The Washington times., 1901-10-06
THE OMAHAS' SACRED POLE
Unique Symbol of Former Glories
of an Indian Tribe.
Has Been Deposited by Chiefs in the
Harvard Museum of Ethnoiogy-
Strange Legends and Customs Re
called by the Odd Totem.

CAMBRIDGE, Mass Sept. 2S.-Th'
Sacred Pole of the Omahas which is nov
on exhibition in one of the halls of th'
Peabody Museum of Archaeology anC
Ethnology at Harvard has a certain ro
mantle interest which is not possessed
perhaps, by any other object in the unique
collection of relics of the North American
Indian by which it is surrounded. Here
are ancient wampum belts hunting shirts
OF deersldn decorated with porcupin'
auiIls. leggins or moccasins that might
have belonged to one of Cooper's heroic
red men. a bow which dates back to tbs
Massachusetts tribes Of the seventeenth
century, belt which is credibly supposed
to have been worn by King Phillip, and
scores of articles, of use or ornament
the very art of making which has per
ished. In many respects this collection Is
not egualed in the world: it includes the
acquisitions of generations OF exploration
and adventure, and if destroyed the loss
would be absolutely irreparablc. But IL
some ways the Sacred Pole Of the Omahaa
stands alone. Its very presence in Cam
bridge has its special significance. 1t
was not collected in the usual sense;
but after serving for more than 200 years
and for how much longer no one
knows-to bind together a famous tribe
into something like a national unity, 1t
was formally entrusted by the last chiefs
of the Omahas to the safe keeping of the
Peabody Museum, so that with the other
objects of their sacred ceremonies 1t
might here be preserved as memorial OF
the former power of the Omahas long
after their decay and tribal extinction.
1t would be hard to miss the note OF
pathos in this gift. 1t is, indeed, almost
flp
possessions of a people should be volun-
tarily surrendered by their custodians
as the Sacred Pole and the other con-
tents of the sacred tents were surrender
ed by the Omahas. The time came. how
ever when it was no longer possible to
keep up the tribal observances. The first
intention of the chiefs had been to bury
the ceremonial objects with the bones of
their former guardians. Miss Alice {.
Fletcher, however, well known for her
studies of the North American Indian and
a special assistant of the Peabody Mu-
scum, was then living among the Omahas,
gathering the fast perishing material Of
their history and beliefs. Perhaps no one
would have appreciated more keenly the
loss to science involved in such a disposal
of these sacred relics. For several years,
therefore, she worked almost incessant-
ly for their preservation, with the result
that, largely by the influence of Joseph
La Flesche, the head chief of the Orna-
has, and his son, Francis. the Pole and
its pack, together with the contents of
the great war tent. were transmitted to
Cambridge, some twelve years ago, for
perpetual preservation in the Peabody
Museum.
In her published description of the Pole,
lafr Iaf hnf ha a lal
tribe was composed of ten villages which
camped together in horseshoe form in
definite order. This encampment included
three sacred tents. one, containing the
paraphernalia cf war, being in front of
the sc-caled We-jin-shte village, while
the other two were set side by side in
front of the Honga village. One of these
contained the Hide of the White Buffalo
Cow and was decorated with stalks of
corn in full ear. The second, ornamented
with round red spots, contained the Sa-
cred Pole and the objects which accom-
panied It in the ceremonies in which it
was used. All these tents were objects
of the highest reverence and awe and If
an unauthorized member of the tribe, or
even a horse touched one of them even
by accident he was washed in warm water
and sprinkled with IA itemisia to ward of
eveil consequences.
The Pole itself is a cottonwood sapling
about eight feet in length and averaging
perhaps three inches in diameter. 1t is
Cracked and almost black with age. At
the upper end it has been shaped into a
sort Of knob or head. The lower end is
fastened by thongs of hide to a stick of
harder wood, which 10 silaF1'vi''7d 80 -
TO be driven easily into the ground. The
,1a h. a.
be, or leg. The pole was never set up
right but was inclined at An angle of 45
degrees and held in place by light stick
or prop. called I-mon-gdhe-a staff such
as old men lean upon. Somewhat above
the middle piece of hide is bound to the
Pole by straps of tanned skin. This hide
covering encIoses a sort OF basket of
twigs and feathers lightly filed with the
down Of the crane, and is called the
A-khon-dab-pa. meaning the leather
shield worn upon the archer's wrist and
thus symboliZing a man who is a pro-
wider and protector To the top or head
of the Pole is attached a large human
scalp Altogether, therefore, the Pole
may be regarded as kind of rude effigy
of man.
The pack which accompanies the Pole
is made Of buffalo hide. and is called
the Wa-dhi-gha-be, meaning, literally,
things iayed." 1t was opened by Miss
Fletcher for the first time at the museum,
and was found to contain nine scalps-
some with feathers sticking in them so
ancient that only the quills remained-a
red stone pipe with long wooden stem,
a pipe cleaner with a reed sheath bound
with human hair, a bundle Of sinew cord,
two packages Of red paint for painting
the Pole, seven arrows much broken, a
rude brush made Of fringed hide tightly
rolled, and a pouch Of cedar leaves and
sweet grass to be used as a sort of in
cense. All these articles, except perhaps
the scalps, had their uses in the elaborate
ceremony Of painting the Pole, and any
enc examining the Pole as 1t now stands
in the Peabody Museum would at once
notice what at first appears to be a COW
ering Of rough bark on the upper portion
OF it, which really, however, is the caking
Of dried paint from long succession Of
anointings.
The buffalo meant 10 the Omahas life
and comfort, and painting the pole was
chiefly a thank offering for successful
hunts and a prayer for future prosperity
Naturally the Indians suffered greatly
from the rapid destruction of the buffalo
during the seventies. Not only was the
buffalo necessary TO them for food and
clothing, but IL was even more essential
in their religious Obscrvances so that
when bu1aloes could not be found their
sacred rites were suddenly disOrganiZed
Conversely, after several unsuccessful
hunts the Omahas were convinced that
the disappea rance Of the buffalo was due
20 the fact that they had beer unable 70
perform the ceremony Of amounting the
pole, and In desperation they decided to
use cattle a substitute iu the uerfor-f,,-