When pottery was made, they used bowls and kettles. Some used wooden
bowls of different sizes, the largest being about 2 feet in diameter.
When they went on the hunt, they used the inijeha (or sack made of the
muscular coating of the buffalo paunch, by filling with, grass to make
it stand out and keep its shape until dried). When the inijeha was
filled with water the mouth was tied, and it was kept covered and in the
shade that it might remain cool. After being used for a few days it
became strong smelling, and was thrown away, another taking its place.
Some preferred the "[t]en[)a]n[']de uq[|c]a[']ha [|c]a^{n}" or
pericardium(?) of the buffalo, which is like sinew. This does not smell
unpleasant, even when used for seven or ten days. But at the expiration
of that time it is unfit for further service.
Jugs have been introduced by the traders.
Other Vessels.
Provision sacks or parfleche cases were made of dried buffalo hide. When
used for carrying the dried meat, they were called weabasta. After two
or three years' use they became soft and were fit only for making
moccasin soles. These sacks had the hair taken off, and were sometimes
made in trunk fashion.
Fruit baskets were of three kinds. The Ponka made them of the bark of a
tree, called tawa[,]a^{n}he, which is found on the old Ponka reservation
in Dakota. Northern Indians make boats of this bark. The Omaha do not
find the tree on their land, so they make the fruit baskets of other
kinds of bark. The three kinds of baskets are as follows: Na^{n}[']pa
u[|c]is[)e], used for chokecherries; ag[|c]an[']kamange u[|c]is[)e],
used for raspberries; and bact u[|c]is[)e], used for strawberries. When
the Ponka wished to make the baskets, they stripped off the bark in
horizontal sections, not pulling upward or downward.
In modern times the Omaha have learned to make sacks of thread of
different colors drawn from black, red, blue, and white blankets.
Different figures are woven. Each sack is about a foot deep, 16 inches
from the mouth to the opposite side, and from 2 to 2-1/2 feet long. The
opening is on one of the long sides, and when the articles are put in a
gathering string is drawn and tied.
Hoes and Axes.
For hoes, the Omaha used the shoulder blades of the buffalo. Axes and
hatchets are now made of iron, hence, the Omaha name, ma^{n}[']ze-pe,
sharp iron. But the Kansa have the ancient name, ma^{n}[']hi-spe,
answering to the Dakota, wa^{n}hi^{n}[']-kpe, sharp flint. The hatchet
is distinguished from the ax by adding "jinga," small. Some of the stone
axes and hatchets have been found on the Omaha reservation, but they
could hardly have been used for cutting. It is not known what tools were
used for felling trees.
Knives.
Knives were made of stone. A prominent butte, near the old Ponka agency,
Nebraska, is known as "Mahi^{n}-[t]u," signifying blue knife, from the
character of the stone with which its surface is covered. It is several
miles from the mouth of Ponka creek and nearly opposite the month of
Choteau creek, South Dakota.
Implements Connected with Fire.
In former ages, the [|C]egiha made fire by rubbing or turning a stick
round and round between the hands. On the present Omaha reservation, and
in that region, the Omaha use elm roots for that purpose. In the country
called [P]izabahehe, near the source of Elkhorn river, there is a grass
known as "duaduahi," which has about a hundred fine shoots from each
root, which is half the size of the head. The stalk was used for hand
drills and fire sticks. One stalk was cut almost flat, and the man puts
his feet on the ends to steady them. Then, holding the other stick in
his hands, with one end touching the stalk on the ground, he turned it
round and round till the friction produced fire. Sometimes a small
quantity of dry sand was placed on the flat stick. The same flat stick
answered for several occasions. When the cavity made by turning the hand
drill became too large, the point of contact was shifted to another part
of the flat stick, and so on until the whole of that stick was used,
when it was thrown away and another was obtained. Duaduahi, according to
Mr. Francis La Flesche, may be found in Judiciary square, Washington,
District of Columbia. After the coming of the white man, but before the
introduction of friction matches, which are now used by the whole tribe,
the Omaha used flints and tinder for making fire.
Spits for roasting, etc., naqpe, or webasna^{n}, were made of any kind
of wood.
For tongs they used the [p]edi[|c]a[|c]isande ("fire-holder"), made by
slitting one end of a stick. This implement was also called, ja^{n}
jinga nini ibista ("the stick that presses the fire against the
tobacco"), because it was used for lighting pipes.
Smoking Paraphernalia.
[Illustration: Fig. 315.--Omaha calumet]
The pipes in use among the Omaha are of three kinds: the sacred pipe
(niniba waqube, mysterious pipe), including the war pipes and those used
by the chiefs in making peace; the niniba weawa^{n} or calumet
(illustrated in figure 315), used in the calumet dance or dance of
adoption,[1] and the hatchet pipe or ma^{n}zepe niniba, introduced since
the coming of the white man. One form of the pipe used on ordinary
Tobacco pouches (niniujiha) were made of deer or antelope skin, and
were ornamented with porcupine quills or a fringe of deerskin. Sometimes
buffalo bladders were used for this purpose. The women used them as
receptacles for their porcupine quills.
[Footnote 1: See "Omaha Sociology," Third Ann. Rept. Bur. Ethnology,
chap. vi.]
occasions is shown in figure 316. This pipe has a bowl of catlinite, and
the stem is decorated with horsehair.
[Illustration: Fig. 316.--Omaha pipe used on ordinary
occasions.]
Equipage for Horses.
Saddles (canakag[|c]e) were in use before the coming of the whites. They
were made of wood, around which was wrapped hide, while still
"[t]aha-nu[k]a" (green or soft). According to Joseph La Fleche these
saddles did not rub sores on the backs of the native horses (Indian
ponies), but Dougherty[1] said, in 1819, "The Indians are generally
cruel horse-masters, perhaps in a great measure through necessity; the
backs of their horses are very often sore and ulcerated, from the
friction of the rude saddle, which is fashioned after the Spanish
manner, being elevated at the pummel and croup, and resting on skin
saddle cloths without padding." They ride very well, and make frequent
use of the whip and their heels, the latter being employed instead of
spurs.
For bridles and halters they used strips of hide, out of which material
they made also lariats. The bridle used consisted of a withe, one end of
which was wrapped two or three times around the animal's lower jaw,
while the other was held in the hand, forming but a single rein. This
did not hinder the rider from guiding his horse, as he was able to turn
him to the left by pressing the single rein against the animal's neck,
as well as by the use of the right heel against its side. When he wished
to turn to the right, he pulled the rein and pressed his left heel
against the horse's side.
Whips were of three kinds. The wahi wegasapi was attached to a bone
handle. The handle of a ja^{u}[']uke[|c]i^{n} wegasapi was made of
common wood. That of a za^{n}zi wegasapi was made of Osage orange wood,
which is very hard. The whip was attached to the wrist by a broad band,
which passed through a hole near the end of the handle. The handle was
about 15 inches long and was very stout. A specimen that has been
deposited in the National Museum (a gift to the author from an Omaha)
has a lash 2 feet long, composed of 8 thongs one-fifth of an inch wide.
These are plaited together in one rounded plait for 18 inches, the rest
of the lash being in 2 plaits of 4 thongs each, knotted near the ends.
The lasso was called ma^{n}[']tanah-i[|c]ize, i.e., "that by which (a)
wild (horse) is taken." It was made by taking the hair from the head of
a buffalo and plaiting it into a very strong rope as thick as one's
thumb. This rope was called "[t]aha-[|c]isa^{n}," and was utilized by
the Omaha and Ponka instead of the common lasso for catching wild horses
in northwestern Nebraska. One end of the rope was formed into a noose
large enough to slip over a horse's head, and the ends of this noose
were secured to a long pole by small cords. The other end of the rope,
arranged in a coil, was fastened to the belt or waist of the man. He
rode with the pole held in one hand and tried to thrust the noose in
front of a horse. When he succeeded in passing the noose over the head
of an animal, he threw away the stick, which had become separated from
the noose, and held the rope alone, which he pulled toward him. When the
horse was caught, the man made an [)i]ndu[|c]ici^{n}. (bridle or face
cover), being careful to place some buffalo hair over the nose and under
the chin, to guard against paining the horse, whose eyes remained
uncovered.
[Footnote 1: Long, S. H.; Exp. Rocky Mts., vol. 1, p. 291, Phila., 1822]
Trappings for the saddle (s[)i]n[']de-ehe[|c][)e]) were used. Some years
ago a specimen of Omaha trapping was presented by the writer to the
Anthropological Society of Washington, and subsequently was deposited in
the National Museum.
Traveling Gear.
Snow-shoes (se-hi^{n}be) were worn by the Omaha and Ponka when they
traversed a region, north of their modern, habitat.
For traveling on foot a staff (hi-mang[|c]e) was used when it was
necessary to pass over mountains; also when, heavy loads had to be
carried. This staff differed from the crutch (i-mang[|c]e).
The women had maca[k]a^n, or straps, for aiding them in carrying loads
of wood, etc.
Boats.
When they wished to cross streams they made hide boats, or mandeha.
These were manufactured from dried buffalo hides, which were sewed
together with sinew, and so tightly that no water could penetrate the
seams. Ten branches of red willow were placed within, the ends being
bent upward and fastened by withes to two other saplings, which extended
the whole length of the boat at the inside of the gunwale. The ten
pieces were the [t]ici-iki[p]ada^{n}. The rudder or steering oar
(i[|c]isa^{n}['][|c][)e]) was fashioned like the oars (mandu[|c]ugahi),
with the blade flat and of the breadth of two hands. The
rowers (u[|c]ugahi aka) sat near the bow, and the steersman
([|c]isa^{n}['][|c]a aka) took his seat at the stern.
Musical Instruments.
Battles were of five kinds, [P]exe were generally gourds; wata^{n}[']
[p]exe, gourd rattles, were always round, and were partially filled with
seed, fine shot, or gravel, [T]ahanu[k]a [p]exe, green-hide rattles,
were of two sorts, one of which is "[|c]iguje," bent a little. Specimens
of this form are in the National Museum.
Two kinds of rattles were called [t]a-cage, i.e., "deers-claws," from
the composition of one variety, though the other was made of molars of
the elk.
[Illustration: Fig. 317--Skin drum.]
[Illustration: Fig. 318--Box drum.]
The Omaha used three styles of drums. The [|c]exe-ga[k]u b[|c]aska, or
flat drum, is illustrated by a specimen (no. 21675) in the National
Museum. The [|c]exe-ga[k]u gadaje is made of buffalo hide, cowhide, or
the skin of a horse. An example of this drum (no. 24682) is also in the
National Museum, and is illustrated by the accompanying figure 317. The
ja^{n}['] [|c]exe-ga[k]u, or [k]uge [|c]exe-ga[k]u, is a wooden or box
drum, represented by the accompanying figure 318, also from a specimen
(no. 58610) in the National Museum.
Whistles were made of elder (ba[t]uci-hi, or popgun wood) by pushing out
the pith. No holes were made in the sides of the tube.
Nisude [t]an[']ga, or large flutes, were made of red cedar. A branch was
cut off, rounded, split open with a knife, and hollowed out; then six
holes were made in the side of one of them, and the halves were
stuck together again. When one of these instruments is blown it
produces quavering notes. The best specimens were made by
[P]a[|c]i^{n}-[t]an[']ga, Big Pawnee.
The large flute is illustrated in figure 319.[1] Wahi nisude, or bone
flutes, were made of the long bones from the eagle wing. These small
flutes have only one hole. Reed flutes, [|c]iq[|c]e nisude, were made of
a kind of reed which grows south of the Omaha territory, probably in
Kansas. The Omaha obtained the reeds from some of the southern tribes
and made them into flutes having but one hole each.
[Footnote 1: Compare Ree fife, "AMM 129-8429, Gray and Matthews," in the
National Museum.]
[Illustration: Fig. 319.--Omaha large flute.]