 
  messenger 
  of 
  the 
  council 
  of 
  animals 
  that 
  

   dwelt 
  in 
  and 
  about 
  the 
  great 
  lake. 
  

  

  Such 
  is 
  the 
  story 
  of 
  the 
  origin 
  of 
  the 
  Shell 
  society. 
  

  

  Organization 
  

  

  The 
  society 
  seems 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  organized 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  preserve 
  the 
  

   story 
  upon 
  which 
  it 
  was 
  founded 
  and 
  its 
  dramatic 
  presentation 
  forms 
  

   the 
  basis 
  of 
  the 
  ceremonies 
  observed 
  at 
  a 
  regular 
  meeting. 
  

  

  The 
  membership 
  was 
  composed 
  of 
  five 
  "ti," 
  or 
  lodges, 
  each 
  pre- 
  

   sided 
  over 
  by 
  a 
  nudo 
  n 
  'ho 
  n 
  ga, 
  "leader" 
  or 
  "master." 
  Each 
  lodge 
  

   had 
  its 
  place 
  in 
  the 
  dwelling 
  set 
  apart 
  for 
  the 
  meetings 
  of 
  the 
  society. 
  

   This 
  was 
  originally 
  a 
  large 
  tent, 
  afterward 
  an 
  earth 
  lodge, 
  and 
  in 
  

   recent 
  years 
  a 
  circular 
  wooden 
  building 
  arranged 
  like 
  the 
  latter. 
  

  

  The 
  leaders 
  of 
  four 
  of 
  the 
  lodges 
  personated 
  the 
  four 
  children 
  (pi. 
  59) 
  

   of 
  the 
  story 
  and 
  the 
  lodges 
  were 
  spoken 
  of 
  as 
  the 
  lodge 
  "of 
  the 
  eldest 
  

   son," 
  "of 
  the 
  second 
  son," 
  "of 
  the 
  daughter," 
  and 
  "of 
  the 
  youngest 
  

   son." 
  The 
  fifth 
  lodge 
  was 
  presided 
  over 
  by 
  the 
  u'zhu, 
  or 
  principal 
  

   leader, 
  who 
  was 
  at 
  the 
  head 
  of 
  the 
  entire 
  society. 
  It 
  is 
  said 
  that 
  "in 
  

   early 
  times 
  the 
  office 
  of 
  u'zhu 
  was 
  filled 
  by 
  a 
  woman, 
  because 
  it 
  was 
  the 
  

   woman, 
  the 
  wife 
  of 
  the 
  man 
  in 
  the 
  story, 
  who 
  took 
  the 
  initiative 
  and 
  

   sent 
  her 
  son 
  to 
  invite 
  the 
  stranger 
  to 
  her 
  house, 
  prepared 
  the 
  feast, 
  

   and 
  entertained 
  him; 
  and 
  also 
  because 
  it 
  was 
  to 
  the 
  woman, 
  the 
  

   mother, 
  that 
  the 
  children 
  addressed 
  themselves 
  when 
  they 
  appeared 
  

   in 
  the 
  path 
  on 
  the 
  lake 
  after 
  they 
  had 
  been 
  "shot" 
  by 
  the 
  mysterious 
  

   stranger. 
  But 
  as 
  time 
  went 
  on 
  the 
  women 
  became 
  too 
  timid 
  to 
  fill 
  the 
  

   place 
  so 
  it 
  was 
  taken 
  by 
  men. 
  

  

  The 
  place 
  of 
  the 
  u'zhu 
  was 
  facing 
  the 
  east 
  in 
  the 
  middle 
  at 
  the 
  back 
  

   of 
  the 
  dwelling. 
  On 
  liis 
  right 
  toward 
  the 
  south 
  sat 
  "the 
  eldest 
  sun" 
  

   and 
  his 
  lodge. 
  On 
  his 
  left 
  toward 
  the 
  north 
  were 
  "the 
  second 
  son" 
  

   and 
  his 
  lodge. 
  To 
  the 
  hitter's 
  left 
  on 
  the 
  north 
  side 
  sat 
  "the 
  daugh- 
  

   ter" 
  and 
  her 
  lodge, 
  and 
  on 
  t 
  lie 
  opposite 
  side 
  on 
  the 
  south 
  to 
  the 
  right 
  

   of 
  "the 
  eldest 
  son" 
  sat 
  " 
  the 
  youngest 
  son 
  " 
  and 
  his 
  lodge. 
  (Fig. 
  108.) 
  

  

  The 
  position 
  of 
  these 
  four 
  lodges 
  had 
  a 
  cosmic 
  significance. 
  The 
  

   manner 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  mysterious 
  stranger 
  of 
  the 
  story 
  painted 
  the 
  

   four 
  children 
  bore 
  out 
  this 
  same 
  significance. 
  He 
  painted 
  the 
  body 
  

   of 
  the 
  eldest 
  son 
  blue 
  to 
  represent 
  the 
  clear 
  sky 
  with 
  no 
  clouds 
  to 
  

   obstruct 
  the 
  passage 
  of 
  the 
  sun's 
  rays 
  — 
  so 
  the 
  sun 
  was 
  thus 
  indi- 
  

  

  