﻿592 
  THE 
  OMAHA 
  TRIBE 
  [BTH. 
  ANN. 
  27 
  

  

  down 
  the 
  product 
  of 
  her 
  digging 
  and 
  return 
  empty-handed 
  to 
  her 
  

   tent. 
  Her 
  act 
  was 
  recognized 
  by 
  all 
  the 
  people 
  as 
  that 
  of 
  a 
  person 
  

   in 
  sorrow 
  whose 
  thought 
  was 
  fixed 
  on 
  the 
  dead 
  and 
  whose 
  grief 
  made 
  

   her 
  careless 
  of 
  present 
  physical 
  wants. 
  

  

  Very 
  soon 
  after 
  death 
  the 
  body 
  was 
  prepared 
  for 
  burial, 
  winch 
  took 
  

   place 
  within 
  a 
  short 
  time. 
  Rarely 
  more 
  than 
  a 
  day 
  elapsed 
  between 
  

   death 
  and 
  burial. 
  The 
  best 
  clothing 
  was 
  put 
  on 
  the 
  dead 
  and 
  regalia 
  

   was 
  sometimes 
  added, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  a 
  man's 
  weapons 
  anil 
  shield. 
  The 
  

   tent 
  cover 
  was 
  sometimes 
  lifted 
  at 
  the 
  bottom 
  so 
  that 
  persons 
  from 
  

   the 
  outside 
  could 
  look 
  on 
  the 
  dead 
  as 
  he 
  lay 
  prepared 
  for 
  burial. 
  

  

  In 
  olden 
  times 
  the 
  body 
  was 
  borne 
  on 
  a 
  rude 
  Utter 
  and 
  placed 
  in 
  

   the 
  grave 
  in 
  a 
  sitting 
  posture, 
  facing 
  the 
  east. 
  Graves 
  were 
  usually 
  

   made 
  on 
  a 
  hilltop. 
  A 
  shallow 
  hole 
  was 
  dug 
  and 
  the 
  body 
  placed 
  in 
  

   it, 
  and 
  poll's 
  were 
  arranged 
  over 
  the 
  opening 
  upon 
  which 
  earth 
  was 
  

   heaped 
  into 
  a 
  mound. 
  Mound 
  burial 
  was 
  the 
  common 
  practice 
  of 
  

   the 
  Omaha. 
  After 
  the 
  acquisition 
  of 
  horses, 
  one 
  of 
  these 
  animals 
  

   was 
  sometimes 
  strangled 
  at 
  the 
  grave 
  but 
  it 
  was 
  never 
  buried 
  with 
  

   the 
  man. 
  The 
  personal 
  belongings 
  of 
  men, 
  women, 
  and 
  children 
  were 
  

   usually 
  deposited 
  in 
  the 
  grave. 
  

  

  Some 
  time 
  after 
  the 
  death 
  and 
  burial 
  of 
  a 
  young 
  man 
  or 
  woman 
  

   the 
  parents 
  gave 
  a 
  feast, 
  and 
  invited 
  to 
  it 
  the 
  companions 
  of 
  the 
  

   deceased. 
  After 
  the 
  least 
  races 
  were 
  run 
  and 
  property 
  contributed 
  

   by 
  relatives 
  was 
  divided 
  among 
  the 
  winners. 
  Young 
  women 
  took 
  

   part 
  in 
  the 
  contest 
  if 
  the 
  dead 
  was 
  a 
  girl, 
  and 
  young 
  men 
  raced 
  if 
  

   one 
  of 
  their 
  own 
  number 
  had 
  died. 
  

  

  The 
  placing 
  of 
  food 
  on 
  the 
  grave 
  has 
  been 
  explained 
  as 
  an 
  act 
  of 
  

   remembrance 
  and 
  has 
  been 
  likened 
  to 
  the 
  offering 
  of 
  food 
  when 
  a 
  hit 
  

   was 
  dropped 
  ceremonially 
  into 
  the 
  fire 
  in 
  token 
  of 
  the 
  remembrance 
  of 
  

   Wako 
  n 
  'da's 
  gift 
  of 
  food 
  to 
  man. 
  Other 
  similar 
  acts 
  of 
  offering 
  food, 
  

   all 
  of 
  which 
  partook 
  of 
  the 
  character 
  of 
  remembrance, 
  were 
  instanced 
  

   in 
  explanation, 
  none 
  of 
  which 
  were 
  done 
  because 
  of 
  a 
  belief 
  that 
  the 
  

   dead 
  needed 
  or 
  partook 
  of 
  the 
  food. 
  

  

  Afire 
  was 
  kept 
  burning 
  on 
  the 
  grave 
  for 
  four 
  nights 
  that 
  its 
  light 
  

   might 
  cheer 
  the 
  dead 
  as 
  he 
  traveled; 
  after 
  that 
  time 
  he 
  was 
  sup- 
  

   posed 
  to 
  have 
  readied 
  his 
  journey's 
  end. 
  

  

  When 
  a 
  man 
  or 
  woman 
  greatly 
  respected 
  died, 
  the 
  following 
  cere- 
  

   mony 
  sometimes 
  took 
  place: 
  The 
  .young 
  men 
  in 
  the 
  prime 
  of 
  life 
  met 
  

   at 
  a 
  lodge 
  near 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  deceased 
  and 
  divested 
  themselves 
  of 
  all 
  

   clothing 
  except 
  the 
  breechcloth; 
  each 
  person 
  made 
  two 
  incisions 
  in 
  

   the 
  upper 
  left 
  arm, 
  and 
  under 
  the 
  loop 
  of 
  flesh 
  thus 
  made 
  thrust 
  

   a 
  small 
  willow 
  twig 
  having 
  on 
  its 
  end 
  a 
  spray 
  of 
  leaves. 
  With 
  the 
  

   blood 
  dripping 
  on 
  the 
  leaves 
  of 
  the 
  sprays 
  that 
  hung 
  from 
  their 
  

   arms, 
  the 
  men 
  moved 
  in 
  single 
  file 
  to 
  the 
  lodge 
  where 
  the 
  dead 
  lay. 
  

   There, 
  ranging 
  themselves 
  in 
  a 
  line 
  shoulder 
  to 
  shoulder 
  facing 
  the 
  

   tent, 
  and 
  marking 
  the 
  rhythm 
  of 
  the 
  music 
  with 
  the 
  willow 
  sprigs 
  

  

  