OMAHA NIKIE DECORATIONS.

FIG. 182.—Maⁿze-guhe’s tent.

§ 53. As the gentes of the Omaha and Ponka are regarded as being “Wakandaʇaȼicaⁿ,” the “nikie” and “nikie names” have a religious significance. George Miller has furnished the author with a few nikie decorations, which are now given.

Maⁿze-guhe, an Omaha, belonged to the Waȼigije sub-gens of the Iñke-sabĕ gens. The decoration of his robe (Fig. 181) marks the nikie of the sub-gens, as it consisted of spiral forms known as “waȼigije.” That of the tent (Fig. 182) refers to the nikie of the entire gens. In the latter case, the buffalo head was painted on the back of the tent.

FIG. 183.—Duba-maⁿȼiⁿ’s father’s blanket.

Duba-maⁿȼiⁿ, who has a nikie name referring to the buffalo, belongs to the Waȼigije sub-gens. His father wore a black blanket embroidered with beadwork in two rows of spirals, between which was a star. All these figures were made of white beads. (See Fig. 183.)

In the Pipe sub-gens of the Iñke-sabĕ there were several tent decorations. Of the first, George Miller speaks thus:

Níkaciⁿ´ga-mataⁿ´waⁿgȼaⁿ´-maniníbat‘aⁿ´amáIñké-sabĕakádiʇíugaí,niníbaíʇi.Kĭwédajĭ-ma
The peoplethose in the gentespipehavethe pl.
sub.		Black shoulderamong
the		tentthey
paint		pipepainted the
tent with		Andthose elsewhere

wédahaⁿ-májĭ,añ´ka-bájĭebȼégaⁿ.Iñké-sabĕakádiníkagáhiakáégaⁿgáxaiebȼégaⁿ,aⁿ´ctĕwaⁿ´gáxa-bájĭ
I do not know themthey are not soI think.Black shoulderamong
the		chiefthe sub.somadeI thinkof any patternhe did not make
ebȼégaⁿ.Niníbawaqúbegáxaiʞĭ,niníbajaⁿ´kĕbȼáskagáxai,uȼískai,wajiñ´gadáájiitĕ,ʇáhiⁿjíde
I think.Pipemysterious
thing		madewhenpipewoodthe
lg. ob.		flatmadeput porcupine
work around it		bird headsput many
on it		the
past act		“deer fur”red
íkaⁿtaⁿ´i.”
tied to it.

FIG. 184.—Iñke-sabĕ tent decoration.

That is, “Those persons who belong to the Iñke-sabĕ sub-gens known as Keepers of the Pipes, paint their tent(s) with the pipe decoration. I do not know of any other persons, members of other gentes, using this decoration; I think that no others use it. I think that the Iñkesabĕ chief decorates his tent in this manner, and that he did not decorate it in any way he pleased. When the sacred pipes were made (on the tent) the pipestem was made flat, porcupine work was put around it, several heads of birds were fastened on it, and tufts of reddened horses’ hair were tied to it at intervals.” (See Fig. 184 and Pl. XLIV, C.) This Iñke-sabĕ tent had only two pipes on it—one on each side of the entrance.

The second Iñke-sabĕ tent decoration is thus described by the same authority:

Aⁿjiñ´gatĕ´diʇi´-ugȼiⁿ´waʇaⁿ´beʞĭ,ȼekégaⁿugȼiⁿ´i.Niníbamácaⁿugȼéíʇiwaʇaⁿ´beNiníbat‘aⁿ´akádi,
The smallwhentent dwelt inI saw themwhenlike this
lg. ob.		they dwelt
in		Pipequill
feather		attached
to at
right
angles		painted
the tent
with		I sawPipehadamong
the
Waqágaégaⁿíʇiwaʇaⁿ´be.Niníbawaqúbekĕékigaⁿ´qtiȼaⁿ´ja,emácaⁿugȼégáxai,niníbawéawaⁿ
Burrssopainted
the tent
with		I saw themPipesacredthe lg.
ob.		just like itthoughthatquill
feather		attached to
at right angles		madepipecalumet
akéĕhă.Ȼaⁿ´janiníbakĕéínikagáhiʞiʞáxai,níaciⁿ´gaamáátaqtigáxaininíbawaqúbe.Níaciⁿ´gaamá
that is it.Thoughpipethe lg.
ob.		that
aforesaid		chief by
means of it		they make
themselves		peoplethe pl.
sub.		exceedinglymake itpipesacredPeoplethe pl.
sub.
píäjĭ´qtictéctĕwaⁿ´,ukít‘ĕákikiȼáqtimaⁿȼiⁿ´ictéctĕwaⁿ´,kikídĕqtimaⁿȼiⁿ´ictéctĕwaⁿ´,niníbakĕéȼaⁿbeaȼiⁿ´ ahíi
very badnotwithstandingforeign
nation		contending
fiercely together		they walknotwithstandingshooting often
and fiercely		they walknotwithstandingpipethe lg.
ob.		coming
forth		they take it
thither
ʞĭ,uȼúcikĕuháaȼiⁿ´ aȼai´ʞĭ,múkictaⁿtai´.Téqigáxainíaciⁿ´gaamá.
whenin the
middle		the
lg.
line		following
its course		they
take it		whenthey stop
shooting at
one another		willPreciousthey
make it		peoplethe pl. sub.

That is, “When, in my childhood, I saw the tents in which the people dwelt, they were of this sort. (See Fig. 185.) I saw the tent decorated with the pipes having feathers attached to each pipe at right angles. I saw a tent of this sort when it was occupied by Waqaga of the Pipe sub-gens. (See another tent decoration of this man, § 48.) Though these pipes closely resemble the peace pipes (niniba waqube), they are made with the feathers attached to the stems at right angles. These are the pipes used in the pipe dance. By means of the pipes the people made for themselves that which was equivalent to (or, lead to) the chieftainship. So they regarded the sacred pipes as of the greatest importance. Even when the people were very bad, even when different tribes continued to struggle with one another; even when they shot often at one another, when some persons came forth with the peace pipes, and bore them to a place between the opposing forces, carrying them all along the lines, they stopped shooting at one another. The Indians regarded the pipes as precious.”

FIG. 185.—Iñke-sabĕ tent decoration.

A ┴a[p]a nikie tent decoration is shown in the tent of Heqaga. (Pl. XLIV, C.) This tent had two pipes on each side of the tent, double the number on the Iñke-sabĕ tent (Fig. 184).

FIG. 186.—Waqaga’s robe.

Fig. 186 is given as the nikie decoration of a robe belonging to Waqaga. The bird on the robe is an eagle. Members of the Pipe sub-gens of the Iñke-sabĕ have eagle birth names. And we know that Waqaga belonged to that sub-gens.

The author understood Joseph La Flèche and Two Crows to say, in 1882, that while nikie names possessed a sacredness, it was only the sacredness of antiquity, and that they were not “Wakandaʇaȼicaⁿ.”

But the author now thinks that such a statement needs modification; for, besides what appears at the beginning of this section, we know that among the Osage and Kansa the nikie names are associated with the traditions preserved in the secret society of seven degrees, and that this applies not only to names of gentes and sub-gentes, but also to personal nikie names. The author frightened an Osage in January, 1883, by mentioning in public some of this class of names.