﻿KI.KTi'IIlOl! 
  LA 
  FI.ESrllE] 
  RECENT 
  HISTORY 
  635 
  

  

  through 
  the 
  old 
  ceremonies 
  connected 
  with 
  the 
  anointing 
  of 
  the 
  

   Sacred 
  Pole 
  (see 
  p. 
  230) 
  by 
  purchasing 
  beef 
  as 
  a 
  substitute 
  for 
  

   buffalo 
  meat 
  (see 
  p. 
  244). 
  A 
  few 
  of 
  these 
  costly 
  experiments 
  

   brought 
  a 
  new 
  sorrow 
  — 
  the 
  realization 
  that 
  the 
  food 
  on 
  which 
  their 
  

   fathers 
  had 
  depended 
  and 
  which 
  through 
  past 
  centuries 
  had 
  never 
  

   failed, 
  had 
  been 
  destroyed 
  although 
  they 
  had 
  been 
  taught 
  that 
  the 
  

   buffalo 
  had 
  been 
  sent 
  "from 
  every 
  quarter" 
  for 
  man's 
  use, 
  by 
  

   Wako 
  n 
  'da 
  (see 
  ritual, 
  p. 
  294). 
  Distress 
  of 
  mind 
  accompanied 
  their 
  

   distress 
  of 
  body. 
  The 
  maize 
  remained 
  to 
  them 
  and 
  its 
  cultivation 
  

   increased, 
  as 
  did 
  the 
  raising 
  of 
  wheat. 
  These 
  articles 
  they 
  sold 
  to 
  

   the 
  white 
  settlements 
  and 
  with 
  the 
  proceeds 
  bought 
  food. 
  Pigs, 
  

   chickens, 
  and 
  cattle 
  were 
  raised 
  in 
  moderate 
  numbers. 
  The 
  once 
  

   thrifty 
  Omaha 
  had 
  become 
  poor; 
  they 
  never 
  received 
  rations 
  from 
  

   the 
  Government, 
  however, 
  but 
  struggled 
  on 
  by 
  themselves, 
  the 
  older 
  

   people 
  supported 
  by 
  the 
  hopefulness 
  and 
  efforts 
  of 
  the 
  younger 
  

   generation. 
  

  

  During 
  the 
  period 
  of 
  the 
  Civil 
  War 
  the 
  Omaha 
  were 
  loyal 
  to 
  the 
  

   United 
  States 
  Government 
  and 
  served 
  as 
  scouts 
  and 
  guards 
  durine 
  

   the 
  construction 
  of 
  the 
  Union 
  Pacific 
  Railroad. 
  

  

  ESTABLISHMENT 
  OF 
  "THE 
  COUNCIL" 
  

  

  The 
  enforced 
  abandonment 
  of 
  the 
  annual 
  hunt 
  and 
  the 
  changes 
  

   taking 
  place 
  in 
  the 
  life 
  and 
  habits 
  of 
  the 
  tribe 
  led 
  to 
  a 
  modification 
  in 
  

   tribal 
  government, 
  one 
  favored 
  by 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  agency 
  officials. 
  

   Questions 
  frequently 
  arose 
  the 
  determination 
  of 
  which 
  required 
  coop- 
  

   eration 
  between 
  the 
  tribe 
  and 
  the 
  Agent. 
  Tribal 
  meetings 
  were 
  cum- 
  

   bersome 
  and 
  difficult 
  to 
  manage, 
  so 
  it 
  came 
  about 
  that 
  a 
  "council" 
  

   was 
  formed 
  of 
  a 
  small 
  number 
  of 
  chiefs 
  and 
  other 
  leading 
  men, 
  who 
  

   could 
  be 
  easily 
  called 
  together 
  by 
  the 
  Agent. 
  Chieftainship 
  in 
  the 
  old 
  

   meaning 
  of 
  the 
  term 
  thereby 
  lapsed. 
  The 
  council 
  represented 
  the 
  

   people 
  but 
  all 
  governing 
  power 
  had 
  become 
  centered 
  in 
  the 
  United 
  

   States 
  Indian 
  Agent. 
  

  

  Nothing 
  belonging 
  to 
  the 
  past 
  now 
  seemed 
  stable 
  to 
  the 
  Omaha; 
  

   only 
  the 
  familiar 
  landscape 
  remained 
  to 
  remind 
  them 
  that 
  they 
  were 
  

   still 
  in 
  the 
  land 
  of 
  their 
  fathers. 
  

  

  THE 
  PONCA 
  TRAGEDY 
  

  

  Suddenly, 
  in 
  1877, 
  like 
  a 
  bolt 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  blue 
  sky, 
  came 
  the 
  distress- 
  

   ing 
  removal 
  of 
  their 
  kindred, 
  the 
  Ponca, 
  from 
  their 
  home 
  on 
  the 
  

   Niobrara 
  river 
  to 
  the 
  Indian 
  Territory. 
  The 
  pathetic 
  return 
  in 
  the 
  

   spring 
  of 
  1879 
  of 
  Standing 
  Bear 
  and 
  his 
  followers, 
  bearing 
  the 
  bones 
  

   of 
  that 
  chief's 
  dearly 
  loved 
  son 
  for 
  burial, 
  and 
  the 
  coming 
  of 
  United 
  

   States 
  soldiers 
  to 
  cany 
  them 
  back 
  to 
  the 
  dreaded 
  "hot 
  country," 
  

   brought 
  terror 
  to 
  every 
  Omaha 
  family. 
  Thinking 
  that 
  their 
  own 
  

  

  