﻿FLEXCHEK-LA 
  FLESCHE] 
  RELIGION 
  AND 
  ETHICS 
  603 
  

  

  found 
  escape 
  impossible 
  he 
  fought 
  until 
  lie 
  died. 
  lie 
  aimed 
  to 
  kill 
  his 
  

   enemy, 
  not 
  to 
  take 
  him 
  captive, 
  for 
  there 
  was 
  no 
  custom 
  of 
  adoption 
  

   among 
  the 
  Omaha 
  as 
  with 
  the 
  Osage: 
  therefore 
  neither 
  men, 
  women, 
  

   nor 
  children 
  were 
  made 
  prisoners. 
  War 
  meant 
  devastation 
  and 
  

   probable 
  death 
  to 
  those 
  who 
  engaged 
  in 
  it. 
  While 
  it 
  was 
  not 
  waged 
  

   along 
  humane 
  lines, 
  sometimes 
  women 
  were 
  allowed 
  to 
  escape. 
  The 
  

   story 
  is 
  told 
  of 
  a 
  war 
  captain 
  who, 
  when 
  a 
  woman 
  was 
  fleeing, 
  said 
  to 
  

   his 
  men, 
  "Let 
  your 
  sister 
  go!" 
  The 
  term 
  for 
  aggressive 
  warfare 
  

   (p. 
  403) 
  implies 
  that 
  such 
  warfare 
  meant 
  fighting 
  with 
  men, 
  a 
  contest 
  

   between 
  warriors. 
  In 
  view 
  of 
  what 
  has 
  just 
  been 
  said, 
  it 
  was 
  natural 
  

   that 
  the 
  Omaha 
  should 
  have 
  regarded 
  capture 
  as 
  equivalent 
  to 
  death. 
  

   With 
  reference 
  to 
  the 
  treatment 
  accorded 
  their 
  enemies 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  

   added 
  that 
  no 
  authentic 
  account 
  has 
  been 
  obtained 
  of 
  the 
  torture 
  of 
  

   anyone 
  by 
  the 
  Omaha 
  during 
  the 
  last 
  century 
  or 
  more." 
  

  

  Terms 
  for 
  Good 
  Traits 
  and 
  Good 
  Conduct 
  

  

  It 
  may 
  assist 
  toward 
  making 
  clearer 
  Omaha 
  ethics 
  as 
  applied 
  to 
  

   social 
  life 
  to 
  give 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  terms 
  that 
  denote 
  excellence 
  of 
  char- 
  

   acter 
  and 
  desirable 
  social 
  qualities. 
  

  

  U'pipka, 
  a 
  very 
  old 
  term, 
  meaning 
  that 
  a 
  person 
  is 
  unselfish. 
  

  

  Wazlii 
  n 
  ' 
  cabe 
  , 
  applied 
  to 
  one 
  who 
  holds 
  himself 
  in 
  control, 
  who 
  

   avoids 
  all 
  words 
  and 
  deeds 
  that 
  might 
  lead 
  to 
  unpleasantness. 
  

  

  Wa'gapu, 
  one 
  who 
  is 
  straightforward, 
  whose 
  word 
  can 
  be 
  de- 
  

   pended 
  on. 
  

  

  Wawe'no 
  n 
  M 
  n 
  , 
  one 
  who 
  is 
  willing 
  to 
  help 
  and 
  to 
  serve 
  others. 
  

  

  Wdho^e 
  shto 
  n 
  , 
  one 
  who 
  never 
  forgets 
  to 
  acknowledge 
  a 
  favor, 
  no 
  

   matter 
  how 
  small; 
  a 
  courteous 
  person. 
  

  

  Waiha'ethaiha, 
  a 
  sympathetic 
  person. 
  

  

  Wazhi 
  n 
  ' 
  cabe, 
  hospitable 
  (pale, 
  cautious, 
  prudent). 
  

   Debi'go 
  n 
  tlia, 
  one 
  who 
  can 
  be 
  persuaded, 
  who 
  will 
  yield; 
  also, 
  a 
  gen- 
  

   erous 
  and 
  hospitable 
  person. 
  

  

  Wapiu 
  n 
  ', 
  applied 
  to 
  a 
  bright 
  child 
  who 
  said 
  clever 
  things. 
  Such 
  

   a 
  child, 
  it 
  was 
  generally 
  thought, 
  would 
  die 
  young. 
  

  

  Wa'bagtJiagiha, 
  diffidence. 
  

  

  <i 
  The 
  term 
  wa'nagtht 
  implies 
  ownership 
  and 
  the 
  right 
  of 
  the 
  owner 
  to 
  exercise 
  his 
  pleasure 
  with 
  impunity. 
  

   This 
  word 
  was 
  applied 
  to 
  the 
  birds 
  or 
  animals 
  captured 
  by 
  the 
  Omaha 
  and 
  kept 
  near 
  their 
  lodges, 
  as 
  rai 
  - 
  

   coons 
  and 
  crows. 
  Later 
  the 
  term 
  was 
  transferred 
  to 
  the 
  domestic 
  animals 
  introduced 
  by 
  the 
  while 
  race, 
  

   since 
  these 
  animals 
  were 
  owned 
  and 
  used 
  as 
  their 
  owners 
  pleased. 
  Na'gthe, 
  as 
  a 
  verb, 
  signified 
  "to 
  abuse," 
  

   '•to 
  torment," 
  and 
  could 
  be 
  used 
  to 
  characterize 
  conduct; 
  as 
  a 
  noun, 
  it 
  meant 
  "captive." 
  The 
  song 
  sung 
  

   by 
  a 
  warrior 
  when 
  going 
  to 
  lace 
  death 
  in 
  battle 
  (p. 
  427) 
  was 
  called 
  na'gtht 
  uxzan, 
  " 
  captive 
  song;" 
  the 
  name 
  

   probably 
  referred 
  to 
  the 
  custom 
  in 
  oilier 
  tribes 
  of 
  torturing 
  captives, 
  and 
  indicated, 
  as 
  above 
  explained, 
  

   the 
  omaba 
  view 
  oi 
  the 
  fate 
  of 
  the 
  captive 
  in 
  war. 
  

  

  