dohbey.] THE HANGA GENS. 235 



around it, and the swan's down is covered with cotton-wood bark, over 

 which is a piece of ^6ha (buffalo hide) about 18 inches square. All the 

 }eha and cord is made of the hide of a hermaphrodite buffalo. This" 

 pole used to be greased every year when they were about to return home 

 from the summer hunt. The people were afraid to neglect this cere- 

 mony lest there should be a deep snow when they traveled on the next 

 hunt. 



When Joseph La Fleche lost his leg, the old men told the people that 

 this was a punishment which he suffered because he had opposed the 

 greasing of the sacred pole. As the Omahas have not been ou the hunt 

 for about seven years, the sacred tents are kept near the house of Wa- 

 ka n -ma D f i n . (See § 295.) 



The other sacred tent, which is kept at present by Waka n -ma n £i n , con- 

 tains the sacred " 'je-sa n '-ha," the skin of a white buffalo cow, wrapped 

 in a buffalo hide that is without hair. 



Joseph La Fleche had two horses that ran away and knocked over 

 the sacred tents of the Haiiga gens. The two old men caught them and 

 rubbed them all over with wild sage, saying to Frank La Fleche, " If 

 you let them do that again the buffaloes shall gore them." 



§ 37. Subgentes and Taboos. — There are two great divisions of the 

 gens, answering to the number of the sacred tents : The Keepers of the 

 Sacred Pole and The Keepers of the j l e-sa n -ha. Some said that there 

 were originally four subgentes, but two have become altogether or 

 nearly extinct, and the few survivors have joined the larger subgentes. 



There are several names for each subgens. The first which is some- 

 times spoken of as being " Ja n/ ha-a^a^ica n ," Pertaining to the sacred 

 cotton-wood bark, is the " Waq^exe a£i n '" or the "Ja n ' waqfibe a£i n/ ," 

 Keepers of the Sacred Pole. When its members are described by their 

 taboos, they are called the " x& waqtibe ^atajl," Those who do not eat 

 the "qa" or buffalo sides; and "Mi n xa-sa n (fatajl" and ''j^ta 11 <j;ataji," 

 Those who do not eat geese, swans, and cranes. These can eat the 

 the buffalo tongues. The second subgens, which is often referred to as 

 being " j J e-sa n '-ha-;a^ica n ," Pertaining to the sacred skin of the white 

 buffalo cow, consists of the Wacabe or Han'gaqti, the Real Haiiga peo- 

 ple. When reference is made to their taboo, they are called the " j^e- 

 §6ze ^ataji," as they cannot eat buffalo tongues; but they are at liberty 

 to eat the " }a," which the other Uaiiga cannot eat. In the tribal circle 

 the Wacabe people camp next to the Iiike-sabg gens; and the Waq<j;exe 

 a£i n have the Qu^a of the (patada gens next to them, as he is their serv- 

 ant and is counted as one of their kindred. But, in the gentile circle, 

 the Waq£6xe a<j;i n occupy the left side of the "council-fire," and the 

 Wacabe sit on the opposite side. 



§38. Style of tcearing the hair. — The Haiiga style of wearing the hair 

 is called " ^e-nan'ka-b&xe," referriugorigiually to the back of a buffalo. 

 It is a crest of hair, about 2 inches long, standing erect, and extend- 

 ing from one ear to the other. The ends of the hair are a little below 

 the ears. 



