﻿FLETCIIEK-I,.Y 
  FI.ESCHE] 
  CONCL08IONS 
  609 
  

  

  adoption 
  of 
  the 
  Sacred 
  Pole 
  as 
  an 
  emblem 
  of 
  governmental 
  authority. 
  

   Every 
  acquisition 
  that 
  bettered 
  the 
  condition 
  of 
  the 
  people 
  was 
  the 
  

   result 
  of 
  the 
  exercise 
  of 
  the 
  mind. 
  "And 
  the 
  people 
  thought" 
  is 
  the 
  

   preamble 
  to 
  every 
  change; 
  every 
  new 
  acquirement, 
  every 
  arrange- 
  

   ment 
  devised 
  to 
  foster 
  tribal 
  unity 
  and 
  to 
  promote 
  tribal 
  strength, 
  

   was 
  the 
  outcome 
  of 
  thought. 
  The 
  regulation 
  of 
  the 
  annual 
  tribal 
  

   hunt, 
  wherein 
  the 
  individual 
  was 
  forced 
  to 
  give 
  way 
  for 
  the 
  good 
  of 
  

   the 
  whole 
  people; 
  the 
  punishment 
  of 
  murder 
  as 
  asocial 
  offense; 
  the 
  

   efforts 
  to 
  curb 
  the 
  disintegrating 
  war 
  spirit, 
  to 
  bring 
  it 
  under 
  control, 
  

   to 
  make 
  it 
  conserve 
  rather 
  than 
  disrupt 
  the 
  unity 
  of 
  the 
  tribe 
  — 
  all 
  

   were 
  the 
  result 
  of 
  "thought." 
  So, 
  too, 
  was 
  the 
  tribal 
  organization 
  

   itself, 
  which 
  was 
  based 
  on 
  certain 
  ideas 
  evolved 
  from 
  thinking 
  over 
  

   natural 
  processes 
  that 
  were 
  ever 
  before 
  their 
  observation. 
  The 
  Sacred 
  

   Legend 
  speaks 
  truly 
  when 
  it 
  says 
  "And 
  the 
  people 
  thought." 
  

  

  While 
  the 
  Omaha 
  were 
  a 
  thoughtful 
  and 
  a 
  practical 
  people, 
  they 
  

   were 
  not 
  without 
  poetic 
  feeling, 
  as 
  their 
  ceremonies 
  and 
  rituals 
  

   indicate 
  — 
  those, 
  for 
  instance, 
  which 
  heralded 
  to 
  the 
  universe 
  the 
  

   birth 
  of 
  a 
  child, 
  which 
  introduced 
  the 
  child 
  to 
  its 
  place 
  and 
  duties 
  

   as 
  a 
  member 
  of 
  the 
  tribe, 
  and 
  which 
  in 
  the 
  presence 
  of 
  death 
  gave 
  

   sympathy 
  to 
  the 
  mourners 
  and 
  at 
  the 
  same 
  time 
  cheered 
  the 
  depart- 
  

   ing 
  one 
  as 
  he 
  entered 
  on 
  his 
  journey 
  to 
  the 
  realm 
  of 
  spirits. 
  

  

  Like 
  all 
  other 
  tribes, 
  the 
  Omaha 
  was 
  strongly 
  anthropomorphic 
  

   in 
  its 
  outlook 
  on 
  nature. 
  Everything 
  lived 
  and 
  partook 
  of 
  man's 
  

   qualities. 
  This 
  is 
  clearly 
  shown 
  in 
  the 
  ritual 
  of 
  the 
  corn 
  (p. 
  261) 
  , 
  in 
  the 
  

   address 
  to 
  the 
  stone 
  in 
  the 
  sweat-lodge 
  ritual 
  (p. 
  577), 
  and 
  in 
  other 
  rites 
  

   and 
  rituals 
  given 
  in 
  the 
  preceding 
  pages. 
  The 
  idea 
  of 
  personality 
  

   is 
  dominant 
  in 
  the 
  language 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  religious 
  beliefs 
  and 
  practices. 
  

   The 
  force 
  within 
  this 
  personality 
  was 
  recognized 
  as 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  mil, 
  

   that 
  power 
  which 
  directs 
  one's 
  actions 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  bring 
  about 
  desired 
  

   results." 
  By 
  its 
  iteration 
  of 
  the 
  phrase 
  "and 
  the 
  people 
  thought," 
  

  

  a 
  This 
  moving 
  force, 
  or 
  will, 
  is 
  called 
  wazhi«', 
  a 
  word 
  used 
  in 
  compounding 
  many 
  words 
  which 
  indicate 
  

   Hi'- 
  use 
  of 
  this 
  dominant 
  force 
  in 
  man. 
  Thus, 
  wit 
  'wazhin 
  means 
  to 
  do 
  something 
  of 
  one's 
  own 
  free 
  will 
  

   unbiased 
  by 
  another 
  (!»i, 
  "I;" 
  f, 
  sign 
  of 
  the 
  objective; 
  wazhin, 
  "willpower"). 
  When 
  Hie 
  Omaha 
  first 
  

   saw 
  a 
  railroad 
  train 
  moving 
  along 
  wii 
  hout 
  visible 
  aid 
  from 
  man 
  or 
  animal, 
  a 
  name 
  was 
  given 
  it 
  derived 
  

   from 
  the 
  foregoing 
  word: 
  E'wazhi" 
  nonge 
  (nonge, 
  " 
  to 
  run"), 
  "il 
  runs 
  of 
  its 
  own 
  will." 
  Anger 
  is 
  called 
  

   wazhin 
  pur 
  J. 
  i 
  i 
  phi 
  -.In, 
  ■■ 
  bad," 
  "evil"). 
  Wazhin 
  piazhi 
  therefore 
  signifies 
  that 
  in 
  anger 
  the 
  will 
  power 
  Is 
  

   charged 
  with 
  evil 
  and 
  the 
  man 
  becomes 
  dangerous 
  to 
  himself 
  and 
  toothers. 
  Kindness 
  is 
  termed 
  wazhin' 
  

   cabi 
  •:"!'! 
  . 
  " 
  lo 
  be 
  guarded, 
  circumspect 
  in 
  word 
  or 
  behavior"). 
  The 
  word 
  indicates 
  the 
  Omaha 
  concep- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  what 
  constitutes 
  kindness— 
  it 
  is 
  to 
  use 
  one's 
  will 
  to 
  guard 
  one's 
  speech 
  and 
  conduct 
  so 
  as 
  not 
  to 
  

   injure 
  anyone. 
  The 
  word 
  for 
  " 
  patience 
  presents 
  another 
  aspect 
  of 
  self-control: 
  fnedt 
  

  

  means 
  -long:" 
  to 
  he 
  patient 
  demands 
  that 
  a 
  man's 
  will 
  he 
  kept 
  for 
  a 
  considerable 
  length 
  of 
  time 
  to 
  a 
  

   given 
  course. 
  

  

  One 
  more 
  example, 
  because 
  it 
  bears 
  directly 
  on 
  this 
  power 
  to 
  think, 
  lo 
  discriminate, 
  to 
  draw 
  conclu- 
  

   sions, 
  and 
  so 
  influence 
  action: 
  ivazhin' 
  gka 
  means 
  "intelligence, 
  ' 
  "discernment," 
  "wisdom" 
  (cia, 
  "white" 
  

   or"clear"). 
  Wa 
  lis 
  the 
  application 
  to 
  mental 
  processes 
  of 
  the 
  natural 
  experience 
  of 
  seeing. 
  When 
  

  

  the 
  atmosphere 
  is 
  cleat 
  , 
  objects 
  can 
  be 
  distinctly 
  discerned, 
  their 
  peculiarities 
  noted, 
  and 
  also 
  their 
  rela- 
  

   tion 
  to 
  one 
  another; 
  so, 
  when 
  the 
  mind 
  is 
  clear, 
  discrimination 
  is 
  possible 
  as 
  are 
  reasonable 
  conclusions 
  — 
  

  

  ii 
  is 
  Ihe 
  while, 
  mn 
  inn, 
  I, 
  ,i 
  mind 
  thai 
  can 
  perceive 
  what 
  is 
  conducive 
  10 
  the 
  best 
  in 
  words 
  and 
  in 
  d 
  Is. 
  

  

  in 
  the 
  attainment 
  of 
  wisdom. 
  These 
  compounded 
  words, 
  which 
  could 
  be 
  multiplied, 
  all 
  go 
  to 
  confirm 
  

   lb.' 
  s 
  atement 
  that 
  ihe 
  people 
  though! 
  on 
  conduct 
  mil 
  its 
  cons 
  iquences 
  when 
  framing 
  words 
  10 
  describe 
  

   lines 
  of 
  behavior. 
  

  

  83993°— 
  27 
  eth— 
  11 
  39 
  

  

  