362 OMAHA SOCIOLOGY. 



do you decide ou I " or " Do you decide what shall be done." If one 

 after another refused to express an opinion, the two principal chiefs con- 

 tinued their questioning till they found one who gave a decision. 



§ 291. The Gentile Assembly. — A gens could assemble as a whole when 

 there was any special occasion for such action, e. g., if they had any 

 grievance against the members of another gens. 



§ 292. Powers of subordinate Chiefs. — Chiefs had certain rights, among 

 which were the following : 3 . The right to sit in the tribal assembly, and 

 to join in the deliberations. 2. The right of each to retain his office till 

 his death or resignation. 3. The right to regulate the buffalo huut with 

 the aid of the directors aud the keepers of the Hanga sacred tents. 4. 

 The right to approve or disapprove of the organization of a small war 

 party, and to prevent the departure of the same. 5. The right to form 

 a party to go ou a friendly visit to another tribe ; this includes the right 

 to go with a sacred pipe to the village or camp of a hostile tribe in order 

 to make peace. C. The right to stop quarreling or fighting between two 

 or more persons, by putting the two sacred pipes between the combat- 

 ants aud begging them to desist. 7. The right to assemble at the sacred 

 teut of the Elk gens, and regulate the sending out of scouts in case of 

 a sudden alarm. 8. In modern times, the chiefs have exercised the right 

 to sell all or a portion of the land occupied by the tribe, to the United 

 States Government ; but such a right was, from the nature of the case, 

 unknown in ancient times. 



No chief had a right to interfere with the food or other property of 

 private individuals, such as that belonging to the head of a household. 

 So when visitors came from another tribe the chiefs could not compel 

 members of their tribe to entertain them or make presents to them ; all 

 they could do was to ask such things of the people as favors. No chief 

 had a right to deprive a hunter of an animal that he had killed, nor 

 could he claim even a part of the animal. (See § 147.) 



§ 293. Powers of principal Chiefs. — Among their powers are the fol- 

 lowing : 1. The right to order th>} policemen to strike the disobedient. 

 2. The right to order the crier to proclaim the decisions of the tribal 

 assembly. 3. The right to call on two of the brave young men by name, 

 and tell them to lade out the food for the feast. 4. The right to the 

 principal seats in the tribal assembly. 5. The right of one of them to 

 determine the place for each newly-elected chief in the tribal assembly, 

 and also to give any chief a higher place in the circle, promoting him 

 to a place above some of his seniors. 



§ 294. Deposition of Chiefs.— Chiefs were not deposed. They always 

 oontinued in office till their deaths or resignations. But when both 

 head chiefs died, or one died anil the other resigned, all the subordinate 

 uhiefs were obliged to resign. 



§ 293. Poicers of the Keepers of the Sacred Tents. — They had certain 

 duties to perform during the buffalo hunt. They had the care of the 

 ■sacred tents, with their contents, the pole, and sacred skiu. They acted 



