Book Review: The Omaha Tribe Volume II

 The Omaha Tribe  Volume II by Alice C. Fletcher and Francis La Flesche, University of Nevada Press, Lincoln, Nebraska, 1992.

This is the second half of the book, The Omaha Tribe.  It is in every way a continuation of the first volume.  This book deals extensively with family life.  Every place where people are seated or sleep in the teepee is determined by etiquette.  The area opposite the door behind the fire was the place of honor and reserved for guests.  However in reaching the place of honor the guest should not walk between the host and the fire.  Also after being seated, no one should pass between the guest and the fire.  This book deals with courtship and includes several songs.  Young women were always guarded.  They would not go for water alone.  However young men would often follow them. For this reason the flute was used as a courtship devise.  There is a very nice picture of an earthen lodge.  The earthen lodge was for winter or permanent living.  However when on a buffalo hunt the teepee was used.  

There are many pictures of Omaha people, men and women and giving examples of different dress.  There is discussion of different roles between men and women.  

There is a lenghty section on warfare.  It made a difference whether it was defensive or offensive.  The rituals were different.  

The Omaha language is very comlex, with different parts changing a word to men many things.  Several Omaha proverbs were provided: Stolen food never satisfies hunger; A poor man is a hard rider,; All persons dislike a borrower; No one mourns the thriftless; The path of the lazy leads to disgrace; A man must make his own arrows; A handsome face does not make a good husband.

Much more information here than I could digest and retain, but it is worth a read. 

volume I 
 

Book Review: The Omaha Tribe, Volume I,

The Omaha Tribe Volume I by Alice C. Fletcher and Francis La Flesche, University of Nevada Press, Lincoln, Nebraska, 1992.

This is an ethnological study of the Omaha Tribe.  There is more information in this book than you could ever digest unless you might be an anthropologist.

The Omaha Tribe is closely related to the Pawnee and the Ponca tribes.  At some point these groups broke off from the Omaha.  

This book includes many descriptions of rituals.  There were ten different gens or peoples.  Each gen had their own responsibilities.  The children had different hair styles based on the gen they were a member of.  There were rituals around becoming an adut.  There were rituals around the hunt.  At one time someone wanted to hurry the rituals, thinking the buffalo would get away, so he took a group and the attacked the buffalo before the ritual songs had been sung.  It went badly for him, his horse fell injuring him badly.

The Omaha had many sacred items.  This included a pole, two pipes and a white buffalo hide.  This items were used in conjunction with the hunt.  Since the buffalo were all killed, they were no longer being used and are now in a museum at Harvard University, except the hyde which was stolen and showed up in a Chicago museum.

The book explores many, many different songs.  Some were sung three or four times as part of a ceremony.  

This is a very detailed book, with pictures of tribal members and leaders and explanation of leadership roles.

volume II