The Omaha Tribe, based in Nebraska, were hunters and planters who lived in teepees during summer and lodges in winter. They used horses for hunting, transport, and war. The tribe’s clothing consisted of buckskin leggings, embroidered shirts, and moccasins. The tribe sold their hunting grounds to the US government in 1854 and the Omaha Indian Reservation was established.
An Omaha Indian is a member of the Omaha Tribe, a Native American tribe based in Nebraska and whose name means “against the grain.” The Omaha Tribe originally lay just west of what is now known as the Missouri River, and moved further west every 15 to 15 years before reaching the land that is now Nebraska. The tribe has its own government made up of elected tribal members, and has its own police and other services. A typical Omaha Indian now speaks English, but some elders still speak the Omaha-Ponca language.
For many years, members of the Omaha tribe have been hunters and planters, depending on the season. The responsibility of an Omaha Indian man was to clear the fields so that the women could do the planting. The staple crops of Omaha India consisted of corn, melons, squash, and beans. The men hunted, killing bear, buffalo, deer and small mammals as well as fish and birds.
Members of the early Omaha tribe typically lived in teepees during the summer hunting months and in lodges during the winter. Omaha women built teepees out of buffalo hide. The lodges were about 8 feet (2.4 m) high and had a dome-shaped room.
The Omaha tribe was slow to discover the usefulness of horses. The Omaha normally traveled on foot while using dogs to aid in transportation. After the Omaha discovered the horse, they used it extensively for hunting, transport, and going to war.
The Omaha style of clothing consisted of leggings made from buckskin and embroidered shirts. They also wore moccasins. The men kept their hair long and wore earrings.
The tribe numbered nearly 3,000 members in 1780. It dwindled to 300 members in 1802 due to disease and warfare. The mighty Pawnee nation acted as protectors of the Omaha tribe.
Explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark met the Omaha Tribe in 1804. Following Clark’s recommendation, the French established a trading post in Omaha Territory in 1812. During the next 20 years, the Omaha Tribe developed friendly relations with the whites , especially the pioneers of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or Mormons, who traveled through Omaha land on their way to Utah in the 1850s.
In 1854, the Omaha Tribe sold their Nebraska hunting grounds to the United States government for $850,000 US dollars. That same year, the United States developed the Omaha Indian Reservation in Nebraska. The reserve covers approximately 12,400 acres (50 sq km).
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