﻿5G6 
  THE 
  OMAHA 
  TRIBE 
  [eth. 
  ANN. 
  27 
  

  

  a 
  similar 
  line 
  from 
  his 
  mouth 
  down 
  the 
  other 
  arm. 
  After 
  that 
  he 
  

   made 
  black 
  lines 
  on 
  his 
  body 
  with 
  his 
  blackened 
  linger 
  tips. 
  Then 
  

   he 
  took 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  black 
  powder 
  in 
  the 
  palm 
  of 
  his 
  hand 
  and 
  went 
  

   back 
  to 
  his 
  lodge. 
  He 
  then 
  painted 
  the 
  symbolic 
  black 
  lines 
  from 
  the 
  

   mouth 
  down 
  the 
  length 
  of 
  the 
  arm 
  on 
  all 
  the 
  members 
  of 
  his 
  lodge. 
  

   While 
  he 
  was 
  doing 
  this, 
  another 
  leader 
  went 
  to 
  the 
  south 
  side, 
  ami 
  

   standing 
  before 
  the 
  black 
  paint 
  made 
  the 
  same 
  movement 
  with 
  his 
  

   bands 
  on 
  the 
  earth 
  and 
  on 
  his 
  body: 
  he 
  then 
  painted 
  himself 
  and 
  

   returned 
  to 
  paint 
  the 
  other 
  members 
  of 
  his 
  lodge. 
  When 
  all 
  four 
  lead- 
  

   ers 
  had 
  touched 
  the 
  earth 
  and 
  had 
  painted 
  themselves 
  and 
  the 
  mem- 
  

   bers 
  of 
  their 
  lodges, 
  they 
  went 
  to 
  the 
  rear 
  of 
  the 
  lodge 
  and 
  stood 
  facing 
  

   the 
  east, 
  with 
  the 
  offering 
  of 
  calico 
  at 
  their 
  feet. 
  Then 
  all 
  four 
  bent 
  

   over 
  and 
  made 
  movements 
  as 
  though 
  retching. 
  Finally 
  they 
  spat 
  out 
  

   their 
  pebbles. 
  They 
  next 
  circled 
  the 
  fire 
  and 
  passed 
  to 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  

   row 
  of 
  members 
  on 
  the 
  south 
  side 
  and 
  " 
  shot 
  " 
  four 
  with 
  their 
  pebbles. 
  

   These 
  four 
  members 
  fell 
  rigid 
  to 
  the 
  earth. 
  The 
  four 
  leaders 
  then 
  

   circled 
  the 
  fire, 
  as 
  did 
  also 
  the 
  four 
  who 
  had 
  been 
  "shot;" 
  then 
  these 
  

   four 
  "shot" 
  another 
  four, 
  who 
  after 
  circling 
  the 
  fire 
  "shot" 
  still 
  

   another 
  four, 
  and 
  so 
  on 
  by 
  fours 
  until 
  all 
  had 
  been 
  "shot 
  " 
  and 
  all 
  the 
  

   members 
  were 
  moving 
  about 
  the 
  fire. 
  No 
  songs 
  accompanied 
  these 
  

   complex 
  movements. 
  When 
  all 
  the 
  members 
  had 
  been 
  "shot," 
  they 
  

   took 
  their 
  respective 
  places 
  and 
  sat 
  down. 
  The 
  drum 
  was 
  then 
  

   taken 
  to 
  the 
  lodge 
  sitting 
  at 
  the 
  south 
  and 
  the 
  members 
  of 
  the 
  choir 
  

   took 
  their 
  places 
  about 
  the 
  drum 
  and 
  began 
  a 
  slow 
  song. 
  This 
  was 
  

   the 
  signal 
  that 
  the 
  secret 
  session 
  was 
  closed. 
  

  

  After 
  the 
  secret 
  ceremonies 
  guests 
  were 
  admitted. 
  The 
  members 
  

   rose 
  in 
  their 
  places 
  as 
  the 
  outsiders 
  entered. 
  The 
  public 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  

   ceremony 
  consisted 
  in 
  moving 
  around 
  the 
  fire 
  in 
  single 
  file 
  and 
  

   "shooting" 
  one 
  another 
  with 
  the 
  pebble 
  or 
  some 
  other 
  small 
  object. 
  

   The 
  hand 
  which 
  simulated 
  "shooting" 
  was 
  shielded 
  by 
  the 
  wing 
  of 
  

   an 
  eagle 
  held 
  in 
  the 
  other 
  hand. 
  Any 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  body 
  might 
  be 
  

   struck. 
  The 
  person 
  "shot" 
  immediately 
  pressed 
  his 
  hand 
  on 
  the 
  

   spot 
  supposed 
  to 
  be 
  touched, 
  assumed 
  a 
  tragic 
  attitude, 
  then 
  fell 
  to 
  

   the 
  ground 
  and 
  lay 
  rigid. 
  Much 
  more 
  action 
  was 
  observed 
  in 
  the 
  

   Pebble 
  society 
  by 
  the 
  person 
  "shooting" 
  and 
  the 
  person 
  "shot" 
  

   than 
  in 
  the 
  Shell 
  society, 
  which 
  made 
  the 
  exercises 
  of 
  the 
  former 
  the 
  

   more 
  dramatic. 
  The 
  magic 
  cries 
  also 
  were 
  different; 
  tho36 
  of 
  the 
  

   Pebble 
  society 
  were 
  lower 
  in 
  tone 
  and 
  were 
  considered 
  to 
  be 
  more 
  

   impressive. 
  The 
  songs 
  of 
  dismissal 
  were 
  differently 
  rendered 
  in 
  the 
  

   two 
  societies. 
  In 
  the 
  Shell 
  society, 
  it 
  will 
  be 
  recalled, 
  the 
  master 
  of 
  

   each 
  lodge 
  led 
  in 
  the 
  singing 
  and 
  each 
  lodge 
  had 
  its 
  song, 
  which 
  was 
  

   sung 
  in 
  the 
  order 
  of 
  the 
  ages 
  of 
  the 
  four 
  "children." 
  In 
  the 
  Pebble 
  

   society 
  each 
  member 
  had 
  his 
  own 
  song 
  of 
  dismissal 
  and 
  when 
  the 
  

   time 
  came 
  for 
  the 
  meeting 
  to 
  close 
  all 
  sang 
  simultaneously. 
  The 
  

  

  