8 THE PAWNEE: MYTHOLOGY. 
is not as serious as might seem at first consideration; for, although the 
four bands have long been recognized as distinct, the Pawnee themselves 
are firm in the belief that the Chaui, Pitahauirat, and Kitkehahki origi- 
nally formed a single band or division known as the Kawarahkis. The 
time of this union is believed to have been long before the advent of the 
whites; the belief is based on historic tradition and hence must be accepted 
as at least provisionally true. According to this tradition the Kawa- 
rahkis at this time made their home near the present site of Nemaha, in 
the southeastern corner of Nebraska, nearthe Missouri River. From this 
point the Chaui and Kitkehahki, after their separation, went north, the 
Kitkehahki locating on the Republican River, where they were found by 
Pike, and the Chaui going to the northwest, where they settled south of 
the Platte River. After the departure of these two bands, the Kawa- 
rahkis remained in the neighborhood of Nemaha for a long period and the 
remnant finally became known as the Pitahauirat. Early in this cen- 
tury they also migrated to the northwest and occupied the area between 
the Chaui and the Kitkehahki. According to this tradition, therefore, 
the Chaui, Pitahauirat, and Kitkehahki form to-day remnants of what was 
once a single tribe, just as we have reason to believe that the Arikara 
and Skidi once formed a single tribe. The mythology of the three bands 
also leads to this belief, for their origin myths are practically the same, 
the variation which exists being due probably to the fact that since the 
bands became distinct each has acquired, generally from the Skidi, cer- 
tain ceremonies or rites along with a story of origin. Thus it appears 
that the Pitahauirat, Kitkehahki, and Chaui would be likely to have a 
mythology which would show many points of difference from that of the 
Skidi. Were it possible to obtain a full account of their mythology, this 
difference, which undoubtedly exists, would probably be found to be 
much greater than now appears; at any rate it is known that their social 
organization and even many elements of their religion had much in 
common, but differed considerably from the Skidi. It may be further 
noted, however, that in general the tales of the four bands as they exist 
to-day form a unit and have many characteristic features in common. 
This is due to the fact that for the last forty years the four bands have 
been closely associated, and that since their removal to Oklahoma they 
have been treated by the government as a single tribe and have been 
forced to intermingle in a manner which formerly would not have been 
possible. The rapidly diminishing size of the tribe has also tended to 
bind the four tribes closer and closer together, and for several years 
past they have freely visited back and forth during ceremonies, at which 
gatherings story-telling has been a regular feature. 
