﻿632 
  THE 
  OMAHA 
  TRIBE 
  [BTH.AKN.27 
  

  

  his 
  son 
  but 
  she 
  refused. 
  A 
  few 
  years 
  later 
  she 
  consented 
  and 
  La 
  

   Flesche 
  took 
  his 
  son 
  to 
  St. 
  Louis, 
  where 
  the 
  lad 
  learned 
  to 
  speak 
  

   French; 
  later 
  he 
  accompanied 
  his 
  father 
  on 
  trading 
  expeditions. 
  

   Young 
  Joseph 
  was 
  a 
  favorite 
  with 
  the 
  old 
  Omaha 
  chiefs, 
  especially 
  

   with 
  Big 
  Elk, 
  and 
  used 
  to 
  talk 
  with 
  them 
  and 
  learn 
  from 
  them 
  the 
  

   qualifications 
  requisite 
  for 
  chieftainship. 
  The 
  tribe 
  was 
  then 
  living 
  

   in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  Bellevue. 
  La 
  Flesche 
  became 
  impatient 
  with 
  

   his 
  son 
  and 
  reproved 
  him 
  for 
  lingering 
  with 
  the 
  chiefs 
  but 
  the 
  

   youth 
  was 
  becoming 
  versed 
  in 
  tribal 
  customs 
  and 
  lore 
  and 
  already 
  

   had 
  determined 
  in 
  his 
  mind 
  to 
  become 
  a 
  chief. 
  Joseph 
  continued, 
  

   however, 
  to 
  accompany 
  his 
  father 
  on 
  trips 
  and 
  learned 
  to 
  speak 
  the 
  

   Iowa, 
  Pawnee, 
  and 
  Oto 
  languages. 
  He 
  was 
  a 
  good 
  hunter 
  and 
  

   planned 
  to 
  enter 
  into 
  trade 
  on 
  his 
  own 
  account; 
  this 
  he 
  did 
  later 
  

   on 
  and 
  was 
  quite 
  successful. 
  It 
  was 
  while 
  living 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  

   Bellevue 
  that 
  he 
  finally 
  concluded 
  to 
  settle 
  down 
  and 
  cast 
  his 
  lot 
  

   with 
  his 
  mother's 
  people 
  and 
  he 
  soon 
  became 
  identified 
  with 
  them. 
  

   He 
  had 
  seen 
  enough 
  of 
  the 
  world 
  to 
  recognize 
  that 
  the 
  white 
  race 
  

   were 
  in 
  the 
  country 
  to 
  stay 
  and 
  that 
  the 
  Indian 
  would 
  have 
  to 
  

   conform 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  to 
  white 
  ways 
  and 
  customs. 
  The 
  problem 
  

   how 
  to 
  meet 
  the 
  new 
  conditions 
  that 
  were 
  already 
  looming 
  on 
  the 
  

   horizon 
  of 
  tribal 
  life 
  occupied 
  much 
  of 
  his 
  thought 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  the 
  

   mind 
  of 
  Big 
  Elk. 
  One 
  summer 
  about 
  this 
  time 
  (probably 
  between 
  

   1S45 
  and 
  1S50), 
  when 
  the 
  tribe 
  were 
  preparing 
  to 
  go 
  on 
  the 
  annual 
  

   buffalo 
  hunt, 
  Big 
  Elk 
  asked 
  Joseph 
  to 
  join 
  the 
  preliminary 
  council 
  

   (see 
  p. 
  276). 
  No 
  objection 
  was 
  raised 
  and 
  he 
  was 
  given 
  a 
  seat 
  

   next 
  to 
  Big 
  Elk. 
  This 
  was 
  a 
  marked 
  step 
  forward 
  in 
  the 
  young 
  

   man's 
  proposed 
  career. 
  He 
  had 
  already 
  begun 
  to 
  make 
  the 
  gifts 
  

   necessary 
  toward 
  chieftainship 
  (see 
  p. 
  202) 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  to 
  count 
  his 
  

   hundred 
  (see 
  p. 
  495) 
  . 
  At 
  this 
  time 
  Big 
  Elk's 
  son 
  was 
  living 
  and 
  it 
  was 
  

   the 
  wish 
  of 
  the 
  chief 
  that 
  this 
  son 
  should 
  succeed 
  him. 
  But 
  the 
  young 
  

   man 
  died 
  and 
  after 
  that 
  event 
  Joseph 
  became 
  recognized 
  as 
  the 
  son 
  

   of 
  Big 
  Elk 
  and 
  was 
  counted 
  as 
  belonging 
  to 
  the 
  We'zhi 
  n 
  shte 
  gens; 
  

   this 
  was 
  contrary 
  to 
  usage, 
  for, 
  as 
  his 
  mother 
  belonged 
  to 
  the 
  Pke'cabe 
  

   gens 
  and 
  as 
  his 
  father 
  was 
  white, 
  he 
  should 
  have 
  been 
  considered 
  as 
  

   belonging 
  to 
  her 
  gens. 
  Meanwhile 
  the 
  tide 
  of 
  settlers 
  increased 
  

   and 
  while 
  Joseph 
  La 
  Flesche 
  (fig. 
  49) 
  was 
  carrying 
  forward 
  plans 
  to 
  

   rise 
  to 
  the 
  place 
  occupied 
  by 
  Big 
  Elk 
  lie 
  was 
  also 
  engaged 
  in 
  thoughts 
  

   and 
  projects 
  for 
  helping 
  the 
  people 
  forward 
  to 
  the 
  best 
  advantage 
  

   in 
  the 
  new 
  path 
  he 
  saw 
  opening 
  before 
  them, 
  which 
  they 
  must 
  take. 
  

   He 
  watched 
  the 
  mission 
  school 
  established 
  at 
  Bellevue 
  and 
  talked 
  with 
  

   the 
  missionaries. 
  He 
  was 
  active 
  in 
  the 
  negotiations 
  which 
  resulted 
  in 
  

   the 
  selection 
  of 
  the 
  present 
  reservation 
  when 
  the 
  Omaha 
  disposed 
  of 
  

   their 
  hunting 
  lands 
  to 
  the 
  United 
  States. 
  On 
  the 
  death 
  of 
  Big 
  Elk 
  

   in 
  1853 
  Joseph 
  La 
  Flesche 
  had 
  fully 
  complied 
  with 
  the 
  old 
  require- 
  

   ments 
  for 
  chieftainship 
  ; 
  he 
  took 
  Big 
  Elk's 
  place 
  and 
  became 
  one 
  of 
  

  

  