When a man killed a foe with a knife, gun, hatchet, etc., it was taken by his wife, who held it as she danced. Such women dressed themselves in gay attire, decorated themselves with various ornaments, wore head-dresses of ʇejinhinde, painted their cheeks, and reddened the déugázan or parting of the hair of the head.
This scalp-dance is the women's dance; the men take no part but that of singing the dancing songs for the women and beating the drums. When any of the Omahas had been killed by the enemy, this dance could not be had; but when the Omahas were fortunate enough to kill some of the foe without losing any of their own party the men said, "Wéwatci añ´ki¢e taí," Let them dance the scalp-dance. Then the men went first with one, two, or three drums to a place bare of undergrowth, and began to beat the drums. By and by the women would hear it, and assemble. There was no feast and no invitations were made by criers. Any women and girls who wished to dance could do so. The only men allowed to sing the dancing songs for the women were those who had killed foes, or had taken hold of them.
The women did not dance in a circle, but "kiáqpaqpág¢a" (moving in and out among themselves) and "íki¢íb¢an" (mixed, in disorder), as they pleased. Sometimes they danced all night till the next morning; sometimes they continued the dance for two or three days. This wewatci has not been danced by the Omaha women for about fourteen years. It is not considered a sacred dance, but one of rejoicing.
§ 216. The He¢ucka dance (of the men).—The corresponding dance for the men is the He¢úcka.[18] The only members of the He¢ucka dancing society are such as have distinguished themselves in war, and boys whose fathers are chiefs. When Frank La Flèche was a boy he was admitted to the He¢ucka solely because his father was a chief.
"The first four to take hold of the foe were decorated with the ʇahin-wag¢an head-dress, the 'crow' in the belt, and garters of otter-skin.
"He who had killed a foe with a gun reddened the barrel for about nine inches or a foot from the muzzle, wore the 'crow,' and stuck several swan feathers around the muzzle. He also wore a feather in his hair.
"Those who struck some of the foe, but did not inflict fatal blows, made on their bodies the signs of blows; having blackened their hands, they put them here and there on their bodies, leaving black impressions. Sometimes they blackened the whole body, and over the black they made white hands, after rubbing white clay on their own hands. They wore feathers in their hair, as did all except the four who were the first to take hold of the foe.
"He who had been wounded by the foe, without receiving a fatal blow, blackened his body, and put on a red spot and stripe to denote the wound and the dripping of the blood. He wore a red feather in his hair.
"Those who had brought back horses, wore lariats, "núsi-áq¢a" (over the left shoulder and under the right arm), and carried their whips on their arms.
"All these were promoted to the rank of wanáce or policemen, to act as such during the buffalo hunt." (La Flèche and Two Crows.)