Read Ebook: Omaha Dwellings Furniture and Implements Thirteenth Annual Report of the Beaurau of American Ethnology to the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution 1891-1892 Government Printing Office Washington 1896 pages 263-288 by Dorsey James Owen

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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 ?nijeha . When the ?nijeha 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 "?en?n?de uq?a?ha ?a?" 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 parfl?che cases were made of dried buffalo hide. When used for carrying the dried meat, they were called we?bast?. 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 taw??a?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??pa ??is?, used for chokecherries; ag?a??kama?ge ??is?, used for raspberries; and bact ??is?, 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??ze-pe, sharp iron. But the Kansa have the ancient name, ma??hi-spe, answering to the Dakota, wa?hi??-kpe, sharp flint. The hatchet is distinguished from the ax by adding "ji?ga," 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 "M?hi?-?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 ?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 iz?bah?he, near the source of Elkhorn river, there is a grass known as "du?du?hi," 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. Du?du?hi, 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., n?qpe, or w?basna?, were made of any kind of wood.

For tongs they used the edi?a?isande , made by slitting one end of a stick. This implement was also called, ja? ji?ga nini ibista , because it was used for lighting pipes.

Smoking Paraphernalia.

The pipes in use among the Omaha are of three kinds: the sacred pipe , including the war pipes and those used by the chiefs in making peace; the niniba weawa? or calumet , used in the calumet dance or dance of adoption, and the hatchet pipe or ma?zepe niniba, introduced since the coming of the white man. One form of the pipe used on ordinary Tobacco pouches 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.

occasions is shown in figure 316. This pipe has a bowl of catlinite, and the stem is decorated with horsehair.

Equipage for Horses.

Saddles were in use before the coming of the whites. They were made of wood, around which was wrapped hide, while still "?aha-nu?a" . According to Joseph La Fl?che these saddles did not rub sores on the backs of the native horses , but Dougherty 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 wah? w?gasapi was attached to a bone handle. The handle of a ja^?uke?i? w?gasapi was made of common wood. That of a za?z? w?gasapi 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 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??tanah-??ize, i.e., "that by which wild 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 "?aha-?isa?," 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 ?nd??ici?. , being careful to place some buffalo hair over the nose and under the chin, to guard against paining the horse, whose eyes remained uncovered.

Trappings for the saddle 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 were worn by the Omaha and Ponka when they traversed a region, north of their modern, habitat.

For traveling on foot a staff was used when it was necessary to pass over mountains; also when, heavy loads had to be carried. This staff differed from the crutch .

The women had m?ca?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 mand?ha. 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 ??ci-?ki?da?. The rudder or steering oar was fashioned like the oars , with the blade flat and of the breadth of two hands. The rowers sat near the bow, and the steersman took his seat at the stern.

Musical Instruments.

Battles were of five kinds, exe were generally gourds; wata?? exe, gourd rattles, were always round, and were partially filled with seed, fine shot, or gravel, ah?nu?a ?xe, green-hide rattles, were of two sorts, one of which is "?ig?je," bent a little. Specimens of this form are in the National Museum.

Two kinds of rattles were called ?a-c?ge, i.e., "deers-claws," from the composition of one variety, though the other was made of molars of the elk.

The Omaha used three styles of drums. The ??xe-ga?? b??ska, or flat drum, is illustrated by a specimen in the National Museum. The ??xe-ga?? gad?je is made of buffalo hide, cowhide, or the skin of a horse. An example of this drum is also in the National Museum, and is illustrated by the accompanying figure 317. The ja?? ??xe-ga??, or ??ge ??xe-ga??, is a wooden or box drum, represented by the accompanying figure 318, also from a specimen in the National Museum.

Whistles were made of elder by pushing out the pith. No holes were made in the sides of the tube.

Nis?de ?a??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 ??i?-?a??ga, Big Pawnee.

The large flute is illustrated in figure 319. Wah? nis?de, or bone flutes, were made of the long bones from the eagle wing. These small flutes have only one hole. Reed flutes, ??q?e nis?de, 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.

WEAPONS.

Clubs.

The ja?-w?ti?, "striking-wood," is a four-sided club. It is made of ash, and is as long as from the elbow to the tips of the fingers. The ja^n-d?ona, "wood with a smooth head," is a club made of ironwood, which is very hard. According to the late Joseph La Fl?che, the Omaha form of this weapon had a steel point projecting from the ball.

Figures 320 and 321 are forms of the ja?-??na which may be seen in the National Museum . The weaq?ade, another kind of war club, is made of some kind of hard wood. There are two varieties, one of which is shown in figure 322 . The other has a ball carved at the end of a straight handle, with a wooden point projecting from the ball, making an angle of about 130? with one side of the handle. There is a steel point inserted in the ball, forming an angle of about 110? with the other side of the handle. The i??-wate-ji??ga is something like a slung shot. A round stone is wrapped in a piece of hide which is fastened to a wooden handle about 2 feet long.

Tomahawks.

The heads of tomahawks as well as of battle-axes were at first made of stone; but within the last century and a half they have been fashioned of iron.

Spears.

Lances, darts, or spears are designated by the general term man?d?hi. The ja??-man'd?hi are made of ash, and are from 6 to 8 feet long. There are two kinds, of one of which the handle is round, and about an inch in diameter, and the point is flat and about the width of three fingers at its juncture with the handle.

Besides these there are the lances, called waq?exe-??ze, of which there are two varieties. One consists of a straight pole, which has been thrust through a piece of buffalo hide that has its long end sewed together, forming a sort of covering. To this hide are fastened feathers of the crow and mi??xa-sa?, or swan, in alternate rows or bunches. Between the feathers are fastened square pieces of blanket. About the middle of the pole a space of nearly 6 inches is left without feathers, and this is the place where the spear is grasped. When the pole was not set into a metal point the lower end was cut very sharp. The other variety, or mand?hi ?iguje, "bent spear," is the weapon which the Dakota call "wahukeza." It is ornamented with eagle feathers placed at intevals, one being at the end of the curved part; and it generally terminates at the bottom in an iron point. It is possible for one of these waq?exe?aze to reach a man about 6 feet distant; and even mounted men have been killed by them. Spears are used also in some of the dances. Around the shaft is wrapped the skin of a swan or brant. The end feather at the top is white; the other feathers are white or spotted. The bent spear is no longer employed by the Omaha, though the Osage, Pawnee, and other tribes still use it to a greater or lesser extent.

Bows.

Bows are of two kinds. One is the man-d? or za?zi-mand? , having an unbroken curve past the grip to within an inch or two of each nock. The other kind is the ?a?a?-mand?, so called because it has deer sinew glued on its back. Bows were made of hickory, ash, ironwood, or za?zi, the last being greatly preferred. It is a wood resembling that of the Osage orange, with which some persons confound it; but it is black and much harder than the former, the Osage orange wood being yellow, soft, and easily cut. The za?zi is probably that which Dougherty called "bow-wood ."

Bowstrings were made of the twisted sinew of the elk and buffalo, as among other tribes.

Arrows.

The arrows used in former days were of several kinds. The hunting arrow, used for killing the buffalo, was generally about 2 feet long, of the usual cylindric form, and armed with an elongate triangular point, made at first of flint, afterward of sheet iron. The shoulders of the arrow were rounded instead of angular, as in the ordinary barbed form. The point, or head, was firmly secured to the shaft by deer sinew wrapped around the neck of the point, and over that was spread some cement, made in a manner to be afterward explained. The flight of the arrow was equalized by three half-webs of feathers, neatly fastened near its base in the usual manner.

Another kind of hunting arrow was the hid? naz???, which was altogether of wood. About 6 inches from the point the shaft was triangular or quadrangular; and the point was made by holding the shaft close to a fire and turning it round and round till the heat had reduced it to the proper shape and had hardened it. This was used for killing fish, deer, and small game.

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