D0R6Er.; ACCOUCHMENT CHILDREN. 265 



CHILDREN. 



§ 92. Diseases of children. — Summer complaint from teething is rare. 

 Diarrhea, however, occurs frequently, even in children who walk, and 

 when they are about four feet high. This may be accounted for as fol- 

 lows : their mothers' milk or other food disagrees with them. Dough- 

 erty fouud that during their first year the Omaha children suffered more 

 from constipation than from any other complaint ; and he said that this 

 was relieved by soap suppositories. This is not the case now, accord- 

 ing to La Fleche and Two Crows ; and the writer never heard of its 

 prevalence when he resided among the Ponkasand Omahas. 



§93. Adoption of children. — The Omaha idea of adoption differs from 

 ours. A member of the same gens, or one who is a consanguinity cannot 

 be adopted ; he or she is received by a relation. Two examples of this 

 were told to the writer : Gahige received Wacnee's eldest son when the 

 father died, because the former had been the potential father of the 

 youth, who succeeded Wacuce as custodian of the sacred pipes. Sow 

 Gahige keeps the pipes himself for his son. A n pa n -ska, of the Weji n ctc 

 gens, gave his son, Bi n ze-tig^e, to his chief, Mahi n dfige, to be his son and 

 servant. Mahi n <finge having received his kinsman, the latter has be- 

 come the keeper of the treaty between the United States and the Oma- 

 has. This boy is about sixteen years of age. 



Omaha adoption is called " ciegi^fi," to tale a 2>erson histead of one's 

 oicn child. This is done when the adopted person resembles the de- 

 ceased child, grandchild, nephew, or niece, in one or more features. It 

 takes place without any ceremony. An uncle by adoption has all the 

 rights of a real uncle. For example, when Mr. La Fleehe's daughter 

 Susette wished to go to the Indian Territory to accept a situation as 

 teacher, aud had gained the consent of her parents, Two Crows inter- 

 posed, being her uncle by adoption, and forbade her departure. (See 

 §§ US aud 126.) 



§94. Clotting of children. — Children were dressed in suits like those 

 of their parents, but they used to wear robes made of the skius of the 

 deer, autelope, or of buffalo calves. When the boys were very small, 

 say. till they were about four years old, they used to run about iu warm 

 weather with uothing ou but a small belt of cloth around the waist, ac- 

 cording to Dougherty ; aud the writer has seen such boys going about 

 entirely naked. Girls always wear clothiug, even wheu small. When 

 a boy was eight years old, he began to wear in winter leggings, mocca- 

 sins, and a small robe. 



§ 95. Child life. — The girl was kept iu a state of subjection to her 

 mother, whom she was obliged to help when the latter was at work. 

 Wheu she was four or five years old. she was taught to go for wood, 

 etc. Wheu she was about eight years of age, she learned how to make 

 up a pack, aud began to carry a small pack on her back. If she was 

 disobedient, she received a blow on the head or back from the hand of 



