﻿590 
  THE 
  OMAHA 
  TRIBE 
  [etii. 
  ANN. 
  27 
  

  

  As 
  the 
  environment 
  in 
  the 
  spirit 
  world 
  is 
  similar 
  to 
  that 
  on 
  the 
  

   earth, 
  the 
  avocations 
  seem 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  same 
  and 
  it 
  would 
  appear 
  as 
  

   though 
  interest 
  in 
  the 
  affairs 
  of 
  this 
  world 
  never 
  wholly 
  ceases. 
  

   The 
  warriors 
  attended 
  the 
  Thunder 
  and 
  it 
  was 
  said 
  that 
  sometimes 
  

   during 
  a 
  thunderstorm 
  the 
  voices 
  of 
  certain 
  brave 
  men 
  not 
  living 
  

   could 
  be 
  recognized. 
  The 
  chiefs 
  seemed 
  to 
  consort 
  together 
  for, 
  

   according 
  to 
  one 
  explanation, 
  the 
  aurora 
  borealis 
  is 
  caused 
  by 
  

   the 
  chiefs 
  holding 
  a 
  dance. 
  Another 
  explanation 
  accounted 
  in 
  a 
  

   more 
  prosaic 
  manner 
  for 
  this 
  phenomenon, 
  declaring 
  it 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  

   light 
  of 
  the 
  sun 
  as 
  it 
  makes 
  its 
  way 
  from 
  the 
  west 
  back 
  to 
  the 
  east. 
  

  

  There 
  does 
  not 
  seem 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  any 
  conception 
  among 
  the 
  

   Omaha 
  of 
  supernatural 
  rewards 
  or 
  punishments 
  after 
  death. 
  The 
  

   same 
  conditions 
  which 
  make 
  for 
  good 
  conduct 
  here 
  were 
  believed 
  

   to 
  exist 
  in 
  the 
  realm 
  of 
  the 
  dead. 
  It 
  was 
  said 
  that 
  at 
  the 
  forks 
  of 
  

   the 
  path 
  of 
  the 
  dead 
  (the 
  Milky 
  Way) 
  there 
  "sat 
  an 
  old 
  man 
  wrap- 
  

   ped 
  in 
  a 
  buffalo 
  robe, 
  and 
  when 
  the 
  spirits 
  of 
  the 
  dead 
  passed 
  along 
  

   he 
  turned 
  the 
  steps 
  of 
  the 
  good 
  and 
  peaceable 
  people 
  toward 
  the 
  

   short 
  path 
  which 
  led 
  directly 
  to 
  the 
  abode 
  of 
  their 
  relatives, 
  but 
  

   allowed 
  the 
  contumacious 
  to 
  take 
  the 
  long 
  path, 
  over 
  which 
  they 
  

   wearily 
  wandered." 
  It 
  is 
  probable 
  that 
  the 
  difference 
  in 
  the 
  treat- 
  

   ment 
  believed 
  to 
  be 
  accorded 
  the 
  good 
  and 
  the 
  bad 
  indicates 
  white 
  

   influence 
  as 
  does 
  also 
  the 
  story 
  that 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  log 
  across 
  a 
  chasm 
  

   over 
  which 
  the 
  dead 
  must 
  pass 
  ; 
  the 
  good 
  experience 
  no 
  difficulty, 
  

   but 
  the 
  bad 
  in 
  crossing 
  find 
  the 
  log 
  so 
  unstable 
  that 
  they 
  sometimes 
  

   fall 
  i 
  ill' 
  and 
  are 
  lost. 
  The 
  simple 
  and 
  ancient 
  belief 
  seems 
  to 
  have 
  

   been 
  that 
  the 
  Milky 
  Way 
  is 
  the 
  path 
  of 
  the 
  dead. 
  It 
  was 
  said 
  also 
  

   that 
  the 
  spirit 
  of 
  a 
  murderer 
  "never 
  found 
  his 
  way 
  to 
  his 
  relatives, 
  

   but 
  kept 
  on, 
  endlessly 
  searching 
  but 
  never 
  finding 
  rest." 
  The 
  restless 
  

   ghosts 
  were 
  supposed 
  to 
  whistle 
  anil 
  fen 
  - 
  this 
  reason 
  children 
  were 
  

   easily 
  frightened 
  by 
  whistling. 
  

  

  Many 
  tales 
  are 
  told 
  concerning 
  ghosts. 
  Those 
  who 
  have 
  camped 
  

   on 
  old 
  battlefields 
  have 
  heard 
  the 
  sounds 
  of 
  fighting, 
  anil 
  persons 
  

   becoming 
  separated 
  on 
  hunting 
  expeditions 
  have 
  told 
  of 
  hearing 
  the 
  

   coming 
  of 
  strange 
  people, 
  who 
  made 
  camp, 
  set 
  up 
  their 
  tents, 
  and 
  

   went 
  about 
  their 
  usual 
  avocations. 
  A 
  narrator 
  of 
  one 
  of 
  these 
  

   stories 
  declared 
  that 
  all 
  the 
  members 
  of 
  his 
  family 
  heard 
  these 
  

   sounds 
  — 
  even 
  the 
  dogs 
  barked; 
  but 
  on 
  looking 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  tent 
  nothing 
  

   was 
  to 
  be 
  seen. 
  These 
  ghostly 
  visitants 
  did 
  not 
  always 
  come 
  at 
  

   night; 
  sometimes 
  they 
  stayed 
  during 
  the 
  day 
  and 
  continued 
  talking 
  

   and 
  moving 
  about 
  their 
  unseen 
  camp. 
  Similar 
  stories 
  have 
  been 
  

   told 
  by 
  persons 
  who 
  had 
  been 
  left 
  behind 
  in 
  the 
  village 
  when 
  the 
  

   tribe 
  moved 
  off 
  on 
  the 
  annual 
  hunt, 
  tales 
  of 
  how 
  the 
  ghosts 
  came 
  and 
  

   took 
  possession 
  of 
  the 
  earth 
  lodges 
  and 
  held 
  dances 
  and 
  feasts. 
  In 
  

   only 
  one 
  instance 
  was 
  it 
  claimed 
  that 
  these 
  visitors 
  became 
  partially 
  

   visible. 
  In 
  that 
  case 
  the 
  narrator 
  said: 
  "Only 
  the 
  feet 
  and 
  the 
  legs 
  

   as 
  high 
  as 
  the 
  knees 
  could 
  be 
  seen;" 
  and 
  then 
  added: 
  "If 
  I 
  had 
  been 
  

  

  