Omaha Tribe of Indians in Nebraska Collections

The Supernatural Among the Omaha Tribe of Indians

To comprehend the ideas of a people concerning the preternatural and the manifestations of the supernatural among them, it is needful to know something of their beliefs relating to the origin and the future of mankind; their notions pertaining to the natural world and their religious ceremonies. A clearly defined cosmogony does not exist among the Omaha tribe of Indians. Myths tell of water animals being engaged in forming the earth, but how water was created, or how life began, is left in definite. The general belief of the Omaha Indians is, that in some way man has been developed … Read more

Omaha Tribe History in Nebraska

The Omaha, so far as known, formerly dwelt in villages composed of dwellings made of sod and timber. The illustration gives the outward appearance of these dwellings, which are built by setting carefully selected and prepared posts closely together in a circle and binding them firmly with willows, then backing them with dried grass and covering the entire structure with closely packed sods. The roof is made in the same manner, having an additional support of an inner circle of posts, with crotches to hold the cross logs which act as beams to the dome-shaped roof. A circular opening in … Read more

Omaha Indians in Nebraska

The Omaha tribe of Indians live in the State of Nebraska about 80 miles north of the city of Omaha, on a reservation 12 miles in length north and south, and bounded on the east by the Missouri River and on the west by the Sioux City and Omaha Railroad. Of the various tribes living in Nebraska when the white settlers first entered the Territory the Omaha are the only Indians remaining upon their ancient home lands.

Omaha Indian Sociology

Map of Omaha Indian Reservation, Nebraska

Showing portion thereof appraised for sale, and portion retained and allotted the Omaha Indians in severalty for the years 1905-1906. The map of the Omaha Indian Reservation in Thurston Nebraska was split into 9 pages in the original manuscript and is presented as they had it split. The numbers listed on the maps below are only a rough idea. Find the name of the person you are searching for and then look on the map to find the location. All land is is Thurston County, Nebraska. Map 1 31 45 47 48 104 122 144-150 197 418 485 497 545 547 … Read more

Biography of Alice C. Fletcher

Fletcher credited Frederic Ward Putnam for stimulating her interest in American Indian culture. She studied the remains of the Indian civilization in the Ohio and Mississippi valleys, became a member of the Archaeological Institute of America in 1879, and worked and lived with the Omahas as a representative of the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard University. These times marked the beginning of her 40-year association with an Omaha named Francis La Flesche. They collaborated professionally and also had an informal mother-son relationship. They lived together in Washington, D.C., beginning in 1890. In 1883 she was appointed special agent … Read more