kota "wake[']ya," the plural of
which, "wake[']yapi," undoubtedly gave rise to the familiar "wick[']iup"
of the plains, and also to "wae-ka[']-yo" of Morgan.[2]

Cradles.

A board of convenient size, usually about a yard long and a foot wide,
was selected to form a cradle or u[|c]uhe. No pillow was needed. A
soft skin ([p]aq[|c]uqaha [|c]a^{n}) covered with plenty of thick hair
was laid on the board, and on it was placed the infant.

[Footnote 1: Hammocks and bedsteads were unknown prior to their
introduction by the traders and other white people.]

[Footnote 2: Contributions to North American Ethnology, vol. iv., 1881,
p. 114.]

[Illustration: Fig. 311.--Omaha cradle--plan.]

In the annexed figures, <i>a</i> is the [)i]ndua[|c]isi^{n}ka^{n}he, the
object painted on the board at the end where the infant's head is laid;
<i>b</i> is the [)i]ndei[|c]id[)i]ndi^{n} ("that which is drawn taut over
the face"), the two strings of beads and sinew or thread (sometimes made of
red calico alone), which keep in place the fan, etc.; the fan
([)i]ndeagani), which is suspended from a bow of wood, (<i>c</i>) is about
6 inches square, and is now made of interwoven sinew on which beads have
been strung. Occasionally thimbles and other bright objects dangle from
the bottom of the fan. The i[|c]a[|c]istage (<i>d</i>) is the band by which
the infant is fastened to the cradle.

[Illustration: Fig. 312.--Omaha cradle--side view.]

Children's Swings.

For swings the ends of two withes of buffalo hide were secured to four
trees or posts which formed the corners of a parallelogram. A blanket
was thrown across the withes and folded over on them. The infant was
laid on top of the fold and swung from side to side without falling.

Brooms.

Brooms were of two kinds. One form was made of sticks tied together, and
was used for sweeping the ground outside of the tent or earth lodge, and
the interior of the earth lodge, except the fireplace. The other kind
was made of goose or turkey feathers, and was used for sweeping the
fireplace of an earth lodge.

Pottery.

Pottery has not been made by the Omaha for more than fifty years. The
art of making it has been forgotten by the tribe.

Mortar and Pestles.

A mortar was made by burning a large hole in a round knot or piece of
wood about 7 inches in diameter. The lower end was sharpened to a
point, which was thrust into the ground when needed for use. After
putting corn in a mortar