Blessing for a Long Time: The Sacred Pole of the Omaha Tribe

by Robin Ridington, Mr. Robin Ridington

Robin Ridington and Dennis Hastings ingeniously adopt the conventions of Omaha oral narratives to tell the story and convey the significance of the Sacred Pole. Portions of classic anthropological texts (particularly Fletcher and La Flesche’s The Omaha Tribe ), Omaha narratives, and other historical and contemporary accounts are repeated—each time in a different, more enlightening context—in a circle of stories seamlessly woven around Umon’hon’ti. The result is an innovative account that effortlessly glides between past and present. This unique blend of Omaha poetics, ethnography, and ethnohistory is a significant contribution to our understanding of the religious life of Native Americans.

259 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 1997

Reviews

[Frederic · Rating 5 out of 5]

My (2011) review from Amazon (slightly revised): I have reviewed and written about this book in the professional literature, and won't duplicate that here, but it deserves a review here. Blessing for a Long Time tells the story of Umon'hon'ti, the Sacred Pole of the Omaha Indians, which was given over and spent a century in the Peabody Museum at Harvard before being returned to the Omahas. Hastings and Ridington beautifully tell and contextualize this story with the situations of the Omahas in 1888 (when it was given over) and in the late 20th century when it was returned, and with the history of the Peabody and anthropological collecting more in general. This is a great piece of anthropological work - and a great story, well-told, and accessible for general as well as academic audiences. Highly recommended for those interested in the Omahas, or Indians in general, or in museums and collecting and their relationships with contemporary Native people.