3

Now we all return them,
Bind them to the tree stem,
While we sing the glad word, Unity!
O Tree!

4

Strong our hearts in daylight,
Strong our hearts in still night,
Thus the Hé-de Wa-chi bids us be,
O Tree!

This dance-song can be repeated as often as desired. When at last the
leaders wish it to stop they must give the call, "Hi-o!" as they did for
the pause in the Dance of Approach to the Tree.

When this signal is given, the members should toss their wands at the foot
of the tree from the place where they had stopped dancing.

In the ancient Omaha ceremony the people had the vast expanse of the
prairie at their disposal, yet each tribal group kept its appointed place,
not only during the dance, wherein they made four approaches toward the
sacred tree, but when all the groups formed into two great circles the
tribal order of their relative positions was still preserved. The two
circles were made up according to sex. The women and girls danced in one
direction next to the pole; the men and boys formed the outer circle and
danced in the opposite direction. This dance was the occasion of much