﻿614 
  THE 
  OMAHA 
  TRIBE 
  [BTH. 
  ANW. 
  27 
  

  

  of 
  stone 
  became 
  a 
  lost 
  art. 
  One 
  survival 
  held 
  well 
  into 
  the 
  last 
  

   century, 
  namely, 
  the 
  making 
  and 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  stone 
  disks, 
  (i 
  n 
  'ihapa), 
  

   between 
  which 
  the 
  kernels 
  of 
  corn 
  were 
  pounded 
  to 
  make 
  meal 
  for 
  

   porridge. 
  These 
  disks 
  were 
  portable 
  and 
  served 
  as 
  a 
  "hand 
  mill" 
  

   when 
  the 
  people 
  were 
  traveling. 
  Bone 
  awls 
  gave 
  way 
  to 
  awls 
  of 
  

   iron, 
  which 
  the 
  Indians 
  always 
  fitted 
  into 
  handles 
  of 
  bone; 
  the 
  old 
  

   name, 
  wa'Jcu, 
  was 
  retained. 
  An 
  iron 
  blade 
  was 
  bound 
  to 
  the 
  edge 
  

   of 
  the 
  elk-horn 
  scraper 
  to 
  facilitate 
  its 
  use 
  in 
  preparing 
  hides 
  for 
  

   tanning. 
  Iron 
  hoes 
  supplanted 
  the 
  ancient 
  implement 
  made 
  from 
  

   the 
  shoulder 
  blade 
  of 
  the 
  elk. 
  The 
  stone 
  implements 
  connected 
  with 
  

   the 
  daily 
  needs 
  of 
  the 
  people 
  were 
  the 
  first 
  to 
  be 
  displaced 
  by 
  iron 
  

   ones. 
  

  

  Decline 
  of 
  Old 
  Avocations 
  and 
  the 
  Effect 
  on 
  the 
  People 
  

  

  With 
  the 
  coming 
  of 
  the 
  trader 
  and 
  the 
  introduction 
  of 
  iron 
  imple- 
  

   ments 
  and 
  other 
  articles 
  for 
  daily 
  use 
  new 
  conditions 
  confronted 
  the 
  

   Indians; 
  they 
  were 
  no 
  longer 
  obliged 
  to 
  make 
  all 
  the 
  articles 
  required 
  

   for 
  use 
  and 
  the 
  time 
  formerly 
  occupied 
  by 
  the 
  long 
  and 
  wearisome 
  

   process 
  of 
  chipping 
  and 
  rubbing 
  stone 
  was 
  now 
  left 
  free. 
  Further- 
  

   more, 
  the 
  stimulus 
  for 
  acquiring 
  skill 
  in 
  the 
  old-time 
  industries 
  

   was 
  withdrawn. 
  The 
  new 
  iron 
  implements 
  which 
  had 
  brought 
  

   about 
  this 
  change 
  in 
  conditions 
  had 
  been 
  acquired 
  by 
  bartering 
  pelts. 
  

   Barter 
  was 
  not 
  new 
  to 
  the 
  people. 
  It 
  had 
  long 
  been 
  practised 
  between 
  

   various 
  tribes; 
  minerals, 
  seeds, 
  shells, 
  and 
  other 
  articles 
  had 
  found 
  

   their 
  way 
  by 
  this 
  means 
  into 
  regions 
  remote 
  from 
  their 
  natural 
  

   environment, 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  safe 
  to 
  say 
  that 
  up 
  to 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  the 
  coming 
  

   of 
  the 
  white 
  trader 
  no 
  Omaha 
  bad 
  slain 
  animals 
  for 
  merely 
  commer- 
  

   cial 
  purposes. 
  The 
  barter 
  in 
  pelts 
  established 
  by 
  the 
  traders 
  was 
  

   therefore 
  different 
  in 
  character 
  from 
  any 
  barter 
  that 
  had 
  been 
  prac- 
  

   tised 
  between 
  tribes 
  and 
  was 
  destined 
  to 
  give 
  rise 
  to 
  a 
  new 
  industry 
  

   among 
  the 
  Indians 
  — 
  that 
  of 
  hunting 
  for 
  gain. 
  Heretofore 
  hunting 
  

   had 
  been 
  carried 
  on 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  secure 
  food 
  and 
  other 
  necessities 
  — 
  

   clothing, 
  shelter, 
  and 
  bone 
  with 
  which 
  to 
  make 
  implements; 
  more- 
  

   over 
  it 
  bad 
  been 
  conducted 
  with 
  more 
  orless 
  religious 
  ceremony, 
  which 
  

   had 
  directed 
  the 
  Omaha 
  thought 
  toward 
  Wako 
  n 
  'da, 
  as 
  the 
  giver 
  of 
  

   the 
  means 
  by 
  which 
  to 
  sustain 
  life, 
  as 
  shown 
  in 
  the 
  rites 
  connected 
  

   with 
  the 
  annual 
  buffalo 
  hunt 
  (see 
  p. 
  275) 
  and 
  planting 
  the 
  maize 
  

   (see 
  p. 
  262). 
  The 
  quest 
  of 
  game 
  for 
  profit 
  introduced 
  new 
  motives 
  

   for 
  hunting 
  and 
  also 
  of 
  cultivating 
  the 
  soil, 
  motives 
  not 
  consonant 
  

   with 
  the 
  old 
  religious 
  ideas 
  and 
  customs; 
  consequently 
  under 
  their 
  

   influence 
  such 
  customs 
  slowly 
  but 
  inevitably 
  fell 
  into 
  disuse. 
  The 
  

   effect 
  on 
  the 
  Omaha 
  mind 
  of 
  their 
  obliteration 
  w 
  r 
  as 
  to 
  weaken 
  the 
  

   power 
  of 
  ancient 
  beliefs 
  anil 
  to 
  introduce 
  new 
  standards, 
  commercial 
  

   in 
  character; 
  as 
  a 
  result 
  the 
  Omaha 
  became 
  less 
  strong 
  to 
  resist 
  the 
  

  

  