Omaha Sociology - free ebook by James Owen Dorsey

SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION——BUREAU OF ETHNOLOGY. OMAHA SOCIOLOGY. BY REV. J. OWEN DORSEY.

Third Annual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology to the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, 1881-82, Government Printing Office, Washington, 1884, pages 205-370....

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SIOUAN ALPHABET.

[This is given to explain the pronunciation of the Indian words in the following paper] The following have the ordinary English sounds: b, d, h, k, l, m, n, p, r, s, t, w, y, and z. A superior n ( n ) after a vowel nasalizes it. A plus sign (+) after any letter prolongs it. With the exception of the five letters taken from Riggs' Dakota Dictionary, and used only in the Dakota words in this paper, the above letters belong to the alphabet adopted by the Bureau of Ethnology....

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EARLY MIGRATIONS OF THE ₵EGIHA TRIBES.

The tribes that went up the Mississippi were the Omahas, Ponkas, Osages, and Kansas. Some of the Omahas remember a tradition that their ancestors once dwelt at the place where Saint Louis now stands; and the Osages and Kansas say that they were all one people, inhabiting an extensive peninsula, on the Missouri River. On this peninsula was a high mountain, which the Kansas called Ma n -daqpaye and Tce-dŭñga-ajabe; the corresponding Osage name being Ma n -ʇaqpa¢ě. 1 Subsequently, these tribes rang

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SUBSEQUENT MIGRATIONS OF THE OMAHAS.

§ 4. After leaving [T]i-ʇañga-jiñga, where the lodges were made of wood, they dwelt at Zandé búʇa. 2. Ta n ´wa n -ʇañ´ga, The Large Village, is a place near the town of Omadi, Nebr. The stream was crossed, and the village made, after a freshet. 3. On the west side of Bell Creek, Nebraska. 4. Thence south to Salt Creek, above the site of Lincoln. 5. Then back to Ta n wa n -ʇañga. While the people were there, A n ba-hebe, the tribal historian was born. This was over eighty years ago. 6. Thence the

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PRESENT STATE OF THE OMAHAS.

§ 5. Their reservation was about 30 miles in extent from east to west, and 18 or 20 from north to south. It formed Black Bird County. The northern part of it containing some of the best of the timber lands, was ceded to the Winnebagos, when that tribe was settled in Nebraska, and is now in Dakota County. The southern part, the present Omaha reservation, is in Burt County. The Omahas have not decreased in population during the past twenty-five years. In 1876 they numbered 1,076. In 1882 there are

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DIFFERENTIATION OF ORGANS IN THE STATE.

§ 7. The legislative, executive, and judicial functions have not been differentiated. (See Government, Chapter XI .) Whether the second mode of differentiation has taken place among the Omahas, and just in the order described by Major Powell, is an open question. This mode is thus stated: "Second, by the multiplication of the orders of units and the specialization of the subordinate units so that subordinate organizations perform special functions. Thus cities may be divided into wards, counties

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STATE CLASSES.

These have not been clearly differentiated. Three classes of men have been recognized: Níkagáhi, wanáce, and cénujiñ´ga. In civil affairs, the nikagahi are the chiefs, exercising legislative, executive, and judicial functions. They alone have a voice in the tribal assembly, which is composed of them. The wanace, policemen, or braves, are the servants or messengers of the chiefs, and during the surrounding of a herd of buffalo, they have extraordinary powers conferred on them. (See §§ 140 and 297

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CORPORATIONS.

Corporations are minor organizations, which are indirectly related to the government, though they do not constitute a part of it. The Omahas are organized into certain societies for religious, industrial, and other ends. There are two kinds, the Ikágekí¢ě or brother-hoods, and the Úkikune¢ě, or feasting organizations. The former are the dancing societies, to some of which the doctors belong. A fuller description of them will be found in Chapter X . The industrial organization of the state will b

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TRIBAL CIRCLES.

§ 9. In former days, whenever a large camping-ground could not be found, the Ponkas used to encamp in three concentric circles; while the Omahas, who were a smaller tribe, pitched their tents in two similar circles. This custom gave rise to the name "Oyate yamni," The Three Nations, as the Ponkas were styled by the Dakotas, and the Omahas became known as the Two Nations. But the usual order of encampment has been to pitch all the tents in one large circle or horseshoe, called "hú¢uga" by the Ind

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THE OMAHA TRIBAL CIRCLE.

§ 10. The road along which they passed divided the tribal circle into two equal parts; five gentes camped on the right of it and five pitched their tents on its left. Those on the right were called the Hañgacenu, and the others were known as the Ictasanda. The Hañgacenu gentes are as follows: Wéji n cte, Iñké-sábě, Hañ´ga, ₵átada, and [K]a n ´ze. The Ictasanda gentes are as follows: Ma n `¢iñka-gáxe, [T]e-sĭn´de, [T]a-[p]á, Iñg¢é-jide, and Ictásanda. According to Waha n -¢iñge, the chief of the

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THE SACRED TENTS.

§ 13. The three sacred tents were pitched within the circle and near their respective gentes: that of the Weji n cte is the war tent, and it was placed not more than 50 yards from its gens; those of the Hañga gens are connected with the regulation of the buffalo hunt, etc.; or, we may say that the former had to do with the protection of life and the latter with the sustenance of life, as they used to depend mainly on the hunt for food, clothing, and means of shelter....

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THE SACRED PIPES.

§ 14. All the sacred pipes belong to the Hañga gens, though Hañga, in ancient times, appointed the Iñke-sabě gens as the custodian of them. (J. La Flèche and Two Crows.) The Iñke-sabě gens, however, claims through its chief, Gahige, to have been the first owner of the pipes; but this is doubtful. There are at present but two sacred pipes in existence among the Omahas, though there are seven gentes which are said to possess sacred pipes. These seven are as follows: Three of the Hañgacenu, the Iñk

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LAW OF MEMBERSHIP.

§ 20. A child belongs to its father's gens, as "father-right" has succeeded "mother-right." But children of white or black men are assigned to the gentes of their mothers, and they cannot marry any women of those gentes. A stranger cannot belong to any gens of the tribe, there being no ceremony of adoption into a gens....

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THE WEJINCTE OR ELK GENS.

§ 21. This gens occupies the first place in the tribal circles, pitching its tents at one of the horns or extremities, not far from the Ictasanda gens, which camps at the other end. When the ancient chieftainship was abolished in 1880, Mahi n -¢iñge was the chief of this gens, having succeeded Joseph La Flèche in 1865. The word "Weji n cte" cannot be translated, as the meaning of this archaic word has been forgotten. It may have some connection with "waji n ´cte," to be in a bad humor , but we h

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THE IÑKE-SABĔ, OR BLACK SHOULDER GENS.

§ 28. This is a Buffalo gens, and its place in the tribal circle is next to that of the Elk gens. The head chiefs of this gens in 1880 were Gahige (who died in 1882), and Duba-ma n ¢i n , who "sat on opposite sides of the gentile fire-place ." Gahige's predecessor was Gahige-jiñga or Icka-dabi. Creation myth , told by Gahige.—The first men created were seven in number. They were all made at one time. Afterwards seven women were made for them. At that time there were no gentes; all the people wer

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THE HAÑGA GENS.

§ 34. Hañga seems to mean, "foremost," or "ancestral." Among the Omahas this gens is a buffalo gens; but among the Kansas and Osages it refers to other gentes. In the Omaha tribal circle, the Hañga people camp next to the Iñkě-sabe. Their two chiefs are Two Crows and Icta-basude, elected in 1880. The latter was elected as the successor of his father, "Yellow Smoke," or "Two Grizzly Bears." Mythical origin of the gens. —According to Yellow Smoke, the first Hañga people were buffaloes and dwelt be

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THE ₵ATADA GENS.

§ 41. This gen occupies the fourth place in the tribal circle, being between the Hañga and the [K]a n ze. But, unlike the other gentes, its subgentes have separate camping areas. Were it not for the marriage law, we should say that the ₵atada was a phratry, and its subgentes were gentes. The present leaders of the gens are [P]edegahi of the Wajiñga-¢atajĭ and Cyu-jiñga of the Wasabe-hit`ajĭ. When on the hunt the four subgentes pitch their tents in the following order in the tribal circle: 1. Was

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THE [K]AnZE GENS.

§ 54. The place of the [K]a n ze or Kansas gens is between the [K]e-`i n and the Ma n ¢iñka-gaxe in the tribal circle. The head man of the gens who was recognized as such in 1879 was Za n zi-mande. Taboo. —The [K]a n ze people cannot touch verdigris, which they call "wase-ʇu," green clay, or "wase-ʇu-qude," gray-green clay. Being Wind people, they flap their blankets to start a breeze which will drive off the musquitoes. Subgentes. —La Flèche and Two Crows recognize but two of these: Keepers of

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THE MAn₵IÑKA-GAXE GENS.

§ 56. This gens, which is the first of the Ictasanda gentes, camps next to the [K]a n ze, but on the opposite side of the road. The chief of the gens is Cañge-skă, or White Horse, a grandson of the celebrated Black Bird. The name Ma n ¢iñka-gaxe means "the earth-lodge makers," but the members of this gens call themselves the Wolf (and Prairie Wolf) People. Tradition. —The principal nikie of the Ma n ¢iñka-gaxe are the coyote, the wolf, and the sacred stones. La Flèche and Two Crows say that thes

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THE [T]E-SĬNDE GENS.

§ 59. The [T]e-sĭnde, or Buffalo-tail gens, camps between the Ma n ¢iñka-gaxe and the [T]a-[p]a gentes in the tribal circle. Its present chief is Waha n -¢iñge, son of Takunaki¢abi. Taboos. —The members of this gens cannot eat a calf while it is red, but they can do so when it becomes black. This applies to the calf of the domestic cow, as well as to that of the buffalo. They cannot touch a buffalo head.— Frank La Flèche. (See §§ 31 , 37 , and 49 .) They cannot eat the meat on the lowest rib, ʇe

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THE [T]A-[P]A OR DEER-HEAD GENS.

§ 63. The place of this gens in the tribal circle is after that of the [T]e-sĭnde. The chief of the gens is Sĭnde-xa n xa n . Taboo. —The members of this gens cannot touch the skin of any animal of the deer family; they cannot use moccasins of deer-skin; nor can they use the fat of the deer for hair-oil, as the other Omahas can do; but they can eat the flesh of the deer. Subgentes. —La Flèche and Two Crows recognized three divisions of the gens for marriage purposes, and said that the Keepers of

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THE IÑG¢E-JIDE GENS.

§ 67. The meaning of this name has been explained in several ways. In Dougherty's Account of the Omahas ( Long's Expedition to the Rocky Mountains , I, 327) we read that "This name is said to have originated from the circumstance of this band having formerly quarreled and separated themselves from the nation, until, being nearly starved, they were compelled to eat the fruit of the wild cherry tree, until their excrement became red". (They must have eaten buffalo berries, not wild cherries. La Fl

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THE ICTASANDA GENS.

§ 69. The meaning of "Ictasanda" is uncertain; though Say was told by Dougherty that it signifies "gray eyes." It probably has some reference to the effect of lightning on the eyes. The place of the Ictasanda is at the end of the tribal circle, after the Iñg¢e-jide, and opposite to the Weji n cte. The head of the gens is Ibaha n bi, son of Wanuʞige, and grandson of Wacka n hi. Taboo. —The Ictasanda people do not touch worms, snakes, toads, frogs, or any other kinds of reptiles. Hence they are so

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CLASSES OF KINSHIP.

§ 73. Joseph La Flèche and Two Crows recognize four classes of kinship: 1. Consanguineous or blood kinship, which includes not only the gens of the father, but also those of the mother and grandmothers. 2. Marriage kinship, including all the affinities of the consort, as well as those of the son's wife or daughter's husband. 3. Weawa n kinship, connected with the Calumet dance. (See § 126 .) 4. Inter-gentile kinship, existing between contiguous gentes. This last is not regarded as a bar to inter

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MARRIAGE LAWS.

§ 78. A man must marry outside of his gens. Two Crows, of the Hañga gens, married a Weji n cte woman; his father married a [T]e-sĭnde woman; his paternal grandfather, a Hañga man, married a Wasabe-hit`ajĭ woman; and his maternal grandfather, a [T]e-sĭnde man, married a [T]e-[p]a-it`ajĭ woman. His son, Gai n ´-bajĭ, a Hañga, married an Iñke-sabě woman; and his daughter, a Hañga, married Qi¢á-gahíge, a [T]a-[p]a man. Caa n ´, a brother of Two Crows, and a Hañga, married a [T]a[p]a woman, a daughte

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COURTSHIP AND MARRIAGE CUSTOMS.

§ 80. Age of puberty and marriage. —It is now customary for girls to be married at the age of fifteen, sixteen, or seventeen years among the Omahas, and in the Ponka tribe they generally take husbands as soon as they enter their fifteenth year. It was not so formerly; men waited till they were twenty-five or thirty, and the women till they were twenty years of age. Then, when a consort was spoken of they used to refer the matter to their friends, who discussed the characters of the parties, and

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DOMESTIC ETIQUETTE—BASHFULNESS.

§ 87. A man does not speak to his wife's mother or grandmother; he and she are ashamed to speak to each other. But should his wife be absent he sometimes asks her mother for information, if there be no one present through whom he can inquire. In former days it was always the rule for a man not to speak to his wife's parents or grandparents. He was obliged to converse with them through his wife or child, by addressing the latter and requesting him or her to ask the grandparent for the desired inf

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PREGNANCY.

§ 88. The woman, when she perceives that the catamenia does not recur at the expected period, begins to reckon her pregnancy from the last time that she "dwelt alone." As the months pass, she says, "Mi n ´ gána b¢i n ´," I am that number of months (with child). If she cannot tell the exact number of months, she asks her husband or some old man to count for her. At other times, it is the husband who asks the old man. They calculate from the last time that the woman "dwelt alone." Dougherty says t

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CHILDREN.

§ 92. Diseases of children. —Summer complaint from teething is rare. Diarrhea, however, occurs frequently, even in children who walk, and when they are about four feet high. This may be accounted for as follows: their mothers' milk or other food disagrees with them. Dougherty found that during their first year the Omaha children suffered more from constipation than from any other complaint; and he said that this was relieved by soap suppositories. This is not the case now, according to La Flèche

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STANDING OF WOMEN IN SOCIETY.

§ 96. The women had an equal standing in society, though their duties differed widely from what we imagine they should be. On cold days, when the husband knew that it was difficult for the woman to pursue her usual occupations, he was accustomed to go with her to cut wood, and he used to assist her in carrying it home. But on warm days the woman used to go alone for the wood. The women used to dress the hides at home, or at the tent in which she was staying when the people were traveling. When a

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CATAMENIA.

§ 97. The sexual peculiarity was considered as "Wakan´daʇa´¢ica n ," pertaining to Wakanda . In the myth of the Rabbit and the Black Bears, Mactciñge, the Rabbit, threw a piece of the Black Bear chief against his grandmother, who had offended him, thereby causing her to have the catamenia. From that time women have been so affected. Among the Omahas and Ponkas the woman makes a different fire for four days, dwelling in a small lodge, apart from the rest of the household, even in cold weather. Sh

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WIDOWS AND WIDOWERS.

§ 98. Widows. —A widow was obliged to wait from four to seven years after the death of her husband before marrying again. This was done to show the proper respect to his memory, and also to enable her to wean her infant, if she had one by him, before she became enceinte by her next husband. When a woman disregarded this custom and married too soon, she was in danger of being punished by the kindred of the deceased husband. If they could catch her within a certain period, they had the right to st

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RIGHTS OF PARENTS AND OTHERS.

§ 101. Rights of parents and other kindred. —Parents had no right to put their children to death; nor could they force them to marry against their will. Mothers' brothers and brothers seem to have more authority than the father or mother in matters relating to a girl's welfare. They were consulted before she was bestowed in marriage, unless she eloped with her husband. A mother could punish a disobedient daughter when the latter was a child and refused to learn to work. Kindred had the right to

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PERSONAL HABITS, POLITENESS, ETC.

§ 104. Personal habits. —The Omahas generally bathe (hi¢á) every day in warm weather, early in the morning and at night. Some who wish to do so bathe also at noon. "Jackson," a member of the Elk gens, bathes every day, even in winter. He breaks a hole in the ice on the Missouri River and bathes, or else he rubs snow over his body. In winter the Omahas heat water in a kettle and wash themselves (ʞig¢íja). This occurs in some cases every week, but when a person is prevented by much work it is prac

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MEALS, ETC.

§ 107. Meals. —When the people were traveling in search of buffaloes, they generally had but two meals a day, one in the morning before they struck the tents, and one in the evening after they pitched the tents. But if they moved the camp early in the morning, as in the summer, they had three meals—breakfast, before the camp was moved; dinner, when they camped again; and supper, when they camped for the night. During the winter, they stopped their march early in the afternoon, and ate but one me

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THE CALUMET DANCE.

§ 118. The Calumet Dance. —The generic term is "wáwa n ," in ₵egiha, answering to the [T]ᴐiwere "waya n ´we" (the specific of which is "ákiwa n ," [T]ᴐiwere, akíya n we), to dance the calumet dance for any particular person. But the word makes no reference to dancing or singing. It is equivalent to "waqúbe éki¢ě," to make a sacred kinship . He who wishes to confer this degree is called "wáwa n aká," the dancer of the calumet dance, which is also the title of those who assist him. He for whom the

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HUNTING CUSTOMS.

§ 128. Kinds of hunting. —There are two kinds of hunting known among the ₵egiha. One is called "abae," answering to the [T]ᴐiwere "kinañʞra," and the "wotihni" of the Dakotas. This refers to the hunting of the larger animals by a few men, or even by one person, the family of each hunter having been left at home or in the tribal camp. The other kind is the "ʇe une," when all the people go in a body, with their families, moving from place to place as they seek for herds of buffaloes. This latter i

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FISHING CUSTOMS.

§ 162. Before the advent of the white man the Omahas used to fish in two ways. Sometimes they made wooden darts by sharpening long sticks at one end, and with these they speared the fish. When the fish appeared on the surface of the water they used to shoot them with a certain kind of arrows, which they also used for killing deer and small game. They spoke of the arrows as "násize gáxe," because of the way in which they were prepared. No arrowheads were used. They cut the ends of the shafts to p

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CULTIVATION OF THE GROUND.

§ 163. This is regulated by the Hañga gens, as corn and the buffalo meat are both of great importance, and they are celebrated in the sacred songs of the Hañga when the feast is made after the offering of the buffalo hearts and tongues. (§ 143 .) Corn is regarded as a "mother" and the buffalo as a "grandfather." In the Osage tradition corn was bestowed on the people by four buffalo bulls. (See Calumet dance, § 123 , and several myths, in Part I, Contributions to N. A. Ethnology, Vol. VI.) At har

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FOOD AND ITS PREPARATION.

§ 164. Meat. —They ate the "ʇa," or dried meat of the buffalo, elk, deer, but seldom tasted that of the beaver. They cut the meat in slices (wága), which they cut thin (máb¢eʞa), that it might soon dry. It was then dried as explained in § 150 . Before drying it is "ʇa-núʞa," wet or fresh meat. The dried meat used to be cooked on glowing coals. When the meat was dried in the summer it lasted for the winter's use, but by the next summer it was all consumed. In the [T]a[p]a and Weji n cte gentes ve

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CLOTHING AND ITS PREPARATION.

§ 179. Garments were usually made by the women, while men made their weapons. Some of the Omahas have adopted the clothing of the white man. There is no distinction between the attire of dignitaries and that of the common people. § 180. There were no out-buildings, public granaries, etc. Each household stored away its own grain and other provisions. There were no special tribal or communal dwellings, but sometimes two or more families occupied one earth lodge. When a tribal council was held, it

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WAR CUSTOMS.

§ 182. The Indians say that Ictinike was he who taught their ancestors all their war customs, such as blackening the face. (See myth of Ictinike and the Deserted Children in Contributions to N. A. Ethnology, Vol. VI, Part I.) Origin of wars. —Wars generally originated in the stealing of horses and the elopement of women, and sometimes they are in consequence of infringing on the hunting-grounds of one another. When a party of warriors go on the war-path they do not always go after scalps only; t

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GAMES.

§ 228. Plumstone shooting , [K]a n ´-si kíde.—This game was thus described by Dougherty. "Five plumstones are provided, three of which are marked on one side only with a greater or smaller number of black dots or lines, and two of them are marked on both sides; they are, however, sometimes made of bone of a rounded or flattened form, somewhat like an orbicular button-mold, the dots in this case being impressed. A wide dish and a certain number of small sticks by the way of counters are also prov

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CORPORATIONS.

§ 246. Feasting societies or Úkikuné¢ě (called Ukíkune¢ě by the Ponkas) were of three kinds; that for the men, that for the young men, and one for youths in their teens. No business was transacted, and there was neither singing nor dancing as an essential part of the proceedings. They were merely social gatherings, intended chiefly for the purpose of feasting, and they were fostered by the state, as they tended to bind together as friends all who were present as guests. Joseph La Flèche used to

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THE GOVERNMENT.

§ 280. Regulative industries are such as pertain to the government of the tribe, embracing all organizations which are "wewaspeaʇa¢ica n ," i. e. , such as are designed to make the people behave themselves. Everything that can be thus used is a "wewaspe." Among the former are the gentile system (Chap. III), religion, and government, with the last of which is associated the law. With the latter may be classed the sacred tents, sacred pipes, chiefs, etc. A term of broader significance is "Wakandaʇ

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PERSONAL LAW.

§ 300. A large part of personal law belongs to gentile or family law. Certain degrees of consanguinity and affinity are considered as bars to intermarriage. The marriage of kindred has always been regarded as incestuous by the Omahas and kindred tribes. Affinities were forbidden to Self in certain places which are explained in the description of the kinship system and the marriage laws. Marriage by elopement has been practiced, but marriage by capture or by duel are not known. (See § 82 .) Nage,

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PROPERTY LAW.

§ 303. Public property, provisions, and stock are not known. Hence, there are no revenue laws. ( a ) Tribal property. —Each tribe claimed a certain extent of territory as its own, for purposes of occupancy, cultivation, hunting, and fishing. But the right of a tribe to sell its land was something unheard of. Portions of the Omaha territory were sold because the people feared to refuse the white men. They consented just as a man would "consent" to hand his purse to a highway robber who demanded h

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CORPORATION LAW.

(See Societies, in Chapter X .)...

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GOVERNMENT LAW.

(See the preceding chapter.) The crimes against government law were violations of the rules of the buffalo hunt, quarreling, and fighting. The violations of the rules of the buffalo hunt were also regarded as crimes against religious law....

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INTERNATIONAL LAW.

(See War Customs, Military Law, and Visiting Customs.) § 307. Mode of making peace with another tribe. —When the Omahas wished to make peace, which was termed, "making the land good," two or more chiefs and some of the young men took one of the sacred pipes and went unarmed towards the village or camp of the late foe, taking care to go openly and in daylight, when their approach could be seen. They were met by some of the villagers, who conducted them to a lodge, where food was given them. After

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MILITARY LAW.

(See the preceding paragraphs, and War Customs.)...

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RELIGIOUS LAW.

§ 308. The rules of the buffalo hunt, the consecration of the hearts and tongues, the ceremonies pertaining to the anointing of the sacred pole, etc., and those connected with the planting of the corn, were customs which were regarded as laws received by their ancestors from Wakanda; hence, they pertained to religion as well as to the government of the tribe. (See §§ 128 - 163 .) § 309. The following are of a religious character: The worship of the thunder, when first heard in the spring (§ 24 )

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