360 OMAHA SOCIOLOGY. 



• Qab&[i6ai-ga>!" i.e., " Cause yourselves to be sacred by means of the .ani- 

 mals that you see in your dreams when you fast." When they have left 

 the large t ent, and have returned to their respective lodges, they sit with 

 their robes over their heads, and before they leave their lodges again, 

 they must make new tent-flaps, which is a sacred act. The bearers of 

 the sacred pipes are Ce-naji" of the Maka n , Heficije of the Nuqe, 

 jaiju^gahige (of the Wajaje?), Muxa-uaji n of the Wacabe, a Mkadaona 

 man, and Cauugahi of the $ixida. As the old men reach the tents of 

 each gens it is announced by some of the spectators, " They have 

 reached the Nuqe!" for example. When Cenaji a arrives at the tents of 

 each gens, he says, " Ho! I have come to you." The pipes are handed 

 in succession to the candidate who sits at the end. Muxa-naji n ad- 

 dresses a few words to each of the candidates who are not the sons of 

 chiefs, but to those who are the sons of chiefs many words are spoken. 

 I belonged to this latter class, so all the old men said to me, " Nija 

 i(f!ib(fa n tat6! Pc'age ci tateM <J)iadi gain, £iji n '$e gahi, £i.uga D gahi, 

 amustaqti<J;ida n/ bema ,1 fi n/ tai! Wagazuqti ma n ^i n/ ga n '^a-ga." i. c, "You 

 shall have you fill of life ! You shall live to be an aged man ! Your 

 father was a chief, your elder brother was a chief, and your grandfather 

 was a chief; may they continue to look directly down on you! Desire thou 

 to walk very honestly." At length they say, " Ca n ," Enough ! Then the 

 crier proclaims, " Ca n/ afa, u+!" i. e., "It is indeed enough, halloo!" 

 Then all the people walk rapidly to the tent in the middle of the circle, 

 each one trying to get there before the others so as to get a good seat. 

 So they reach there and pass around the tent. At the time of my inaug- 

 uration I sat at the doorof the large tent. Those who had no seats within, 

 (i. e., as chiefs) sat outside. They were addressed thus : " Gi^a" 

 ite^a-ga ! jftgife e'di $ag£i n/ te ha!" i.e., "Makeroom! Beware howyou 

 sit there!" By and by the two principal chiefs came, stepping very delib- 

 erately, and took their places at the head of the circle of those within 

 the large tent. 



(2) Among the Omalias, as told by La Fl&che and Two Crows: 

 Only one old man goes once around the tribal circle. He starts from 

 his own gens, the Iuke-sabe, and enters but a single tent of each gens. 

 He tells the people of that gens to question all their fellow gentiles who 

 wish to be chiefs. The old man enters the Weji n cte tent last of all. 

 The men of each gens assemble by themselves. Some are afraid to un- 

 dertake the chieftainship, saying, " It is difficult ; I am unwilling." If 

 a candidate is " naxide-^in'ge," or " waspaji," i. c, disobedient or ill-he- 

 hand, the men of his gens can preveut his acceptance of the office. The 

 next day the chiefs assemble in a large tent. The decorations of the 

 chief's, the disposition of the sacred pipes and buffalo skull are similar 

 to what happens among the Poukas, with a few exceptions. The chiefs 

 do not redden their armpits, elbows, and the toes of their moccasins, 

 and the hanga-jri'a n ze is slightly different. 



