222 OMAHA SOCIOLOGY. 



The two sacred pipes still iu existence are kept by the Ihke-sabe gen6. 

 These pipes arc called "Niniba waqtibc," Sacred Pipes, or "Niniba 

 jide," Red Pipes. They ate made of the red pipestoue which is found 

 in the famous red pipestone quarry. The stems are nearly flat and are 

 worked near the mouth-piece with porcupine quills. 



GAHIGE'S ACCOUNT OF THE TRADITION OP THE PIPES. 



§ 15. Gahige, of the Iiike-sabB gens, said that his gens had the seven 

 pipes at the first, and caused them to be distributed among the other 

 gentes. He named as the seven gentes who had the pipes, the follow- 

 ing: 1. Iuke-sabS: 2. ^e-da-it'aji sub-gens of the (patada; 3. Ma n fifika- 

 gaxe; 4. j^a-da; 5. jr.e-sinde; 6. Ictasanda; 7. Hanga (sic). In order 

 to reach tbe Hanga again the seven old men had to go partly around 

 tin- circle a second time. These are the gentes that Lad pipes and 

 chiefs at the first. The chiefs of the three remaining gentes, tbe We- 

 ji"cte, 5ja u zr ; and Iug<j:e-jide, were not made for years afterward. He 

 also said that the buffalo skull given to the jjC-da-it'aji was regarded as 

 equivalent to a sacred pipe. 



The writer is inclined to think that there is some truth in what Gahige 

 has said, though he cannot accept all of his statement. Gahige gives 

 one pipe to the Hanga gens; Two Orows intimated that his gens was 

 the virtual keeper of a pipe. But A n ba-hebe's story shows that it was 

 not a real pipe, but the firebrand for lighting the pipes. In like man- 

 ner, ^e -da-it'aji has not a real pipe, but the buffalo skull, which is con- 

 sidered as a pipe. Hence, it may be that the men who are called 

 " keepers of the pipes" in the ;ija n ze, Ma n ((;iuka-gaxe, j/i-da, jre-slnde, 

 and Ictasanda gentes never had real pipes but certain objects which 

 are held sacred, and have some connection with the two pipes kept by 

 the Inke-sabe. 



AnBA-IIEBE'S ACCOUNT OF TDE TRADITION OF TBE PIPES. 



§16. The following is the tradition of the sacred pipes, according to 

 A n ba-hebe, the aged historian of the Omahas: 



The old men made seven pipes and carried them around the tribal circle. They 

 lirst reached Weji n cte, who sat there as a malo elk, and was frightful to behold, so 

 the old men did not give him a pipe. Passing on to the Inke-sabe, they gave the first 

 pipe to the head of that gens. Next they came to Hanga, to whom they handed a 

 firebrand, saying, "Do thou keep the firebrand," i. c, "You are to thrust it into the 

 pipe-bowls." Therefore it is the duty of Hanga to light the pipes for the chiefs {sic). 

 When they reached the Bear people they feared them because tbey sat there with the 

 sacred bag of black bear-skin, so they did not give them a pipe. The Blackbird people 

 received no pipe becanse they sat with the sacred bag of bird-skins and feathers. 

 And the old men feared the Turtle people, who had made a big turtle on the ground, 

 so they passed them by. But when they saw the Eagle people they gave them a 

 pipe because they did not fear them, and the buffalo was good. (Others say that the 

 Eagle people had started off in anger when they found themselves slighted, but the 

 old men pursued them, and on overtaking them they handed them a bladder filled with 

 tobacco, and also a buffalo skull, saying, " Keep this skull as a sacred thing." This 



