﻿564 
  THE 
  OMAHA 
  TRIBE 
  [ETH. 
  ANN. 
  27 
  

  

  of 
  a 
  man, 
  beginning 
  at 
  the 
  left 
  on 
  the 
  top 
  of 
  the 
  head 
  and 
  passing 
  

   to 
  the 
  right 
  around 
  the 
  figure, 
  ending 
  at 
  the 
  point 
  where 
  he 
  began. 
  

   Next 
  he 
  made 
  the 
  left 
  eye, 
  then 
  the 
  nose, 
  then 
  the 
  right 
  eye, 
  then 
  the 
  

   mouth, 
  and 
  from 
  the 
  lower 
  lip 
  he 
  drew 
  a 
  line 
  down 
  to 
  the 
  heart, 
  

   which 
  was 
  indicated 
  by 
  a 
  circle, 
  and 
  above 
  this 
  the 
  two 
  lungs. 
  (Fig. 
  

   124.) 
  When 
  the 
  drawing 
  was 
  done, 
  he 
  laid 
  the 
  bear's 
  claw 
  on 
  the 
  

   left 
  shoulder 
  and 
  then 
  ordered 
  the 
  servant 
  to 
  pick 
  it 
  up 
  and 
  take 
  it 
  

   to 
  the 
  accuser. 
  

  

  The 
  accuser 
  now 
  ordered 
  the 
  servant 
  to 
  take 
  the 
  bow 
  and 
  arrows 
  

   from 
  before 
  the 
  masters 
  and 
  hand 
  them 
  to 
  the 
  one 
  who 
  hud 
  drawn 
  

   the 
  figure. 
  This 
  man 
  might 
  refuse 
  to 
  receive 
  them. 
  If 
  he 
  refused, 
  

   the 
  servant 
  was 
  told 
  to 
  take 
  them 
  to 
  another 
  man. 
  On 
  his 
  way 
  to 
  do 
  

   this 
  he 
  had 
  first 
  to 
  circle 
  the 
  fire. 
  Sometimes 
  the 
  office 
  of 
  the 
  bow 
  and 
  

   arrows 
  was 
  refused 
  several 
  times. 
  At 
  last 
  a 
  man 
  was 
  found 
  who 
  

   accepted 
  them. 
  He 
  then 
  arose 
  and 
  passing 
  to 
  the 
  left 
  laid 
  his 
  left 
  

   hand 
  on 
  each 
  member's 
  head, 
  saying 
  as 
  he 
  did 
  so: 
  "To 
  trust 
  you 
  with 
  

   my 
  action." 
  When 
  he 
  reached 
  his 
  place, 
  poison 
  was 
  brought 
  him 
  

   from 
  the 
  master 
  and 
  he 
  poisoned 
  the 
  arrows. 
  Then 
  he 
  stepped 
  to 
  

   the 
  left 
  of 
  the 
  figure, 
  stooped, 
  and 
  fitted 
  the 
  arrows 
  to 
  the 
  bow, 
  pulled 
  

   the 
  string 
  slightly, 
  but 
  did 
  not 
  shoot. 
  He 
  then 
  passed 
  around 
  in 
  front 
  

   of 
  the 
  row 
  of 
  members 
  and 
  stopped 
  again 
  at 
  the 
  left 
  of 
  the 
  figure 
  and 
  

   made 
  another 
  feint. 
  This 
  was 
  done 
  four 
  times 
  and 
  at 
  the 
  last 
  he 
  shot 
  

   the 
  arrow 
  into 
  the 
  heart 
  of 
  the 
  figure 
  and 
  left 
  it 
  standing 
  there, 
  and 
  

   returned 
  by 
  the 
  left 
  to 
  his 
  place. 
  

  

  The 
  masters 
  now 
  rose 
  and 
  said: 
  KiwashkoHga 
  ha! 
  — 
  " 
  Let 
  each 
  

   man 
  take 
  care 
  of 
  himself!'' 
  

  

  The 
  members 
  then 
  threw 
  off 
  their 
  robes 
  and 
  each 
  left 
  singly, 
  going 
  

   his 
  own 
  way. 
  The 
  servants 
  gathered 
  up 
  the 
  robes 
  and 
  the 
  other 
  

   belongings 
  of 
  the 
  officers 
  and 
  members 
  and 
  took 
  them 
  to 
  their 
  owners 
  

   and 
  keepers. 
  

  

  Two 
  servants 
  new 
  watched 
  the 
  offender, 
  " 
  who 
  was 
  soon 
  taken 
  sick." 
  

   When 
  this 
  occurred, 
  it 
  was 
  reported 
  to 
  the 
  four 
  masters, 
  who 
  gathered 
  

   at 
  night 
  in 
  a 
  tent, 
  without 
  fire, 
  where 
  they 
  sang 
  low 
  and 
  continued 
  to 
  

   sing 
  until 
  the 
  man 
  died. 
  

  

  A 
  story 
  is 
  told 
  that 
  once 
  when 
  these 
  rites 
  were 
  in 
  progress, 
  the 
  

   offender 
  — 
  who 
  chanced 
  to 
  be 
  a 
  member 
  of 
  the 
  society 
  — 
  came 
  upon 
  

   the 
  secret 
  session. 
  While 
  he 
  did 
  not 
  know 
  certainly 
  that 
  he 
  was 
  to 
  be 
  

   the 
  victim, 
  he 
  suspected 
  it. 
  He 
  joined 
  in 
  the 
  proceedings 
  but 
  moved 
  

   about 
  the 
  wrong 
  way 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  break 
  the 
  spell 
  and 
  so 
  prevented 
  the 
  

   completion 
  of 
  the 
  rites. 
  The 
  place 
  where 
  the 
  meeting 
  was 
  held 
  was 
  

   on 
  a 
  high 
  bluff 
  overlooking 
  the 
  Missouri 
  river. 
  Suddenly 
  some 
  of 
  

   the 
  members 
  rushed 
  on 
  the 
  man, 
  drove 
  him 
  to 
  the 
  edge, 
  and 
  threw 
  

   him 
  over, 
  but 
  by 
  his 
  magic 
  he 
  turned 
  himself 
  into 
  a 
  bird 
  as 
  he 
  fell, 
  

   and 
  by 
  this 
  artifice 
  gained 
  in 
  safety 
  the 
  other 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  river, 
  

  

  