Annual report of the Bureau of American Ethnology to the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution (1895) (19173680808)

Title: Annual report of the Bureau of American Ethnology to the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution
Identifier: annualreportofbu27smithso (find matches)
Year: 1895 (1890s)
Authors: Smithsonian Institution. Bureau of American Ethnology
Subjects: Ethnology; Indians
Publisher: Washington : U. S. Govt. Print. Off.
Contributing Library: Smithsonian Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: Smithsonian Libraries



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350 THE OMAHA TRIBE (KTH. ANN. 27 had a pointed flap which served us a cover to protect the stick and keep it from dropping out. The. brush (mika'he, possibly from mi, "woman;" ka'he, to comb," although this is not a certain derivation) was made of stiff grass called by the same name. One end of the brush was tightly wound about to form a sort of handle. Both of these articles were used by both men and women. The hair was kept neatly brushed and glossy. Buffalo fat, well fried out, was sometimes used on the hair but it was more commonly employed on chapped lips, face, and hands. The men wore the hair either flowing or cut close to the scalp, leaving only a stiff roach extending from the forehead over the top of the head to the neck. All wore the scalp lock. The sister or wife braided this lock in a fine, even braid. On this lock the eagle leather war honor was worn. A bone case was made, in which the quill of the feather was fastened securely; the feather could thus be made to stand erect or slanting, or to hang, according to the honor accorded the wearer. The bone case was fastened to the scalp lock. When the hair was worn flowing, the middle parting line was painted red anil the circular line of parting around the scalp lock was generally kept painted the same color. The word for paint varied with the use to which the paint was put. Thus, we'uga was paint for a tent; wape'zhide meant red paint for the person (trace' is part of w<ife'pon, "clay"; zhide, "red"; wape'tu, "blue paint," etc.). Men generally painted their faces or bodies in accordance with dreams or in representa- tion of some achievement or accorded honor. Young men used merely fanciful designs. Before the advent of looking-glasses a young man was painted by his friend. Men were frequently nude except for the breechcloth. When going to battle, on the surround ,it the tribal buffalo hunt, when taking part in the He'dewachi ceremony, at the races, at the Ilethu'shka society, and the Pebble society, the painting on their faces and bodies had a serious sig- nificance, partaking of the nature of an appeal or prayer. Except with very young men, painting could hardly be called strictly an adornment. (See pis. 46, 49, 50, and fig. 73.)
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Fig. 74. Man's necklace