280 OMAHA SOCIOLOGY. 



day, the principal visitor gives presents to his host, who collects all 

 of the people of his village or tribe. He addresses the chiefs, saying, 

 " My lather has 1 nought these things to me." Then he gives the pres- 

 ents to the chiefs. The pile of gifts is often about four feet high. One 

 or more of the chiefs then speak to the young men who accompany them, 

 " These things are given to you. Do with them as you please. Give 

 them to whom you desire to present them." Presently one young man 

 arises and says, '• 1 will give a horse to my father," meaning the prin- 

 cipal visitor. He is followed by another, and so on, till all have spoken 

 who have a desire to make presents. Some of the young men give many 

 horses to the visitors. When the principal chief sees that enough horses 

 have been given in equal numbers to each visitor he says, "Come, cease 

 ye." Then the chiefs imitate the young men in giving presents to the 

 visitors, taking care to give none of them a larger share than the rest. 

 This exchange of presents consumes the entire day. The principal visitor 

 has the right to distribute the horses among his party. 



§ 1 Jo. The dance. — The next day two of the servants of the principal 

 visitor are selected to do the dancing. They must be men who are 

 "cka"' ij'ipi,'' i. e., skillful in imitating the movements and acts of the 

 war eagle, its flying, etc. When it is windy a screen is set up, but when 

 it is calm there is none. Before the dance is begun the man for whom 

 the ceremony is made leads his son or daughter to his visitors, saying, 

 '•(/'c nifawa 1 " te ha'," Please dance for this one. But the parent does 

 not bring the child by himself; one of the dancers always goes for the 

 child, and must carry it on his back to the lodge where the dancers are 

 staying. When one of the meu came to the house of Mr. La Fleche for 

 his daughter Susette, she was very small and so was afraid of the man, 

 and refused to go with him. So her mother's mother carried her part 



Fig. 24. — Decoration of the child's face. 



of the way, and then the man took her to the lodge. After the father 

 has addressed the visitors the child is caused to sit with the members 

 of the dancing party. Its face is painted red, and over that is painted 

 in blue, the haiiga jp'a n ze, and a stripe down the nose. 11 An eagle plume 



11. — The haSige 3[i'a n ze for the child in the calumet dance (lifters somewhat from that 

 used l'\ the chiefs and other adults. Iu the former the stripes nest the mouth are 

 wanting, and, instead, is painted the stripe down the nose. 



