﻿FLETCHER-LA 
  FLESOIIEl 
  RELIGION 
  AND 
  ETHICS 
  601 
  

  

  not 
  of 
  the 
  highest 
  type. 
  Natural 
  functions 
  have 
  demanded 
  explana- 
  

   tion, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  absence 
  of 
  teaching 
  based 
  on 
  knowledge 
  of 
  physical 
  

   laws, 
  man's 
  fancy 
  here 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  world 
  around 
  has 
  run 
  riot. 
  Among 
  

   all 
  peoples 
  there 
  is 
  an 
  undercurrent 
  of 
  indecent 
  stories 
  that 
  show 
  a 
  

   strange 
  kinship 
  and 
  that 
  may 
  have 
  a 
  common 
  psychical 
  origin. 
  

  

  Although, 
  according 
  to 
  the 
  Omaha 
  view, 
  man 
  is 
  so 
  closely 
  connected 
  

   with 
  the 
  animals, 
  he 
  was 
  not 
  born 
  of 
  them; 
  no 
  trace 
  has 
  been 
  found 
  

   showing 
  any 
  confusion 
  or 
  mixture 
  of 
  forms; 
  no 
  Omaha 
  believes 
  that 
  

   his 
  ancestors 
  ever 
  were 
  elk, 
  or 
  buffalo, 
  or 
  deer, 
  or 
  turtle, 
  any 
  more 
  than 
  

   that 
  they 
  were 
  the 
  wind, 
  the 
  thunder, 
  or 
  the 
  sky. 
  Myths 
  which 
  speak 
  

   of 
  the 
  union 
  of 
  the 
  earth 
  and 
  the 
  sky 
  appear 
  to 
  be 
  an 
  attempt 
  to 
  

   express 
  in 
  concrete 
  form 
  the 
  idea 
  that 
  a 
  dual 
  force 
  represented 
  in 
  the 
  

   masculine 
  and 
  feminine 
  forms 
  is 
  fundamental 
  to 
  all 
  creative 
  pro- 
  

   cesses 
  and 
  was 
  ordained 
  by 
  Wako 
  n 
  'da. 
  The 
  recognition 
  of 
  this 
  dual 
  

   force 
  in 
  nature 
  seems 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  common 
  to 
  all 
  races, 
  but 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  

   variously 
  emphasized 
  by 
  different 
  peoples. 
  The 
  idea 
  was 
  a 
  vital 
  one 
  

   to 
  the 
  Omaha, 
  as 
  has 
  been 
  shown 
  in 
  their 
  tribal 
  organization 
  (p. 
  134), 
  

   but 
  it 
  did 
  not 
  assume 
  the 
  strongly 
  anthropomorphic 
  aspect 
  into 
  

   which 
  it 
  crystalized 
  among 
  Eastern 
  races. 
  The 
  Omaha 
  did 
  not 
  pro- 
  

   ject 
  this 
  dual 
  force 
  into 
  gods 
  and 
  goddesses, 
  their 
  imagination 
  did 
  not 
  

   so 
  incline 
  to 
  express 
  itself; 
  it 
  was 
  occupied 
  in 
  seeking 
  psychical 
  

   counterparts 
  to 
  man 
  among 
  birds 
  and 
  animals, 
  in 
  drawing 
  ethical 
  

   teachings 
  from 
  the 
  natural 
  phenomena 
  of 
  night 
  and 
  day, 
  and 
  in 
  

   finding 
  lessons 
  in 
  tribal 
  unity 
  and 
  strength 
  from 
  the 
  branching 
  tree. 
  

  

  Veneration 
  for 
  the 
  Ancients 
  

  

  The 
  belief 
  in 
  the 
  continuity 
  of 
  life 
  made 
  natural 
  the 
  thought 
  that 
  

   the 
  venerable 
  men 
  who 
  had 
  been 
  instrumental 
  in 
  establishing 
  the 
  

   ceremonies 
  of 
  the 
  tribe 
  did 
  not 
  abandon 
  interest 
  in 
  the 
  affairs 
  of 
  the 
  

   people 
  because 
  of 
  their 
  death. 
  (See 
  Ponca 
  Feast 
  of 
  Soldiers, 
  p. 
  309.) 
  

   While 
  the 
  worship 
  of 
  ancestors 
  did 
  not 
  exist 
  among 
  the 
  Omaha, 
  rever- 
  

   ence 
  was 
  paid 
  to 
  the 
  memory 
  of 
  the 
  Ancient 
  Ones 
  whose 
  thoughts 
  on 
  

   the 
  relation 
  of 
  man 
  to 
  Wako 
  n 
  'da 
  embodied 
  in 
  rituals 
  and 
  ceremonies 
  

   became 
  the 
  medium 
  of 
  religious 
  teaching 
  for 
  the 
  people. 
  The 
  sym- 
  

   bolic 
  figure 
  itzhi 
  n 
  'eti 
  (p. 
  241) 
  represented 
  this 
  belief 
  and 
  reverent 
  

   feeling 
  toward 
  the 
  Ancients. 
  

  

  Position 
  of 
  Chiefs 
  

  

  Chiefs 
  were 
  respected 
  not 
  only 
  because 
  of 
  their 
  authority, 
  but 
  as 
  

   having 
  been 
  favored 
  by 
  the 
  unseen 
  powers, 
  who 
  had 
  granted 
  them 
  

   help 
  and 
  had 
  strengthened 
  their 
  ability 
  to 
  be 
  steadfast 
  in 
  purpose 
  

   during 
  the 
  years 
  wherein 
  they 
  struggled 
  to 
  perform 
  the 
  acts 
  required 
  

   (p. 
  202) 
  to 
  enter 
  the 
  rank 
  of 
  chief. 
  Because 
  of 
  this 
  relation 
  to 
  the 
  

   unseen 
  powers, 
  a 
  chief 
  had 
  to 
  be 
  deliberate 
  in 
  speech 
  and 
  in 
  move- 
  

   ment, 
  for 
  all 
  his 
  words 
  and 
  acts 
  were 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  connected 
  with 
  the 
  

  

  