_Omaha_
The people came across a great water on logs tied together. They
pitched their tents on the shore. Then they thought to make for
themselves certain bounds within which they were to live and rules
which should govern them. They cleared a space of grass and weeds so
they could see each other's faces. They sat down and there was no
obstruction between them.
While they were holding a council, an owl hooted in the trees near by.
The leader said, "That bird is to take part in our council. He calls
to us. He offers us his aid."
Immediately afterward they heard a woodpecker. He knocked against the
trees. The leader said, "That bird calls to us. He offers us his aid.
He will take part in our council."
Then the chief appointed a man as servant. He said, "Go into the woods
and get an ash sapling." The servant came back with a sapling having a
rough bark.
"We do not want that," said the leader. "Go again and get a sapling
with a smooth bark, bluish in color at the joint where a branch
comes." So the servant went out, and came back with a sapling of the
kind described.
When the leader took up the sapling, an eagle came and soared about
the council which was sitting in the grass. He dropped a downy
feather; it fell. It fell in the center of the cleared space. Now this
was the white eagle. The chief said, "This is not what we want," so
the white eagle passed on.
Then the bald eagle came swooping down, as though attacking its prey.
It balanced itself on its wings directly over the cleared space. It
uttered fierce cries, and dropped one of its downy feathers, which
stood on the ground as the other eagle's feather had done. The chief
said, "This is not what we want." So the bald eagle passed on.
Then came the spotted eagle, and soared over the council, and dropped
its feather as the others had done. The chief said, "This is not what
we want," and the spotted eagle passed on.
Then the imperial eagle, the eagle with the fantail, came, and soared
over the people. It dropped a downy feather which stood upright in the
center of the cleared space. The chief said, "This is what we want."
So the feathers of this eagle were used in making the peace pipes,
together with the feathers of the owl and woodpecker, and with other
things. These peace pipes were to be used in forming friendly
relations with other tribes.
When the peace pipes were made, seven other pipes were made for
keeping peace within the tribe. One pipe was to prevent revenge. If
one man should kill another, the chief took this pipe to the relatives
and offered it to them. If the relatives of the dead man refused to
accept it, it was offered again. It was offered four times. If it was
refused four times, the chief said, "Well, you must take the
consequences. We will do nothing, and you cannot now ask to see the
pipes." He meant if they took revenge and any trouble came to them,
they could not ask for help or for mercy.
Each band had its own pipe.