Omaha Dwellings, Furniture and Implements | Page 6

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. Duáduáhi,
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., náqpe, or wébasna^{n}, were made of any kind
of wood.
For tongs they used the [p]edi[|c]a[|c]isande ("fire-holder"), made by
slitting one end of a stick. This implement was also called, ja^{n} jiñga
nini ibista ("the stick that presses the fire against the tobacco"), because
it was used for lighting pipes.
Smoking Paraphernalia.
[Illustration: Fig. 315.--Omaha calumet]
The pipes in use among the Omaha are of three kinds: the sacred pipe
(niniba waqube, mysterious pipe), including the war pipes and those
used by the chiefs in making peace; the niniba weawa^{n} or calumet
(illustrated in figure 315), used in the calumet dance or dance of
adoption,[1] and the hatchet pipe or ma^{n}zepe niniba, introduced
since the coming of the white man. One form of the pipe used on
ordinary Tobacco pouches (niniújiha) 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.
[Footnote 1: See "Omaha Sociology," Third Ann. Rept. Bur. Ethnology,
chap. vi.]
occasions is shown in figure 316. This pipe has a bowl of catlinite, and
the stem is decorated with horsehair.

[Illustration: Fig. 316.--Omaha pipe used on ordinary occasions.]
Equipage for Horses.
Saddles (cánakág[|c]e) were in use before the coming of the whites.
They were made of wood, around which was wrapped hide, while still
"[t]aha-nu[k]a" (green or soft). According to Joseph La Flèche these
saddles did not rub sores on the backs of the native horses (Indian
ponies), but Dougherty[1] 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 wahí wégasapi was attached to a bone
handle. The handle of a ja^{u}[']uke[|c]i^{n} wégasapi was made of
common wood. That of a za^{n}zí wégasapi 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 (a gift to the author
from an Omaha) 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^{n}[']tanah-í[|c]ize, i.e., "that by which (a)
wild (horse) 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 "[t]aha-[|c]isa^{n}," 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