SPECIFIC FORMS OF DECORATION.

FIG. 163.—Tent of Aⁿpaⁿ-skă, Sr.

A specific form related to the generic one just described is shown in Fig. 163. The blackened part of the tent represents the night, and the star denotes the morning star. There was a star on the left hand at the back of the tent, and another star on the right side. Black and blue are occasionally interchangeable in Omaha symbolism; hence we find that the night is represented by a blue band on a coyote skin worn by the elder Aⁿpaⁿ-skă, and subsequently by his son and namesake, when the latter was a small boy. The blue band was worn next the shoulders of the owner (Fig. 164).

FIG. 164.—Robe of Aⁿpaⁿ-skă, Sr.

The decoration refers to his “qube” or “sacred vision.” Little Cedar, of the Maⁿȼiñka-gaxe (Omaha) gens, belonged, we are told, to the Miⁿ iȼa‘eȼĕ-ma, or order of Sun and Moon shamans, probably identical with the order of Thunder shamans. Fig. 165 represents a vision which Little Cedar once had, described thus by George Miller:

Gaⁿ´níaciⁿgaakáíȼa‘eȼá-bi egaⁿ´ȼetégaⁿʇiugátĕugȼiⁿ´-biamá.Mázi-jiñ´ga ijájeaȼiⁿ´-biamá.Sábetĕhaⁿ´kĕé
Andmanthe
sub.		having had a vision,
they say		like this
std. ob.		tentpaintedthehe dwelt in,
they say,		Cedar Little his namehad, they
say		Blackthenightthe
lg. ob.		that

gáxai;niaⁿ´baȼaⁿéȼaⁿbetĕgáxai.Niaⁿ´bauȼan´daȼan´diníkaciⁿgaugȼiⁿ´gáxai,gañ´ʞĭíȼa‘eȼaíȼiñkéétĕ.
mademoonthe cv.
ob.		emergingthemade.Moonin the
midst of		in the
part		personsitting
in		madeandone seen in
a vision		the one
who		thatthe
Niaⁿ´baéȼaⁿbeatí-nandináqȼiⁿégaⁿ-naⁿ´i.
Moonemergingcomes regularly,
when		blazes
(sends up
light)		somewhatusually.

FIG. 165.—Tent of Mazi-jiñga—ghost vision.

FIG. 166.—A tent of Nikuȼibȼaⁿ.

The black band refers to the night; the circle, to the moon; the circumscribed figure is a ghost that he saw in the moon; and the dots above the moon refer to the “white which stands above the rising sun or moon.” Pl. XLIV B shows another tent decoration of the same man. The red circle represents the sun, in which stands a man holding the ʇa-cá-ge, or deer rattles, made of the hard or callous knobs found near the hoofs of the deer. These knobs are split, hollowed out, and strung on sticks. The tent being very large, the figure of the man was almost life size, and a real feather was tied to his head. The blue band at the bottom may represent night, but there is no certainty about it.

§ 47. Fig. 166 is the decoration of one of the tents of Ni-ku-ȼi-bȼaⁿ, father of the present Wackaⁿ-maⁿȼiⁿ (Hard Walker), an ex-chief of the Omaha. Nikuȼibȼaⁿ was one of the two leaders of the order of Thunder shamans, and was regarded as being very “qube” or mysterious. The black band at the bottom refers to the night, and above it are seen the moon and a star. The old man named one of his grandchildren Haⁿakipa (Meets the Night), after the vision to which the tent decoration refers.

George Miller furnished the description of Nikuȼibȼaⁿ’s tent, obtained from an old woman, who is his widow:

“Gaⁿwíqtiʇaⁿ´ba-májĭȼaⁿ´ja,uȼaíégaⁿana´‘aⁿhă.Gaⁿ´iñgȼaⁿ´íȼa‘eȼá-biamá,ádaⁿʇuɔniñ´gegáxaitĕ
AndI
myself		I did not
see him		thoughthey have
told about
him		asI have
heard it.		AndThunder
Being		he had a vision of
him, they say		thereforerainbowmade itthe
(past
act)

gátĕ.┴íhuʞaⁿȼaⁿʇábagȼéjaitĕ,éuȼaíhăwa‘újiñgaigáqȼaⁿaká.Maⁿ´ciaʇáaȼiⁿ´akíi,á-biamá.Eʇáctĭ
that ob.Smoke-holeat the
part		painted in
spots		the
(past
act)		thattold it.old womanhis wifethe sub.On highhaving
him		had
reached
there again		he said,
they say.		Theretoo
majaⁿ´ȼéégaⁿ,á-biamá.Qubĕ´qtigáxainíaciⁿga,ádaⁿʇíugátĕáwatégaⁿgáxegaⁿ´ȼaiʞĭ,gaⁿ´égaⁿgáxai.
landthislikehe said, they
say		Very mysteriousthey
made him		manthereforetentpaintedthehowto make
it		he wishedwhenat any
rate		sohe made it.
Bagȼéjaitĕmásié wakaítĕ.”
Made spotted
by painting		hehailthat it meantthe (past
act).

FIG. 167.—Another tent of Nikuȼibȼaⁿ.

That is, “I myself did not see him, but I have heard what was told. They say that he had a vision of the Thunder-being, so he made that rainbow which appears in the figure (Fig. 167). The old woman, his widow, has told that he painted the top of the tent, near the smoke-hole, in spots. They say that he said that the Thunder-being had carried him up on high, and that the place there resembled this world. The man was regarded as very mysterious; therefore he decorated his tent according to the pattern that he wished to make. The painted spots represent hail.” Many years ago, Nikuȼibȼaⁿ said that he had been carried up into the world above this one, and that he found it resembled the world in which we live. The rainbow and hail depicted on the tent formed part of the vision, but their exact significance has not been explained.

FIG. 168.—Blanket of Cuʞa-maⁿȼiⁿ.

FIG. 169.—Tent of ┴e-saⁿ; vision of a cedar.

FIG. 170.—Tent of ┴e-saⁿ; sun and rainbow vision.

Cu-ʞa maⁿ-ȼiⁿ, an Omaha, had a vision which gave him the right to use the decoration given in Fig. 168. The meanings of the different marks have not been learned. Cuʞa maⁿȼiⁿ bequeathed the blanket to his son, [K]axe-giaⁿ (Flying Crow), now known as Gilbert Morris.

§ 48. The old chief ┴e-saⁿ (Ta sone of Maj. Long), Distant-white Buffalo, father of the chiefs Standing Hawk and Fire Chief, had a vision of a cedar tree, which he painted on each side of his tent, as seen in Fig. 169. The next sketch (Fig. 170) shows the back part of another tent of ┴e-saⁿ. The blue band near the top is called “sabe” (black); below this is the sun and a blue rainbow; near the bottom are two horsetails. The only decorations on the front of the tent are two horsetails, one on each side of the entrance. This tent was used by Standing Hawk after the death of his father. This decoration may have been made after a vision of horses, as Standing Hawk was a member of the order of Horse Shamans (Cañge iȼa‘eȼĕ-ma). George Miller speaks thus about it:

Gaⁿ´níaciⁿgaakáníkagahíátaiegaⁿ´íȼa‘éȼĕdaⁿ´etĕaⁿ´itĕ,miⁿ´ȼaⁿugaí,íʇi.Cĭcañ´gĕsĭn´dectĭ
Andmanthe sub.chiefhe was
beyond		ashe had a
vision		perhapsthe (past
act)		sunthe
cv. ob.		he paintedhe painted the
tent with it.		Againhorsetailtoo
gáxai,hidékĕ´di.┴íhuʞaⁿ[p]asíȼaⁿsábĕȼai.
he madebottomat theSmoke holetip endthe parthe blackened.

That is, “As the man was a head chief, he may have had a vision, for he occupied a tent on which he painted the sun, and he also decorated it with horse-tails at the lower part. He painted the border of the smoke-hole a dark blue (ʇu sabĕ, which is some-times called, sabĕ).

“Iȼádiamádaⁿ´ctĕégaⁿgáxaitĕ´di,ijiñ´geamáíȼa‘éȼa-bájĭctĕwaⁿ´égaⁿgáxe-naⁿ´-biamá,ádaⁿégaⁿgáxai.”
His fatherthe pl. sub.perhapssodidwhenhis sonthe pl.
sub.		they did not have
visions of it		evensousually did, theythereforesohe did

That is, “When the fathers decorate their tents in consequence of their respective visions, their sons (who succeed them) usually imitate them (or dwell in the decorated tents), even when [they themselves have not had visions] of the objects. Therefore he (i.e., Standing Hawk) did so.”

George Miller told the following about Ԁede-gahi or Fire Chief, another son of ┴e-saⁿ:

CĭégaⁿԀéde-gáhiakáugȼiⁿ´iwaʇaⁿ´be.Wataⁿ´zihiíʇiwaʇaⁿ´beȼaⁿ´ja,áwatégaⁿiȼápahaⁿ-májĭȼaⁿ´ja,níkagáhi
AgainsoFire Chiefthe
sub.		he sat in
it		I sawCorn-stalkpainted
on the
tent		I sawthoughof what sortI knew notthoughchief
égaⁿégaⁿugȼiⁿ´itĕ.Wataⁿziȼiⁿ´ctĭwaqu´begáxai.Kĭcĭ´Ԁéde-gáhiakátaⁿ´waⁿgȼaⁿeʇáamáWajiñ´ga-ȼatájĭamá
likesohe sat inthe
(past
act)		Cornthe col.
ob.		toomysterioushe made
it		andagainFire Chiefthe
sub.		genshisthe pl.
sub.		Birdeat notthe pl.
sub.
wahábapahañ´gaju´t‘aⁿtĕ´diȼatá-bajĭwahábaȼiⁿ´,níkaciⁿgaamánaⁿ´wapeȼaté taitĕ´.Ȼataíʞĭ,wahábaȼiⁿ´,
ear of cornfirstmatureswhenthey do not
eat		ear of cornthe col.
ob.		peoplethe pl.
sub.		fear themthey will
eat		the
(act)		They
eat		ifear of cornthe col.
ob.
wajiñ´gaȼasniⁿ´weʞubaí.Iñké-sabĕákadíctĭégaⁿgáxe-naⁿ-biamáʇíugá.Hañ´gaákadíctĭégaⁿgáxe-naⁿ´-biamá
birddevourthey fear
them		Shoulder blackamong
the		toosomakeusuallythey saytentpainting.Foremostamong
the		toosomakeusuallythey say
ʇíugá.
tentpainting.

FIG. 171.—Cornstalk decoration of the tents of Fire Chief and Waqaga.

This refers to Fig. 171, and may be thus rendered: “And I have likewise seen the tent of Fire Chief. It was decorated with cornstalks, but I do not know the reason for it. He dwelt in such a tent because he was a chief. Corn was regarded as “waqube,” mysterious. In the sub-gens of Fire Chief, the Wajiñga-ȼatajĭ, or, those who eat no small birds, the people feared to eat the first ears of corn that matured, lest the small birds (particularly blackbirds) should come and devour the rest of the crop. There was a similar tent decoration in the Iñke-sabĕ and Hañga gentes.” In the former, it was used by Waqaga (see § 53). The cornstalks and ears were green, the tips of the ears were black. There were two similar cornstalks on the back of the tent.