﻿584 
  THE 
  OMAHA 
  TRIBE 
  [eth. 
  ANN. 
  27 
  

  

  with 
  men 
  or 
  animals. 
  Wazhi 
  n 
  ' 
  agihe 
  would 
  seem 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  

   expressive 
  of 
  a 
  kind 
  of 
  excommunication 
  pronounced 
  by 
  the 
  men 
  

   who 
  had 
  achieved 
  position 
  in 
  the 
  tribe, 
  through 
  valor 
  and 
  industry, 
  

   against 
  a 
  man 
  who 
  had 
  offended 
  social 
  order 
  and 
  endangered 
  the 
  

   peace 
  of 
  the 
  tribe. 
  This 
  form 
  of 
  punishment, 
  which 
  blended 
  social 
  

   ostracism 
  with 
  a 
  kind 
  of 
  magical 
  power, 
  was 
  greatly 
  feared 
  and 
  fre- 
  

   quently 
  resulted 
  in 
  the 
  death 
  of 
  the 
  victim. 
  

  

  The 
  practice 
  of 
  midwifery 
  belonged 
  almost 
  exclusively 
  to 
  women. 
  

   In 
  some 
  exceptionally 
  complicated 
  or 
  dangerous 
  cases 
  of 
  parturition 
  

   male 
  doctors 
  were 
  called. 
  In 
  general 
  women 
  made 
  rapid 
  recovery 
  

   from 
  childbirth 
  and 
  within 
  a 
  week 
  were 
  able 
  to 
  resume 
  their 
  usual 
  

   domestic 
  duties. 
  

  

  Some 
  Curative 
  Plants 
  

  

  Among 
  the 
  roots 
  used 
  for 
  medicinal 
  purposes 
  were 
  the 
  following: 
  

  

  Sweet 
  flag 
  (Acorus 
  calamus 
  S.), 
  called 
  by 
  the 
  Omaha 
  mo 
  n 
  'k(>' 
  l 
  'iii- 
  

   nii/a. 
  The 
  root 
  was 
  chewed 
  for 
  disorders 
  of 
  the 
  stomach. 
  It 
  was 
  

   also 
  put 
  into 
  the 
  feed 
  of 
  horses 
  wdien 
  ailing. 
  When 
  on 
  the 
  tribal 
  

   hunt 
  the 
  people 
  came 
  to 
  a 
  marshy 
  place 
  where 
  the 
  sweet 
  flag 
  grew, 
  

   the 
  young 
  men 
  gathered 
  the 
  leaves, 
  made 
  wreaths, 
  and 
  wore 
  them 
  

   about 
  the 
  neck 
  or 
  head 
  because 
  of 
  the 
  pleasant 
  odor. 
  

  

  The 
  outer 
  covering 
  of 
  the 
  root 
  of 
  the 
  Kentucky 
  coffee 
  tree 
  (Gym- 
  

   mcladus 
  canadensis) 
  was 
  used 
  in 
  hemorrhage, 
  particularly 
  from 
  the 
  

   nose 
  or 
  during 
  childbirth. 
  This 
  root 
  was 
  used 
  also 
  when 
  the 
  kidneys 
  

   failed 
  to 
  act. 
  The 
  native 
  name 
  of 
  the 
  tree 
  was 
  no 
  n 
  'titahi. 
  The 
  root, 
  

   powdered 
  and 
  mixed 
  with 
  water, 
  was 
  administered 
  to 
  women 
  during 
  

   protracted 
  labor. 
  

  

  The 
  root 
  of 
  the 
  large 
  bladder 
  ground 
  cherry 
  (PTiysalis 
  viscora.) 
  was 
  

   used 
  in 
  dressing 
  wounds. 
  The 
  Omaha 
  name 
  for 
  the 
  root 
  was 
  pei'- 
  

   gatusTii. 
  This 
  was 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  roots 
  emphr^ed 
  by 
  the 
  Buffalo 
  doctors 
  

   as 
  described 
  on 
  page 
  4S8. 
  

  

  The 
  root 
  of 
  the 
  cat-tail 
  (Typlia), 
  called 
  ca'hi 
  71 
  , 
  was 
  used 
  for 
  dress- 
  

   ing 
  scalds. 
  The 
  root 
  was 
  pulverized 
  and 
  spread 
  in 
  a 
  paste 
  over 
  the 
  

   burn. 
  The 
  ripe 
  blossom 
  of 
  the 
  cat-tail 
  was 
  then 
  used 
  for 
  a 
  covering, 
  

   the 
  injured 
  part 
  being 
  bound 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  keep 
  the 
  dressing 
  in 
  place. 
  

   The 
  blossom 
  of 
  the 
  cat-tail 
  was 
  called 
  waJka'baigagkoHhe. 
  This 
  word, 
  

   meaning 
  "to 
  try 
  the 
  corn," 
  is 
  said 
  to 
  have 
  originated 
  in 
  the 
  follow- 
  

   ing 
  manner. 
  The 
  boys 
  used 
  to 
  gather 
  the 
  cat-tail 
  blossoms 
  and 
  try 
  

   to 
  break 
  them 
  up 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  scatter 
  the 
  seeds. 
  If 
  they 
  were 
  success- 
  

   ful 
  they 
  shouted 
  "The 
  corn 
  is 
  ripe," 
  as 
  the 
  cat-tail 
  blossom 
  shed 
  its 
  

   seeds 
  about 
  the 
  time 
  that 
  corn 
  was 
  ripe 
  enough 
  to 
  eat. 
  

  

  The 
  root 
  of 
  the 
  hop 
  vine 
  (Humulus 
  lupulus) 
  was 
  used 
  for 
  healing 
  

   wounds, 
  this 
  was 
  called 
  mo 
  n 
  lco 
  n 
  'haslio 
  n 
  sho 
  n 
  , 
  "crooked 
  root." 
  

  

  From 
  the 
  root 
  of 
  the 
  wild 
  rose 
  was 
  made 
  a 
  wash 
  for 
  inilamed 
  

   eyes, 
  known 
  as 
  wazhi'de. 
  

  

  