1886.] Migrations of Siouan Tribes. 215 
country on the north side of the Missouri river, near its mouth. 
The Kansas and the Osages were the first to depart; then the 
Omahas and Ponkas followed the course of the Missouri towards 
its head. Mr. Riggs also says that the Ponkas went to the region 
of the Black hills, and were there before the Crows; but the 
Ponkas told the writer that the Crows inhabited that country and 
were owners of the Black hills when their ancestors arrived there, 
at which time there were no Dakotas in that region. This last 
statement is confirmed by the Dakota winter-counts in Dr. Cor- 
busier’s collection. The writer was also told that the Ponkas 
used to dwell north-east of the old Ponka reservation (which is in 
Todd county, Neb.), in a land where they wore snow-shoes. 
Since 1879 the writer has gained more definite information from 
other Ponkas, as well as from Omahas, Osages and Kansas, and 
it is now given. 
Ages ago the ancestors of the Omahas, Ponkas, Osages, Kan- 
sas, Kwapas, Winnebagos, Pawnee Loups (Skidi) and Rees, 
dwelt east of the Mississippi. They were not all in one region, 
but they were allies, and their general course was westward. 
They drove other tribes before them. Five of these peoples, the 
Omahas, Ponkas, Osages, Kansas and Kwapas, were then to- 
gether as one nation. They were called Arkansa or Alkansa by 
the Illinois tribes, and they dwelt near the Ohio river. At the 
mouth of the Ohio a separation occurred. Some went down the 
Mississippi, hence arose their name, “ U-ga’-qpa (Oo-ga-khpa)” 
or Kwapa (Quapaw), meaning “the down-stream people.” This 
Was prior to 1540, when De Soto met the Kwapas, who were 
then a distinct tribe. 
The rest of the Arkansas ascended the river, taking the name 
of U-ma™-ha® (Omaha), “those going against the wind or 
current.” 
_ These names—Kwapa and Omaha—are of more recent origin 
than Kansas, Osage and Ponka. We find proofs of the antiquity 
of these three names in the names of gentes in these tribes. 
Thus among the Ponkas there is a Ponka gens (the Ma-ka"), and 
an Osage gens (the Wa-ja-je). The Omahas have a Kansas gens 
(the ‘Ma™ze). The Kansas have a Ponka gens (Cedar people), am 
Osage gens (Deer people), and a Kansas gens (ya"-ze, asso- 
‘ated, as among the Omahas, with the winds). The Osages have 
a Kansas gens (Ka"-se) and seven Osage (Wa-9a-9e) gentes, one 
