§ 57. Subgentes.—La Flèche and Two Crows gave but two of these: Keepers of the Pipe and Sacred Persons. This is evidently the classification for marriage purposes, referred to in § [78]; and the writer is confident that La Flèche and Two Crows always mean this when they speak of the divisions of each gens. This should be borne in mind, as it will be helpful in solving certain seeming contradictions. That these two are not the only divisions of the gens will appear from the statements of Lion and Cañge-skă, the latter being the chief of the gens. Cañge-skă said that there were three subgentes, as follows: 1. Qube (including the Wolf people?). 2. Niniba t`an. 3. Min´xa-san wet`ájĭ. Lion gave the following: 1. Mi´ʞasi (Coyote and Wolf people). 2. In´`ě waqúbe, Keepers of the Sacred Stones. 3. Niníba t`an. 4. Min´xa-san wet`ájĭ. According to Cañge-skă, Qube was the name given to his part of the gens after the death of Black Bird; therefore it is a modern name, not a hundred years old. But In´`ě-waqúbe points to the mythical origin of the gens; hence the writer is inclined to accept the fourfold division as the ancient one. The present head of the Coyote people is [T]aqie-tig¢e, whose predecessor was Hu-¢agebe. Cañge-skă, of the second subgens, is the successor of his father, who bore the same name. Uckadajĭ is the rightful keeper of the Sacred Pipe, but as he is very old Cantan-jiñga has superseded him, according to [P]a¢in-nanpajĭ. Minxa-skă was the head of the Minxa-san wet`ajĭ, but Mañga`ajĭ has succeeded him. The name of this last subgens means "Those who do not touch swans," but this is only a name, not a taboo, according to some of the Omahas.
Among the Kansas Indians, the Manyiñka-gaxe people used to include the Elk gens, and part of the latter is called, Min´xa únikacinga, Swan people. As these were originally a subgens of the Kansas Manyiñka-gaxe, it furnishes another reason for accepting the statement of Lion about the Omaha Minxa-san-wet`ajĭ.
§ 58. Birth-names of boys.—[P]a¢in-nanpajĭ gave the following, but he did not know their exact order: He who Continues to Travel (denied by the La Flèche and Two Crows). Little Tail (of a coyote). Sudden Crunching sound (made by a coyote or wolf when gnawing bones). (Coyote) Wheels around suddenly. (Coyote) Stands erect very suddenly. Surly Wolf.
Names of men. I. Wolf subgens.—Sudden crunching sound. Wacicka. Continues Running. Wheels around suddenly. The Standing one who is Traveling. (Wolf) Makes a sudden Crackling sound (by alighting on twigs or branches). Ghost of a Grizzly bear. Stands erect Very suddenly. Little Tail. Young Traveler. He who Continues to Travel, or Standing Traveler. Standing Elk. Young animal Feeding or grazing with a herd. II. In`ě-waqube subgens.—White Horse. Ancestral Kansas. Thunder-god. Village-maker. Brave Second-son. Black Bird (not Blackbird). Big Black bear. White Swan. Night Walker. He whom they Reverence. Big Chief. Walking Stone. Red Stone. [P]a¢in-nanpajĭ said that the last two names were birth-names in this subgens. III. Niniba-t`an subgens.—He who Rushes into battle. Young Wolf. Saucy Chief. IV. Swan subgens.—He whom an Arrow Fails to wound. Willing to be employed. A member of this gens, Tailless Grizzly bear, has been with the Ponkas for many years. His name is not an Omaha name.
Names of women.—Hawk-Female. New Hawk-Female. Miacte-ctan, or Miate-ctan. Min-miʇega. Visible Moon. (Wolf) Stands erect. White Ponka in the distance. Ponka Female. She who is Ever Coming back Visible. Eagle Circling around. Wate win.
THE [T]E-SĬNDE GENS.
§ 59. The [T]e-sĭnde, or Buffalo-tail gens, camps between the Man¢iñka-gaxe and the [T]a-[p]a gentes in the tribal circle. Its present chief is Wahan-¢iñge, son of Takunaki¢abi.
Taboos.—The members of this gens cannot eat a calf while it is red, but they can do so when it becomes black. This applies to the calf of the domestic cow, as well as to that of the buffalo. They cannot touch a buffalo head.—Frank La Flèche. (See §§ [31], [37], and [49].) They cannot eat the meat on the lowest rib, ʇe¢iʇ-ucag¢e, because the head of the calf before birth touches the mother near that rib.
Fig. 19.—[T]e-sĭnde style of wearing the hair.