Omaha Dwellings, Furniture and Implements | Page 6

n��qpe, or w��basna^{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} ji?ga 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 (nini��jiha) 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 (c��nak��g[|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 Fl��che 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 wah�� w��gasapi was attached to a bone handle. The handle of a ja^{u}[']uke[|c]i^{n} w��gasapi was made of common wood. That of a za^{n}z�� w��gasapi 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-��[|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 to thrust the noose in front of a horse. When he succeeded in passing the noose over the head of an animal, he threw away the stick, which had become separated from the noose, and held the rope alone, which he pulled toward him. When the horse was caught, the man made an [)i]nd��[|c]ici^{n}. (bridle or face cover), being careful to place some buffalo hair over the nose and under the chin, to guard against paining the horse, whose eyes remained uncovered.
[Footnote 1: Long, S. H.; Exp. Rocky Mts., vol. 1, p. 291, Phila., 1822]
Trappings for the saddle