Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1889-05-09

borne children clip the hair short to
the ear. while the young women part
with but an inch or two. Young men
do not sacrifice their locks. but the
older men shear theirs short. The
older women pull of their leggings
and moccasins, and cash the flesh OF
their legs below the knee. lengthwise
and crosswise, till the blood flows
freely. All the while they wall and
call upon the dead. The young men
who are near relations to the deceased
remove their leggings and moccasins.
and pierce their legs with a sharp
knife until the blood flows fast from
the wounds. The old men do not scar
ify themselves.
With every new arrival, whether the
person be of near kin or not, the wall
ing starts afresh. By this long-con.
tinued crying, the excitement of grief
and the pain q wounds, the relatives
become exhausted before the time OF
burial arrives, and unable to speak
above a whisper. Soon after death the
corpse is placed in a sitting position
facing the east and dressed in gala cos
tune, ornaments are put upon the
hair and person, and sometimes the
face is painted in the same manner as
the Hunga in the ceremony of the sa-
cred pipes, that is, if the deceased be-
longed to one Of the gentes owning a
sacred pipe. The ':Hunga-keunzae, !"
as this mode of painting is called, is
done by painting the entire face red
with vermilion; then black line about
the breadth of the little finger is
marked across the forehead horizontal
ly and down both cheeks to meet a line
drawn across the chin, thus forming a
square. A center line starts from the one
across the forehead and falls along the
nose to its point This black paint is
made of charcoal and prepared fat.
Men, women and children belonging to
the Nenebatan (sacred pipe owners)
gentes of the tribe, with few exceptions,
are painted in this manner after death.
When member of a society dies the
body is taken care of by the fraternity,
and the burial ceremonies are trans
ferred from the family to the manage
ment of the society. For instance, when
q member of the Mawadane Society
dies the body is taken immedi-
ately after death, while the body
is yet timber, to the lodge where the
society is accustomed to meet On its
arrival it is placed in a sitting posture,
facing the east, and decked with the
regalia of the society. The face of the
corpse is painted in the manner in
which the man while living was accus-
toned to paint when attending the
meetings of the society. In his right
hand is placed the "Ta-sha-gae, or
deer's hoof rattle, which is carried
only by the leader of the society. This
preparation of the body is done by the
relatives of the deceased and one or
two members of the society. When all
is complete the crier summons the men,
bers, and these wend their way to the
lodge where the dead man sits as silent
host. The Mawadane songs which
were the favorites of the dead member
are then sung and the rhythmic steps
taken, while presents are laid on the
drum; these latter are offerings to-
ward the funeral ceremonies. As
each gift is made the crier sings forth
the name of the giver, that all the
village may hear of the deed. While
the body lies in state in the lodge,
either of the family or the society of
which the deceased was a member, if
the person or his family are held in
high respect by the tribe, the young
men. those between the ages of twenty
and thirty, gather together to perform
a ceremony expressive of their esteem
and grief. Having stripped them
selves of their garments, except the
breech-cloth, loop is cut through the
skin of the arm, midway between the
point of the shoulder and the elbow,
and the end of willow twig, about a
foot long having the leaves on. is thrust
through the loop of skin. The blood
trickles down the willow stem and
spatters the hanging leaves. The
young men then walk slowly to the
lodge where the dead lies, and stand
abreast before the tent entrance, sing
ing the funeral song, each man accent
ing the time by striking together two
short sticks of willow. All shed tears
as they sing. This song is an old one.
having been handed down from an
unknown past. 1t is the only funer-
al song in the Omaha tribe.
At the close of the song the chief
mourner, whether man or woman,
steps forth from the lodge, wailing.
The young men join in the wall of
the mourner, who advances with up
lifted hands, and passes along the
line, pausing an instant at each per-
son. This act is an expression of
thanks and acknowledgment of the
sympathy and honor shown. When