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  FLEKrllEl 
  SOCIETIES 
  565 
  

  

  whence 
  he 
  piped 
  to 
  the 
  disappointed 
  avengers. 
  This 
  story 
  is 
  repeated 
  

   by 
  members 
  of 
  both 
  the 
  Shell 
  and 
  Pebble 
  societies 
  as 
  representing 
  

   their 
  own 
  experience. 
  

  

  There 
  are 
  many 
  stories 
  of 
  turning 
  the 
  otter-skin 
  mystery 
  bags 
  (fig. 
  

   110) 
  into 
  live 
  otters. 
  

  

  Some 
  old 
  men 
  assert 
  that 
  the 
  reason 
  why 
  the 
  shell 
  is 
  sacred 
  and 
  is 
  

   honored 
  by 
  this 
  society 
  is 
  because 
  the 
  Omaha 
  first 
  lived 
  beside 
  the 
  

   great 
  water 
  where 
  the 
  shells 
  are 
  found. 
  

  

  THE 
  I 
  N, 
  KUGTHI 
  ATHI 
  n 
  (PEBBLE 
  SOCIETY) 
  

  

  The 
  literal 
  translation 
  of 
  the 
  name 
  of 
  the 
  I"'kugthi 
  athi 
  n 
  (i 
  n 
  , 
  "peb- 
  

   ble;" 
  Tcugthi, 
  "translucent;" 
  athi", 
  "to 
  have 
  or 
  possess") 
  society 
  is 
  

   "They 
  who 
  have 
  the 
  translucent 
  pebble." 
  

  

  Membership 
  was 
  gained 
  by 
  virtue 
  of 
  a 
  dream, 
  or 
  vision, 
  of 
  water 
  or 
  

   its 
  representative, 
  the 
  pebble, 
  or 
  the 
  water 
  monster, 
  received 
  when 
  

   fasting. 
  The 
  water 
  monster 
  was 
  said 
  to 
  be 
  a 
  huge 
  creature 
  in 
  animal 
  

   form 
  that 
  lashed 
  the 
  water 
  with 
  its 
  mighty 
  tail. 
  It 
  Mas 
  generally 
  

   spoken 
  of 
  as 
  living 
  in 
  a 
  lake. 
  

  

  The 
  members 
  of 
  the 
  Pebble 
  society 
  wore 
  very 
  little 
  clothing, 
  some- 
  

   times 
  only 
  the 
  breechcloth, 
  but 
  the 
  body 
  was 
  painted 
  with 
  devices 
  

   indicating 
  the 
  animals 
  or 
  monsters 
  seen 
  in 
  the 
  dreams. 
  In 
  this 
  

   respect 
  the 
  Pebble 
  society 
  differed 
  from 
  the 
  Shell 
  society. 
  The 
  

   members 
  of 
  the 
  latter 
  made 
  it 
  a 
  point 
  to 
  wear 
  gaily 
  ornamented 
  

   apparel. 
  

  

  The 
  meetings 
  of 
  the 
  Pebble 
  society 
  were 
  not 
  held 
  at 
  stated 
  inter- 
  

   vals 
  and 
  only 
  through 
  the 
  summer. 
  The 
  opening 
  part 
  of 
  every 
  session 
  

   was 
  secret; 
  only 
  members 
  could 
  be 
  present. 
  

  

  Opportunity 
  was 
  once 
  given 
  to 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  writers 
  to 
  be 
  present; 
  

   while 
  no 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  proceedings 
  was 
  explained 
  the 
  following 
  

   movements 
  were 
  observed 
  : 
  

  

  Back 
  of 
  the 
  fire 
  calico 
  was 
  spread 
  on 
  the 
  ground 
  — 
  a 
  gift 
  from 
  the 
  

   man 
  w 
  T 
  ho 
  gave 
  the 
  feast 
  and 
  so 
  made 
  the 
  meeting 
  of 
  the 
  society 
  

   possible. 
  All 
  the 
  members 
  sat 
  around 
  the 
  sides 
  of 
  the 
  lodge. 
  When 
  

   the 
  members 
  had 
  gathered, 
  some 
  one 
  announced 
  that 
  all 
  were 
  present. 
  

   Then 
  four 
  men 
  from 
  different 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  line 
  of 
  members 
  went, 
  one 
  at 
  

   a 
  time, 
  t 
  > 
  a 
  place 
  on 
  the 
  south 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  lodge 
  where 
  there 
  was 
  

   powdere 
  I 
  charcoal 
  on 
  a 
  board. 
  As 
  each 
  man 
  came 
  to 
  this 
  place 
  he 
  

   stooped 
  and 
  laid 
  his 
  hands 
  on 
  the 
  earth 
  and 
  then 
  passed 
  them 
  over 
  

   his 
  arms 
  and 
  over 
  his 
  body 
  to 
  the 
  feet. 
  The 
  movement 
  seemed 
  to 
  

   be 
  similar 
  to 
  that 
  made 
  on 
  a 
  man 
  who 
  had 
  just 
  safely 
  passed 
  through 
  

   some 
  difficult 
  and 
  dangerous 
  experience, 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  come 
  in 
  touch 
  

   with 
  one 
  who 
  had 
  been 
  the 
  recipient 
  of 
  some 
  great 
  power. 
  After 
  

   this 
  action 
  he 
  placed 
  the 
  fingers 
  of 
  his 
  right 
  hand 
  in 
  the 
  charcoal 
  and 
  

   made 
  a 
  black 
  line 
  from 
  his 
  mouth 
  down 
  the 
  length 
  of 
  one 
  arm, 
  and 
  

  

  