Different /e/ phonemes in Siouan?

[Rory M Larson]

I want to get this on the list before I get killed by a wildcat
or something.  It's been gradually sinking into my consciousness,
through numerous corrections in my pronunciation by our speakers,
that they are actually making a distinction between the tenser,
full /e/ sound, as approximately in "late", and the lower or more
central /e/ sound as in "let".  The last time I corresponded with
Ardis, she seemed to be coming to the same conclusion.

Last night, Mrs. Alberta Canby gave me what seems to be a minimal
pair.  It seems that in Omaha, the /he/ that means "horn" is
pronounced with the tense /e/ as in "late", while the /he/ that
means "louse" is pronounced with the more central /e/ as in "let".

I think both of these terms are pretty common throughout MVS.
I'd be interested in any observations anyone could offer about
their comparative phonology in whatever language they are familiar
with.

If there is a difference here, how do we distinguish these two
forms of /e/ in NetSiouan?

Thanks,
Rory