  Using mean relative peculiar velocity measurements for pairs of galaxies, we
estimate the cosmological density parameter $\Omega_m$ and the amplitude of
density fluctuations $\sigma_8$. Our results suggest that our statistic is a
robust and reproducible measure of the mean pairwise velocity and thereby the
$\Omega_m$ parameter. We get $\Omega_m = 0.30^{+0.17}_{-0.07}$ and $\sigma_8 =
1.13^{+0.22}_{-0.23}$. These estimates do not depend on prior assumptions on
the adiabaticity of the initial density fluctuations, the ionization history,
or the values of other cosmological parameters.
