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diff --git a/27616-0.txt b/27616-0.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..183fcfc --- /dev/null +++ b/27616-0.txt @@ -0,0 +1,5930 @@ +The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Vanishing Race by Dr. Joseph Kossuth +Dixon + + + +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no +restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under +the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or +online at http://www.gutenberg.org/license + + + +Title: The Vanishing Race + +Author: Dr. Joseph Kossuth Dixon + +Release Date: December 25, 2008 [Ebook #27616] + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: UTF-8 + + +***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE VANISHING RACE*** + + + + + +PREPARER’S NOTE + + +Please note that this book contains a photograph of a burial platform, +which some may find offensive. The elegaic tone, typical of the time, of +much of the book may also annoy the modern reader. Some of the Indian +interviews are still quoted today, however, and some of the photos are +still reproduced. + + + + + + [The Last Outpost] + + The Last Outpost + + +The Vanishing Race + +The Last Great Indian Council a record in picture and story of the last +great indian council, participated in by eminent indian chiefs from nearly +every indian reservation in the united states, together with the story of +their lives as told by themselves—their speeches and folklore tales—their +solemn farewell, and the indians’ story of the custer fight +By Dr. Joseph K. Dixon + +Garden City, New York +Doubleday, Page, and Company + +1913 + + + + + +DEDICATION + + +To the man of mystery— +The earth his mother— +The sun his father— +A child of the mountains and the plains— +A faithful worshipper in the great world cathedral— +Now a tragic soul haunting the shores of the western ocean— +My brother the Indian + + + + + +ILLUSTRATIONS + + +The Last Outpost +The Approach of the Chiefs +A Glimpse Backward +The Sacrament of Winter +The Lone Tepee +Singing to the Spirits +The Voice of the Water Spirits +Trail of the Death Spirit +A Leaf from the Indian’s Book +The Song of the Arrows +An Imperial Warrior +A Sunset in Camp +Lighting the Smoke Signal +Answering the Smoke Signal +The Attack on the Camp +Buffalo Thundered Across the Plains +An Indian Home +An Indian Burden Bearer +An Indian Woman’s Dress—Mrs. Wolf Plume +The Flower of the Wigwam +Little Friends +A Bath in the Little Big Horn +The Crown of Eagle Feathers +Warriors of Other Days +Chief Plenty Coups +The Peaceful Camp +Chief Red Whip +The Pause in the Journey +Chief Timbo +The Downward Trail +Chief Apache John +Climbing the Great Divide +Chief Running Bird +Chiefs Fording the Little Bighorn +Chief Brave Bear +Skirting the Sky-Line +Chief Umapine +Down the Western Slope +The Last Arrow +Chief Tin-Tin-Meet-Sa +Chief Runs the Enemy +Scouting Party on the Plains +Scouts passing under cover of the Night +Map of the Custer Battlefield +Chief Pretty Voice Eagle +A War Council +The War Party +The Swirl of the Warriors +Chief White Horse +Chief Bear Ghost +Chief Running Fisher +Chief Bull Snake +Mountain Chief +War Memories +Chief Red Cloud +Chief Two Moons +Here Custer Fell +Custer Scouts +White Man Runs Him—Custer Scout +Hairy Moccasin—Custer Scout +Curly—Custer Scout +Goes Ahead—Custer Scout +On the War Trail +In Battle Line +The Custer Battlefield +Scouts on the March +Sunset on the Custer Field +The Reno Battlefield +Two Moons as he fought Custer +The Council Pipe +Chief Plenty Coups Addressing the Council +Chief Koon-Ka-Za-Chy Addressing the Council +Chief Two Moons Addressing the Council +An Indian Communion +The Final Trail +The Fading Sunset +Vanishing into the Mists +Facing the Sunset +The Sunset of a Dying Race +The Empty Saddle + + + + + +CONTENTS + + +Acknowledgment +INDIAN IMPRINTS A GLIMPSE BACKWARD +THE STORY OF THE CHIEFS + Chief Plenty Coups + Chief Red Whip + Chief Timbo + Chief Apache John + Chief Running Bird + Chief Brave Bear + Chief Umapine + Chief Tin-Tin-Meet-Sa + Chief Runs-the-Enemy + Chief Pretty Voice Eagle + Folklore Tales—Sioux + Chief White Horse + Folklore Tales—Yankton Sioux + Chief Bear Ghost + Chief Running Fisher + Bull Snake + Mountain Chief + Mountain Chief’s Boyhood Sports + Chief Red Cloud + Chief Two Moons +THE STORY OF THE SURVIVING CUSTER SCOUTS + White-Man-Runs-Him + Folklore Tale—Crow + Hairy Moccasin + Curly + Goes-Ahead-Basuk-Ore +THE INDIANS’ STORY OF THE CUSTER FIGHT +THE LAST GREAT INDIAN COUNCIL +INDIAN IMPRESSIONS OF THE LAST GREAT COUNCIL +THE FAREWELL OF THE CHIEFS + + + + + +THE CONCEPT + + +In undertaking these expeditions to the North American Indian, the sole +desire has been to perpetuate the life story of the first Americans and to +strengthen in their hearts the feeling of allegiance and friendship for +their country. + +For this purpose two expeditions were sent forth to gather historic data +and make picture records of their manners, customs, their sports and +games, their warfare, religion, and the country in which they live. + +As a result, on Washington’s Birthday, 1913, thirty-two Indian chiefs, +representing eleven tribes, assembled with the President of the United +States together with many eminent citizens and details from the Army and +Navy to open ground for the Indian Memorial authorized by act of Congress +to be erected in the harbour of New York. + +The Indian chiefs assembled, hoisted the American flag, the first time in +their history. This act and the flag gave birth to a thrill of +patriotism. These warriors of other days laid claim to a share in the +destiny of our country. So deeply were these First Americans impressed +with a sense of loyalty to the flag that, again under the authority of the +President of the United States, a third Expedition was sent forth to every +Indian tribe. The purpose of this Expedition was twofold, the linking of +every tribe in the country with the National Indian Memorial, and the +inspiring of an ideal of patriotism in the mind of the red man—a spirit of +patriotism that would lead to a desire for citizenship—a feeling of +friendship and allegiance, to be eternally sealed as a convenant in the +Indian Memorial. + +Here, under the blessing of God, on the shores of our beloved country, +where the red man first gave welcome to the white man, this Memorial will +stand in eternal bronze, in memory of a noble, though vanishing race, and +a token to all the world of the one and indivisible citizenship of these +United States. + + RODMAN WANAMAKER. + [The Approach of the Chiefs] + + The Approach of the Chiefs + + + + + +ACKNOWLEDGMENT + + +FIRST of all, William Howard Taft, President of the United States, gave +his sanction to this Expedition, and Hon. Robert Grosvenor Valentine, +Commissioner of Indian Affairs, gave his permission to assemble eminent +chiefs from the prominent Indian Reservations of the United States, and +complemented his courtesy by helpful interest and cooperation. The +Superintendents of the various Indian Reservations gave spontaneous and +willing service; Major S. G. Reynolds, Superintendent of the Crow +Reservation by sympathetic and efficient interest made possible the +achievement of the Last Great Indian Council; Hon. Frederick Webb Hodge, +in charge of the Bureau of American Ethnology confirmed the data secured. +The Hand Book of American Indians made possible the larger scope of the +suggestions on Indian dress. The great chiefs who participated in the +Council in noble and faithful fashion lived out the history and tradition +of their tribes. Heartfelt appreciation is merited and given to all. + +Since the publication of the first edition of “The Vanishing Race”, +further grateful acknowledgment is accorded. While conducting a +nation-wide Expedition of Citizenship to the North American Indian, +embracing 189 tribes and extending over 26,000 miles, the author was +adopted into the Wolf clan of the Mohawk nation,—Iroquois Confederacy. +They said, “You have traveled so far, traveled so fast, and brought so +much light and life to the Indian that we call you ‘Ka-ra-Kon-tie, Flying +Sun’.” + + THE AUTHOR. + + + + + +PERSONÆ + + +Representative North American Indian Chiefs, scouts, and warriors +participating in the Last Great Indian Council, held in the valley of the +Little Horn, Montana, September, 1909, with their English, tribal, and +Indian designations. + +CHIEF PLENTY COUPS, Chief of the Crow Nation, bearing the Indian name of +Aleck-shea-Ahoos, signifying Many Achievements. + +CHIEF RED WHIP, an eminent Chief of the Gros Ventres Tribe, bearing the +Indian name of Bein-es-Kanach. + +CHIEF TIMBO, OR HAIRLESS, Head Chief of the Comanche Tribe, bearing the +Indian name of Tah-cha-chi. + +CHIEF APACHE JOHN, an eminent Apache Chief, bearing the Indian name of +Koon-kah-za-chy, signifying Protector of his Tepee. + +CHIEF RUNNING BIRD, an eminent Chief of the Kiowa Tribe, bearing the +Indian name of Ta-ne-haddle. + +CHIEF BRAVE BEAR, Head Chief of the Southern Cheyennes, bearing the Indian +name of Ni-go High-ez, Ni-go, bear—High-ez, brave. + +CHIEF UMAPINE, Head Chief of the Cayuse Tribe, bearing the Indian name of +Wa-kon-kon-we-la-son-mi. + +CHIEF TIN-TIN-MEET-SA, Chief of the Umatilla Tribe, bearing the Indian +name of Wil-Lou-Skin. + +CHIEF RUNS-THE-ENEMY, Chief of the Teton Sioux, bearing the Indian name of +Tok-kahin-hpe-ya. + +CHIEF PRETTY VOICE EAGLE, Chief of the Yankton Sioux, bearing the Indian +name of Wambli-ho-waste. + +CHIEF WHITE HORSE, Chief of the Southern Yankton Sioux, bearing the Indian +name of Sung-ska. + +CHIEF BEAR GHOST, Chief of the Crow Creek Tribe, bearing the Indian name +of Mato-Wanagi, signifying the Ghost of a Bear. + +CHIEF RUNNING FISHER, an eminent Chief of the Gros Ventres Tribe, bearing +the Indian name of Itn-tyi-waatyi. + +BULL SNAKE, an eminent Crow warrior and scout, bearing the Indian name of +Ear-Ous-Sah-Chee-dups, signifying Male Snake. + +MOUNTAIN CHIEF, Chief of the Blackfoot Tribe, bearing the Indian name of +Omaq-kat-tsa, signifying Big Brave. + +CHIEF RED CLOUD, Chief of the Ogallalla Sioux, bearing the Indian name of +Marpiya-Luta. + +CHIEF TWO MOONS, Head Chief of the Northern Cheyennes, bearing the Indian +name of Ish-hayu-Nishus, meaning Two Moons or Two Suns. + +WHITE-MAN-RUNS-HIM, Chief of the Custer scouts, an eminent Crow warrior, +bearing the Indian name of Mias-tas-hede-Karoos, signifying The White Man +Runs Him. + +HAIRY MOCCASIN, a noted Custer scout, of the Crow Tribe, bearing the +Indian name of Esup-ewyshes. + +CURLY, a noted Custer scout, of the Crow Tribe, bearing the Indian name of +Shes-his. + +GOES-AHEAD, a noted Custer scout, of the Crow Tribe, bearing the Indian +name of Basuk-Ose, signifying Goes First. + + + + + + + [A Glimpse Backward] + + A Glimpse Backward + + +INDIAN IMPRINTS A GLIMPSE BACKWARD + + +We are exchanging salutations with the uncalendared ages of the red man. +We are measuring footsteps with moccasined feet whose trail leads along +the receding sands of the western ocean. A bit of red colour set in +immemorial time, now a silent sentinel, weeping unshed tears with eyes +peering into a pitiless desert. + +Life without humour is intolerable. The life of the Indian has been a +series of long and bitter tragedies. There is a look in his face of +bronze that frightens us, a tone lights up the gamut of his voice that +makes it unlike any other voice we have ever heard—a voice that will echo +in the tomb of time—a Spartan courage that shall be regnant a millennium +beyond the Thermopylæ of his race. + +We have come to the day of audit. Annihilation is not a cheerful word, +but it is coined from the alphabet of Indian life and heralds the infinite +pathos of a vanishing race. We are at the end of historical origins. The +impression is profound. + +A vision of the past and future confronts us. What we see is more +wonderful than a view the points of which can be easily determined. We +behold a dead sea of men under the empty and silent morning, a hollow land +into which have flowed thousands upon thousands—at last the echo of a +child’s cry. The door of the Indian’s yesterdays opens to a new world—a +world unpeopled with red men, but whose population fills the sky, the +plains, with sad and spectre-like memories—with the flutter of unseen +eagle pinions. A land without the tall and sombre figure worshipping the +Great Mystery; without suns and snows and storms—without the scars of +battle, swinging war club, and flashing arrow—a strange, weird world, +holding an unconquered race, vanquished before the ruthless tread of +superior forces—we call them the agents of civilization. Forces that have +in cruel fashion borne down upon the Indian until he had to give up all +that was his and all that was dear to him—to make himself over or die. He +would not yield. He died. He would not receive his salvation by +surrender; rather would he choose oblivion, unknown darkness—the melting +fires of extermination. It is hard to think this virile, untamed creation +has been swept like hurrying leaves by angry autumn gusts across the +sunlit plains into a night without a star. + +The white is the conquering race, but every-whither there is a cry in the +heart to delve into the mystery of these ancient forerunners. This type +of colour holds the eye, rivets and absorbs the interest. + +Men are fast coming to recognize the high claim of a moral obligation to +study the yesterdays of this imperial and imperious race. The +preservation of this record in abiding form is all the more significant +because all serious students of Indian life and lore are deeply convinced +of the insistent fact that the Indian, as a race, is fast losing its +typical characters and is soon destined to pass completely away. So +rapidly are the remaining Western tribes putting aside their native +customs and costumes, their modes of life and ceremonies, that we belong +to the last generation that will be granted the supreme privilege of +studying the Indian in anything like his native state. The buffalo has +gone from the continent, and now the Indian is following the deserted +buffalo trail. All future students and historians, all ethnological +researches must turn to the pictures now made and the pages now written +for the study of a great race. + +It is little short of solemn justice to these vanishing red men that +students, explorers, artists, poets, men of letters, genius, generosity, +and industry, strive to make known to future generations what manner of +men and women were these whom we have displaced and despoiled. +Indisputable figures, the result of more than five years of painstaking +research on the part of the Bureau of Ethnology at Washington, place the +decrease of Indian population in the United Sates, north of Mexico, since +the coming of the white man, at 65 per cent. They have gone from the +forests and plains, from the hills and valleys over which they roamed and +reigned for uncounted ages. We have taken their land, blotted out their +faith and despoiled their philosophy. It has been the utter extinction of +a whole type of humanity. The conquering Anglo-Saxon speech has swept out +of existence over a thousand distinct languages. These original Americans +_Deserve a Monument_. They have moved majestically down the pathway of +the ages, but it culminates in the dead march of Saul. + +The record of the North American Indian has naught to do with the +tabulation of statistics, the musty folios of custom reports, the +conquests of commerce. He has never walked up to the gates of the city +and asked entrance to its portals, nor subscribed himself as a contestant +in the arena of finance. He has had no share in the lofty ideals of +statecraft, nor the spotless ermine of the judiciary. He lived and moved +and had his being in the sanctuary of the hills, the high altar-stairs of +the mountains, the sublime silences of the stately pines—where birds sung +their matins and the “stars became tapers tall”; where the +zitkada_n_to—the blue bird—uttered its ravishing notes. He sought the +kat-yi-mo—the “enchanted mesa”—as the place of prayer, the hour in which +to register his oath. On the wide extended plain, rolling green, like the +billows of the ocean, he listened for wana’gipi tah’upahupi—“the wings of +the spirits.” In wana’gi ta’ca_n_ku—the milky way—he saw the footprints +of departed warriors. His moccasined feet penetrated wa-koniya—“the place +where water is born”—the springs that gushed forth to give life, and +refreshing to all the earth. Ca_n_hotka ska—the “white frost”—became the +priest’s robe as he petitioned at the sacrament of winter. The universe +to him became a sounding-board of every emotion that thrilled his being. +He found in its phenomena an answer to his longings and the high +expression of every fervour of his soul. We cannot understand this, +because the Indian chased the ethereal, the weird, the sublime, the +mysterious: we chase the dollar. He heard the voice of nature; we listen +for the cuckoo clock of commerce. + + [The Sacrament of Winter] + + The Sacrament of Winter + + +The camera, the brush, and the chisel have made us familiar with his +plumed and hairy crests, but what of the deep fountains of his inner life? +What did he think? How did he feel? What riotous impulses, or communion +with the Great Mystery, carved his face of bronze? These no scientist, no +discoverer, no leader of expeditions have ever borne into the light. No +footprints along the trail can spell out for us his majestic mien, his +stolid dignity, his triumphant courage, his inscrutable self-poise, and +all of these dyed with a blood-red struggle for survival such as crowns no +other page of American history. + +To gain this close measure of the Indian mind, his friendship and +confidence must not suffer eclipse. It is a superlative task, for the +inner Indian shrine is crossed by only a favoured few. The Indian is +averse to being photographed, for he feels that every picture made of +himself by so much shortens his life. He looks at his portrait, then +feels of his person; he realizes that he has not lost a hand or a foot, +but feels most profoundly that his soul will be that much smaller in the +future world. His medicine is sacred, and you may not interrupt the daily +tenure of his life without destroying some ceremonial purpose. It is +meaningful, therefore, that these red men allowed us daily communion. +This story is then simply instinct with the Indian’s inner self: how we +sat with him in his wigwam, and amid his native haunts, surrounded by +every element of the wild life we were to commemorate; how his confidence +was gained, and he was led to put aside his war-shirt and eagle feathers, +and pull in twain the veil of his superstitious and unexplained reserve +and give to the world what the world so much craves to know—what the +Indian thinks and how he feels. + +Memorable hours these under clear Montana skies, or at the midnight hour +by the dim campfire light, the rain beating its tattoo on the tepee above +our heads—surrounded by an army of shining tepees, like white ghosts of +the plains, while these pathetic figures told the story of their lives. +The warrior of other days gave himself up to mirthful tale, to boyhood’s +transports, to manhood’s achievements, to the wild chase of the hunter, to +the weaponry and woes of savage warfare, to the hallowed scenes of home +life, to the primitive government of the tribe, and the busy and engaging +activities of the camp; finally, to the royalty of the Great Council, when +the chiefs assembled in solemn conclave to hold communion, to say a long +and last farewell. + + [The Lone Tepee] + + The Lone Tepee + + +Months of arduous labour were spent in the effort to make a comprehensive +and permanent record of an old-time Indian council. For this purpose +eminent Indian chiefs were assembled in the Valley of the Little Big Horn +in Montana, from nearly every Indian tribe in the United States. This +council involved permission and unstinted aid from the Bureau of Indian +Affairs at Washington, the cooperation of the Indian superintendents on +all the reservations; the selection of the most distinguished +chiefs—chiefs eminent for ability and honourable achievement among their +tribes. The council involved the necessity of interpreters from each +tribe, for they could only talk in the sign language. It involved the +construction of a primitive council lodge along the lines of history and +tradition, and again, the reproduction of primitive customs and +traditions, both in paraphernalia, costume, and conduct. + +These imprints are the trail marks left by this Great Council of +Chiefs—the last Great Indian Council that will ever be held on American +soil. The story most faithfully records the idiom and phrasing and +atmosphere of the Indian’s speech as it came from Indian lips. The +language of the landscape where the Indian made his home, where he fought +his battles and lived his life, where this solemn council was held, is +manifest in the accompanying photogravures. On the Indian trail, we may +note as a hint of the many, a few of his imprints. + + + + + [Singing to the Spirits] + + Singing to the Spirits + + + HIS RELIGION + + +The life of the Indian is one vast and glittering mosaic of rite and +ritual. His warfare, his dress, his medicine, his ceremonies, his wooing, +and his dying are all of them expressive of a dominant idea that pervades +his life and controls his purpose. He lives constantly and absorbingly in +a mystic land. He is beckoned by unseen hands and is lured into the +realms of mystery by the challenge of voices silent to all other ears. +His dress is studded with resplendent colours significant of the green +earth, the blue sky, and the cry of his soul for a place in the great +beyond. Like the high priest of old, he wears on his breast the fiery +filaments of his faith. + +The Indian sits in the tabernacle of the mighty forest or on the heights +of some deserted and wind-swept mesa, beats his tomtom or drones song upon +song, prays to the Great Mystery, pleads with the fires of the sun to give +him strength and life and health, and calls the sun his father. The +whispering winds tell his tale to the clouds. He peers into the depths of +the stars, watches the aurora as the death dance of the spirits, answers +the high call of the thunder as the voice of the Great Mystery, utters the +cry of his soul to the lightnings—the arrows of taowity—communes with the +rivers and the lakes, the moon, and the legion of wild beasts, and all of +it with a pitiful longing that his days of fasting and his vicarious +devotion may bring upon his life and his tribe the favour of the gods. + +These primitive men hold time and money and ambition as nothing. But a +dream, or a cloud in the sky, or a bird flying across the trail from the +wrong direction, or a change of the wind will challenge their deepest +thoughts. To the Indian mind all signs are symbolic. Their ceremonies +are as complicated as any of ancient Hebrew or Greek tradition. The +Indian aspires to be a great hunter, he seeks fame as a noble warrior; he +struggles for the eagle feathers of distinction, but his greatest longing +is to become a Medicine Man and know the Great Mystery. All medicine +people of the tribes carry on their necks, or in a pouch at the belt, some +sacred thing used in their magic practices—the claw of a bear, the rattle +of a snake, a bird’s wing, the tooth of an elk, a bit of tobacco. Every +Indian carries his individual medicine, and his medicine is good or bad +according to his success. If he finds a feather at wrong angle in his +path, his medicine is bad for that day. The Indian fasts and dances and +chants, using his mind, his spirit, and his body as pliable instruments in +the making of his prayer. He finds in the veritable exhaustion of his +body the spirit path made clear for his dreams, until the very stars seem +as the eyes of the gods, and the sighing of the pines comes to him as the +rustle of eagle wings to bear his spirit to loftier realms. Instead of +the common acceptation that the Indian has no religion whatever, every +single act of his life carries with it some ceremonial function, and his +whole being is surrounded by a shining host of ceremonial spirits. The +Indian goes with prayer thoughts to the water. His bath is a sacrament. +He cuts the long supple willow withes that grow on the banks of the +stream, enters the sharpened end into the soil, bends and ties the +feathery tops into an arch; over the arches thus made he throws his +blankets; meanwhile, gathered stones have been heated in the burning fire. +These stones glowing white with heat are placed in a tiny pit underneath +the covering of this booth, now to be called his sweat bath. First one +stone until four have been counted are placed by the attendant in the pit, +and then the fiery pile is thrown in promiscuous fashion on the heap. The +Indians enter the closed covering, the ceremonial pipe is smoked, a gourd +of cold water is handed to each; they then disrobe, the attending priest +lowering the blanket over the entrance. Cold water is then poured over +the heated stones, filling the enclosure with steam. In silence they +commune with the Great Mystery until one of their number is blessed with a +vision; then a call is made and the attendant lifts the blanket, almost +immediately lowering it again. This action is repeated until the vision +has been vouchsafed four times, when they all come forth and plunge into +the river. These sweat baths are always located on the banks of a flowing +stream. The Indian sees in every ripple of the flashing water that comes +to meet him a shining token of the medicine he has seen in his vision. +They then repair to the wigwam and listen in solemn silence to the +chanting cadences of the Indian who has been favoured. + + [The Voice of the Water Spirits] + + The Voice of the Water Spirits + + +The curling smoke from the long-stemmed pipe breathes forth the fumes of +war or the pale quiet of peace. With his pipe he pacifies the elements. +On festal occasions, or when the camp rejoices at the joys of harvest, the +priest smokes his pipe, blowing the smoke first to the earth, then to the +sky, to the north, the south, the east, and the west, in token of +gratitude for the favour of the gods. With the pipe the Indian also seals +his councils. + + [Trail of the Death Spirit] + + Trail of the Death Spirit + + +The Indian buries his dead upon some high elevation, because it is a +nearer approach to the spirit world. They bury on scaffolds and in trees +that in some mute, sorrowful way they may still hold communion with their +loved and their lost. At the grave they go to the four points of the +compass and mourn, singing all the while a weird chant. They bury with +their dead all of the belongings of the deceased, the playthings of the +Indian child, for the Indian boy and girl have dolls and balls and baubles +as does the white child: you may see them all pendent from the poles of +the scaffold or the boughs of a tree. When the great Chief Spotted Tail +died they killed his two ponies, placing the two heads toward the east, +fastening the tails on the scaffold toward the west. The war-bonnets and +war-shirts are folded away with the silent dead; then follow the desolate +days of fasting and mourning. In some instances hired mourners are +engaged, and for their compensation they exact oftentimes the entire +possessions of the deceased. The habitation in which the death occurs is +burned, and many times when death is approaching the sick one is carried +out so that the lodge may be occupied after the loved one has been laid to +rest. The grief of the sorrowing ones is real and most profound. They +will allow no token of the departed to remain within sight or touch. In +their paroxysms of sorrow the face and limbs are lacerated, and often the +tips of fingers are severed. Until the days of mourning are over, which +is for more than a year, they absent themselves from all public +gatherings. The bereaved fold themselves in a white blanket, repair to +some desolate hillside overlooking the valley, the camp and the distant +weird scaffold, and sit, amid cloud, sunshine, and storm, with bowed head, +in solemn silence. White blankets are worn by the mourners as they move +through the camp, significant of the white trail of the stars whither the +Indian feels his loved ones have gone. + +The Indian has a sublime idea of creation. He loves the brown earth and +calls it his mother, because it has creative power and because it +nourishes. And thus we might gather in from the thirty-two points of the +compass the forces operant in earth and sky, and each would become a +herald of the Indian’s life of faith. + + + + + [A Leaf from the Indian’s Book] + + A Leaf from the Indian’s Book + + + THE BOOKS OF HIS LIBRARY + + +The Indian child is nursed on Indian song and story. Tribal traditions +are handed down from age to age by enacting in the dance, on the part of +the warriors and braves, their deeds of valour in war, their triumphs in +the chase, their prowess against all foes. Forest lore is a constant text +book. He is taught to observe which side of a tree has the lightest +bark—which side the most branches; why the tree reaches forth longer arms +on the edge of the wood than in the depths of the forest where his eye is +taught to penetrate. The squirrel, the rabbit and the birds all become +his little friends: where and how they get their food, their manner of +life, their colour, and how they call their mates, who are their enemies, +and how they may be protected. His ear is trained to hear sounds +ordinarily inaudible, his nostrils are early taught to distinguish the +scent of the different wild animals. Then came his ability to imitate the +call of this wild life, sometimes by direct vocalization, or by placing +two reeds to the lips so dexterously that the timid fawn is led to his +feet. This literature the Indian child studies, until his arms are strong +enough to bend the bow and send an arrow speeding to its mark. He soon +essays the rôle of a warrior. His study of the birds enables him to find +the eerie of the eagle, for a victory means that he may add an eagle +feather to his war bonnet or coup stick. His study of the hills enables +him to find in their vermilion and golden seams the colours for his war +paint. In the crimson berries festooning the banks of the stream, when +crushed, he finds still another element of decoration. The white man +makes a book whose leaves talk. The sunshine bears speech and light to +the Indian. He lives by communion with the stars. The Great Bear of the +stars is called the great animal of cold weather. When a shadow crosses +his mind he watches the clouds that touch the moon when it is new. He +reads the stars, for they travel to him in a familiar pathway across the +sky. They are bright spirits sent earthward by the Great Mystery, and +when thick worlds gather in clusters, there are so many souls of earth +people that their trail makes luminous the white way of the sky. The wing +of a bird is the symbol of thoughts that fly very high. From the bird +that soars nearest the blue he plucks prayer feathers. These he dyes and +cherishes with jealous care. The Indian possesses a strange love for +growing things, tall grasses with lace-like plumes forming a lattice for +the deep green of the slender bushes that bear the rich clusters of +crimson buffalo berries. He knows and loves the wild flowers that hang +their golden heads along the banks of the purling stream or that in +gleaming colours enamel the wide stretches of the plain. There are a +thousand leaves in every book, and with every book in nature’s library he +is familiar to the point of success. + + [The Song of the Arrows] + + The Song of the Arrows + + + + + HIS ADORNMENT + + +To the casual observer the costume and character of the Indian all look +alike. The mind is confused amid a riotous and fantastic display of +colours. The fact is that the minor details of Indian dress are an index +to Indian character and often tell the story of his position in the tribe, +and surely tell the story of his individual conception of the life here, +and what he hopes for in the life hereafter, and like the laurel wreath on +the brow of the Grecian runner, they spell out for us his exploits and +achievements. To the white man all these decorations are construed as a +few silly ornaments, the indulgence of a feverish vanity, but they open +like a book the life of the Indian. His motive in adornment is to mark +individual, tribal, or ceremonial distinction. The use of paint on the +face, hair, and body, both in colour and design, generally has reference +to individual or clan beliefs, or it indicates relationship, or personal +bereavement, or is an act of courtesy. It is always employed in +ceremonies, religious and secular, and is an accompaniment of gala dress +for the purpose of honouring a guest or to celebrate an occasion. The +face of the dead was frequently painted in accordance with tribal or +religious symbolism. Paint is also used on the faces of children and +adults as a protection from wind and sun. Plucking the hair from the face +and body is a part of the daily program. The male Indian never shaves and +the beard is a disgrace. A pair of tweezers becomes his razor. Sweet +grasses and seeds serve as a perfume. Ear ornaments are a mark of family +thrift, wealth or distinction, and indicate honour shown to the wearer by +his kindred. + +Among the Plains Indians the milk teeth of the elk were the most costly +adornments. They were fastened in rows on a woman’s tunic and represented +the climax of Indian fashion, the garment possessing a value of several +hundred dollars. Head bands, armlets, bracelets, belts, necklaces, and +garters of metal and seeds and embroidered buckskin were in constant use. +They were not only decorative but often symbolic. Archaeological +testimony tells of the almost general use of sea shells as necklace +ornaments, which found their way into the interior by barter or as +ceremonial gifts. The chiefs of the tribe were fond of wearing a disk cut +from a conch-shell, and these were also prominent in religious rites, +ranking among the modern tribes as did the turquoise among the people of +the Southwest. A necklace of bear claws marks the man of distinction, and +sometimes was worn as an armlet. In the buffalo country the women seldom +ornamented their own robes, but embroidered those worn by the men. +Sometimes a man painted his robe in accordance with a dream or pictured +upon it a yearly record of his own deeds, or the prominent events of the +tribe. Among the southern tribes a prayer rug was made on deer skin, both +the buffalo and deer skins having been tanned and softened by the use of +the brains taken from the skull of the animal. The skins were painted +with intricate ornamentation, symbols and prayer thoughts adorning the +skin in ceremonial colours; white clouds and white flowers, the sun god, +and the curve of the moon with its germ of life, the morning star, and +also a symbol of the messengers from the gods. Above it all zigzag lines +ran through the blue of the sky to denote the lightning by which the +children above sent their decrees to the earth children who roamed the +plains. + + [An Imperial Warrior] + + An Imperial Warrior + + +Footgear often proclaimed the tribal relation, the peculiar cut and +decoration of the moccasin denoting a man’s tribe. The war-shirt was +frequently ornamented to represent the life story of the man wearing it. +The breast contained a prayer for protection, and on the back might be +found woven in beaded tapestry the symbols of victory. He had conquered +the trail behind him. The shirt was often decorated with a fringe of +human hair, the more warlike appending the scalps of the slain. The +warrior wore no regalia so imposing as his war-bonnet with its crown of +golden eagle feathers. Before the coming of the horse the flap at the +back rarely extended below the waist, but when the warriors came to be +mounted, the ruff of feathers was so lengthened that when the Indian was +dismounted it trailed on the ground. The making of a war-bonnet was +accompanied by song and ceremony. Each feather before it was placed in +position was held in the hand and had recounted over it the story of some +war honour. A bonnet could not be made without the consent of all the +warriors and it stood as a record of tribal valour and a special mark of +distinction granted to the man by his tribe. Every Indian takes great joy +in laying out his colour scheme. It becomes a mosaic of artistic talent. +Feathers are gathered from the eagles’ flight. Skins are taken from the +wild beasts. Bones, beads, sparkling metals, soft-tinted sea shells, and +all of them blended with the varicoloured paints that he has compounded in +nature’s mortar. The woman enters into the work with intelligent zest, +and when completed the whole array of blended colours is beyond the +criticism of the tribe. The back of an Indian’s war-bonnet and war-shirt +is always more gaudy and sumptuous than the front view and this because +when Indians pass each other their salutation is brief and formal. They +ride right on. But after the meeting they turn in the saddle and look +back to take an inventory. The wealth of the Indian, his position in the +tribe, his ceremonial attainment are all passed upon and estimate entered. +This colour scheme goes on through the entire Indian wardrobe to pipe +sack, coup stick and moccasins. The Indian could not have received his +suggestion for a colour scheme from the tinted leaves of autumn for they +are dull in comparison. He may have had a hint from the glowing sunsets +that in that western land fill earth and sky with a glory so transcendent +that mere rhetoric is a profanation. More likely is it that when free and +unrestrained he roamed over plain and hill his soul became enamoured with +the dazzling array of colours, beyond the genius of the proudest palette, +to be found in the marvellous formations that surround the great geysers +of the Yellowstone, colours more exquisitely beautiful than the supremest +refinement of art. Every-whither down the cone-shaped mounds are tiny +steam-heated rivulets interlacing each other, edged with gold and +vermilion and turquoise and orange and opal. Indian trails have been +found also interlacing each other all through this wonderland. Deep +furrows in the grassy slopes of these ancient footprints are still plainly +visible. Thither we may believe came the red man imbued with the spirit of +reverence and awe before all this majesty and beauty, and from this +exhaustless laboratory claimed the vivid colouring for the expression of +his life of faith. + + [A Sunset in Camp] + + A Sunset in Camp + + + + + [Lighting the Smoke Signal] + + Lighting the Smoke Signal + + + HIS WARFARE + + +The Indian has lived such a life of hazard for long centuries that he has +had trained into him a first great instinct to fight. They have a war +star in the sky, and when it moves the time to make war is heavy upon +them. There are many cogent reasons for the belief that before the coming +of the white man there were no general or long-continued wars among the +Indians. There was no motive for war. Quarrels ensued when predatory +tribes sought to filch women or horses. Strife was engendered on account +of the distribution of buffalo, but these disturbances could not be +dignified by the name of war. The country was large and the tribes were +widely separated. Their war implements were of the crudest sort. A shield +would stop a stone-headed arrow, and it necessitated a hand-to-hand +conflict for the use of a flint-headed lance and the ponderous war club. +The white man came, and for hundreds of years their contest has been waged +against a superior force. They have disputed every mile of territory +which has been acquired from them. During all that time they could not +make a knife, a rifle or a round of ammunition. Their method of +communication was confined to the smoke signal, signal fires and scouts. +They had no telegraph, no heliograph, no arsenal. Modern implements of +war they have been able to obtain only in late years and then in meagre +quantities, even then only by capture or at exorbitant rates. The Indian +has proved himself a redoubtable and masterful foe. For more than three +hundred years millions of civilized white people have fought a bitter +battle with three hundred thousand red men. During all these tragic years +the nations of the world have moved on to discovery, subjugation, and +conquest. Nation has taken up arms against nation. England, France, and +Spain have put a rim of colonies about the globe. Our own great civil +struggle has been written down on the pages of history with letters of +blood. England, France, Spain, and the United States have during this +period tried their prowess with these less than three hundred thousand +braves and only now has the decimation become complete. No such striking +example of endurance, power of resistance, and consummate generalship has +been recorded in the annals of time. Sitting-Bull, Red Cloud, +Looking-Glass, Chief Joseph, Two Moons, Grass, Rain-in-the-Face, American +Horse, Spotted Tail, and Chief Gall are names that would add lustre to any +military page in the world’s history. Had they been leaders in any one of +the great armies of the nation they would have ranked conspicuously as +master captains. The Indian, deprived of the effectiveness of supplies +and modern armament, found his strongest weapon in the oratory of the +council lodge. Here, without any written or established code of laws, +without the power of the press and the support of public sentiment, +absolutely exiled from all communication with civilized resources, unaided +and alone, their orators presented the affairs of the moment to the +assembled tribe, swaying the minds and wills of their fellows into +concerted and heroic action. The wonderful imagery of the Indian +orator—an imagery born of his baptism into the spirit of nature—his love +of his kind, and the deathless consciousness of the justice of his cause +made his oratory more resistless than the rattle of Gatling guns, and also +formed a model for civilized speech. It was an oratory that enabled a few +scattering tribes to withstand the aggressions of four great nations of +the world for a period of several centuries, and to successfully withstand +the tramping columns of civilization. The science and art of Indian +warfare would take volumes to compass. His strategy and statesmanship +compelled victory. He was almost always assured of victory before he +proceeded to battle. He knew no fear. A thousand lives would have been a +small gift had he the power to lay them on the altar of his cause. He +pitted the perfection of details against the wily strategy of his own +colour and the pompous superiority of the white man’s tactics. On the +trail care was taken to cover up or obliterate his footprints. When a +fire became necessary he burned fine dry twigs so that the burning of +green boughs would not lift to the wind an odour of fire, nor carry a +trail of smoke. He conceived and carried out a wonderful deception in +dress. In winter a band of warriors were painted white. They rode white +horses and their war dress was all of it made of the plainest white so +that a group of warriors, stationed on the brow of a hill, would appear in +the distance like a statuesque boulder clad in snow. This disguise also +enabled them to come with stealthy step upon wild game. In autumn their +horses were painted yellow and they wore a garb of yellow so that fringing +the edge of the forest they could not be distinguished from the leaves of +the dying year. The blue-green of the sagebrush, so conspicuously +omnipresent on the prairies, furnished the Indian with another helpful +form of disguise. He would almost completely disrobe and paint his face, +his arms, and his hair, as well as the body of his horse, exactly the +colour of the sagebrush; and when scouting, after their crouching fashion, +among the clusters of sagebrush, or riding in the distance along the +verdure-covered banks of a stream, the disguise would be so absolutely +complete that detection became a difficult task. It was an ingenious and +artistic display of war talent. + + [Answering the Smoke Signal] + + Answering the Smoke Signal + + +We are led to wonder often concerning the Indian’s passion for his coup +stick (pronounced coo). This rod, bedecked with eagle feathers and his +own colour scheme, is the Indian’s badge of empire. It is the “Victoria +Cross” of his deeds of valour. In battle he rushes amid his foes, touches +the enemy with his coup stick—that man is his prisoner, and he has counted +a coup. He slays an enemy, then rushes up and touches him with the stick, +takes his scalp; another coup is counted. The credit of victory was taken +for three brave deeds: killing an enemy, scalping an enemy, or being the +first to strike an enemy, alive or dead; any one of these entitles a man +to rank as a warrior and to recount his exploit in public; but to be the +first to touch an enemy is regarded as the bravest deed of all, as it +implied close approach in battle. In the last Great Indian Council and on +the journey home the attention of the writer was called to the prominence +given to the coup stick. They are present at all ceremonial functions and +are carried on all ceremonial parades. The warrior who can strike a tepee +of the enemy in a charge upon a home camp thus counted coup upon it and is +entitled to reproduce its particular design in the next new tepee which he +made for his own use, and to perpetuate the pattern in his family. The +eagle feathers on the stick can only be placed there after the warrior has +counted his coup, recounted it in public, and the deed has met with the +approval of all the warriors. The eagle, the proudest and most victorious +of birds, then yielded a feather, which is deftly fastened with a circle +of shining beads to the stick, and the proud victor flaunts another emblem +of his bravery. + + [The Attack on the Camp] + + The Attack on the Camp + + +The buffalo, once the king of the prairies, has been practically +exterminated. Perhaps no greater grief has ever entered into the life of +the Indian than this wilful waste and irreparable loss. To this hour the +Indian mourns the going away of the buffalo. He cannot be reconciled. He +dates every joyful and profitable event in his life to the days of the +buffalo. In the assembly of chiefs at the last Great Council the buffalo +was the burden of every reminiscence. These veteran chiefs studied with +melancholy eyes the old buffalo trails, and in contemplation of the days +of the chase they said, as they thought backward, “My heart is lonely and +my spirit cries.” So much did they love the buffalo that the Indian +children played hunting the buffalo. The animal furnished food and +clothing, and many parts of the stalwart frame they counted as sacred. +The annihilation of these vast herds aroused the darkest passions in the +heart of the Indian, and many times stirred his war spirit and sent him +forth to do battle against the aggressors. Within the nine years between +1874 and 1883 over eight millions of buffalo were ruthlessly slain. But +the war curtain of the Indian has been rung down, and the vast area which +twoscore years ago supported these vast herds of wild game is covered +to-day with domestic animals and teems with agricultural life, furnishing +food supplies for millions upon millions all over the civilized world. + + [Buffalo Thundered Across the Plains] + + Buffalo Thundered Across the Plains + + + + + [An Indian Home] + + An Indian Home + + + HIS HOME LIFE + + +Far stretches of prairie, winding watercourses, leagues of white desert +with only the clouds in the sky and the shadow of the clouds on the +blistering sand, an army of buttes and crags, storm carved, forests whose +primeval stillness mocks the calendar of man, the haunts of the eagle, the +antelope, the deer and the buffalo—and the edge of the curtain is lifted +on the land where the Indian roamed and where he made his home. + +Game has been found, a semi-circle of cone-shaped tepees dot the green of +the plain; a stream, tree-fringed, fresh from the mountains, flows by the +camp—a camp that in earlier times was pitched upon some tableland as an +outlook for the enemy, white or red. Horses are browsing near at hand or +far afield; old warriors and medicine men sit in the shade and smoke the +long-stemmed, red sandstone pipe, and tell of the days of yore. Gayly +clad figures dart hither and yon as the women are bent upon their tasks. +Great loads of wood are brought into camp on an Indian woman’s back. She +carries water from the river, bakes the cake, upturned against the fire, +boils the coffee and then all are seated on the ground when they partake +of jerked beef, coffee, bread, and berries. Hands are better than knives +and forks, one cup answers for many, and the strip of dried beef is passed +along that all may cut off his desired portion. A noisy, gleeful group of +children play with their dolls and their dogs—dogs that are made to serve +as beasts of burden and instruments of torture. At night beds are made on +the ground around the interior circle of the tepee and the chill of frost +is driven out by a fire in the very centre—the most perfectly ventilated +structure in the world—the air passing underneath the edge of the tepee in +the loop where it is tied at the bottom of the poles, then passing on out +through the opening at the top, carrying with it all dust and smoke. The +Indian never knew anything about tuberculosis until the white man confined +him in log cabins where a score of people live in one room, the cracks and +keyhole entirely filled, and where they breath each other over times +without number. Within the tepee the chief has the place of honour. A +rest is made with supports like an easel. A lattice-work of slender willow +rods passed down the front, which is covered by a long strip of buffalo +hide. Against this the chief rests. Each member of the family has his +allotted place inside the lodge and he may decorate his own section +according to ability or fancy. Here the warrior hangs his war-bonnet and +sometimes records his achievements in the chase or on the warpath. Lying +all about the circle are many highly coloured parflesche bags containing +the minor details of dress or any personal possession. Many of the tepees +in an Indian village are embellished with Indian paintings setting forth +the heroic deeds of the warriors who abide in the lodge. The figures are +often grotesque and without parallel in the realm of art. The medicine is +given a conspicuous place in the lodge. No one sits or lies down on the +side of the tepee where they have placed the medicine of the household, +and when they pass it on entering or leaving the lodge all heads are +bowed. The medicine tepee is distinct from all others. It is painted a +maroon, with a moon in green surrounded by a yellow circle. The medicine +of the ordinary Indian family is hung over the entrance of the doorway or +suspended on a pole, and may consist of a wolf skin or a dark blanket +rolled in oblong fashion containing the sacred tokens of the family. +Every Indian family takes pride in the ownership of a bevy of dogs. They +are rich in dogs. In our camp of about thirty tepees a reliable Indian +estimated that there were over three hundred dogs. These canines have +free run of the lodge, and at night they crawl in under the edge of the +canvas and sleep by their Indian master. Let an intruder enter the camp +during the hours of darkness and they rush out simultaneously, howling +like a pack of wolves until one might think the bowels of the earth had +given forth an eruption of dogs. The Indian warrior makes a companion of +his dog, and he can show no greater hospitality to a guest than to kill +his favourite friend and serve his visitor with dog soup. To refuse this +diet is an insult most vital. + + [An Indian Burden Bearer] + + An Indian Burden Bearer + + +The Indian woman is master of the lodge. She carries the purse. Any +money that comes into the hands of the husband is immediately handed over. +The servile tasks of the camp are performed by the women. Herein we have +an expression of the law of equality. The husband has to perform the +exhausting and dangerous task of hunting wild game for food and the skins +for clothing. He had to protect the camp against hostile attacks, and the +woman felt that her task was easy in comparison. The Indian child rules +the family. They are rarely, if ever, corrected. No Indian mother was +ever known to strike her child. If they want anything they cry until they +get it—and they know how to cry. In play they are as mirthful and +boisterous as any white child. They ride mock horses, and play mud ball. +The Indian boy prepares willow sticks, peels off the bark, then rolls the +wet clay into balls, and, sticking the ball on the end of the twig, he +throws it at a mark with great speed and accuracy. Perhaps the most +popular sport among the children is what they term the stick game. Again +willow rods are used without the bark, only this time they are cut short +enough to be rigid, and they drive them with great velocity up an inclined +board. When the stick leaves the board it speeds like an arrow far in the +distance. Every Indian boy and girl owns a pony, from which they are +almost inseparable, and which they ride with fearless abandon. + + [An Indian Woman’s Dress—Mrs. Wolf Plume] + + An Indian Woman’s Dress—Mrs. Wolf Plume + + +While men are off in search of game the women make bead work of a most +bewitching order, meanwhile watching the pappoose, fastened completely in +its wooden bead-covered cradle, only the head protruding. The cradle is +hung from a lodge pole or the bough of a tree, rattles and bells playing +in the breeze. Other women gather in the shade and play the game of plum +stone, a gambling game. They use the stones of the wild plum, which they +colour with fanciful devices, and toss them up in a wooden bowl. + + [The Flower of the Wigwam] + + The Flower of the Wigwam + + +The wooing of Indian lovers varies with the tribes. One pair of lovers +seal their vows by standing a little removed from the parental lodge, with +a blanket covering their heads. In another tribe the negotiations are +made entirely through the parents, when the transaction resolves itself +into a barter, so many ponies for a bride; while in still another tribe, +when a love fancy strikes a young man, he arranges to meet the young woman +who has attracted him as she goes to the river for water. They pass each +other in the path without any recognition. This occurs two or three +times. Finally if the young girl welcomes these attentions she looks +toward him as they pass. That night he comes to the lodge of her parents, +remains outside, beating a tomtom and singing the love song. The young +girl then goes out to meet him and they sit outside and talk. The next +morning the mother asks her daughter about the affair, and then the mother +invites the young man to come and dine with them and sit around the +campfire. Thus the courtship proceeds until he finally says, “I will take +this girl for my wife,” and the two go to their own lodge. The Indian has +an unwritten code of family morals to which he most rigidly adheres. In +some tribes no Indian will cross the threshold of another if the wife of +that man is alone, and in others no brother goes into the house where his +sister is unless she has a companion. This is an ancient law and belongs +to many tribes. The Crows have an eccentric custom that a sister after +marriage is not allowed to be seen in public with her brother. Should an +Indian alienate the affections of the wife of another Indian or steal his +horse the injured one would be justified in taking his rifle and killing +the offender. The whole camp would sanction the action on the ground that +it would rid the camp of bad blood. + + [Little Friends] + + Little Friends + + +The Indian’s civility and hospitality, both to his own kind and to +strangers, has been a marked feature of his character from the coming of +the white man to the present day. When Columbus touched the shores of the +New World the friendly Caribs gave him hearty welcome. The heart’s right +hand of fellowship was stretched out in welcome and hospitality as +explorers and settlers landed on American soil. Dignity, generosity, and +courtesy marked the attitude of the Indian toward these new white +strangers. The character generally attributed to the Indian is that of a +savage, but this blemish came upon him through contact with the white man. +Their ingenuous and trustful nature quickly degenerated as they were +enslaved, betrayed, and slain. Advantage was taken of their ignorance and +kindness. Then came on a race war unparalleled in ferocity and barbarism. +The inexorable march of civilization regardless of ethics swept on until +we heard the Indians’ war cry and failed to see the diviner grace of +friendship. The Indian returned with interest every injury and hardship, +every bitter assault and wicked aggression. He paid in full all accounts +in the coin of pitiless revenge. These shadows obliterate our thought of +him as courtier and hospitable host. The Indian will divide his last +crust and then go hungry himself that you may have his half of the crust. +Had it not been for Indian generosity in furnishing supplies of food, the +early settlers in both New England and Virginia must have perished with +hunger. Every guest entering an Indian wigwam is met by all the graces of +hospitality—in cordial greeting—in a splendid home feeling. + + [A Bath in the Little Big Horn] + + A Bath in the Little Big Horn + + +Indian trails are no longer worn deep through the prairie sod, they have +been growing ever more dim and indistinct. It is to-day, the “thin red +line,” a swift gathering of all that is left, in the gloaming, after the +sunset. + + + + + + [The Crown of Eagle Feathers] + + The Crown of Eagle Feathers + + +THE STORY OF THE CHIEFS + + +The American mind could conceive a republic but not an Indian. America +could conquer the Old World and rise redeemed and victorious when rent by +the awful whirlwind of internal strife. But the red man defied her. His +call rang across the plain like an autumn storm through the forests, and +his fellow red men answered like clustering leaves. History shudders at +the tale. Now look over the shoulder. When the fiery tongue of the +Revolution blazed into the undying speech of liberty, Madison, Mason, +Patrick Henry, and Edmund Randolph uttered their declaration that like a +sunbeam has been written upon every page of the nation’s history: “All men +are by nature equally free and have inherent rights—namely, the enjoyment +of life and liberty, with the means of acquiring and possessing property +and pursuing and obtaining happiness and safety.” Upon the inviolability +of this sublime doctrine the early colonists fought for liberty, and the +nation flung a battle line more than two thousand miles long, and engaged +at arms over two millions of men, in order to procure liberty for another +race. Once again, set each luminous word in this declaration over against +the disposition and destiny that we have imposed upon the North American +Indian. And then picture these famous Indian chiefs, gathered from many +widely scattered wigwams; hear again and for the last time a life story +that rounds itself out into an epic of sorrow; listen for the heavy +footfalls of departing greatness; watch the grim faces, sternly set toward +the western sky rim, heads still erect, eagle feathers, emblems of +victory, moving proudly into the twilight, and a long, solitary peal of +distant thunder joining the refrain of the soul—and it is night. + + [Warriors of Other Days] + + Warriors of Other Days + + + + + [Chief Plenty Coups] + + Chief Plenty Coups + + +Chief Plenty Coups + + +Chief Plenty Coups, chief of the Crow Nation, was exalted to the head of +all the Crows because of his untarnished valour on the field of battle, +because of the supremacy of his statesmanship, and his loyalty to the +interests of his tribe. He derived his name, “many coups,” from the fact +that he was able to add eagle feather after eagle feather to his coup +stick, counting coups in victory. When a lad of sixteen his brother was +killed by the Sioux. The boy, bewildered with grief, climbed for two +days, struggling to reach the summit of some high peak in the Crazy +Mountains, there to give vent to his grief and pray for revenge. While he +prayed to the sun he mutilated his body. Upon those lonely heights, never +before desecrated by human footsteps, he dedicated his life to battle. +Before he was twenty-six he had counted a coup of each kind and was made a +chief, and named “Many Achievements.” At sixty-three years of age he +stands as erect as a solitary pine on a lonely hill crest. He has the +bearing and dignity of a royal prince and wears his honours and war dress +with all the pride and courtliness of a patrician. He glories in the fact +that from his earliest days he has never fought the white man, but his +life has been a long series of conflicts with other Indian nations. +Before the white man ever placed his footsteps upon Indian soil his days +were filled with struggle in warding off the blows of hostile tribes who +sought the women and the horses of his own people. Then, to use his own +expression: “The Great Father ordered that we should stop fighting and +live in peace, and since that time we have had allotments of land, schools +have been built for the education of our children, and as an illustration +of the feelings of my heart to-day, I am at peace with all the tribes, +they are all my brothers, and I meet them all as one man. I shall live +for my country and shall remain in peace, as I feel peaceful toward my +country.” The reign of this great chief over his tribe is one of +benignity and beneficence. He is greatly concerned in his last days to +raise up young men who shall know the rights and opportunities of his +people and who shall thus have influence at Washington, which he has many +times visited and where he is always welcome. The smile of Chief Plenty +Coups is worth crossing many miles of prairie to see. It was eminently +fitting that this great chief on the grounds of his own Indian tribe +should receive the chiefs attending the last Great Indian Council. + + [The Peaceful Camp] + + The Peaceful Camp + + + + + [Chief Red Whip] + + Chief Red Whip + + +Chief Red Whip (1) + + +Chief Red Whip is considered by his tribe as one of the greatest of the +old hunters and warriors. The varying fortunes of the Gros Ventres, the +strenuous war career of this noted chief, have ploughed deep furrows and +written serious lines in his face. He is too old a man at fifty-five, but +wounds and scars and battle rush age upon any man. + +Chief Red Whip said to me: “The greatest event in my life was my fight +with the Sioux in the Little Rocky Mountains. There were eleven Crows and +three Gros Ventres in our band; our leader was a Crow. There were about +one hundred and thirty Sioux. We were making the ascent of the Little +Rockies, and my friends went down into the ravine to shoot some buffalo. +While they were down there shooting the buffalo and cutting them up the +leader sent me to do scout work. While I was up on the hills I saw the +Sioux sneaking up to where we had killed the buffalo. I ran down at once +to my friends and told them. We went back a little ways and made a fort +and got ready to fight. I was painted yellow and red and was naked. When +the fort was finished I went myself, taking two others with me, to find +out the location of the Sioux. We went right up to where I saw them last. +I could tell by their tracks that there were a great many of them. I went +up a little ridge that divided our band from the Sioux, and just as I +stuck my head up above the grass they all fired at me, about a hundred +guns, but they did not hit me. When my friends heard the firing they came +to where I was, and we went right down on the Sioux, and the Sioux came at +us, and we had a fight for a few minutes at close quarters. After we had +a short fight we rushed right on to the Sioux and they retreated. The +Sioux had to go up a hill and we wounded some and killed others. After +the Sioux had got up the hill I was the first one to get to a man who was +killed. I scalped him and claimed everything he had. After the Sioux +found out that we were only a small band they rushed down upon us and we +retreated to where we had made the fort. Inside this fort there were two +Crows killed with one bullet. The leader of the Sioux band was Chief +Flying Cloud. I found out afterward who he was. It was Flying Cloud that +we killed coming up the hill; he was trying to protect his band. When we +were in the fort the Sioux people surrounded us. After the two Crows were +killed the leader of our band became scared. I jumped out of the fort and +led the way for my band. We ran the Sioux back to the Little Rockies, and +then I told my friends to escape. As we retreated the Sioux pursued us. +One Sioux was in advance and called upon me to stop, and as I stopped he +fired at me but missed me, and then I fired and killed him. The Sioux +then rushed on me so that I could not scalp the Sioux I had killed. We +ran on into the mountains and escaped into another fort. In this last +fort one of the Gros Ventres was shot and wounded. After we had rested a +while the Sioux surrounded us again, and I rushed out at the Sioux so that +my friends might escape again. While we were retreating again the Sioux +shot one of the Gros Ventres through the leg, and he had to crawl on his +hands and knees. I stayed with this wounded man, and the rest made their +escape. I took this man on my back and carried him to some water at the +head of a coulee. This Gros Ventre told me to go on and make my escape +and leave him alone to die. While we were resting in the weeds at the +washout the Sioux surrounded us again and waited for us to show ourselves. +While we were waiting my wounded friend gave me his knife and paint and +told me to tell his mother that she might have all his horses; then I +jumped out and ran to catch up with my friends. After I had left my +wounded friend about a quarter of a mile I looked back to see how the +Sioux would treat him. There was one shot fired, and they all jumped into +the washout, and then I made my escape. This gave me a great name in my +tribe and among the Sioux and the Crows.” + + [The Pause in the Journey] + + The Pause in the Journey + + +“Once on Tongue River there was a white soldier of the United States +troops whom the Indians called Bear Shirt; he wore long hair like Custer. +I was with him scouting for him. We called him Bear Shirt because he used +to wear a bear coat. We came upon a band of Sioux, and there was a fight. +This was a long fight, and there were many killed on both sides. In this +fight when the Sioux got the best of the soldiers and the soldiers +retreated, I stayed behind to protect them. The soldiers were so tired +they could not run, and the Sioux killed off those who were too tired to +run. I remained in the rear to protect them until they came to the main +body of troops. When we were rested we went back to the main body of the +Sioux and had another long fight and fought until sundown. There were a +great many killed on both sides. We camped right where we quit fighting. +The next morning we started to fight again and fought all day; again many +were killed on both sides. The next day we went over the two battlefields +and gathered up the dead soldiers and buried them. These battles were on +Tongue River. After we had buried the soldiers I came back with the rest +of the troops as far as the Yellowstone, and then went home.” And yet +such heroisms wrought out in lonely mountain fastnesses or on sun-parched +plains will go unhonoured and unsung. + + + + + [Chief Timbo] + + Chief Timbo + + +Chief Timbo + + +Chief Timbo, known as Tah-cha-chi, or Hairless, ranks as one of the +leading chiefs of the Comanche Indians. With his stature of more than six +feet, he is a commanding figure among any Indians. The portrait of Timbo +reveals the striking difference to be found in the physiognomy of the +southern tribes as compared with the northern tribes of the Plains +Indians. In the photogravure presented Chief Timbo holds a long +steel-headed spear, girdled with varicoloured beads, ornamented with great +tufts of eagle feathers, and at the end of its ten feet of length bearing +a picturesque plume. This staff descended to Timbo from Quanah Parker, +once the leading chief of the Comanches. Chief Timbo brought this +insignia of office from the southland to the council of the chiefs. In +his own tribe the possession of such a mace answers among the Indians for +the sceptre of a monarch. It is a coup stick with manifold emphasis. +Chief Timbo accompanied the Kiowa, Cheyenne, and Apache chiefs to the +council. They came as brothers, but no fierce fighting among these +warlike tribes found a stronger or more fearless foe in the days gone by +than this stalwart chief. In the assembly of the chiefs he moved among +his fellows with a solemn and ponderous dignity, always silent and full of +commanding reserve. In the battles that raged over the southern plains +even far to the north, between the Comanches and the fierce Kiowas, Chief +Timbo led his fighting bands to certain victory. Fierce blood runs in the +veins of this masterful man, and only within recent years, and then not +easily, has he submitted to Government rule. + + [The Downward Trail] + + The Downward Trail + + + + + [Chief Apache John] + + Chief Apache John + + +Chief Apache John + + +The very name Apache means enemy and stands on the pages of all Indian +history as a synonym for terror. Since our knowledge of them, the Apaches +have been hostile and in every conflict they were favoured with rare and +gifted leadership. It required the skill, strategy, and profoundest +generalship of two of the greatest generals of the Civil War to subdue and +capture the daring and reckless Geronimo, whose recent death closed the +final chapter of a long line of unspeakable Apache atrocities. +Koon-kah-za-chy, familiarly known as Apache John, because of his surrender +to civilization, visited the last Great Indian Council as a representative +of one of the many groups of this great body of Indians scattered through +the southwest. There is an indefinable air of stoicism in the demeanour +of all of these great chieftains. The subject of this text is not lacking +in this prominent Indian element. A keen and piercing eye, a sadly kind +face, a tall and erect figure, Apache John bears his sixty years of life +with broad and unbending shoulders. He was fond of becoming reminiscent +and said: “The first thing I can remember is my father telling me about +war. We then lived in tepees like the one in which we are now sitting. +We were then moving from place to place, and the old people were +constantly talking about war. That was the school in which I was brought +up—a war school. We kept on moving from place to place until I grew to +manhood. Then I came to see a real battle. The first time I was in a +battle I thought of what my father had told me. He told me to be a brave +man and fight and never run away. I think this was good fighting, because +I know what fighting meant from what my father had told me. At that time +if an Indian wanted to win distinction he must be a good man as well as a +good fighter. I was in a good many battles, until finally I had to give +up fighting. About seven years ago the Government gave me advice, and +with that advice they gave me different thoughts, and to-day I am one of +the head men among the Apaches. I am head chief among the Kiowa-Apaches +and I counsel peace among them. I used to think that my greatest honour +was to be won in fighting, but when I visited the Commissioner in +Washington he gave me other thoughts and other ways of thinking and doing +until I felt that the new kind of life was the better. When the +Commissioner told me these things I wrote them down in my mind and I +thought that it was good. One of the greatest events in my life was when +I found myself surrounded by two tribes of my enemies. This fight was by +the El Paso River, and the bands of our enemies wore yellow headgear; the +fight continued all day long until about five o’clock, when the Apaches +were victorious.” + +By long and stubborn tutelage both from his father and the members of his +tribe, this boy was taught the war spirit and in manhood he exemplified +it. The principles of peace taught him in one short hour at Washington +changed the whole tenor of his life: a pathetic commentary on what +civilization might have accomplished with the Indian. + + [Climbing the Great Divide] + + Climbing the Great Divide + + + + + [Chief Running Bird] + + Chief Running Bird + + +Chief Running Bird + + +Ta-ne-haddle, Chief Running Bird, is an eminent leader of the Kiowa tribe +now located in Oklahoma. His massive frame, lion-like head, and dignified +bearing show few of the marks of the more than threescore years written +upon his life. His very walk betokens supremacy and his constant demeanour +assumes a spirit of generalship. His large head is set directly upon his +shoulders, which seems to give no neck-play for his voice, which issues in +harsh and guttural tones. + +“In the old times when the Indians used to live in tepees like this,” he +said, “when I was about eighteen years old, I began to go out with war +parties. I have been in many wars, and lived in tents and tepees and +moved from one place to another, and all this time I kept in good health. +I remember a fight we had where there were thirty-eight Indians against +four tribes. The battle began late in the evening and while the fight was +raging high I thought I would never escape with my life. The enemy +pressed us hotly, and finally we killed one of the chiefs, and then the +Indians turned and left, and that saved our lives.” + +The construction of our Indian camp on the banks of the Little Horn +awakened in this man, as it did in all the Indians, a disposition to turn +back to primitive conditions. Running Bird said: “I was very glad to come +here and see the old-time tepees, the kind of tepees our fathers used to +live in. I grew up to manhood myself in this kind of a tepee, and I had +good health, and now when they give us a house to live in I am not healthy +at all. The reason we cannot have good health in a house is because the +Great Father gave us tepees to live in where we have plenty of air; we +feel smothered in a house. When I came out and sleep in a tepee I can +sleep a great deal better. I am getting old now, and am getting up in +years, and all I wish at the present time is for my children to grow up +industrious and work, because they cannot get honour in the war as I used +to get it. They can only get honour by working hard. I cannot teach my +children the way my father taught me, that the way to get honour was to go +to war, but I can teach my children that the way to get honour is to go to +work and be good men and women. I shall go home and tell the other +Indians and our agent about you.” + +And thus out of his gruff, austere, and soldier-like personality there +issued words of a plain, homely philosophy that marks the path of success +for all men. “The way to get honour is to go to work and be good men and +women.” + + [Chiefs Fording the Little Bighorn] + + Chiefs Fording the Little Bighorn + + + + + [Chief Brave Bear] + + Chief Brave Bear + + +Chief Brave Bear + + +Brave Bear, in the language of the Cheyennes, of whom he is head chief, is +Ni-go High-ez, Ni-go meaning bear, and High-ez, brave. This name he has +kept to the standard on many a hard-fought field, and in helping to +reconstruct his tribe in the ways of civilization. He is tactful and +courteous, and his smile resembles the sunlight breaking a path across a +darkened sheet of water; it is the most winsome that I have seen for years +on the face of any man. + +Showing the Indian’s long continued aversion to any speech regarding the +Custer battle, Brave Bear said: “I was in the battle of the Little Big +Horn. The Indians called the General ‘Long Hair.’ It is a fight that I do +not like to talk about.” + +Just here it may be well to carry in our minds the distinction between the +Northern and Southern Cheyennes. When the tribe was a compact whole they +were constantly pressed farther into the plains by the hostile Sioux and +established themselves on the upper branches of the Platte River. In +consequence of the building of Bent’s Ford upon the upper Arkansas in +Colorado, a large part of the tribe decided to move south, the other +section moving north to the Yellow-stone. The two sections of the one +tribe have since been known officially as the Northern and Southern +Cheyennes. Ever and again the Southern branch of the tribe came to the +far north to help their brothers when in conflict. This may account for +Brave Bear being present with the Northern Cheyennes in the Custer fight. +Then came the story of Brave Bear concerning one of the battles in the +south. “There is,” he said, “a Cheyenne called ‘Tall Bear’; he was the +head man at the time we began to fight down on the Platte River. From that +hard battle we were returning home. In front of us there were a lot of +soldiers camped, and some of the Pawnee scouts were with the soldiers. We +thought they were Pawnee tents, but when we came close enough we saw it +was a soldier camp, and they fired upon us and pursued us. That day we +kept on fighting, and they killed three of us. It was a great fight, and +it still remains with me when I think about it.” + +“I like the white man’s way of living to-day better, because I feel that +when the new day comes everything else is new, and the things of the white +man grow new with every day. I try to do as our agent directs. I have +never had any trouble with him.” + +There is a touch of humanness about these tall, graceful, feather-bedecked +men, willingly assuming the role of children, that they may learn the +better ways of the white man. The hard ideals of the warpath are all +merged in pursuing the path of peace. + + [Skirting the Sky-Line] + + Skirting the Sky-Line + + + + + [Chief Umapine] + + Chief Umapine + + +Chief Umapine + + +This eminent chief of the Cayuse tribe of Umatilla Indians, located in +northern Oregon, resembles in stature the graceful outlines of a forest +pine. A commanding figure, six feet two inches in height, noble and +dignified in bearing, quiet and reserved in manner, he creates an +atmosphere of intellectuality. His speech is sparkling and eloquent. His +face wears the soul-mark of serenity and triumph. As he stood against the +living green of the forest, clad in the rich Indian raiment of his tribe, +wolfskin, gray with the tinge of the prairies, otterskin, smooth and dark +like the velvet of moss, myriads of ermine tails glistening white in the +sunlight, glimmering beads from necklace to moccasins, flaunting eagle +feathers tipped with orange and crimson tassels, that must have floated in +many a sky, all gave to this man the appearance of some god of the forest +who had just come forth from its primeval depths bringing with him the +laurels of wood and mountain crag and sky, some king standing on the edge +of the wood amazed at the flatness and tameness of the valley and plains. +Umapine stood there the embodiment and glorification of Indian manners, +costume, and tradition, a vivid picture of Indian life and story. The +waymarks of such a life are, always tense with interest: they are more so +as he points them out himself. We will let him tell his own story: + +“It was the custom among my people to narrate to their children the +history of the past and they narrated to me that my tribe had learned to +make clothing from furs which were gotten from animals, and this clothing +was comfortable during the winter time as well as in the summer time. +There is still some of this clothing remaining among older Indians of my +tribe. My understanding is that all the Indians in this part of the +country used animal furs and skins for clothing. The old Indians believed +in those days that they had the best kind of clothing, but they do not +feel that it would be right at the present time to dress that way, as the +Indians of to-day are more civilized. Yet the clothes that we have now +are derived from animals. We get fur from animals, and our blankets and +clothes are made from animals. From that point I cannot say which I like +the better. I like the clothing of civilized people as far as I can see. +The white man’s clothing is fit for men to wear. I like to wear his +clothes very well, but I also like to wear the clothing my people used to +wear in the olden time, but I do not like to wear it now on account of my +friends the white people, who live with me. I remember when I was a small +boy I used to see so many wagon trains going west. I knew these were +white people, but at that time I did not know where they were going. I +saw these wagons going through nearly the whole summer, and my folks told +me these people were going west and were to live there, and that I must +not injure them in any way, and that I must have respect for them, because +they were always kind to my folks. And I was instructed later to respect +these people, and so I did. Furthermore, my grandfather lived on a river +called Walla Walla. Many white people came to that place and put up their +tents and lived there, and also there was some kind of other people which +we have found were French. My grandfather had a great respect for these +white people as well as his own tribe, and thought very much of them and +tried to help them get along. As soon as the other tribes learned there +were some white people living near my grandfather’s place, there was a +great gathering of the tribes to meet these white folks who were living on +the river. I have it in my heart to always remember what my folks told +me, and when I grew old enough to know I had respect for these white +people as well as my own tribe, and to-day my heart is just the same as it +was in those days. Furthermore, I have respect for any kind of people; it +does not make any difference to me from what part of the country they +come. It does not make any difference whether I don’t understand their +language, but I always have respect for any kind of people who come to +this land, and to-day I am sitting here in a strange country and I am +worrying about my property in my own country, but at the same time I am +rejoicing in the work that Mr. Dixon is doing here, and I highly +congratulate him in this work. The work he is doing here to-day is work +that may never be done any more after this, and I have a great respect for +him this day because he is taking these photographs of my friends whom I +meet here at this place, and whom I will never see any more. I rejoice to +meet my own class of people who are coming here now. They all come from +different parts of the United States. I cannot speak their language nor +can I understand them all, but I do all I can to talk with them; and you, +too, Mr. Valentine, I am thinking of you as I am here talking with Mr. +Dixon, and at the same time I am rejoicing just as he has opened my eyes +and I hope that we will get along well. I am going to say I have respect +for the people you send to this country. I see that they have two eyes, +they have two ears, two limbs, two feet, and fingers as I have, but we all +have one head and one heart; we all breathe the same air and we stand on +the earth as brothers. The only difference between myself and the white +man is that his complexion is lighter than mine.” + +“I have a great love for you, President Taft, although I never saw your +face, or never listened to any of your talk, but I know what you want, and +I find you are greatly interested in the Indian, and so I am sitting here +and giving the history of the Indian life, which will be a great benefit +to you, and also benefit the people who are coming in later years. This +evening I am rejoicing here, and I feel just as if you were present with +this gentleman, and I feel just as if I were about to talk with you.” + + [Down the Western Slope] + + Down the Western Slope + + +We may pass on now to some events in the life of Umapine. Again he must +speak for himself: “When I grew old enough to know something, I saw my +folks digging potatoes and onions, and gathering corn; these they got from +the white people the summer before. The Indians used to plant these every +year, and when the emigrants went through and asked for a little my folks +used to give them all they could spare. There came a time when the +Indians and the white people had a war. I did not feel like interfering +or trying to make any trouble, so I did not go to the war at that time. +Some years after that the Indians had a fight among themselves, and I +participated in that war. The Sioux Indians used to ride all over this +country, and they stole horses from my tribe. When my people learned that +their horses were stolen, they started on the warpath. We overtook the +Sioux with the horses along about 3 P.M. as near as I can remember; we did +not have watches in those days, and I think it was about that time. We +killed four of the Sioux Indians and recovered our horses, the Sioux only +killing one Nez Perce who was with us. I remember another war that +happened not very long ago. These were Indians from the southern part of +Oregon. They were on the warpath and had started up north and killed many +sheep herders and farmers, and killed their children and destroyed their +houses—burned them up. They came to our country and began to burn up the +houses of the white farmers. These Indians came into our agency. Major +Conyer, Uncle Sam’s man, was agent at that time. I think he died last +April. The Indians then met Uncle Sam’s men about a mile and a half south +of the agency, and we Indians were watching to see if the soldiers would +be driven back by these Indians; we were ready to help Uncle Sam’s men. +The hostile Indians headed down to our camp, and when we saw them coming +toward our camp we at once knew that they wanted us to get into the mixup +so that we would be on the warpath as well as themselves, but all of our +men got their weapons and we met these Bannock Indians and chased them +back to the hills. At that time there were a few cavalrymen and the rest +was infantry. All the Indians were on horseback, and the infantry could +not very well keep up. We took after these Indians, but did not kill many +of them, as most of them had a good start. The same evening we were +requested to go with Uncle Sam’s men that we might overtake these Indians +and capture them if possible. The next morning we found that we were in +advance of the enemy, and just as the sun rose two Indians on horseback +came direct to where we were. We immediately got our arms ready and met +these two Indians; one of them got so excited that he jumped off his horse +and started to run for the timber, leaving his horse behind him. As he +took to the thick brush we fired at him. I had a fast horse and was close +behind him. I jumped off my horse and ran after him on foot. I found him +lying wounded, and watched him a little while and he died. He had a very +nice belt which I took and put around my waist. Meanwhile the rest of the +people had the other Indian captured; he had been also wounded. Later on +we saw a band of these Indians coming up direct to where we were. They +had their pack animals with them. We took after them and tried to capture +every one of them, but they had already seen us, and rode away for a +canyon, where there was some thick brush. I saw one old woman—I thought +she was an old woman—but I was mistaken, for when I overtook the Indian a +man jumped off his horse and got behind a tree. When I saw my mistake, it +was too late to stop my horse. I was but a few feet away from him at that +time. He shot at me once and missed me. I was lucky that time or I would +not be telling this story now, if he had been a better shot than that. My +horse gave a big jump just as he fired at me and I kept on going, as I +knew there were some more Indians close behind me who would capture the +old man, and I went on after the rest of the Indians. Just as I came to a +little opening I saw two Indians on horseback, and one Indian lying down +on the ground; he was wounded. When I got there I learned that this +Indian was a good friend of ours. I just left him there wounded. After +we left I told the other two Indians: ‘This man has been on the warpath, +and if he had a chance to kill us he would.’ So I turned back and +finished his life and scalped him. My tribe captured many of those +people, and I was presented with a fine animal that one of the hostile +Indians had been riding. That was the only time I ever scouted for Uncle +Sam”. + +With sublime pathos, Umapine referred to the old days of the buffalo. He +said: “I have hunted buffalo in this country many times. I feel lonesome +since the buffalo have been driven away. In the old days the Indians +killed the buffalo with bows and arrows; they did not have any guns as +they have now, and needed a fast horse to overtake these animals. A man +might think they could not run fast, but he would find out he could not +overtake them with an ordinary horse. My people used to hunt buffalo in +this part of the country, and while on the way over here I could see +trails of these large animals now worn deep by the storms of many years, +and I cried in my heart.” + + [The Last Arrow] + + The Last Arrow + + + + + [Chief Tin-Tin-Meet-Sa] + + Chief Tin-Tin-Meet-Sa + + +Chief Tin-Tin-Meet-Sa + + +It was midnight. A dim campfire accentuated the loneliness. Flickering +shadows wrote weird lines on the cone-shaped walls of the tepee. The rain +ceased not the beating of its soft tattoo on the frail roof above our +heads. Old Tin-Tin-Meet-Sa, bent and tottering with his more than eighty +years of life, his noble old face still wearing great dignity, his almost +sightless eyes looking for the last flicker of life’s sunset, presented a +pathetic picture as he faced the firelight and told of his loneliness as +he passed the deserted buffalo trails. + +Tin-Tin-Meet-Sa, or Willouskin, is one of the notable chiefs of the +Umatillas. He rendered valuable services to the Government as a scout +during the Indian wars of 1855 and 1856. The heroic deeds of those +faraway days have not been written down in history, and no doubt will be +forgotten by future generations, but they have been written large on the +character lines of this gigantic frame and Savonarola-like face—a poet, a +dreamer, a warrior, and chieftain. + +It is better to let Tin-Tin-Meet-Sa open the door himself upon that mighty +past: “My days have been spent for many suns along the great rivers and +high mountains of Oregon. It has been many years ago that I was selected +by our agent as the head man of my tribe. In those days I was a very +active man, but since I have become so old, although they look upon me as +the head man of the tribe, I must leave the work for others to do. During +my younger days I had a big herd of cattle and horses, but as the years +have come over me, I am not able to look after my stock any more. I +consider the greatest event in my life the assistance I rendered in the +capture and killing of Chief Eagan, war chief of the Piutes, during the +Bannock or Sheep-Eater war. These Bannock Indians created great +destruction wherever they went; they burned my tepee and killed over +seventy head of my cattle. I did not know at that time how many cattle I +had, because there was not any one around to steal them. This led me to +go on the warpath against the Bannocks.” + +“This country all looks familiar to me because, in my younger days, I +travelled all over these prairies fighting the Sioux Indians who had +stolen horses from my tribe. Again I have travelled all over this country +many times, long years ago, as we came here to hunt the buffalo. I had a +number of fast horses, with which I could easily kill as many buffalo as I +wanted, but I only killed as many as I needed to last for a few days. +When I came here the other day to meet all these chiefs, and I looked at +this country for the last time, I felt lonesome when I saw how it was all +changed, and all of the buffalo gone out of the country, for I could still +see traces of these large animals. It is easy for an old hunter to +discover these buffalo trails, for they all walked in the same place, and +now the rains of many moons have cut those trails deep, just as if a man +had been irrigating some field. I can scarcely see, but my eyes could +find the old trail. The buffalo has gone, and I am soon going.” + + + + + [Chief Runs the Enemy] + + Chief Runs the Enemy + + +Chief Runs-the-Enemy + + +Imagine a Roman warrior with clear-cut visage and flashing eye, his face +written all over with battle lines, his voice running the entire gamut +from rage to mirth, and you have a mental picture of Chief Runs-the-Enemy, +a tall, wiry Teton Sioux whose more than sixty-four years of life have +crossed many a battlefield and won many a triumph. From boyhood days a +ringing challenge to battle seemed ever vibrant in the air he breathed. +When I asked him to let me drink at some of the secret springs of his life +his very first sentence contained the ring of battle! + +“The first thing that I remember is that my father made me a bow and +arrow; it was a small bow and arrow, and made in proportion to my size, +compared with the bows and arrows used in killing buffalo. I had seen the +buffalo meat that they brought in and the wild game. My father taught me +how to use the bow and arrow, and also how to ride a horse, and soon it +became natural for me to ride. I soon grew to be able to use the bow and +arrow that my father used; with it I killed buffalo. My father also +taught me how to skin the buffalo, so that when I killed the buffalo I +knew how to skin it and bring the buffalo meat home. My father taught me +to pity the old men and women, and when I went on the warpath to be brave, +and even try to die on the field. My father also taught me that it was +better to go on the field of battle and have my body filled with arrows +from the enemy and die on the field, and let the wolves come and eat up my +flesh and bones, rather than be wrapped up and buried in some high tree, +and in this spirit I went forth into all my fights. I remember when I was +very young I went on the warpath and carried the bundles of moccasins and +provisions for the war party. When I was fifteen years old I went with my +first war party. The snow was very deep and hard, so that the horses +slipped round. We charged upon the Assinaboines. I remember when we +charged the camp we found one Indian down in the creek trapping foxes. We +did not know he was there. As soon as he saw us he ran toward his own +camp, and I whipped up my horse and ran after him. The enemy came out +with guns and bows and arrows. I ran the man clear into the midst of the +smoke; I came back without even myself or my horse getting hurt. That is +how I got my name, Runs-the-Enemy. I was then at the age of fifteen. +When we got back to camp the Sioux people said I did not know what I was +doing, and I replied that I knew that was what my father had taught me. I +performed this deed in the face of a lot of brave warriors, and this is +how my name is great among the Sioux. There was a lifelong enmity between +the Sioux and the Assinaboines. My father was wounded by the +Assinaboines, and I made up my mind I was going to do something to that +tribe. I have been in about forty battles altogether, rather +insignificant some of them, but about ten great battles. When I was about +eighteen, a band of Sioux, including myself, went down to the Black Rees. +They greatly outnumbered us. We attacked them, but did not kill any of +them. They pursued us a long way, killing five of our number. My horse +was hit with an arrow, and I jumped off, and while I was running I was +shot through the ankle with an arrow. The enemy surrounded me; my own +friends had gone on. I crossed my wounded ankle over the other foot and +defended myself as best I could. I looked at the ground and the sky, and +made up my mind that this was my last day. Just at this moment, while I +was surrounded by my enemies, one of my friends was brave enough to come +back; he rode into the midst of our foes and put me on the back of his +horse, and we rode away in safety. Let me tell you about the other wound +that I received. In one of the late battles that we had with the tribe of +Black Rees, in 1874, I was shot through the thigh, a ball also going +through the forearm, and breaking the bone.” + + [Scouting Party on the Plains] + + Scouting Party on the Plains + + +“Let me tell you about my connection with the battle of the Little +Rosebud. With my war party I joined the Sioux camp on the Rosebud River. +We camped first at Lame Deer. When I arrived at the Sioux camp at Lame +Deer we were near the Cheyenne camp, and the Cheyennes had built a big +bonfire. They were singing and dancing around the fire. I was told that +there were some Cheyennes that had reached camp that day or the day before +from the Black Hills, and they brought the news that the soldiers were +coming. The reason for the campfire and the dancing was to pick out the +bravest of the Cheyennes and send them back to find out the location of +the troops and bring back word. The campfire was so big and so bright and +the dancing and shooting so boisterous that I went over to the Cheyenne +camp to see for myself. And I saw them choosing the braves for this +scouting duty. The scouts must have numbered ten. They started right off +on their mission. The next morning we broke camp and came over the hills. +We camped about half a day’s journey from the Custer battlefield. That +night, after we camped, there was no news, and I went to bed and went to +sleep. The next morning I was awakened by firing, and the report came to +me that there was going to be trouble, for the troops were coming. Almost +at once everybody who could ride a horse or hold a gun mounted his horse +and rode away to meet the troops. The Cheyenne scouts led the way. It +was not very long until I heard the report of rifles, over in the gully. +After the report of the guns we heard a cry from the hilltop; an Indian +was on the hill crying as hard as he could, telling us to make the charge +at once. Then one of their number was killed outright. The occasion of +the shots was that four or five of our Sioux had gone around us and had +gone into the soldiers’ camp and stolen some horses, and the soldiers were +firing at the horse-thieves; four of them escaped, one being killed. This +was the screaming we heard. We no sooner heard it than we made a dash. I +cannot tell you the number of our Indians. There were the different bands +of the Sioux, and the entire tribe of the Cheyennes. The charge we made +was enough to scare anybody. As we got on top of the hill the soldiers, +who were already after the horse-thieves, knowing that we outnumbered +them, all fled back. The cavalry supported by a file of infantry stopped, +and we also stopped and had a great battle there. We simply circled them, +and did not give them a chance to charge, as we greatly outnumbered them. +We killed a great many soldiers, shot down a good many of their horses, +for there were lots of them lying on the ground, wounded and dead. This +battle the Indians called the Battle of the Wolf Mountains, known to the +soldiers and the Crows by this name, and to the Sioux as the Battle of the +Head of the Rosebud. The general sentiment was that we were victorious in +that battle, for the soldiers did not come upon us, but retreated back +into Wyoming. We understood that General Crook was in command of the +United States troops, led by Crow scouts. They called General Crook, +‘Three Stars.’ When our Indians made the charge upon the United States +troops we found the Crow scouts standing between us and the troops. If it +had not been for the Crow scouts we would have charged right through to +the soldiers. The Crow scouts were in between us, and received the fire +from both sides. After the battle ended and the soldiers returned, we got +home to our camp without any fear. We spent the whole of the next day in +camp at the Little Rosebud, and the day after we came over on to the +plains by the Custer Battlefield.” + + [Scouts passing under cover of the Night] + + Scouts passing under cover of the Night + + +The most graphic Indian story of the Custer fight is told by +Runs-the-Enemy in the chapter on “The Indians’ Story of the Custer Fight.” +Chief Runs-the-Enemy continued: + +“A great event in changing my life was marked when I returned to the +reservation and the Government took from us our horses and guns and told +us that we were to live in that place at peace with everybody. The +Government took the best warriors from among the tribe, made them lift +their hands to God and swear that they would be true to the Government; +and they made out of these men policemen who were to guard the Government +and keep the Indians good. When the Government made a policeman of me +they bound my hands with chains and I had to obey them. They gave me +implements with which to till the soil, and raise stock and build a home, +and it seemed to me I must obey every word they said. They told me that +the wild game, now roaming the hills, would soon die off, and that if I +tilled the soil and raised stock and grain, I could get money for it, and +money is what makes everything move along. As I told you, whatever they +told me, I did. They told me to send my children to school, which I did. +I sent all of my children to school, and they came home and all of them +died. They told me if I sent the children to school and educated them, +they would be all right. Instead of that I sent them to school and they +all came home with consumption and died, seven in number. If I had kept +them home, some of them might have been living to-day. Now as to myself: +I am getting old every day; I cannot take care of my stock. My limbs are +weak, and my knees are getting weak; it will not be long until I will go +under the ground. As you look at me now I am old. As I said, I will die +in a little while, but I am not afraid of dying. I have two children +living and I look ahead for them. Although I have done all I could for my +people, I have also helped the Government and done whatever they told me +to do.” + + [Map of the Custer Battlefield] + + Map of the Custer Battlefield + + +We have been listening to the minor in the carol, that is always the major +strain in Indian life, but we mistake much if we do not hear more jubilant +notes in the scale. When Runs-the-Enemy was asked to tell the story of +his boyhood days all the fierce combativeness expressed in gesture, voice, +and piercing eye gave way to a tender and gentle calm. The warrior became +a child, living again the life of a child with all the spontaneous +gleefulness of a child. We may now have one of his folklore tales. + + + + FOLKLORE TALE + + +There goes a spider. As he was journeying along he came upon a man—in our +legends these men do anything; they take a whole community of men right +down—and he met him face to face. The man-eater stood in the path, the +spider in front of him. The big man kept letting out his breath and +taking it in in great gusts, and when he drew in his breath he drew the +spider toward him, and when he blew out his breath he blew him away from +him. And the spider was so scared he did not know what to do. But he +finally said: “Now, my young brother, you take in your breath, and let out +your breath, and you pull me around; and if I did the same thing you would +soon be gone, for I am older than you are.” The big man said to the +spider: “Now, my older brother, you hold on.” The spider said to the big +man: “I am going over here where there is a great big camp of people, and +I am going to swallow all of these people. However, as you are hungry, I +will give you half of them. Now you stay right here. I am going over to +look at the big camp. I am going to find out whether I will give you any +of them or not, and then I will tell you.” With these words the spider +went ahead of the man a little, and then came right back to the big man +again and said: “My young brother, I am afraid of some certain things, and +I am going to tell you about it. Are you the same way?” The big man said: +“Yes, my little brother, I am very much afraid of some things.” The +spider then asked him: “What are the things you are afraid of?” The big +man then told the spider that he was afraid of drums beating, that he was +afraid of old tambourines that the Indians used to have, and he was also +afraid of shouting and yelling. The spider then said to him: “You are my +brother for sure; these are just the things that I am afraid of.” Just as +he said these things to the big man, the spider was very much afraid of +him, fearing that he could not hold himself steady as he stood in front of +the big man. The spider said to the big man: “You just sit right still +here. I am going over to see this big camp, and will be right back.” The +spider went over the hill as fast as he could, looking back every once in +a while to the big man. He went right ahead into the big camp. He told +everybody around there to get all their drums and their tambourines, that +he had a great big man over there, and these were the things that he was +afraid of. “I am going back to him and I want you to take all your drums +and tambourines, and yell and scream, for he is afraid of these things.” +The spider then went back to the big man and told him the camp was big +enough for them both. Then he marked a place which divided them half and +half, and said: “You are to have the one half and I am to have the other +half; but if you go ahead and eat your half and eat half of my half, I +will swallow you too.” As they went along to the camp the spider said to +the big man: “I am the older, and will go ahead of you a little.” In the +meantime he had told those in camp that they must all gather in one place +where he would lead this big man. As the big man walked along, he grew +tired, and would let out his breath and take in a great big breath, and +every time the spider would be drawn up against him. The spider told him +if he did it again he would draw in his breath and the big man would soon +be inside his stomach. As the spider went on into the place where all the +people were gathered, they began to beat their drums and yell and scream +and howl. The spider fell down as though he were dead, and kicked and +squirmed. The big man was really scared, and he fell down dead. When +they got up to the big man and found him dead, the spider told them how he +had worked the big man, and saved their lives. And thus the story ends. + + + + + [Chief Pretty Voice Eagle] + + Chief Pretty Voice Eagle + + +Chief Pretty Voice Eagle + + +Sixty-eight years is a long time to be an Indian. Within this span of +life Pretty Voice Eagle has run with swift feet the warpath, and held with +strong hand the battle spear. Bearing well his weight of years and his +heavier burden of struggle, he moves erect and with lithe footstep. He +became stormy and vociferous as he told his story of broken treaties, how +the Indian had been wronged by the white man, and how his life had been +scarred by the storms of life. Then the calm of old age came over him and +the placid joy of childhood memories when asked to tell a folklore tale. +While relating his battle experiences we had the equinoctial gale of +Indian life and then the mellow haze of Indian summer. Recalling his +boyhood days, Pretty Voice Eagle told me that his tribe roamed along the +river, chiefly the Missouri River. There were then no white people in +that country. “I was about ten years old when I saw large boats bringing +white people over the Missouri River. I saw a great many of the white +people killed by the Sioux when they came up the river in small boats. It +was not until I was about twenty years old that they began to build the +railroad along the Platte River going west, and there were also emigrant +wagons going west driving large herds of cattle. The Indians killed the +white people as they came up the river because we felt they were driving +away our game; they had guns and powder and knives, which we did not have. +We also wanted what they had in the boats, and we did not like to see them +go through our country. When I first saw the people emigrating through +our country and then bringing iron horses there I began to be afraid. I +was about twenty-five or thirty years old when they began to run the iron +horse along through the country, and I also heard that they were going to +move the Indians to some hot country, and that the white people would fill +up all the land north and west and south of us; we felt that we ought to +fight the white people, and we began to kill the men who were building the +railroad. The white people began to kill the game when they came into the +country. There was then plenty of buffalo on the east side of the +Missouri River; soon they swam over to the west side, and we then +understood that the President had given them the privilege of killing all +the game, and soon the buffalo were all gone. The white man then went +into the Black Hills, and killed the game. The killing of the game caused +a change in our food. We were accustomed to eating buffalo meat and other +wild game; we loved that and we were all full of health as long as we had +it. The change of food has compelled us to eat bread instead of wild +meat, and that is the reason why the Indians are all dying off. When I +think of those old days my heart is full of sorrow. My father, who was +then the chief, was sent for by the President of the United States, and +when he came back he said that the Indians must adopt the white man’s mode +of living, and that we must send our children to school. The news that my +father brought was received by some with favour, others entirely refused +to send their children to school, and said that they would rather fight +than let their children go to school. And it looked as though there would +be a general uprising. I remember the first group who went off to school, +and it caused great trouble. From that time on we had trouble with the +United States soldiers. While we were carrying this trouble about the +schools in our minds, there was an emigrant train going through the Black +Hills. They had with them a cow which was lame, and and they left it. +The Indians thought they had thrown it away, and killed it. We killed +this cow not for subsistence but because it was lame and we felt sorry for +it. It was not until a year later that the people who owned this cow made +application to the Government for reimbursement for the loss, and the +Government sent United States soldiers there to find out who had killed +the cow. The two men who had killed the cow were Face Powder and Pointed +Forehead. They asked us to give up these men that they might take them to +Fort Laramie, and we refused to give them up. They then asked our head +chief, Axe-the-Bear, to give them up, and when he would not do so he was +taken to Fort Laramie. Part of the Sioux Nation was at Fort Laramie, and +they wanted to know why the soldiers had taken this head chief there. It +was a mistake of the interpreter, for he told the officers in command that +the Sioux Indians were there to kill the soldiers if they did not give up +this head chief. One of the soldiers rather than let the chief go ran him +through with a bayonet and killed him in cold blood. As soon as they +killed this chief, the Indians began to fight right there. There was a +running fight after that until they finally captured Spotted-Tail with his +band and squaws and children. A lot of Spotted-Tail’s men were killed. +They afterward gave up the women and children. That did not satisfy the +Indians; they wanted revenge on the soldiers and had a battle west of the +Black Hills. After that big battle the Indians were chased right into the +territory where the present camp of the great chiefs is located. +Following that there was another big battle on the east side of the +Missouri River. The women and children were all captured. Following this +there was a treaty with the United States not to fight. The treaty was +signed up near Fort Laramie. The trouble still kept up, the treaty was +broken, and we had another big battle near the Rocky Mountains, where a +hundred soldiers were killed. After that there were several battles, +including the Custer fight, and then the bands all split up, some of them +going to Canada and some of them back to the reservations where they are +now located. Then there was a delegation sent to Washington, and when +they came back to the people from the Indian Department, we sent our +children to school. The Indians who went to Canada afterward returned. A +great many Sioux remained on the reservation at the time of the Custer +fight; I was not in the battle myself. I saw General Custer when he left +Fort Lincoln previous to the Custer fight. Custer impressed me as a very +pleasant and good man; he wore his hair long. As he was about to leave +Fort Lincoln a delegation of Sioux Indians, including myself, went to see +him and asked him not to fight the Sioux Indians, but to go to them in a +friendly way. I was the leader of the delegation. We begged him to +promise us that he would not fight the Sioux. He promised us, and we +asked him to raise his hand to God that he would not fight the Sioux, and +he raised his hand. After he raised his hand to God that he would not +fight the Sioux he asked me to go west with my delegation to see those +roaming Sioux, and tell them to come back to the reservation, that he +would give them food, horses, and clothing. After we got through talking, +he soon left the agency, and we soon heard that he was fighting the +Indians and that he and all his men were killed. If Custer had given us +time we would have gone out ahead of him, but he did not give us time. If +we had gone out ahead of Custer he would not have lost himself nor would +his men have been killed. I did all I could to persuade the Ree scouts +not to go with Custer. I gave them horses and saddles not to go, but for +some reason they went.” + + [A War Council] + + A War Council + + +“In the treaty the Government made with me at Fort Laramie, they were to +feed me fifty-five years, and they have not fulfilled it. You must be a +man of influence, as you sent for us from all parts of the country, and I +wish you would help us as much as you can. In the Fort Rice treaty the +Government promised to give us good horses and good wagons.” + +“After the 1868 treaty that we had at Fort Rice we sold all the country +east of the Missouri River and soon sold the Black Hills to the +Government, and in that treaty the Government promised us that the Sioux +Indians would be taken care of as long as there was a child living of the +Sioux tribe; and that has not been fulfilled. It was not long after that +when we had a treaty with General Crook. In that treaty we were promised +a great many things the Government did not seem to care to do. Now our +funds are almost exhausted, and a lot of us are poor and not able to take +care of ourselves, and I wish that when you go back you would say what you +can. These are Government promises, and they have never fulfilled them.” + +“The story I am going to tell you I am not afraid to have published +anywhere, or to have it come right back to my own agency, or let other +warriors see and hear it. In my lifetime I have made about seventy raids +against the different tribes. Out of these raids there must have been +forty-five or fifty battles. Let me tell you a story concerning one of +these battles in which I was engaged: I was a young man, I cannot remember +just what age. The Sioux camped at the mouth of the Rosebud River. We +got up a war party which numbered about two hundred. The two bands who +were in this party were the Two-Cattle and the Mnik-Ok-Ju tribes. It was +in the middle of the winter when the snow was deep. We started across the +country not very far from this camp, and followed the Yellowstone River +down, and then we turned off toward the north, and went toward the Upper +Rockies. We were then in the enemy’s country. There were four of us +chosen out of the two bands to go ahead and scout for the enemy; we did +not see any one, and returned. There was one man from our party out +shooting deer, and he was right behind us. We got home without seeing +anything, but he brought word there were enemies in sight. The enemies he +saw were two in number, and we got on our horses and went to where he saw +these two men. They were well armed and did all they could to defend +themselves, and our party did not come very close to them. I spurred up +my horse and made a straight charge at the two men. They were on foot, +and lined up and pointed their guns at me as I went at them. I struck one +of them with the spear that I had. I knocked him down; he fired at me, +but missed me. The other man also fired at me, but missed. I could not +strike him, as I dodged after I struck the first man. As I passed on by +them they fired at me again. This gave my warriors a chance to come up on +them before they could reload their guns, and they killed them. I was the +first one who struck one and very nearly hit the other. My warriors were +slow to come up, and I was the first one to charge them. After we killed +these two men we went home with their scalps. We were on our way home +across the Powder River and following the river up until we got to the +junction of the Powder and Rosebud rivers. When we got there one of our +party went on home ahead of us. He came rushing toward us with his horse +almost played out, with the report that the camp had been attacked by the +enemy while we were away, and they had stolen our horses, and were now +coming down the road on which we were travelling. We hid waiting for +them, but somehow they became aware of our presence, and went around, and +before we knew it they had escaped. Although they were a great ways off +our band made a charge on these horsemen. Most of our horses gave out +before we overtook the enemy, but thirteen of us rode on, overtaking them, +three in number we found, who had charge of the stolen horses. Our +thirteen horses that we were riding were nearly exhausted, but we found +that the enemy whom we were pursuing were also riding exhausted horses. I +rushed on ahead as fast as my horse could go. One of the enemy was riding +a horse that was so thoroughly given out that he stood still. The enemy +got off his horse, turned round, pulled his bow and arrow, and shot at me; +I was going to strike him, but I did not have time. The arrow was so near +my face that it made me dizzy. He fired at me and the arrow went right +through my hair, which was tied in a knot on top of my head. I jumped off +my horse and pulled my bow and arrow, and we were firing at each other as +we came closer. We jumped round like jack-rabbits trying to dodge the +arrows. One of the arrows struck me right across the ribs, but the wound +was not very deep. Just as we came together he fired his last arrow at +me; it passed through my arm, but it was only a skin wound. At that time +I struck him with my arrow through the wrist and that made him lame. As I +struck him he moved backward and I shot him twice through the breast, with +two arrows; then I threw away the arrows and struck him on the head with +my bow, knocking him senseless. After I knocked him down I took his bow +and threw it a long ways off so he could not get it. He was crawling on +his hands and knees and I took my war club and struck him until I killed +him. After I had killed this man, I gathered up my bow and arrows, and +went on after the other two. At this time they had got off their horses +and were defending themselves as best they could. I shot one of them +through the wrist with my arrow; he made a scream as I hit him and dodged +and went down the coulee, running as hard as he could go. He had a +revolver in one hand, and I followed him, shooting with my arrows, he +shooting back at me with his revolver. This kept up until he got to the +end of the coulee, where there was a deep precipice. I looked over the +precipice and saw this man, who had jumped over, rolling down the side +like a rock. When he got down there he was knocked senseless. I looked +at him from over the hill, but could not get down to him. I walked back +and forth; as I looked down I saw a Sioux Indian trying to crawl up and +get the scalp of the Indian who had fallen down the precipice. I had a +war club in my teeth, and grabbed my bow and arrows, and tried to climb +down the hill slope in order that I might get near him. As I went down I +slid, and as I was going down the Crow regained consciousness and I saw +him pointing his gun at me as I was looking down. I then thought that +would be my last day. As I got there the Sioux got there just in time to +grab the revolver away from him, and as he pulled the revolver away I fell +right under the enemy. He pulled a knife out of my belt, for I was under +him, pushed up against a rock, and I could not move either way. He made a +strike at me and cut my clothing right across the abdomen, but did not cut +my stomach. The second strike he made, I got hold of the knife, and +wrested it from him. When I had taken the knife, the other Sioux pulled +him off, and I got up and took my club and finished him. I killed these +two Crows a little ways from the mouth of the Little Big Horn that flows +through the camp where we are now. This is one of the daring events of my +life. These two events occurred in one war party.” + + [The War Party] + + The War Party + + +“Then, again, let me tell you about the battle that we had between the +Sioux and the Flatheads about twenty miles north of where Billings now +stands: In this battle the Sioux numbered about one hundred and fifty, and +the Flatheads consisted of the entire tribe. We sent three spies across +the Yellowstone, and they came back with the location of the Flatheads. +They reported that the entire tribe was camped there. We were afraid +because of their great numbers that they would beat us. We debated as to +whether we should go back home or make the attack. Finally the chiefs +selected thirty of the bravest men to go on ahead. The rest of the war +party remained in camp. I was numbered among the thirty who were chosen +to go ahead. We left there in the dark of the night. We journeyed on in +silence until daybreak, when we first got a view of the enemy’s camp. +When daylight came we found that ten of our thirty had deserted from fear. +When we got in sight of the camp another ten left us, so that only left +ten to advance on the camp. We made a fool charge at the camp at the +rising of the sun. None of us expected to come back when we made the +charge. After we made the charge, there were about four who backed out +again, so that left us only six in number. We ran our horses up to the +side of the tents and then ran back again to the hills. The women were +just getting out to get breakfast ready. We took about fifty horses with +us, as we rode back, as a challenge for the enemy to come after us. The +firing began from the camp and frightened the horses so that we only got +about twenty out of the fifty. There was one horse, a spotted animal, +that pleased me very much, and out of the six of us in number I rushed +back to get that horse. When I went back after this horse the enemy came +upon me so strong that I was obliged to flee to the hills. They came +right behind us firing at us. The enemy chased us for miles and miles, +shooting at us but never killing any of us. We turned in our saddles +every once in a while and fired back, and then went on. We were +reinforced by the last ten that left us. Just at this time a horse under +one of our men was shot, and he was on foot running. We made a whirl +around this man who was on foot, which seemed to check the enemy. At this +time one of the enemy was shot off his horse. This man who was shot from +his horse was surrounded by two of his friends who dismounted to defend +him. As soon as I saw this man lying on his back, I made a hard charge at +him; I struck at his head. An enemy standing near discharged his gun at +me, and took the butt of the gun to strike me on the head. Just at this +moment my horse stumbled and fell forward which saved me from receiving +the blow. As I did so I made a circle and came back again to my own +people. But I was mad at him in my heart because he had struck at me. I +took my bow and arrow and shot an arrow right through his cheek. As I hit +this enemy through the cheek I whipped up my horse and made a charge at +him. One of my friends came riding up with me, and we both charged +together. Our horses turned just as we reached this enemy whom I had shot +through the cheek, and the enemy ran right in behind us. He got hold of +my friend’s horse’s tail and shot him through the back with his revolver +and he fell right over my horse. I got off my horse, holding my friend +tight, and one of my friends saw the enemy at this time and shot him. +This man who had been shot by my friend got up again as his wound was only +a skin wound. I let go of my dead friend and got off my horse and charged +at this fellow. Just as I charged at him there were two angry Sioux who +laid their coup sticks on him. They went on by him and that left him for +me to fight. Just as I reached him the enemy was very close behind me. +They had shot at me at very close range. I could smell the smoke. He +aimed his gun right at me, but he was so bewildered that he did not fire. +I took the gun away from him and knocked him down. I got on my horse, +taking his gun with me, at which time my horse was shot across the nose, +but he kept on going toward my friends. The bullets whizzed around me, +bewildering me for a moment. At this time it seemed as though the enemy +were defeated, but the rest of our band came up at this moment. The enemy +retreated when they saw our friends, but they pursued us all the way back +to the Yellowstone. The dead numbered about a hundred in this battle. I +did not go back, because my horse was exhausted. I have five more just +such thrilling stories, including the one in which I was wounded.” + + [The Swirl of the Warriors] + + The Swirl of the Warriors + + +“The greatest event in my life, leaving behind the story that I have told, +is to be found at the time the Indians received allotments of land, and +were given a home so they could not roam around; and above all, the time +when I found religion and became a Christian. I was baptized and +confirmed in the Episcopal Church. I married my wife under the holy bonds +of matrimony, and am trying to live an upright life. In the roaming life, +I fought, I took many scalps, and killed many Indians. Now, put alongside +of that the fact that I live in my own home, own my land, have my own +family, and am a church member. I like the last life better than the +first. In the former life while we lived to ourselves, we were always +fighting; in the life now we have peace. The one thing now that is +killing me off is our mode of life. There is too much confinement; +instead of fighting the enemy, I am fighting disease. The white people +know about everything, but if they can kill that foul disease, +consumption, I shall feel very thankful. As I told you before, I think of +the buffalo time, the meat, and the hides, and the desire for it seems +almost like a disease, and this is especially true with the old men.” + +When asked about his belief concerning the Indian’s hereafter, before he +became a Christian, he replied: “There was no definite Supreme Being that +we believed in. There were a great many gods that we had faith in. I +prayed to my own god; then we all heard that after we died we would meet +in some good country where we would all be happy. No matter if we had +lots of gods, we would all meet in that country. Now, while I cannot read +the Bible, nor can I understand the Bible, yet we have preachers in our +own language and they tell us that there is one God, and also His Holy +Son, and we shall all meet in heaven, and I believe in that. A great many +of the Sioux are followers like I am, but like a great many other people, +there are many who do one thing and feel another. In the old days the sun +was my god, the sun was my fathef’s god, and I then thought the sun was my +father and the earth was my mother. I sang and danced to the sun; I have +my breast and arms tattooed with the sun, and I pierced my body through +offering sacrifices to the sun. Now I look back upon those old Indian +customs as foolishness. It is like a man coming out of darkness into +light. I was then in the dark; I am now going into the valley of light, +learning every day.” + + + + +Folklore Tales—Sioux + + +Pretty Voice Eagle reached the other pole of life when his thoughts went +back to the time when the old folks gathered around the campfire, and as a +small lad he listened to their oft-repeated stories. “I can hardly +remember them, but I will tell you a short story: There was a great big +spider carrying a big roll of straw on his back, and he was running along +between two lakes. There was a great big flock of geese on one of the +lakes. One of the geese yelled over to the spider: ‘Spider, where are you +going?’ The spider said: ‘You hush up now! I have heard there is a camp +of Indians over here who have returned from a victory with many scalps, +and they sent for me with my songs. I have them all in the bundle on my +back, and I am taking them over to them.’ The spider kept on going, and +one of the geese told him: ‘You stop, and give us one of those songs you +are taking over there.’ The spider kept on going; said he was in a +terrible hurry, but he still kept making the circle of the lake; he wanted +the geese to yell to him again, which they did, and finally the spider +yelled over to the geese: ‘If you want one of my songs, come over here.’ +The spider made a little booth of straw. He had a little stick and was +standing in the door. When the geese came over he told them to go in the +booth, and when they did so, he sang a song, and told every one to close +his eyes, for every one who opened his eyes would have red eyes. Of +course they all closed their eyes, and he set about knocking them all +down. One of the geese happened to open his eyes, and he called out to +the other geese: ‘Open your eyes and fly away; this spider is going to +kill you all!’ and he flew away. The spider said: ‘You will have red eyes +forever!’ And so it is that the duck called hell-diver has red eyes.” + +Here is another story: There was a solitary man going along, and he had a +lot of meat on his back. On his journey he stopped under some trees, +built a great big fire, and was broiling some of the meat that he was +carrying. The branches of two trees standing near got crossed over each +other and when the wind blew made a squeaking noise. The man looked up to +the tree, and said: “My brothers, you quit fighting up there!” The +creaking continued, and he called up to them again to stop their fighting. +But it still continued, and he finally said: “I am going to part you two; +you must stop fighting.” And he put his hand up between the two branches; +as he put his hand between them the wind stopped blowing. His hand was +caught and he was not able to get away. Just then a wolf passed along, +and the man saw him and called out to him: “Go on about your business, and +let my things alone.” The wolf did not know anything about the broiled +meat being there, but when this man called to him, he said to himself: +“That man must have something for me,” and he walked over to the broiled +beef, took it all, and went his way. After the wolf had gone the wind +blew again, and the man released his hand, and the squeaking began again. +The man cried, and was sorry in his heart, and began trailing the wolf by +his tracks. He went on till he came to a body of water, in which he +plunged. He looked down into the water, and saw the wolf eating his meat. +He dove down into the water, and felt all around and was nearly exhausted +when he came out. He then got up in a tree and when the water became +still again, there was the wolf down in the water again, so the man got +down and tied a rope around his belt, piled some rocks on his side so he +could stay down there long enough to get the wolf. During all this time +the wolf was on the branch of the tree above him; the reflection of the +wolf was in the water. When the man got down in the water, the weight of +the rocks held him there, and he began to struggle to get out, and just +barely succeeded in getting out of the water. Just as he got out of the +water, he looked up and saw the wolf on the top of the tree. The man’s +sides were so filled with stones that he had great difficulty in getting +up the steep bank, so much so that he could hardly crawl to the top of the +bank, and as he was struggling to get out, the wolf finished eating the +meat, jumped down, and ran away. So ends the story. + + + + +The life of the Indian is complex. To gather up the sixty-eight years of +this man’s life means that we round out a problem of infinite dimensions. +His cradle lullaby, a war song; his earliest memories, stained with the +blood of the white man; his unshaken valour on the field of battle; scars +left on his soul by the broken treaties of the white man; his devotion to +the mysterious gods in the pantheon of Nature; his unrequited lament at +the loss of the buffalo; his natural eloquence born from the throne room +of Nature: his final love of peace and acceptance of the shining face of +the Son of Righteousness all lay upon civilization the heavy hand of +condemnation. + + + + + [Chief White Horse] + + Chief White Horse + + +Chief White Horse + + +“My father told me I was born in the Black Hills. Ever since I can +remember my people have lived on the shores of the Bad River, South +Dakota. While I lived there I saw the white people for the first time +coming up the river in the big boats. At this time the buffalo were on +both sides of the Missouri River, and there was plenty of game and we were +all living fat at that time. It was not very long before the fort was +built at the mouth of the Bad River. My father liked to be with the white +people, and we were up at the store a good deal. The fort finally became +a great trading post. The Indians brought in skins of the various +animals, such as beaver, wolf, fox, panther, and buffalo. While I was +still a young boy I left that section of the country and came further west +with the other Indians. I have always tried to live without making any +trouble among my own people or with the whites. When I got out among the +Sioux I began to learn some of their wild tricks. I began to learn to +fight the other Indians. I then went on the warpath, and have been in a +good many Indian fights. One fight in particular against the Assinaboines +I want to mention. In this battle there were about two hundred of us +Sioux. The fight was on the Missouri River. There were charges and +countercharges several times. One of the bravest came in advance of the +others but he had to retreat. I put two arrows in his back and then +rushed up and knocked him off his horse with my bow. After I had knocked +this man off his horse my own horse ran away with me and ran right into +the enemy’s line, dashing in among the foe. They were firing arrows at me +from all sides, and I expected that this was my last day. This was the +greatest fight I was ever in, though I have been in many others.” + +It is a long step from the spear to the ploughshare, but the moccasined +feet of White Horse soon took the step. Concerning this epoch in his +life, he said: “The most important event in my life was when the +Government began to give annuities to the Indians and we were placed on +the reservation. I have always been a leader of the Indians and a chief. +When farming implements were assigned us, and the allotments made, I was +appointed head farmer over the Indians. I visited the Indians all over my +district, and tried to get them to till the soil and send their children +to school. I sent my own boy to school first as an example to the others. +I sent my children to a nearby school until they were old enough and then +I was one of the first to send my children to Hampton, Virginia, to +school. They all came home and died of consumption. About this time the +first missionary came to our country, and I was one of the first to be +converted to the Church. I have since done all I could to bring the other +Indians into the Church. I went at my own expense down to the place where +I now live. There were no people living there at the time, and I cut out +of the woods the logs and built a church in my own home. I had no help. +The Indians came there to church, and afterward they named the church the +White Horse Church. After this a settlement was made here by the Indians, +and finally the Government made a post-office at this place, and they +called it the White Horse post-office. It has since become a sub-agency. +The influence thus brought to bear on the Indians had led them to live a +good deal as the white man lives. I have my farm now, raise cattle and +horses. All I have done for the Government and for the Church I have been +glad to do, for they have all been kind to me. While other Indians have +been fighting and making trouble for the United States I have never +participated in any of it.” + +Before passing to the folklore tale that fell from the lips of Chief White +Horse, the attention of the reader is especially directed to the chapter +on Indian Impressions of the last Great Council, where White Horse +describes his feelings and the lessons he learned while riding for the +first time on the iron horse. + + + + +Folklore Tales—Yankton Sioux + + +“In the evenings of my boyhood days my father always told stories. I +remember that I used to go to sleep while he was telling stories. This is +one of the stories he used to tell: There goes a wolf on a journey. He +came upon three buffalo. The wolf said to the buffalo: ‘My brothers, make +me as one of you, and we will all live together.’ The buffalo told him: +‘Will you stand the life that we live?’ The wolf said ‘Yes,’ and they all +told him to go a distance off and lie down on his back. The buffalo was +going to make the wolf a buffalo, and he lay down on his back and sides +and rolled in the dust, and then he got up and shook himself and he then +made a plunge for the wolf and stuck his horns in him and threw him in the +air. Just as he got to the wolf, the wolf jumped aside, and the buffalo +said: ‘You made me make that hard run for nothing.’ The wolf said: ‘Try +again.’ The buffalo said: ‘This time you stand up and I will come at you.’ +So the wolf stood a good ways off. Just as the buffalo reached the wolf, +the wolf turned into a buffalo, and they locked horns with each other. And +thus he became a strong buffalo. He roamed with the buffalo for a while. +The other buffalo went off a little way by themselves and grazed on the +grass while the wolf-buffalo took the first grass near where he stood. +While he was eating there another wolf came along, and he said to the +buffalo: ‘Make me a buffalo, and we will all be brothers together.’ This +wolf buffalo then told the wolf to stand just as he had stood before. This +wolf buffalo lay down on his back and rolled in the dust and went for the +wolf, and as he was going to strike him he turned back again into a wolf, +and the two wolves were there together fighting. The wolf buffalo said: +‘I was happy as a buffalo, and was living fat—why did you come around here +and make me into a wolf again?’ And he began to fight him. And thus the +story ends. And this is why the Indians are always fighting each other.” + + + + + [Chief Bear Ghost] + + Chief Bear Ghost + + +Chief Bear Ghost + + +The great Siouan, or Dakota family, is divided into many different tribes. +They are the dislocated remains of the “Seven Great Council Fires.” The +Indians resent the title of Sioux, meaning “Hated Foe,” and prefer the +word Dakota, which means “Leagued,” or “Allied.” There is the Brule +Sioux, meaning “Burnt Hip”; the Teton, “On a Land without Trees”; the +Santee Sioux, “Men Among Leaves,” a forest; the Sisseton Sioux, “Men of +Prairie Marsh,” and the Yankton Sioux, which means, “At the End.” Chief +Bear Ghost is a Yankton Sioux. Among the Dakotas the chiefs are +distinguished by a name that has either some reference to their abilities, +having signalized themselves on the warpath or in the chase, or it may be +handed down from father to son. Chief Bear Ghost bears the hereditary +name of his father, Mato-wanagi—the ghost of a bear. The Dakotas count +their years by winters, and all their records are called winter counts. +They say a man is so many snows old, or that so many snow-seasons have +occurred since a certain period. Adopting their own phrasing Chief Ghost +Bear is fifty-seven snows old. Custer was not poetical when he gave the +Sioux the name of “cut-throats,” but he may have been true to the +character and history of these fierce and warlike tribes. We may not +wonder then that Bear Ghost should say: “The greatest event in my life was +the participation in two great wars. I was on the warpath on the Missouri +River against the Gros Ventres and the Mandans. It was a hard, fierce +struggle; we had been facing and shooting each other from early dawn until +the sun went down. An Indian near me, an enemy, was shot, and when I went +after him my horse was shot, but still I pressed on and struck the enemy +with a tomahawk. One of the enemy aimed at me, but I struck him with the +tomahawk before he could shoot, and when this struggle was over the +Indians called us men. In other years we came to that same place again. +Two enemies were near the camp; they were armed with guns. There were +seven of the enemy and but two of us. We went right up to the camp. I +shot one of the enemy and wounded him, and captured one of their horses. +Then a great number of Indians came out and chased us. They surrounded +us, shooting all the while, and the horse I had taken from the enemy I +shot rather than let them have it. And while they were chasing me my +horse became exhausted and I had to get off and lead him. I ran into the +creek where my enemies were on the banks shooting at me. These two things +I consider the greatest events in my life, for I expected to die each +time. Then I was made head chief of my tribe.” + +Before the police system was established on the reservation, Bear Ghost, +along with one other Indian, was detailed by Captain Daugherty to watch +for and capture a man who had committed murder. Bear Ghost succeeded in +carrying out this commission, and the sheriff was sent for and the +prisoner turned over to him, but on the way to Bismarck the prisoner +killed the sheriff, jumped onto the best horse, and made his escape. Bear +Ghost has often been chosen by his people to represent them at councils +held among other tribes. He was also sent to Washington, on matters +pertaining to treaties made years ago. He wears the countenance of a +Roman senator; he is tall, graceful, and full of dignity, a forceful and +convincing speaker, and a compelling advocate of peace. + + + + + [Chief Running Fisher] + + Chief Running Fisher + + +Chief Running Fisher (2) + + +The story of this war-scarred Gros Ventres veteran emphasizes with double +pathos the many times expressed sentiment of this book that the Indian is +a vanishing race, for he died within two weeks after returning home from +the last Great Indian Council. His words, therefore, are deeply +significant: “I feel sad at the thought of not meeting these chiefs again, +for I would like to meet them all once more, but I feel pretty sure we +will never meet again.” + +Chief Running Fisher had measured threescore years of life, and for forty +years of that time he had averaged a battle for every other year. Battles +in Canada, battles in the mountains, and battles on the plains. He had +fought the Sioux, the Blackfeet, the Nez Perce, the Crows, the Shoshones, +and the Piegans. He said: “I have twenty shots in my body received in +battle. I have had my arm broken and wrist sprained. A bullet went right +through one of my arms. In early days I fought with the bow and arrow. +In one battle I killed two men, shooting a single arrow through them both. +The greatest event of my life occurred when I was shot at the battle of +Big Spring and left for dead on the field. My friends kept back the enemy +as long as they could and when they saw that I did not revive they left +me. I was bleeding from the inside, a coughing of blood out of the throat +brought me to. When I came to I found the enemy had departed and I +followed the tracks of my own tribe. Some of my friends were shot and I +could see by the blood stains on the snow the path they had taken. I was +nineteen years of age at this time. It was a long time before I overtook +the band. They travelled much faster than I could, but I finally reached +the camp and recovered. We had no surgeons and but little care. Every +Indian had to be his own doctor. I will tell you about another close call +I had. The event that I am now about to relate is the main thing that +makes a chief out of a warrior. We had a fight with the Piegans. One of +the Piegans had a gun and a dagger, one in each hand. This Piegan ran at +me and I ran at him. As we came together I grabbed the Piegan’s gun with +one hand and his dagger with the other and as I warded off his charge, his +gun was fired, and I took the gun and the dagger away from him. Then my +friends rushed to my rescue and killed the Piegan and scalped him.” + +Turning from battles and wounds, let this old chieftain recur to his +boyhood days: “I remember when I was quite a boy the wonderful sun dance. +It greatly impressed me. I could not understand it and I asked my father +about it and he told me that I could not take part in the sun dance until +I had earned my title as a warrior. The sun dance is a custom among the +Indians which seeks to elevate a spirit of honour among men as well as +women. No young woman dare take part in the sun dance unless she is +virtuous, for she is sure to be pointed out and put to shame, and if she +does not take part, then suspicion falls upon her and she is likewise put +to shame. The men emulate the deeds of their fathers in order that they +may take part in the sun dance. And thus this wonderful dance becomes a +school for patriotism among the tribes and a stimulus to deeds of valour +as well as an incentive to virtue. I do not think that anything has ever +made a stronger impression upon me than the sun dance. It was always held +in May, a beautiful time of the year, and as we young people watched the +various phases of the dance, both young men and young women desired to do +right that we might have our share in this wonderful ceremony.” + +This passing allusion to one of the great Indian rites and its influence +upon Indian character may lead the reader to follow further into this +weird enactment. + +Another chieftain has been folded in his blanket. The war-bonnet and +war-shirt he wears in the picture we made of him were laid beside him in +his last sleep, emblems of his last battle and tokens of his final +conquest. + + + + + [Chief Bull Snake] + + Chief Bull Snake + + +Bull Snake + + +Old Bull Snake, or Snake Bull’s, Indian name is Ear-Ous-Sah-Chee-dups, +which means male snake. Years ago when far from camp he was bitten by a +rattlesnake. The only companion with him did all within his power to save +his friend. The death stupor was coming on, and his companion hurried to +the camp with the tidings. His relations rushed to the rescue. He +finally recovered and has ever since been called Bull Snake. It is a +fitting appellation for this grizzled warrior of sixty-eight years. The +bow and arrow became the plaything of his boyhood days. With it he sought +the lair of wild things and shot with glee the buffalo calf; his final +strength winging the arrow through the heart of the buffalo bull. Then +came the days of the war trail, eager, savage days—days when the hated foe +was pursued on foot and the warpath was followed for very love of war. +This passion for war led him to the camp of General Crook, where he was +assigned the task of trailing the hostile Sioux. The further story of +Bull Snake is best told in his own words: + +“At that time I must have been about twenty-three years old. We moved +down to the Little Rosebud. I was the first of the scouts to discover the +Sioux who were approaching us. After I reported, I mounted my horse and +in company with two other scouts went over to locate the Sioux. We found +ten Sioux and began to fight. My companions with both of their horses +were killed. Then the battle of the Little Rosebud began. The Sioux and +Cheyennes were all circling about us. General Crook sent for me. The +entire command was surrounded. I thought it was my last day. I asked to +be allowed to make a dash for a weak point in the line, his soldiers to +follow. I did this and we broke through. Crook right flanked the enemy +and won the day. In the counter attack two other Crows were on the ridge +with me fighting. I raised my coup stick to strike a Sioux and he shot +me, hitting my horse and we fell together. I found that I was badly +wounded and could not stand up. I raised up as far as I could and fired +three shots at the Sioux. There the battle ended.” + +War worn, halting on one foot, this savior of Crook’s entire command +presents a pitiful remnant of Indian valour. Speech more pathetic never +came from the lips of any man: “The greatest thing to me is the education +of my children. Since I was wounded, about thirty-six years ago, I have +been thinking over my life. My leg has been weak and my heart has been +sorry. I feel that I have suffered because I have followed my Great +Father’s order. I am glad I fought for the soldiers, for I think it was +the right thing to do. Because of my wounded leg I am not able to work; +sometimes I nearly starve, and yet I feel that I did the right thing. +Will you be kind enough to see that I get my pension? I need it!” Be kind +enough? Let the Government make answer in gratitude to the sagacious +bravery of a red man bearing through life his daily burden of pain and the +greater suffering of an unrequited heart who gloriously met the test of +sacrifice. + + + + + [Mountain Chief] + + Mountain Chief + + +Mountain Chief + + +Omaq-kat-tsa, carrying with it the meaning of Big Brave, is a name +eminently fitting to Mountain Chief. The nobility of his presence, the +Roman cast of his face, the keen penetration of his eye, the breadth of +his shoulders, the dignity with which he wears the sixty-seven years of +his life, all conspire to make this hereditary chief of the Fast Buffalo +Horse band of the Blackfeet preeminent among the Indians and eminent among +any class of men. He wears his hair on the left side in two braids; on +the right side he wears one braid, and where the other braid should be, +the hair hangs in long, loose black folds. He is very demonstrative. He +acts out in pantomime all that he says. He carries a tin whistle pendent +to his necklace. First he is whistling, again he is singing, then he is +on his hands and knees on the ground pawing up the dust like a buffalo +when he is angry. His gestures are violent and his speech is guttural, +like the sputtering of water from an exhaust. He sings a war song of his +own composition and you can hear him for a mile. When asked to tell a +story of his boyhood days he said that rather than tell such a story he +would prefer to describe the management of the camp under the two great +chiefs; his father, Mountain Chief, and Chief Lame Bull. These two men +signed the treaty between the United States and the Blackfoot tribe, +together with other tribes, in 1855, when Franklin Pierce was President. +The historic information vouchsafed by Mountain Chief regarding the +conduct of an Indian camp, their manner and method of hunting buffalo, and +the purposes to which they put the buffalo, has never before been put in +type: + +“I remember the different chiefs in the camp when I was a boy, and how +they governed the camp. My father, Mountain Chief, and his chum, Chief +Lame Bull, were living in the same tepee. They each had a medicine pipe. +These two chiefs made the plans before they moved the camp. After the +plans were made, they took their medicine pipes and placed them against +the rear side of the tepee. That indicated that the camp was going to +remain for another day. The women of the camp were sent around by the +various warriors to note the position of the pipes so they could tell what +the plans were. When they came back, they told their husbands the pipes +were in the rear of the tepee; then the husbands would say: ‘The camp is +going to remain for another day.’ Then the chiefs sent for Four Bear, who +asked certain Indians to go around and tell the people that the camp would +remain for another day. Then Four Bear went toward the camp from the +sunrise and walked around the camp toward the sunset. Then the Indians +told their wives and children to keep still, and see what was going to be +said. Four Bear would then tell the people that the camp would remain +another day and to tell their wives to go after wood. Then the women took +the travois and went after wood. Then the chiefs sent for the leaders and +warriors; we called them ‘crazy dogs.’ The leaders of the crazy dogs came +into the tepee of Mountain Chief and Lame Bull, and my father, Mountain +Chief, told these two crazy dogs to start before sunrise, and to take with +them the other crazy dogs to find where there was a lot of good fresh +water, and a lot of grass where they might camp, and also where they might +find the nearest herd of buffalo. The crazy dogs found a good place where +there was plenty of buffalo and water, and then they marked the camp. +When these crazy dogs found a location for the camp they were fortunate +enough to find a big herd of buffalo. On their return, before they +reached the camp they began to sing a crazy dog song, riding abreast. It +means: ‘A song to sharpen your knife, and patch up your stomach, for you +are going to have something good to eat.’ They made a circle, coming to +camp from the sunrise, and moved toward the sunset, and then the leaders +told the camp they had seen lots of buffalo. Then they dismounted and +went home. After the crazy dogs had had their meal, they went over to the +tepee of the chiefs; then they told the chiefs they had found a good +camping place, good ground, good water, and a big herd of buffalo just +beyond. The crazy dogs had their smoke, it was late when they went home, +and then they sent for Four Bear. Four Bear went to the camp, told the +people concerning their new camp, and the next morning the women took the +medicine pipes and put them at the side of the tepee looking toward the +direction where they were going to camp. Husbands told their wives to go +out and see on which side of the tepee the medicine pipes were placed, +that they might know where they were going. Then the wives came in and +told them that the medicine pipes pointed in a northerly direction. The +husbands told the wives that the camp was going to move north. The camp +broke up that very morning. The chiefs and their wives sat by their +tepees in a half circle, smoking while the camp was being broken up. +After the chiefs were through smoking, they got up, and found the camp +ready to move. They got a lot of mixed tobacco ready, and then they got +on their horses. The chiefs started out in procession. After going some +distance they halted; the crazy dogs followed, standing on each side, +watching the movement of the camp to see that everybody was out. After +everybody had left the camp, the chiefs followed the procession. When +they thought it was noon they made a halt. They took their travois and +saddles from the horses, and rested; then had their lunch. The chiefs +then told Four Bear to get the camp in traveling shape again, and went on. +Finally they came to the spot where the camping place was marked. They +then took the medicine pipes and put them on a tripod, and the warriors +came and sat around and smoked. Four Bear was then told to get the people +settled, to tie up the buffalo horses, and get ready for the hunt. Four +Bear then told the people not to get a meal but to get a little lunch, and +get ready for the hunt. Then the chiefs started out for the buffalo, the +hunters following. They stopped halfway before they got to the herd, and +told all the hunters not to start for the buffalo until they were all +ready and everybody had a fair chance. In the meantime one of the Indians +sneaked away to crawl up toward the buffalo. Then this fellow chased the +buffalo, and the crazy dogs took after him. When they got him, they broke +his gun, his arrows and bow, broke his knife, cut his horse’s tail off, +tore off his clothes, broke his saddle in pieces, tore his robe in pieces, +cut his rope into small bits, also his whip. Then they sent him off +afoot. About that time the buffalo had stopped again, then the main body +got on their horses, and started the chase. If a hunter hit a buffalo +with one arrow, he gave a scream, and that indicated that he had hit him +just once. There were very few guns in those days and those were +flint-locks. Sometimes when a hunter rode side by side with a buffalo, +and shot the animal, the arrow would go clear through. The Indians were +very proud and careful of their arrows. They did not wish to break them. +That is the reason why they shot them on the side, so that when the +buffalo fell the arrow would not be broken. Lots of the buffalo fell on +their knees, and would begin to move from side to side. Then the Indian, +for fear that the arrow would be broken, jumped off his horse and pulled +it out. The hunter then tied his horse to the horns of the buffalo for +fear that he might be attacked by enemies at any moment. After this they +took out their knives and sharpened them on hard steel, like the flint +with which they made fire. All the time they were sharpening their knives +they were looking around for the approach of the enemy. The fire steel +was scarce, we had to use rocks most of the time. The knives we procured +from the Hudson Bay Company. When we killed a buffalo bull, we placed him +on his knees, then we began to skin him down the back of the neck, down +the backbone, splitting it on each side. The cows we laid on their backs, +and cut down the middle. We used the buffalo cowhide for buffalo robes; +the buffalo bulls’ hides were split down the back because from this hide +we made war shields, parflesche bags, and saddle blankets. The husbands +would tell the wives to take care of the heads. The wives took the brains +out of the buffalo skull and mixed them with the largest part of the +liver, and after mixing well, used the brains and liver in tanning the +hides. Then the wife was told to take out the tripe and skin it, for they +used the skin as a bucket with which to carry water when they got home. +They had strips of rawhide about three feet long and a quarter of an inch +wide and tied the meat so that they could carry it home on the horses. +They took the backbone after it had been cleaned of the flesh, and tied +the meat to that and threw it over the back of the horse so that the load +would not hurt the back of the horse. When we got home with the meat we +unloaded. The men who had gone without their wives simply got off their +horses and went into the tepee. The women rushed out to get the meat. +Then the women took the horse with the meat on it to their father-in-law. +Then the mother-in-law hurried to get the meal, taking the ribs of the +buffalo, setting them up against the fire to roast. After the meat was +cooked it was cut in slices and placed in a wooden bowl, and the +mother-in-law took the meat over to the lodge of her son-in-law. That was +all we had for our meal. We had no coffee or anything else to eat, but we +made a good meal from the meat of the buffalo. Then the son-in-law said +to his wife: Your mother has been feeding me all the time, now you go out +and catch that mare and give it to her as a present. There was plenty of +meat in the camp and then we boys would go out and play buffalo. We would +take a long piece of rawhide, fasten a piece of meat to it, and one of us +would drag it along while the others fired arrows into it—the arrows we +used for killing squirrels and birds. When we chased the boy dragging the +piece of meat he would stop after we overtook him, and paw the dust and +would imitate the buffalo bull, and pick up the piece of meat and swing it +round his head, all the while we were trying to shoot arrows into it. But +sometimes in the swinging of the meat with the arrows in it a boy would +get hit, and then he would run back and fall down, and we would run back +to him and say that he had been hooked. He would be groaning all the +time. Then we would pick up weeds and squeeze the juice out of them, +acting as though we were doctors. About that time night came on, and the +chiefs sent for Four Bear, and Four Bear would go around and tell the +people that the grass in that camp was pretty well taken up. The next +morning the women would take their medicine pipes and put them on the +side, indicating where the next camp was going to be, and thus we went on +from camp to camp.” + +“The years have passed on, and now the old warriors and myself get +together and talk about the old buffalo days, and we feel very lonesome. +We talk over the camping places, and the old days of the chase, and the +events of those times, and we feel glad again. When we think of the old +times we think also of the white man for it was their arms that made the +buffalo extinct. If the Indians had had nothing but arrows, the buffalo +would be left to-day. We blame the Government again, for they told the +agents not to sell ammunition to the Indians, and they sold this +ammunition on the sly. This was done so that the Indians could get the +hides for the traders.” + +“The greatest event in my life was in the war of the Black-feet against +the Crees, at Hope Up, Canada. My horse and myself were both covered with +blood. Let me tell you about this battle. The war was between the +Blackfeet and the Crees. The camp was on Old Man’s River. The bands were +so many that they were camped on every bend of the river. My father, +Mountain Chief, was at the upper end of the camp. I was twenty-two years +old at the time. It was in the fall of the year, and the leaves had all +fallen. The lower camp was attacked by the Crees at night. The people +were just getting up in the morning when the news came that the lower camp +had been attacked by the Crees. I got my best horse; it was a gray horse. +My father led his band in company with Big Lake who that summer had been +elected a big chief. We rode up over the ridge while in the plain below +the battle was raging. As we rode down the hill slope, I began to sing my +war song. I carried the shield in my hand and this song that I sung +belonged to that shield. One of the medicine men dreamed that whoever +held this shield would not be hit by the bullets. While singing I put in +the words: ‘My body will be lying on the plains.’ When I reached the line +of battle I did not stop, but rode right in among the Crees, and they were +shooting at me from behind and in front. When I rode back the same way +the men made a break for the coulee. As soon as the men got into the +coulee they dug a pit. I was lying about ten yards away on the side of +the hill. I was singing while lying there. I could not hear on account +of the roar of the guns, and could not see for the smoke. About that time +they heard my whistle, and the Crees made a break for the river. Then the +Blackfeet made an onrush for the Crees and I ran over two of them before +they got to the river. As they were crossing the river I jumped off my +horse and took my spear and stabbed one of the Crees between the +shoulders. He had a spear and I took that away from him. I jumped off my +horse again, and just as I returned there was a Cree who raised his gun to +fire at me. I ran over him, and he jumped up and grabbed my horse by the +bridle. I swung my horse’s head around to protect myself and took the +butt of my whip and knocked him down. When I struck him he looked at me +and I found that his nose had been cut off. I heard afterward that a bear +had bitten his nose off. After I knocked him down, I killed him. I +jumped on my horse and just then I met another Cree. We had a fight on +our horses; he shot at me and I shot at him. When we got close together I +took his arrows away from him, and he grabbed me by the hair of the head. +I saw him reach for his dagger, and just then we clinched. My war-bonnet +had worked down on my neck, and when he struck at me with his dagger it +struck the war-bonnet, and I looked down and saw the handle sticking out, +and grabbed it and killed the other Indian. Then we rushed the Crees into +the pit again, and my father came up with one of the old muskets and +handed it to me. It had seven balls in it, and when I fired it it kicked +so hard it almost killed me. I feel that I had a more narrow escape by +shooting that gun than I had with the Indians. When we returned I had +taken nine different scalps. The Crees who had not been scalped had taken +refuge in the scant forest, and my father said to quit and go home. So we +took pity on the tribe, and let them go, so they could tell the story. I +remember that we killed over three hundred, and many more that I cannot +remember. When we returned we began to count how many we had killed. We +crossed the creek and went to the pit, and they were all in a pile. Then +we were all singing around the pit, and I put in the words, ‘The guns, +they hear me.’ And everybody turned and looked at me, and I was a great +man after that battle. Then we went home and began to talk about the +battle, and the Indians who were dead. There never was any peace between +the Crees and the Black-feet; they were always bitter enemies. When the +battle began, the leader of the Crees came right up to our tepee and slit +it, and said: ‘You people are sleeping yet, and I came,’ I fired a gun +and killed him. The Crees took their knives and slit the tepees of our +village down the sides and then rushed in. When the Crees rushed into the +tepees they took everything they could lay their hands on, killing the +women and children, and that made me mad. That was why I fought so hard +that day.” + + [War Memories] + + War Memories + + + + +Mountain Chief’s Boyhood Sports + + +“I remember when I was a boy how we used to trap foxes. We all got +together and took our sisters along, took the axe, went into the woods and +cut willows, tied them up in bundles, and put them on our backs, our +sisters doing the same thing. We would go to the east of the camp, where +the smoke and all of the scent would go, find a snowdrift in the coulee +and unload our packs. The first thing we did was to stamp on the snow—to +see if it was solid. We would drive four sticks into the snow, and while +driving in the sticks we would sing: ‘I want to catch the leader.’ The +song is a fox song to bring good luck. As far as I can remember I got +this story from my grandfather. There was an old man in the camp who went +to the mountains, and stayed there for four days without anything to eat +in order that he might get his dream. A fox came to him and told him: +‘This is one way you can kill us,’ and this is why we put in this song +while we were making the deadfall. After we got through fixing up our +deadfall we returned home, a boy in the lead, then a girl, then a boy, +then a girl, and while we were returning to the camp we sang the fox song, +putting in these words: ‘I want to kill the leader.’ Then we fell down, +imitating the fox in the trap. When we got back to camp we took buffalo +meat, covering it with fat and roasted it a while so that the fox would +get the scent. Then we took the bait and put it on a stick and put it +over our left arm, and then the boys and girls all went back again, +singing as we went; ‘We hope to have good luck.’ This song was a +good-luck song. After we put the bait in the trap we all went home +silently, not saying a word. But before we went to bed my mother said to +me: ‘I am going to get a piece of dried beef without any fat, and you take +it over to the old man who always has good luck in trapping foxes, and he +will pray for you that you may have good luck.’ When the dried meat was +done, I took it over to the old man, gave it to him, and asked him to pray +for me that I might have good luck. The old fellow would then start to +say his prayers for me. The old man to whom he prayed was the old man +that dreamed how to kill the fox. The old man told me to pick up four +stones about five inches long, and tie them with a string. He tied a +stone on each wrist, one behind my neck, and one at the back of my belt. +Then he took charcoal and blackened my nose on each side to represent the +fox, then he made me take off my clothes; he took a stick about five feet +long and held it in an inclined position. The old man then took two +sticks and hit them together, and stood right by the door singing. He +told me to whistle; then he walked toward the point where he had held the +sticks. He then lay down by the stick and began to scratch on the ground +as though he were caught in a trap. Then he said: ‘You are going to catch +one now.’ By this time it was pretty late in the night. We gave a signal +to the other boys and girls to come out and we all went to see our traps. +I had a robe made out of a yearling calfskin that I threw over me, and I +also had a rope my mother gave me with which to drag the foxes home if I +caught any. Then we went to our traps, following the same path as we did +when we went to set the trap with bait. As we went along we filled the +night with song, singing: ‘The fox is in a trap, and his tail is sticking +out.’ When we got near the traps we stopped singing, and one of us went +on ahead. The leader who went ahead walked straight to our trap, when he +returned he whistled; then we knew that some of us had caught something. +When he came back he pointed out certain ones who had caught foxes. Then +we lifted our deadfalls, slipped the ropes over them, and dragged them +home. As we approached the camp we formed in line abreast, and began to +sing. When we reached the camp every one was in bed. We sang the song +which indicated that we had caught something; then we imitated the cry of +the crow and the magpie, which indicated that we had had extra good luck. +If we imitated the hooting of an owl, it showed that we had had bad luck, +and none of us had caught anything. We were always anxious to catch some +wild game, because we sold the skins to the traders, and with the money we +bought knives and brass earrings and beads and paint.” + + + + + [Chief Red Cloud] + + Chief Red Cloud + + +Chief Red Cloud + + +Chief Red Cloud, head chief of the Ogallallas, was without doubt the most +noted and famous chief at the time of his death, December, 1909, in the +United States. He became famous through his untiring efforts in +opposition to everything the Government attempted to do in the matter of +the pacification of the Sioux. One of the most lurid pages in the history +of Indian warfare records the massacre at Fort Phil Kearny, in December, +1866. Chief Red Cloud planned and executed this terrific onslaught. He +always remained a chief. He was always the head of the restless element, +always the fearless and undaunted leader. He was the Marshal Ney of the +Indian nations, until sickness and old age sapped his vitality and +ambition. + +The holding of the last Great Indian Council occurred a little less than +two months before his death. Blind and bedridden he could not attend the +council. During the last few shattered years of his warrior life, he +relegated all the powers of chieftainship to his son, now fifty-four years +of age. The younger Chief Red Cloud attended the council. He is tall and +straight and lithe, and possesses a splendid military bearing. He is a +winsome speaker, and his words are weighted with the gold of Nature’s +eloquence. Every attitude of his body carries the charm of consummate +grace, and when he talks to you there is a byplay of changing lights in +his face that becomes fascinating. Like his father he was a born leader +and warrior. His story of the Custer fight and his participation in it +may be found in the chapter on that subject. Regarding his own life he +tells us: + +“It has been a part of my life to go out on the warpath, ever since I was +fourteen years old. As you know it is a part of our history that the man +who goes on the warpath and kills the most enemies gets a coup stick, and +the coup stick is the stepping-stone to become a chief. I remember my +first war party was forty-one years ago. This battle was at Pryor Creek +against the Crows. I was in four great battles, with my father, Chief Red +Cloud. At the battle of Pryor Creek I captured many horses, and took +three scalps. Thirty-four years ago I killed four Crows and earned my +coup stick. I kept these scalps until my visit to Washington when some +white man wanted them.” + +“I want to speak about the buffalo. There were plenty of buffalo and deer +when I was a young man, but the white man came and frightened all the game +away, and I blame the white man for it. By order of our Great Father in +Washington the buffalo were all killed. By this means they sought to get +the Sioux Indians back to their reservation.” + +“The greatest event in my life I may explain in this way: Years ago I had +been trained to go on the warpath. I loved to fight; I was fighting the +Indians and fighting the soldiers. Then there came a time when the Great +Father said we must stop fighting and go to school, we must live in peace, +that we were Indian brothers, and must live in peace with the white man. +I believe that the greatest event in my life was when I stopped the old +Indian custom of fighting and adopted what the white man told me to +do—live in peace.” + +The hoar frosts of autumn had touched into opal and orange the leaves of +the forest until great banners of colour lined the banks of the swiftly +flowing Little Big Horn; the camp of the last Great Indian Council lifted +cones of white on the edge of these radiant trees. Sombre winds uttered a +melancholy note through the dying reeds on the river bank, and all of it +seemed a prelude to an opening grave, and significant of the closing words +uttered to me by Chief Red Cloud: + +“My father, old Chief Red Cloud, has been a great fighter against the +Indians, and against the white man, but he learned years ago to give up +his fighting. He is now an old man, ready to die, and I am sorry that he +could not come here. It is now over five years since he gave me his power +and I became chief, and he and I both are glad that we are friends to the +white man and want to live in peace.” + + + + + [Chief Two Moons] + + Chief Two Moons + + +Chief Two Moons + + +Chief Two Moons wears about his neck an immense cluster of bear claws. +His arms are also encircled with this same insignia of distinction. +Although he has reached the age of nearly threescore years and ten, his +frame is massive and his posture, when standing, typifies the forest oak. +It takes no conjuring of the imagination to picture this stalwart leader +of the Cheyennes against Custer on that fateful June day, as suffering no +loss in comparison with the great generals who led the Roman eagles to +victory. Two Moons is now nearly blind; he carries his coup stick, +covered with a wolfskin, both as a guide for his footsteps and a badge of +honour. There is not a tinge of gray in the ample folds of his hair, and +his voice is resonant and strong. His story of the Custer fight, told for +me at the cross marking the spot where Custer fell, to be found in the +Indians’ story of that battle, is both thrilling and informing. + + [Here Custer Fell] + + Here Custer Fell + + +Seated around the campfire in my tepee while a cold rain sifted through +the canvas, Two Moons became reminiscent. His mother and brother were +called Two Moons, meaning two months—in the Indian tongue, Ish-hay-nishus. +His mind seemed to travel back to his boyhood days, for he started right +in by saying: “When a Cheyenne boy wants to marry a young woman it takes a +long time for them to get acquainted with each other. When he wants to +marry a girl or have her for a sweetheart he tells another fellow with +whom he is acquainted, and who is also acquainted with the girl, and this +young man goes and tells her, the same as a white man writes to the young +lady on paper. And this Indian friend brings them together; this Indian +goes and tells the girl that the boy wants to be a sweetheart to her, and +the girl will say, ‘Well, I will think it over.’ And then she thinks it +over, and finally says if he comes to see her some time in the day or +night then she will believe that he is a sweetheart of hers. So then the +young man goes to the young girl, and talks to her, and they make up their +minds to get married. They get married after this fashion: the young man +may go to the tent of the girl at night and the girl may come out, then +the boy will take the girl away to his home. So then the next morning the +young man’s folks and family bring their presents. They take two or three +horses, good horses, and load these horses up with good stuff, clothes, +shawls, necklaces, bracelets, and moccasins. Then they take the girl back +to her home. The girl’s family divides up the presents after they get +home.” + +“There is another way: When an old man and woman decide they want a +grandchild, they tell their son they are going to buy a certain girl and +he must marry her. Then another Indian goes and tells the girl’s family +that they would like to trade for the girl, and if it is all right he goes +back and the boy’s people load up some horses with goods, and take them +over to the girl’s folks. And then they take her back and give her to the +boy’s family. The bride was bedecked with brass rings which were taken +from the tepee, but they used other rings for engagement rings after the +white man came.” + +In speaking of death, Two Moons said: “If the person who dies has a mother +or father or friend, they all cry, and all the things that belonged to the +boy they give away to other people. They dig a grave in between the rocks +and put the body in the ground and cover it up with dirt and rocks. They +always dig a grave for a person who dies whether they have friends or +folks. The old people believed there was a man came on earth here and +some of his children had done a lot of crime and fooling with him, and +they talked of his going up to heaven, and living there and looking down, +and that is where we will all go when we die. Also the old people +believed that that man said: ‘There will be a kind of cross light up in +the sky, which will mark the path for souls on the road.’ ‘High White Man’ +is our name for God. And it was the son of High White Man who told this, +and who created us and made everything.” + +“The first time the Indian saw a locomotive, he called it the Iron Horse, +and the railroad was called the Iron Road. The old people first saw what +they called white men, and they called the white man a Ground Man. I was +so young then that I did not know anything at that time. I saw some men +driving an ox team, or carrying packs on their backs and walking. When I +got older most of the people knew that these white men were good. The +first time they saw a white man they called him Drive-a-Wagon. They did +not know what they were hauling, but found out afterward that it was sugar +and coffee. I remember how pleased I was when I first saw sugar and +coffee. When I was a boy the Indians used to get the grains of coffee and +put it in a bucket and boil it, and it would never cook at all. Finally a +white man came along and took the coffee and put it in a bucket and put it +on the coals without any water, and stirred it until it turned brown, and +then he took it off and mashed it up between two stones, and that was how +we learned to make coffee. I like it, and have always liked it.” + +“The white man is to blame for the driving away of the buffalo.” (It will +here be observed that the Indian cannot talk very long at a time without +this ever recurring subject being forced to the front.) “After the white +man had driven the buffalo away, a great council among the Indians was +held; all the tribes possible were called to this big council on the +Platte River. All the different tribes were there. A white man came +there and brought a lot of stuff, such as clothes, plates, guns, coffee +grinders, knives, blankets, and food, and gave them to the Indians. They +also brought shoes. This man said that he wanted some Indians to go to +Washington. They went down the Missouri River. They went by ox team from +the Platte River to the Missouri, and then by ship down the Missouri +River. These men were gone to Washington for a year; they came back about +the middle of the summer. The President told the Indians they were his +grandchildren, and thus the Indians called the President their +grandfather. Grandfather told them that a white man would come and live +with them, and that for fifty-five years they would get clothes and food. +I was nine years old when they held the council and ten years old when +they came back. From the time of the council the old people settled down +in the Black Hills and in the south and quit running around. From that +time all the Indians became friends of the white man, and the white man +bought the buffalo hides and other skins. After they settled down +everything went along all right until I was fifteen years old, and then +the whites came in and there was a fight between the whites and Cheyennes +and some other tribes of Indians. I do not know what happened, but some +Cheyennes went over to the white man’s camp on Shell River, and the white +men started to fire at the Indians. That was the cause of the trouble +that year. Later the Comanches and Apaches and Kiowas fought among +themselves, and came north to fight the Cheyennes. We called them the +Texas Indians. Then the wars between the tribes and the hostilities +between the Red and White grew less and less. There was a man named +Honey;—the Indians called him Bee—he told the Cheyennes they must not +fight. In the numerous battles in which I was engaged I received many +wounds. I was wounded by the Pawnee Indians in a fight with them, by an +arrow; wounded again at Elk River in the Yellowstone, when I was shot +through the arm by a Crow of the Big Horn. I was wounded again on the +Crow River in Utah in a fight with the United States soldiers, when I was +shot through the thigh. I had my horse shot through the jaw in a fight +with the Crows, but to-day I am a friend of all the tribes; once I was +their enemy. I was told by General Miles at Fort Kearny that we must not +fight any more, that it was the orders from Washington. I remember +General Miles well. I know him and I am a friend of his. When General +Miles told me what I ought to do, it was just as though he put me in his +hand and showed me the white man and the Indian, and told us we were all +to be good friends, so that is the reason General Miles’ name is a great +name among the Cheyennes as well as the whites. And your coming among us +is just like General Miles; you are helping the Indians and can help them. +They need help for they are all poor. After the Indians settled down and +General Miles had told us what the Great Father at Washington wanted, and +after I had succeeded in settling the Indians, the order came from +Washington that we should take up land and call it a claim. So I looked +all around for land on which to settle; then I went over to Tongue River +on the Rosebud so that my family and children could be reared and have a +home. All that I have told you is true. General Miles told me that when +I settled down and took this land, there might be some people who would +come along and try to cheat us out of our land, but not to pay any +attention to them, that it was our land. There are a great many people +settled in Montana in the land that belonged to the Indians. These people +are raising lots of cattle and ought to be good to the Indian. I have +been on this land for over twenty years, but we are not yet accustomed to +the white man’s food: we love the meat yet, and we long for the buffalo. +There is a great deal of land leased by cattle men in Montana, and the +money ought to go to buy more cattle for the Indian, and clothes for our +children. I like to tell the truth just as I have seen it with my own +eyes, and I will have another good story for you to-morrow night. I am +getting old, but when I begin to talk about the old times I think I am +young again, and that I am the biggest of them all.” + + + + + + [Custer Scouts] + + Custer Scouts + + +THE STORY OF THE SURVIVING CUSTER SCOUTS + + +Too little stress has been laid upon the values accruing to the safety and +success of the United States troops, in their warfare on the western +frontier, from the services of Indian scouts. + +A wild and often inaccessible country to traverse, with none of the aids +of electricity or modern travel; with difficult mountain ranges to climb, +blinding blizzards and insufferable cold, blistering heat, and the hazards +of unknown rivers to cross through banks of perilous quicksands; +stupendous distances to travel, and all the time an alert, wily, and +masterful foe lurking in any one of ten thousand impregnable coverts—this +is a hint of the scout’s life. These brave and tireless scouts led not to +ambush but to the advantage of our men at arms. Estimate the bravery, the +sagacity, the perseverance, the power of endurance displayed by these +Indian scouts, and their superlative service will call for our patriotic +gratitude. No trial of strength and endurance, no test of bravery, no +audacity of peril, hindered or made them afraid. They were more important +than guns and munitions of war. The Crows made the best scouts, for two +reasons: They had never taken up arms against the whites; all the +neighbouring tribes battled against the Crows for the conquest of their +land. The Crow scouts, therefore, aided the United States soldiers to +conquer and drive out their hereditary foes that they might preserve their +land and their homes. It was therefore not only a fight of fidelity and +fealty but of preservation—Nature’s strongest law. + +Our story is now concerned with the four surviving scouts who led the +United States soldiers in many campaigns under Crook, Terry, Miles, +Howard, and finally Custer. The Indians who piloted Long Hair to the +great Sioux camp in the valley of the Little Big Horn—the last day of life +for Custer, the last contest at arms for the Indians—are now old men, and +their own life record is full of thrilling interest. + + + + + [White Man Runs Him—Custer Scout] + + White Man Runs Him—Custer Scout + + +White-Man-Runs-Him + + +This red man of the plains is a veritable Apollo Belvedere. He is +pronounced by all ethnologists as possessing a physique hardly paralleled +by any of the northern tribes. He fulfills in his life the nobility of +his stature. At the age of sixty-five, his figure, seventy-four inches in +height, stands unbent—supple and graceful. His whole aspect is that of +quiet dignity, his voice is soft and musical, his eye is keen and +penetrating; modestly and earnestly he describes his share in the Custer +fight. He was trustworthy to the point of death. Very many times the +safety of an entire command depended upon his caution and sagacity. He +served as scout under Terry, Crook, and Custer. + +While telling his story he stood upright, lifted his hands full length, +which among the Crows signified an oath, meaning that he would tell the +truth. His Indian boyhood name was Be-Shay-es-chay-e-coo-sis, “White +Buffalo That Turns Around.” When he was about ten years of age his +grandfather named him after an event in his own father’s life. A white +man pursued his father, firing his gun above his father’s head in order to +make him run. And he was afterward called “White-Man-Runs-Him.” + +Regarding his boyhood days he tells us: “Until I was fifteen years of age, +together with my boy playmates, we trained with bows and arrows. We +learned to shoot buffalo calves, and this practice gave us training for +the warpath. It answered two purposes: protection and support. We were +also taught the management of horses. We early learned how to ride well. +When the camp moved we boys waited and walked to the new camp for +exercise, or we hunted on the way. We felt brave enough to meet anything. +Thus it was that we roamed over the hills, and climbed the rocks in search +of game, but we were sure to arrive at the camp just in time for the meal +which had been prepared by the squaws. If on our way to the camp we came +across game, such as a rabbit, we shot it with our arrows, broiled it and +ate it for fun. When we got to the new camp we would all praise one boy +for some deed that he had performed on the way, and then we would sing and +dance. That boy’s folks would give all us boys a dish of pemmican for the +good deed he had performed. The little girls had small tepees. They +practised cooking, learning from the older women. These girls would serve +delicacies to us, and we would sing and dance around their tepee.” + +“When we were quite small boys we would go out hunting horses, and bring +back a dog and call it a horse. When we made a new camp we seldom stayed +more than ten days. In that way our health was sustained by travel. +While we were on the move from one camp to another, we had to cross wide +streams. We boys would measure the width of the river, and compete with +each other to see who could swim across without stopping. I am telling +you now what I did to build myself up to be the man I am now. The boys +who were the same age and size as myself would wrestle, and if a boy +downed me three or four times, I kept up the practice of wrestling until I +had more strength. Then I could throw this boy and I was satisfied. I +selected a boy to run a race; if the boy passed me, then I made the +distance longer, and if he passed me again, I made the distance still +longer, for I knew that I was long-winded. Then I won the race.” + +“Fifteen or twenty of us boys would go out to the river, and daub +ourselves up with mud and so disguise ourselves that no one in the camp +would know us. Then we would take jerked buffalo beef that the women had +hung up around the camp to dry and go off out of sight and have a feast. +None of us was caught at it, because they could not tell one boy from +another. During this time I watched what old people did. When I came to +grow up, I went forth equipped. I always had an amibition to do more than +the best man in the camp could do. When I went on the chase, I made up my +mind that I would bring home a buffalo or I would not go home. And my +folks rejoiced, believing that they had a good boy to help support the +family.” + +“We were surrounded by many different tribes, Shoshones, Sioux, Piegans, +and Gros Ventres. They were all our enemies. We often went on the +warpath against these people, because they were always trying to take our +horses and conquer our land. When we went on the warpath sometimes we +would stop and kill a buffalo and have a feast. If we could, we crawled +up on the enemy’s camp and stole his horses. If we met a foe we tried to +kill him and bring his scalp home.” + +“Our custom of painting was a sign. If in a dream we saw any one painted, +that was our medicine. In our dreams we would see various kinds of paints +and how to use them; we would see certain birds and feathers, and we +adopted this as our style of paint. Others would try to buy from us our +style of paint. The kind of paint and feathers we wore made us brave to +do great deeds—to kill the enemy or take his horses. We did not buy +horses, but stole them. We gave the horses to our relations. If I got +one or more horses, it represented so much value to me, and brought honour +to me. And, besides, the girls admired the man who could go out and get +horses, and in this way we won a wife. After marriage I would sell a +horse, buy elk teeth, beaded leggings, and put them on my wife as a +wedding present. Elk teeth and horses were a sign of wealth. Then my +wife would make a tepee, and put it up; then I would settle down and have +a home.” + +“In early days we had nothing for clothing except the skins of animals. +We used the buffalo hide or the deer hide for a breechclout. For a bucket +we used the tripe of the buffalo, after thoroughly cleaning it. We would +hang it up on the branch of a tree, full of water, and drink out of it.” + +“The white people came long before I was born, but when I first remember +the white man I thought he was very funny. I never knew of any one person +particularly, but I know there are good white people and bad white people, +honest white people and dishonest white people, true white people and mean +white people. We always take it for granted that what the white people +say is true, but we have found out by experience that they have been +dishonest with us and that they have mistreated us. Now when they say +anything we think about it, and sometimes they are true. I am saying this +about the white people in general.” + +“Going back to the days when we had no horses, we would see the buffalo on +the plains; we then surrounded them, driving them as we did so, near to +the edge of some steep precipice. When we got the buffalo up near the +edge of the precipice we would all wave our blankets and buffalo robes and +frighten the buffalo and they would run off the steep place, falling into +the valley below, one on top of another. Of course the undermost animals +were killed. Then we would go down and get them and take away the meat.” + +“The Indians found some dogs on the prairie. After they got the dogs they +would fasten a pole on either side of the dogs with a tanned hide fastened +between the poles, and the Indians would put their trappings, their meat, +and their pappooses on this hide stretched between the poles. In that way +they moved from place to place, the dog carrying the utensils of the camp. +We called it a travois. One day when we were moving, the dog who was +carrying a baby in the travois saw a deer and ran after it. He went over +a bank and carried the baby with him, and finally came back without the +baby.” + +“In counting the dead on the battlefield we placed sticks by the dead +soldiers or Indians, then gathered the sticks up, took them to one place +in a pile and there counted the sticks. We count by fixing events in our +mind. We have a brain and a heart, and we commit to memory an event, and +then we say Chief So-and-So died when we broke camp on the Big Horn, and +So-and-So were married when we had the big buffalo hunt in the snow. Or +we had a big fight with the Sioux when our tepees were placed in a ring in +the bend of the Yellowstone River. We dated our time from these events.” + + + + +Folklore Tale—Crow + + +“When I was a little boy this is a story that was told around every +campfire: It was called ‘Old Man Coyote!’ Before the white man came the +coyote used to roam over all the land. The Old Man Coyote took the little +coyotes he picked up on the prairies and called them his little brothers. +The little coyote was such a sly animal that the old coyote always sent +him on errands, because he knew he would always be up to something. The +Old Man Coyote says: ‘We are alone: let us make man.’ He said: ‘Go and +bring me some mud so that I can make a man, so that we can be together.’ +The Old Man Coyote took the mud and put it together, and put hair on it, +and set it up on the ground, and said: ‘There is a man!’ The little +coyote said: ‘Make some more.’ And the Old Man Coyote made four—two were +women and two were men. The Old Man sized them up and said they were +good, and so he made a whole lot more. Old Man Coyote said: ‘It is good +that we live together, and I want you to open each other’s eyelids.’ Old +Man Coyote said to these people whom he had made: ‘Now, if you stay +together and are good to each other, you will be happy, and you will +increase in numbers.’ Old Man Coyote was our creator. Old Man Coyote +said to these people whom he had made: ‘This is your land; live here, eat +of the fruit of the trees, drink of the rivers, hunt the game, and have a +good time.’ From that we believe that the white people had nothing to do +with the land—it belonged to the Indian. This story, told to our people +so many times, and told to me since I can remember, led me to believe when +I came to know and understand that this land was wholly ours, and belonged +entirely to the Indians. Old Man Coyote, after he had created man and +woman, did not have anything to do, so he made a bow and arrow. He took +the flint for the arrowhead, and with it he killed the buffalo. Then he +gave the bow and arrow to the Indian and said to him: ‘This is your +weapon.’ The people whom Old Man Coyote created had no knife, so he took +the shoulder blade of the buffalo and sharpened it and made it into a +knife. These people whom Old Man Coyote had created roamed round over the +land and they found a mule. It was a great big mule with great big ears, +and when they brought it home the people were all afraid of it. They all +gathered around the mule, staring in amazement at him, and said: ‘What +kind of an animal is this? It is a dangerous animal.’ Just then the mule +stuck up his ears, and let out an awful cry, just such a cry as only the +mule can make. Then the people all ran away as hard as they could go, +scared almost to death, except one Indian, who fell flat on the earth—too +scared to run. And finally the people called this man, +‘Not-Afraid-of-the-Mule.’ And in this way we learned how to name our +Indians.” + + + + + [Hairy Moccasin—Custer Scout] + + Hairy Moccasin—Custer Scout + + +Hairy Moccasin + + +Isapi-Wishish is the name the Indians called Hairy Moccasin, a scout under +Gibbon, Miles, Howard, and Custer. His frame is small and wiry, and like +his brother scout, Goes-Ahead, he too will soon be numbered with the great +army of the dead. Silent, unobtrusive, carrying no mark of distinction, +his moccasined feet move slowly along the path made by others. It must be +noted that however unprepossessing his personality he wears an untarnished +badge for bravery and faithful service as a scout. White-Man-Runs-Him +said: “I cannot say anything better about Hairy Moccasin than to say that +he executed faithfully the orders of General Custer.” He was the boyhood +playmate of White-Man-Runs-Him. They were companions in all the sports +and games and tricks of the camp. When the Custer scouts traversed the +difficult and dangerous route from the Little Rosebud to the valley where +they located the mighty camp of the Sioux, it was Hairy Moccasin who under +the stars of that June night reached the apex of the hills at dawn. The +other scouts lay down to rest. Hairy Moccasin, leaving the others asleep, +went to the summit—which is called the Crow’s Nest—and as the gray streaks +of the dawn began to silver the east, it was Moccasin’s eye which caught +the vision of the myriads of white tents, of the brown hills in the +distance covered with brown horses, the curling smoke from hundreds of +wigwams. Word was sent back to Custer. In excited tones, he asked: “Have +you seen the cut-throat Sioux?” From the vantage point of the hills where +they had seen the camp Hairy Moccasin was sent still farther in advance to +reconnoitre. He climbed a pine-clad hill, found the Sioux everywhere, and +then he rode back and reported to General Custer the size and position of +the camp. On hearing the report Custer hurried up his command. As the +brave general moved out of the valley up the ridge it is the testimony of +White-Man-Runs-Him that Hairy Moccasin rode immediately in advance of +Custer, and when the Chey-ennes came up, “He fired at them, banged and +banged at them, and the Cheyennes were afraid of Moccasin. They were +afraid of all three of us. Custer would have been killed before the time +he was shot if it had not been for Hairy Moccasin and myself, who were +around him shooting at the Indians.” When the United States soldiers were +fighting the Nez Perces Hairy Moccasin got a horse away from the enemy, +and brought it into the camp of the soldiers. Hairy Moccasin was always +on the warpath performing brave deeds. The name and fame of Custer will +live in the archives of his country, and a fadeless lustre will forever +crown the heroic deeds of this Indian Scout. + + + + + [Curly—Custer Scout] + + Curly—Custer Scout + + +Curly + + +Curly, a Reno Crow, was born on the Little Rosebud, Montana, and is +fifty-seven years of age. He has the bearing, grace and dignity of an +orator. His name will also go down in history as one of the leading +scouts who trailed for General Custer the Indian camp, and as the last of +his scouts on the fated field where Custer and his command were slain. At +times he is taciturn and solemn, and then bubbles over with mirthfulness. +At the council held on the Crow Reservation, in October, 1907, with +reference to the opening of unoccupied lands, Curly uttered this eloquent +speech: + +“I was a friend of General Custer. I was one of his scouts, and will say +a few words. The Great Father in Washington sent you here about this +land. The soil you see is not ordinary soil—it is the dust of the blood, +the flesh, and bones of our ancestors. We fought and bled and died to +keep other Indians from taking it, and we fought and bled and died helping +the whites. You will have to dig down through the surface before you can +find nature’s earth, as the upper portion is Crow. The land, as it is, is +my blood and my dead; it is consecrated, and I do not want to give up any +portion of it.” + +Accompanied by a group of Indians, Curly came to my tepee when we were +camped on the Little Big Horn. The whole company were greatly agitated +because an Indian possessed with the spirit of self-importance had gone to +Washington to make war against other Indians in the tribe who were +industrious and loyal home builders. They all made speeches around the +campfire, asking my interposition at Washington. In his argument Curly +said: “Which man would you believe, the man who is trying to raise wheat +for the people to get flour and bread from, oats to feed his horses, who +builds a house for the shelter and preservation of his family, builds a +stable in which to shelter his horses, tills the soil to get the product, +trying to raise vegetables so that his people may have something to eat in +summer and winter, or the man who would come along and run over this man +who was working and trying to do something for his family, and would not +work himself, but just run around and make a renegade of himself, +quarrelling with his mother and brothers—which man would you believe? A +man who quarrels with his mother is not fit for any duty.” Gems like +these would grace any brightest page of literature, but they are the +everyday eloquence of the Indian. + +Curly said regarding his early life: “When I was a boy I did not do much. +I was not crazy, but I did not run into mischief. My father and mother +always advised me not to get into mischief. My first remembrance of the +white man was when I took the skins of buffalo calves into the trading +stores and traded with the white man. I thought that was a great thing to +do. I had been many times on the trail of the buffalo and had sought +opportunity to go on the warpath. When I was about eighteen years old the +Crow chiefs made the announcement that there were some United States +officers in camp who wanted some Crow scouts. I quickly volunteered. My +brother approached us after we started and took myself and Hairy Moccasin +and White Swan and told us that we had a secret mission in another +district. My brother was then on the warpath. We went as far with my +brother as Tongue River and did not see what we were searching for and we +came back home. Then the Crow scouts left the agency and camped at +Clark’s Ford, and Bonnie Bravo and Little Face, Indian scouts and +interpreters, met us there. These scouts took us over to General Terry’s +camp again. The scouts who were with Terry had no horses, for the Sioux +had captured them. We had with us eight horses. Then we marched down as +far as the Little Rosebud. There one of Terry’s officers told us we were +to go out and scout for the Sioux camp. We went as far as Tongue River, +and Bonnie Bravo was the first one to discover the Sioux camp. Then we +came back to the command and reported. General Terry moved his cavalry +forward and attempted to ford the Yellowstone River. The water was so +high that many of the men and horses were drowned, and the rest came back. +Then Terry asked the scouts to go forward again, and see if the camp was +still there. We found that the camp had moved from Tongue River up on the +Little Rosebud. After that we reported, and General Terry did not say +very much. General Terry then sent Bonnie Bravo and the two scouts back +to the camp to procure horses. They sent two other scouts and the army +wagons to Crow Agency for provisions. The soldiers did not leave the camp +very far for fear of attack by the Sioux, for they kept close watch on +them constantly, firing at any soldiers they saw. Then General Terry sent +me toward Crow Agency to meet the wagons and the men who were with the +horses. After we had met the wagons we stayed there all night and then +went on to camp. General Terry then moved his camp, following the +Yellowstone down. We were taken clear down to the mouth of the Powder +River. White-Man-Runs-Him and another scout did not have any horses, so +they got into the boat and went down the river, bringing a dispatch to +Terry. The dispatch told us to go back and follow the Yellowstone up +again. We went back and camped within ten or twelve miles of the mouth of +the Big Horn, near where we had camped before. We stayed there three or +four days, and then a steamboat arrived bringing Bouyer, the scout. He +told us all to break camp. There were six of us who did the most of the +scouting, and out of the six Terry told three of us to go and find the +enemy’s camp. General Terry and the commander of the infantry were in the +ambulance, and Bouyer was there talking with them. Terry sent for Yellow +Shield, then Yellow Shield sent for me. Bouyer then asked me who among +the Crow scouts did the most scouting. I said White Swan, Hairy Moccasin, +and myself. These scouts then camp up and joined me. Yellow Shield then +told us that he wanted six men in all. Then we had a conference. We +thought of White-Man-Runs-Him, but he had no horse. Then Yellow Shield +said he would call White-Man-Runs-Him and Goes-Ahead to join us. After +they had called these men they put us on the steamboat and sent us down +the river, sending the other Crows home. We were taken down to the mouth +of the Little Rosebud by the Yellowstone. We were told after we had had +our dinner that we must dress ourselves up and paint up and get ready to +scout.” + +Curly at this point reaches the camp of General Custer, and the remainder +of the fascinating story of this warrior, orator, and scout, who followed +with unfailing fidelity the fortunes of the United States soldiers, will +be told in the chapter on “The Indians’ Story of the Custer Fight.” + + + + + [Goes Ahead—Custer Scout] + + Goes Ahead—Custer Scout + + +Goes-Ahead-Basuk-Ore + + +Goes-Ahead carries about a tall, attenuated, and weakened frame. He is +standing on the verge of yonder land. He is stricken with a fatal +disease. In manner he is as quiet and unobtrusive as a brooding bird. +When reminiscent his wonted smile disappears, his eye lights up with a +strange mysterious fire. He talks straight on like a man who has +something to tell and is eager to tell it. We may gain better glimpses of +his life if we let him tell his own tale: + +“When I was quite a lad I went to war. I was the first in the battle and +the others all said: ‘There he goes ahead of us.’ I have been first in +battle ever since and thus I got my name, Goes-Ahead. The greatest +pleasure I had when I was a boy, I remember, was in killing wolves. After +we had shot the wolf we would run up and put our coup stick on him and +play that he was our enemy. Another sport we had was playing buffalo. We +divided up and part of the boys would be buffalo and part would be +hunters. The boys who were playing buffalo would paw up the dust and we +would run after them and shoot arrows at them, and then the buffalo bull +would chase us back until he caught one of the boys, then we went on until +we conquered the buffalo. When I was a young man we had buffalo skulls +with the meat and skin all taken off and we would tie ropes to them and +put them on the ice. The girls would sit on the buffalo head and we would +draw them along the ice. That was one of our greatest pleasures. I was +about fifteen years old when I first went on the war trail. It was in the +winter time and I was on foot. I used a bow and arrows and my arrows were +not very good. The young fellows who went with me had old Springfields, +using powder and bullets. We used to make a shack by the edge of the +woods, the others would kill the buffalo and then we would roast the meat +by the fire. I used to cut the buffalo meat in strips, and dried it, and +then put it in sacks and carried it along for the war party. When we made +a little log shelter at night they made me stay by the door where it was +cold and I had to do all the cooking for the party. We had no bucket with +which to carry water, so when we killed a buffalo we took the tripe and +used that for a pail in which to carry water. The scouts of the war party +of course were away ahead of us and when we made our shack in the woods +they would return at night. If they returned singing we knew that they +had buffalo and we would run to get their packs. These scouts got up +before daybreak and left the camp on another scouting expedition—they were +looking for the enemy to see which way they were moving or what they had +been killing. We found the trail by the marks of their old camps. The +scouts trailed the enemy until they found the camp, then they returned +howling like a wolf as they came near us, and then we knew they had found +the enemy. When they approached the camp we made piles of different +material and then they shook their guns at the piles and we knew that they +were telling the truth, that they had seen the enemy. Then they run over +the piles. Then we got ready for the night and stretched our ropes; we +took our medicine and tied it on our heads. Then we all stood up in a row +and they selected the bravest to take the lead to the camp of the enemy. +Then these braves started on a run, first on a dog trot and then faster +and faster until they got their speed, and then we endeavoured to keep up +until we reached the enemy’s camp. When we got within sight of the camp +we would all sit in a row and take off our moccasins and put on new ones. +Then we selected two men to go around to the camp and get all the horses +they could capture and bring them back to our party. When these horses +were caught and brought back to us we roped and mounted them bareback and +rode away as fast as we could, driving the remainder of the horses they +had captured. We kept on for days and nights without anything to eat or +any rest. After we had reached our camp and had spent the night we +painted ourselves and the best horses, mounted them, and started shooting +guns in the air; then everybody knew that the war party was back. We rode +through the camp on our horses. We did not expect the enemy to pursue us, +because we had gone so far and so long that we knew we were out of their +reach.” + + [On the War Trail] + + On the War Trail + + +“My first battle was on the Yellowstone River. I rode a roan horse. I +was scouting under General Miles. We found the trail of the Nez Perce +Indians. We fought a battle twenty miles north of where Billings is now +located. The Nez Perce chased the scouts back. Just at this time our +interpreter, Bethune, had quit riding, for his horse had played out and he +went on foot. Then many of the Nez Perce dismounted and began to surround +Bethune and open fire on him. I thought then his life would be lost and I +rode back as fast as I could ride into the midst of the fire, pulled him +on the back of my horse and rode away, saving his life.” + +In his own words Goes-Ahead tells us how he became a scout in the United +States Army: “I was a single man and I loved to go on the warpath. The +chiefs announced to all the camp asking young men to go to the army +officers and enlist as scouts. As I wanted to scout I obeyed the command +of my chiefs. The army officers took the names of these young men. The +young men whose names were not taken were turned back, but they always +took my name, and that is how I came to be a scout.” Goes-Ahead tells for +us a most graphic story of his share in the Custer fight and his +impressions of General Custer in the chapter on “The Indians’ Story of the +Custer Fight.” + + + + + + [In Battle Line] + + In Battle Line + + +THE INDIANS’ STORY OF THE CUSTER FIGHT + + +We are thinking now of the reddest chapter in the Indian wars of the +Western plains. Out amid the dirge of landscape, framed within the valley +of the Little Big Horn, where that historic river winds its tortuous way +through the sagebrush and cactus of Montana, a weather-beaten cross stands +on a lonely hillside, surrounded by a cluster of white marble slabs, and +all marking the final resting-place of the heroes of the Seventh United +States Cavalry, who perished to a man, “in battle formation,” with their +intrepid leader, Gen. George A. Custer. “Custer’s Last Battle,” as +chroniclers of Indian wars have designated that grim tragedy, has been +written about, speculated upon, and discussed more than any other single +engagement between white troops and Indians. Volumes have already been +written and spoken on all sides—the controversy still goes on. The brave +dead sleep on; they are bivouacked on Fame’s eternal camping ground. +Civilization has irrigated the valley and swept on to Western frontiers, +but as though to forever write laurels for the brow of Custer—called the +Murat of the American army—the white stones and the decaying crucifix of +wood are surrounded by barren bluffs and a landscape so forbidding that it +is a midnight of desolation. It seems to be preserved by the God of +Battles as an inditement on the landscape never to be erased by any human +court—lonely, solemn, desolate, bereaved of any summer flower, written all +over with the purple shadows of an endless Miserere. Thirty-six years +have run through the hourglass since these dreary hills and the flowing +river listened to the furious speech of rifles and the warwhoop of +desperate redmen. The snows have piled high the parchment of winter—a +shroud for the deathless dead—whiter than the white slabs. Summer has +succeeded summer, and all the June days since that day of terrific +annihilation have poured their white suns upon these white milestones of +the nation’s destiny—the only requiem, the winds of winter, and in summer +the liquid notes of the meadow lark. In all the argument and controversy +that has shifted the various factors of the fight over the checkerboard of +contention, the voice of the Indian has hitherto been hopelessly silent. +It is historically significant, therefore, that the Indian now speaks, and +the story of Custer’s Last Battle, now told for the first time by all four +of his scouts, and leaders of the Sioux and Cheyennes, should mark an +epoch in the history of this grim battle. The Indians who tell this story +were all of them members of the last Great Indian Council, and they +visited the Custer Field a little over two miles from the camp of the +chiefs, traversed every step of the ensanguined ground and verified their +positions, recalling the tragic scenes of June 26, 1876. It matters much +in reading their story to remember that all of Ouster’s command were +killed—every lip was sealed in death and the silence is forever unbroken. +The Indian survivors are all old men: Goes-Ahead and Hairy Moccasin are +each on the verge of the grave, fatally stricken by disease; Chief Two +Moons, leader of the hostile Cheyennes, is a blind old man; +Runs-the-Enemy, a Sioux chief, totters with age. In a near tomorrow they +too will sink into silence. + + [The Custer Battlefield] + + The Custer Battlefield + + +These four scouts, faithful to the memory of Custer, together with the +Sioux and Cheyenne chiefs, trudged with the writer to stand on the spot +where Custer fell, and with bowed heads pay their silent tribute to the +dead. The camera has recorded the scene, a last vision of the red man +standing above the grave of his conquerors, a pathetic page in the last +chapter of Indian warfare. + + + + + [Scouts on the March] + + Scouts on the March + + + THE STORY OF WHITE-MAN-RUNS-HIM—CUSTER SCOUT + + +The Great Father at Washington sent representatives out to our country. +The Indians met them and held a council. The Sioux were the hereditary +enemies of the Crows. The head man sent by the Great Father said to the +Crows: “We must get together and fight, and get this land from the Sioux. +We must win it by conquest.” We called the officer, who was lame, +No-Hip-Bone—the officer was General Terry. We loved our land so we +consented to go in with the soldiers and put these other tribes off the +land. No-Hip-Bone took me in the winter time, and I went with him +wherever he wanted me to go until the next summer. During this journey I +had a good horse. The Sioux took it away from me, and I was left to go on +foot, so I put my gun on my shoulder and marched with the soldiers. I +thought that I was a man, and had confidence in myself that I was right. +And so I kept up with the soldiers. I endured all the hardships the +soldiers endured in order to hold my land. We had hardships climbing +mountains, fording rivers, frost and cold of winter, the burning heat of +summer—my bones ache to-day from the exposure, but it was all for love of +my home. I stood faithfully by the soldiers. They did not know the +country. I did. They wanted me for their eye, they could not see. The +soldiers were the same as though they were blind, and I used both of my +own eyes for them. The soldiers and I were fighting in friendship, what +they said, I did; what I said, they did. So I helped my tribe. Land is a +very valuable thing, and especially our land. I knew the Cheyennes and +Sioux wanted to take it by conquest, so I stayed with the soldiers to help +hold it. No-Hip-Bone moved to Tongue River at the time the leaves were +getting full. We heard that General Custer was coming and I and thirty +soldiers went down the river in boats. Two scouts, Elk and Two-Whistles, +were with me. At the junction of the Yellowstone with the Missouri River +we met Custer. I was the first one of the Crows to shake hands with +General Custer. He gripped me by the hand tight and said: “You are the +one I want to see, and I am glad that you are first.” We went into the +steamboat with General Custer, and he pointed out different places to me +as objects of interest. I directed Custer up to No-Hip-Bone, who had +moved to the mouth of the Little Rosebud. They had a council, Bonnie +Bravo was their interpreter. General Custer said to the interpreter, +pointing to me: “This is the kind of man we want for this campaign, and I +want some others also.” Goes-Ahead, Hairy Moccasin, White Swan, +Paints-His-Face-Yellow, and Curly were chosen. There were six of us +altogether. The others were sent back. We always moved ahead of +Custer—we were his pilots. We always travelled at night, climbing the +mountains and wading the rivers. During the day we made a concealed camp. +We travelled in this way several days before we reached the Sioux camp. +When we reached the top of the Wolf Mountains we saw the enemy’s camp near +where the Custer Field is at the present time. Hairy Moccasin, +Goes-Ahead, Curly, and myself saw the camp. Custer had halted at the foot +of a mountain, and we all went back and told Custer that we had seen a big +camp, and it was close. Custer was rejoiced and anxious to go ahead and +make the battle. The sun was just peeping when we saw the camp. It was +eight or nine o’clock when we scouts all went ahead again. We got close +to the place of the enemy’s camp, and Custer divided the scouts, sent some +across the river, and the others remained on the hill. In the meantime +Custer had divided his command. Yellow Face and White Swan went with Reno +across the river; Goes-Ahead, Hairy Moccasin, Curly, and myself remained +with Custer. Custer sent me to a high knoll. He said: “Go and look for +me and see where I can make a success.” He left it to me. When I was up +there I looked around and the troops were very close upon me, and I +motioned to them to come on, and we passed up on to the ridge. The Indian +scouts stood in front of Custer and led his men. We went down to the +Little Horn until we came to a little coulee, and were moving towards the +enemy’s camp. We wanted to cross the river at that place. The Sioux +fired at us. We then went up the hill to the ridge. I was all along the +ridge where the fight was raging. We looked over the river, and saw Reno +in his engagement with the Sioux. Finally they wiped out Reno, and he +retreated to the hills. Custer and all of us got off our horses here. At +that time the enemy was surrounding us. They were banging away at us. We +had a heavy skirmish. Custer then came up and said: “You have done your +duty. You have led me to the enemy’s camp. And now the thing for you to +do is to obey my orders and get away.” Farther on up the river was a +packtrain, escorted by three hundred soldiers, and I made my way to the +pack-train, and I found the Indians there fighting. Custer when he told +me to go said: “You go; I am now going with my boys.” Had Custer not +ordered me to go, the people who visit the Custer Field to-day would see +my name on the monument. When I got back to the packtrain, I directed them +back to where the old trenches are to-day, and where you may still see a +pile of bones. The Indians had killed all the mules when I got there. +The fight lasted through the whole of a long, hot summer day. My friends, +the soldiers who were with Custer, were all wiped out. When the sun went +down I was about exhausted and I had no clothes on save a breechclout. All +the scouts were dressed like myself. When night came on, exhausted as we +were, we scouts went down the river to meet No-Hip-Bone. We reached him +early the next morning. There was a terrific rainstorm all night long. I +had no clothes on and I stuck to my wet horse. My horse was so exhausted +that he stumbled on through the night, and to-day I feel the effects of +it. It was my nature to endure; from a boy I had been trained to endure, +but as strong as I was it wounded me for life. We met No-Hip-Bone and +told him that up the river yesterday, when the sun was midway between +morning and noon, until the sun was midway between noon and night, the +Indians had killed Custer and all of his command. And he was mad. We +told him that our horses’ hoofs were worn out and asked permission to go +back home and get fresh horses. He said: “Yes, you can go, but come back. +Meanwhile I will travel up the river and see the dead soldiers.” I went +to Pryor, our Crow camp. + + [Sunset on the Custer Field] + + Sunset on the Custer Field + + +Custer and the soldiers were my friends and companions, and I cried all +night long as I rode through the rain to tell No-Hip-Bone the news. + +When we were at the Rosebud, General Custer and his staff held a council +as to what we should do when we found the enemy’s camp, as to whether we +should attack by day or night. I said we had better fight by night. +Paints-His-Face-Yellow said: “Let us attack by day, so that we can see +what we are doing.” I thought I was laying a good plan for them but they +listened to Yellow-Face. General Custer was a brave and good man, a +straightforward and honest man. When General Custer took me by the hand, +patted me on the shoulder, and I looked him in the face, I said: “There is +a good general.” If General Custer was living to-day, I would get better +treatment than I now receive. General Custer said: “Where does your tribe +stay?” and I told him in the valley through which Pryor Creek runs, along +the Big Horn River at Lodge Grass, and in the valley of the Little +Horn—there is my home. Custer said: “If I die, you will get this land +back and stay there, happy and contented, and if you die, you will be +buried on your own land.” + +When I joined General Custer, I had full confidence in myself and my +ability to help him, and for this reason I joined Custer so that I might +help hold my land against our enemies, the Sioux and the Cheyennes. After +the Custer battle, when we had obtained fresh horses, I took the other +scouts with me, and we went over the field and looked at the remains of +the dead soldiers who were my friends and companions. Knowing the country +I always directed General Custer to the best places to ford the river, and +the easiest way to climb the hills, that he might reach the path of +success. After the loss of my horse, I traveled on foot with the +soldiers, and was willing even to go down to death with Custer in order +that I might help him. + + + + + THE STORY OF CURLY—CUSTER SCOUT + + +We had been brought to the Little Rosebud down the Yellowstone by steamer. +After we had landed we were told to get dinner, dress ourselves, paint up, +and get ready to scout. Then we heard that General Custer wanted to use +us. We mounted and rode over to General Custer’s camp. He had a big +tent. We got off at the door. I was the first to shake his hand. I had +a dollar in my hand, and I pressed that into his hand. Each scout shook +hands with him. When I saw Custer sitting there, tall and slim, with +broad shoulders and kind eyes, I said to myself: “There is a kind, brave, +and thinking man.” The first words that Custer uttered were: “I have seen +all the tribes but the Crows, and now I see them for the first time, and I +think they are good and brave scouts. I have some scouts here, but they +are worthless. I have heard that the Crows are good scouts, and I have +sent for you to come to my command. I have given General Terry six +hundred dollars for the use of you Crow Indians as scouts. I have called +you Indians here not to fight but to trace the enemy and tell me where +they are; I do not want you to fight. You find the Indians and I will do +the fighting. With all these dollars I have given you I want you to go +into the steamboat and buy some shirts and paint. We will leave here in +two days. We will follow the Little Rosebud up.” That evening the Mandans +danced with us, and they gave us some money. Then Custer said: “I think +you are good Indians. I will have the cook prepare our dinner, and you +can eat alongside of me. I will have a tent put up here and you can camp +near me.” Within two days we started on our journey. We got on our +horses and started with Custer up the Little Rosebud. The whole command +were with us. He asked us where we saw the last Sioux camp while we were +scouting for Terry. We told him we would not be near there until +to-morrow. The next morning we were at the place where we saw the last +camp of the Sioux. Then we followed the Sioux trail. We found the trail, +and saw that it forked on the Little Rosebud River. Custer gave orders +for Goes-Ahead to follow one trail, and for me to follow the other to see +which was the largest camp. We found that the trails came together after +a while and that the Sioux were all in one camp. When we got to the camp, +we saw that a battle had been fought, for we found the scalps and the +beards of white men. We went back that night and reported to Custer. It +was pretty late, but Custer’s cook was up and had a light in his tent. +Then Custer told the cook to give the boys their meal. After we got +through our supper we went to his tent as Custer wanted to see us. We +took with us some of the scalps and white men’s beards, and showed them to +Custer. Then Custer asked us if the camp separated or came together, and +we told him it came together. Then Custer said: “This is the main +point—these Sioux have been killing white people, and I have been sent +here by the Great Father to conquer them and bring them back to their +reservation. I am a great chief, but I do not know whether I will get +through this summer alive or dead. There will be nothing more good for +the Sioux—if they massacre me, they will still suffer, and if they do not +kill me, they will still suffer for they have disobeyed orders. I do not +know whether I will pass through this battle or not, but if I live, I will +recommend you boys and you will be leaders of the Crows. Tomorrow I want +five of my Crow boys to go on the trail.” We started just before +daybreak. When we started we saw some of the Mandans running round on the +top of the hill, and Goes-Ahead told me to go back and tell the command +that they must not have these Mandans running round over the hills, but to +keep them down in the valley, as we might be near the Sioux camp and would +be discovered before we knew it. Then they ordered these Mandans to come +down from the hills and stay down. When I started back I heard a howl +like a coyote. White Swan, Hairy Moccasin, Goes-Ahead, and +White-Man-Runs-Him were coming in to report. The Sioux had broken camp +the day before and had camped above where their old camp was on the Little +Rosebud. Custer told us to go on ahead and see which way they went, and +we came to where they had broken camp. We followed the trail until we saw +that they had camped on the Little Horn, and then we noticed that the +Sioux had gone toward the Little Horn and we waited at the head of Tallec +Creek for the command to come up. The command did not come up, for they +had camped on the Little Rosebud; and we went back to the camp. Then the +scouts had an argument, and I went by myself and asked Custer what we +should do. Custer asked me what I came back for. I told him that the +trail of the Sioux had gone to the west, toward the Little Horn, and that +I had come back for further orders. Then Custer told me to get my supper, +and take a lunch for the other scouts, and take with me two soldiers and +go on and camp on the hill in sight of the enemy. I was lying down at +daybreak, half asleep—the boys said they saw the camp where the Sioux were +located. I got up and saw them through the smoke. The command came +halfway toward us and then stopped and this officer who was with us wrote +a message for General Custer, and sent a Mandan scout back with it. +Custer did not wait. As soon as he got the message his men moved on +rapidly toward the Custer Field. Then Custer said: “We will charge upon +them now—that settles their journey.” Custer then gave the order to +inspect their guns. Soon they started on down the ridge. Custer told us +to go on ahead. We followed the creek all the way down. There was half a +battalion behind us. We found a tepee like the one in which we are now +sitting, as we went along, and found two dead Sioux inside. Then the main +command came up to us. We all stopped at the fork of the Little Reno +Creek. Custer split up his command at this point, and told Reno to follow +the creek down, which is now called Reno Creek. Then we crossed over the +ridge. I came down with Custer as far as the creek; then he gave me a +message to take to Reno. I did not know the import of the messsage. I +brought the answer back from Reno to Custer. While I was delivering the +last message, Reno was fighting his battle, but it was not very fierce, +and when I got to Custer with the message he was fighting at the mouth of +the creek. Then Custer told me to go and save my life. I made a circle +around, and I found that my ammunition was getting low. I found a dead +Sioux. I took his ammunition and gun and horse, and got out. I stayed +near where the dead Sioux was until the fight was pretty fierce. I went +up on a high butte to the east of the battlefield where I could see the +fight. When I got on the high hill I looked back, and saw that Custer was +the last man to stand. After that I rushed over the hill and hid in the +brush. The next morning about five or six o’clock I was at General +Terry’s camp and reported. General Terry called his officers about him. +I could not speak English and there were no interpreters there, so I took +the grass and piled it all up in a heap, then I took my fingers and +scattered it wide apart, and attempted in this way to show General Terry +that the soldiers were all killed. Then General Terry gave me a dispatch. +I was very tired and did not want to go, but I had to take this dispatch +from General Terry, to Reno at the packtrain. Reno gave me a dispatch to +take back to Terry, while they were burying the dead soldiers. Then +another dispatch was given me to take to the head command at the +steamboat. I felt sorry and depressed that I should never again see +Custer. + + [The Reno Battlefield] + + The Reno Battlefield + + + + + THE STORY OF GOES-AHEAD—CUSTER SCOUT + + +I was under General Terry at the Yellowstone at the mouth of the Big Horn. +There was a boat at the mouth of the Big Horn. The steamboat had a +pontoon bridge reaching to the shore. The soldiers came off the boat and +joined General Terry’s command. Then General Terry gave the command for +us all to mount and go ahead of the line. Then he selected men from this +line of scouts to send to General Custer as scouts. He mentioned my name +and also called Yellow-Shield, White-Man-Runs-Him, White Swan, Hairy +Moccasin, and Curly out of this line. There were six of us. Then they +gave us orders to go on the steamboat. We sailed down to the mouth of the +Little Rosebud, there we got off the boat. Then our interpreter told us +there was a man in the camp of the army who wanted to see us, and we went +over there. Then we went into General Custer’s tent; we sat on one side +of the tent, and that was a day of great pleasure to me. I saw that +General Custer was a man of about six feet two inches, slim and +well-built, and kind-hearted. He wore long hair. General Custer told us +that he had heard that the Crow Indians were the bravest scouts and the +best horsemen among all the Indians, and that was the reason he asked +General Terry to send us to him. He said he had some Mandan scouts but +they were not going to do any Indian scouting for him, but would remain in +the line and do the cooking for the scouts. Then General Custer told us +he wanted us to find the Sioux trail and follow it until we reached the +Sioux camp and to report to him where they were. He did not want us to +enter into battle with the Sioux, but to come back and tell him the +location of their camp. Then after he had won the battle he would give us +all the Sioux horses we could drive home. Then we scouted in search of +the Sioux. We followed the trail of the Sioux where they had been moving, +and we got to where they had camped on the Little Rosebud. I got to the +place where they had been camping just after their fight with General +Crook at the battle of the Little Rosebud, and they had moved to the +Little Horn. General Custer gave us strict orders when we were scouting +not to mistake the scouts of General Terry and General Crook for the other +Indians, because we might run across them and to be sure we had seen the +Sioux. We were two nights on our way before we came upon the village. It +was located on the plain above where the Custer fight took place, on the +banks of the Little Horn. I was by myself and after I saw the village I +went back and reported to General Custer and he was greatly pleased. I +always tried to obey orders and follow closely my instructions. I +reported to General Custer that it was a pretty big village. Custer said +“That is just what I am looking for; we might just as well enter the +battle.” General Custer told me to go ahead of his column, and keep +ahead, but not to go too far for fear the enemy would capture me, and I +did what he ordered me to do. General Custer marched his troops all night +up to a point about five miles from where I reported to him, and then he +divided his command. Reno followed down the Reno Creek, Custer crossed +the ridge, going over to the Medicine Tail Creek which runs into the +Little Horn. There on the creek General Custer dismounted, and said +prayers to the Heavenly Father. Then he rose and shook hands with me, and +said: “My scout, if we win the battle, you will be one of the noted men of +the Crow Nation.” In a moment or two he turned around again and said to +me: “I have forgotten to tell you, you are not to fight in this battle, +but to go back and save your life.” White-Man-Runs-Him and Hairy Moccasin +and Curly heard what Custer said. The other two were with Reno. We were +in sight of the camp when Custer told us this. Reno had then crossed the +Little Horn with his two Crow scouts and the rest of the Mandans. If we +had been smart enough we would have asked General Custer to give us a +paper as a recommendation, but we did not know anything much in those +days. As we stood looking, we saw Reno take his battle position between +eight and nine o’clock. Custer stood there a little for we expected all +the Crow Creeks, and Terry’s command, to meet us there that day, and make +a battle that day. After he said this Custer started into the battle and +opened fire on the camp. We scouts were up on top of the bluff, and we +fired at the camp. Hairy Moccasin and White-Man-Runs-Him were with him. +Curly I did not see because he carried the last dispatch to Reno. +Although Custer had given us command to do no fighting, it was impossible +for us to stand there on the bluff and see the soldiers fighting and not +do something, so we had to fire. I do not want to make any mistake in +this story, and I have told you the truth. Reno took the battle. There +was so much smoke and dust that I could hardly tell, but Reno was driven +back by the Indians toward the bluff. In all the valley and woods there +was nothing but Indians. Then I did not know which way he went, for I was +fighting my own way. Custer also opened fire just beyond the Medicine +Creek where he had crossed. Soon after Reno opened fire Custer began his +fire. From there I cannot tell you. About four or five o’clock the +packtrain came up and the hard fighting was down there. I went back to +the packtrain and helped fight a while and then I took to the pine hills +away over to the east. When I heard that Custer had been killed I said: +“He is a man to fight the enemy. He loved to fight, but if he fights and +is killed, he will have to be killed.” + + + + + THE STORY OF CHIEF RED CLOUD——OGOLLALA SIOUX + + +I remember that our camp was located in the valley of the Little Big Horn. +As I remember there were about four thousand Indians in our camp, and +about a hundred Sioux warriors in my own band. There were four or five +different sections of the Sioux tribe in this fight. I remember that +Rain-in-the-Face and Sitting-Bull, Crazy Horse, and Big Man were with us +in the battle. We were in our camp; there was plenty of buffalo meat in +those days, and we killed a good many. The women were drying the meat, +and the warriors were resting. Suddenly we heard firing, and we found out +that the soldiers were on us. The women and children were all frightened, +and started to run across the hills, and we men mounted our horses and +started toward the enemy. I remember that we pushed Reno back until he +had to cross the river, and go up against the bluffs, and then some of our +Sioux rode around the hill to head him off, and we had him in a pocket. +After we had killed many of Reno’s men, Custer came along the ridge, and +we were called off to fight Custer. We kept circling around Custer, and +as his men came down the ridge we shot them down. And then the rest +dismounted and gathered in a bunch, kneeling down and shooting from behind +their horses. We circled round and round, firing into Custer’s men until +the last man was killed. I did not see Custer fall, for all the Indians +did not know which was Custer. One reason why we did not scalp Custer was +because the Indians and the white soldiers were so mixed up that it was +hard to distinguish one man from another; and another reason was because +Custer was the bravest man of all and we did not want to touch him as he +made the last stand. This is also the opinion of Rain-in-the-Face. +Regarding the cause of the Custer fight I must say, we were pursued by the +soldiers, we were on the warpath, and we were on the warpath with the +Crows and other tribes. We were trying to drive them back from the +hunting grounds, and the soldiers came upon us and we had to defend +ourselves. We were driven out of the Black Hills by the men seeking gold, +and our game was driven off, and we started on our journey in search of +game. Our children were starving, and we had to have something to eat. +There was buffalo in that region and we were moving, simply camping here +and there and fighting our Indian enemies as we advanced, in order to get +the game that was in this country. We fought this battle from daylight up +until three o’clock in the afternoon, and all of the white men were +killed. I think that Custer was a very brave man to fight all these +Indians with his few men from daylight until the sun was almost going +down. + + + + + THE STORY OF CHIEF RUNS-THE-ENEMY—SIOUX LEADER + + +I fought at the Custer fight with a band of one hundred and thirty +Two-Cattle Sioux under me. With the bravery and success I had had in +former battles, I was able to command the force at this fight. We were +encamped for two days in the valley of the Little Big Horn. The third day +we were going to break camp and move farther along, but the old men went +through the camp saying they were going to stay there still another day. +After the cry had gone through the camp that we were to remain, the horses +were all turned loose and were feeding on the hills north and west and +south, and we were resting in the camp. Everything was quiet. I went +over to the big tepee where there were several leading men, and we were +sitting there talking and smoking. About ten o’clock a band of Sioux, who +had been visiting the camp and had gone home, came rushing back with the +tidings that the soldiers were coming. We could hardly believe that the +soldiers were so near, and we were not very much depressed because of the +report for two reasons: the soldiers had gone back to Wyoming, and we did +not think they were near enough to attack us; and from the history of all +our tribe, away back for generations, it had never been known that +soldiers or Indians had attacked a Sioux camp in the daytime; they had +always waited for night to come. And still we sat there smoking. In a +short time we heard the report of rifles, and bullets whizzed through the +camp from the other side of the river. I left my pipe and ran as hard as +I could, as did all the others, to our tents. As I ran to my tent there +was a scream ran through the camp: “The soldiers are here! The soldiers +are here!” The Indians who were herding the horses on the hill rushed to +the camp with the horses, and the dust raised just like smoke. When I got +to my tent the men who were herding the horses had got the horses there, +and they were screaming. I grabbed my gun and cartridge belt, and the +noise and confusion was so great that we did not know what we were doing. +The women were running to the hills, and my heart was mad. The guns were +still firing in the upper part of the camp. I did not have time to put on +my war-bonnet; I jumped on the horse I had and made a pull for where the +firing was. The first thing I saw when I got to’the battle line was a +horse with a bridle on with the lines hanging down, and a dead Sioux. +When I got to this line of battle—I thought I was quick, but I found a lot +of Sioux already there—they were rushing on up the hill. We were all +naked, and the soldiers with their pack saddles and their uniforms on and +their black horses looked like great big buffalo. The Sioux were all +riding up the hill. We saw one lone Indian on the hill going down toward +the soldiers, and the river. We could not see him as he came down the +hill, but we could see the smoke coming from under his horse’s head, and +we all thought that he was going to make a charge on the soldiers, and we +all charged. It seemed as though that one Indian had the attention of all +the soldiers, and they were all firing at him. When we saw that the smoke +was all going toward the soldiers that gave us a chance to charge from +this side, and we all made a rush. When we made the charge we got them +all stampeded. For smoke and dust we could not see the soldiers as they +retreated toward the river. The Sioux were fresh, and we soon caught up +with them. We passed a black man in a soldier’s uniform and we had him. +He turned on his horse and shot an Indian right through the heart. Then +the Indians fired at this one man, and riddled his horse with bullets. +His horse fell over on his back, and the black man could not get up. I +saw him as I rode by. I afterward saw him lying there dead. We fought +them until they rolled and tumbled and finally had to go into the river, +which was very deep. We made them cross the river. The country around +the river in those days was very heavily wooded. We chased some of the +soldiers into the woods, and others across the river and up the hill. I +did not know the name of the commander of the soldiers at that time, but I +afterward heard that it was Reno. I also heard afterward that they had a +big trial and charged him with being a coward, but I praised him for +rushing into the camp. The reason I praised him was that he only had a +few soldiers and our camp was a great camp, and he came rushing into the +camp with his few soldiers. In all the history of my great-grandfather I +have never known of such an attack in daylight. After they retreated over +the hills and we had killed a large number of them that battle was ended. +I was at the Custer Battlefield this morning, and I noticed there were no +monuments up for the soldiers who fell on the Reno Field. As we had +finished with the Reno battle and were returning to camp we saw two men on +the Reno Hills waving two blankets as hard as they could. Two of us rode +over to where they were, and they yelled to us that the genuine stuff was +coming, and they were going to get our women and children. I went over +with the others and peeped over the hills and saw the soldiers advancing. +As I looked along the line of the ridge they seemed to fill the whole +hill. It looked as if there were thousands of them, and I thought we +would surely be beaten. As I returned I saw hundreds of Sioux. I looked +into their eyes and they looked different—they were filled with fear. I +then called my own band together, and I took off the ribbons from my hair, +also my shirt and pants, and threw them away, saving nothing but my belt +of cartridges and gun. I thought most of the Sioux will fall to-day: I +will fall with them. Just at that time Sitting-Bull made his appearance. +He said, just as though I could hear him at this moment: “A bird, when it +is on its nest, spreads its wings to cover the nest and eggs and protect +them. It cannot use its wings for defense, but it can cackle and try to +drive away the enemy. We are here to protect our wives and children, and +we must not let the soldiers get them.” He was on a buckskin horse, and +he rode from one end of the line to the other, calling out: “Make a brave +fight!” We were all hidden along the ridge of hills. While Sitting-Bull +was telling this I looked up and saw that the Cheyennes had made a circle +around Custer on the west, north, and east sides, and that left a gap on +the south side for us to fill. We then filled up the gap, and as we did +so we looked over to the Cheyenne side, and there was a woman among the +Cheyennes who was nearest the soldiers trying to fight them. While Custer +was all surrounded, there had been no firing from either side. The Sioux +then made a charge from the rear side, shooting into the men, and the +shooting frightened the horses so that they rushed upon the ridge and many +horses were shot. The return fire was so strong that the Sioux had to +retreat back over the hill again. I left my men there and told them to +hold that position and then I rushed around the hills and came up to the +north end of the field near where the monument now stands. And I saw +hundreds and hundreds of Indians in the coulees all around. The Indians +dismounted and tied their horses in a bunch and got down into the coulees, +shooting at the soldiers from all sides. From the point that juts out +just below where the monument stands about thirty of us got through the +line, firing as we went, and captured a lot of Custer’s horses and drove +them down to the river. The horses were so thirsty that the moment we +reached the river they just stood and drank and drank, and that gave us a +chance to get off our horses and catch hold of the bridles. They were all +loaded with shells and blankets and everything that the soldiers carried +with them. Just then I returned to my men, and the soldiers were still on +the hill fighting, with some of their horses near them. Just as I got +back some of the soldiers made a rush down the ravine toward the river, +and a great roll of smoke seemed to go down the ravine. This retreat of +the soldiers down the ravine was met by the advance of the Indians from +the river, and all who were not killed came back again to the hill. After +the soldiers got back from the hills they made a stand all in a bunch. +Another charge was made and they retreated along the line of the ridge; it +looked like a stampede of buffalo. On this retreat along the ridge, the +soldiers were met by my band of Indians as well as other Sioux. The +soldiers now broke the line and divided, some of them going down the +eastern slope of the hill, and some of them going down to the river. The +others came back to where the final stand was made on the hill, but they +were few in number then. The soldiers then gathered in a group, where the +monument now stands—I visited the monument to-day and confirmed my memory +of it—and then the soldiers and Indians were all mixed up. You could not +tell one from the other. In this final charge I took part and when the +last soldier was killed the smoke rolled up like a mountain above our +heads, and the soldiers were piled one on top of another, dead, and here +and there an Indian among the soldiers. We were so excited during the +battle that we killed our own Indians. I saw one that had been hit across +the head with a war axe, and others had been hit with arrows. After we +were done, we went back to the camp. After the onslaught I did not see +any soldiers scalped, but I saw the Indians piling up their clothes, and +there was shooting all over the hill, for the Indians were looking for the +wounded soldiers and were shooting them dead. Just as I got back to the +camp I heard that a packtrain was coming from over the hills. I looked +over the hills and saw the Sioux and Cheyennes moving that way. I +remained a little while to look after my wife and children. After I had +located my family I fired off my shells and got a new supply of ammunition +and went toward the packtrain. When I got over there the fighting had +begun. The packtrain had already fortified itself by making +entrenchments. The Indians were on the outside firing into it, and the +soldiers inside were firing at the Indians. During this last fight the +sun was getting low. After it grew dark the firing continued; you would +see the flash of the guns in the entrenchments. The Indians would crawl +up and fire a flock of arrows into the entrenchments and then scatter +away. This kept up all night. I did not stay, but went home. The next +morning I went over there and found that the Indians still had the +packtrain surrounded and the fight was still going on. We kept at long +range and continued our firing. The soldiers were all sharpshooters, and +the moment we put our heads up they fired at us and nearly hit us. The +news went around among all the Indians that they were to stay there, and +that all the soldiers in the entrenchment would be so dry soon that they +would have to get out and we would get them. I cannot quite remember, but +I think it was about noon—we held them until then—when news came from our +camp down on the plain that there was a big bunch of soldiers coming up +the river—General Terry with his men. As soon as we heard this we let the +packtrain go and fled back to our camp. We at once broke camp and fled up +the Little Big Horn, or Greasy Creek, as it is called by the Indians. If +it had not been for General Terry coming up as he did we would have had +that packtrain, for they were all dry—they had had no water for two days. +After we had killed Custer and all his men I did not think very much about +it. The soldiers fired into us first and we returned the fire. +Sitting-Bull had talked to us and all the tribes to make a brave fight and +we made it. When we had killed all the soldiers we felt that we had done +our duty, and felt that it was a great battle and not a massacre. With +reference to the real reason for this fight I may say that the talk among +the Indians was that they were going to compel us to stay on the +reservation and take away from us our country. Our purpose was to move +north and go as far north as possible away from the tribes. Our object +was not to fight the Crows or any other tribe, but we learned that the +soldiers were getting after us to try to compel us to go back on the +reservation, and we were trying to get away from them. During the Custer +fight our tents were not attacked, but after the battle the women gathered +up their dead husbands and brothers, and laid them out nicely in the +tepee, and left them. I understand that after we had left the tepees +standing, holding our dead, the soldiers came and burned the tepees. +According to my estimate there were about two thousand able-bodied +warriors engaged in this fight; they were all in good fighting order. The +guns and ammunition that we gathered from the dead soldiers of Custer’s +command put us in better fighting condition than ever before, but the +sentiment ran around among the Indians that we had killed enough, and we +did not want to fight any more. There has been a good deal of dispute +about the number of Indians killed. About the closest estimate that we +can make is that fifty Sioux were killed in the fight, and others died a +short time afterward from their wounds. + + + + + [Two Moons as he fought Custer] + + Two Moons as he fought Custer + + + THE STORY OF CHIEF TWO MOONS—CHEYENNE LEADER, AS TOLD WHERE CUSTER FELL + + +It was a September day. The hoarfrost had written the alphabet of the +coming winter—there was promise of snow. With Chief Two Moons and his +interpreter we climbed the dreary slopes leading to the monument and +graves of the Custer dead. Chief Two Moons took his position by the stone +which reads: “Brevet Major General George A. Custer, 7th U. S. Cavalry, +fell here June 26th, 1876.” A tiny flag waved by this stone, marking the +spot where the hero made his last stand. The hills all about us wore a +sombre hue; the sky kept marriage bonds with the scene. Cold, gray clouds +hung over the ridges along which Custer rode with the daring Seventh. +They draped the summits of the Big Horn Range on the far horizon in gray +and purple. The prairie grass had come to the death of the autumn and it +too creaked amid the stones. The heart beat quick at the sight of Chief +Two Moons, a tall and stalwart Roman-faced Indian, standing amid the white +slabs where thirty-three years before, clad in a white shirt, red +leggings, without war-bonnet, he had ridden a white horse, dealing +deathblows to the boys in blue, and with these deathblows the last great +stand of the Red Man against the White Man. The battle echoes are heard +again as Two Moons tells his story: + +“Custer came up along the ridge and across the mountains from the right of +the monument. The Cheyennes and the Sioux came up the coulee from the +foot of Reno Hill, and circled about. I led the Cheyennes as we came up. +Custer marched up from behind the ridge on which his monument now stands, +and deployed his soldiers along the entire line of the ridge. They rode +over beyond where the monument stands down into the valley until we could +not see them. The Cheyennes and the Sioux came up to the right over in +the valley of the Little Big Horn. Custer placed his men in groups along +this ridge. They dismounted. The men who had dismounted along the ridge +seemed to have let their horses go down the other side of the ridge. +Those who were on the hill where the monument now stands, and where I am +now standing, had gray horses and they were all in the open. The Sioux +and the Cheyennes came up the valley swarming like ants toward the bunch +of gray horses where Long Hair stood. I led the Cheyennes up the long +line of ridge from the valley blocking the soldiers, and I called to my +Cheyenne brothers: ‘Come on, children; do not be scared!’ And they came +after me, yelling and firing. We broke the line of soldiers and went over +the ridge. Another band of Indians and Sioux came from over beyond the +ridge, and when I got over there, I got off my white horse and told my men +to wait, and we loaded our guns and fired into the first troop which was +very near us. At the first volley the troop at which we fired were all +killed. We kept firing along the ridge on which the troops were stationed +and kept advancing. I rode my horse back along the ridge again and called +upon my children to come on after me. Many of my Cheyenne brothers were +killed, and I whipped up my horse and told them to come on, that this was +the last day they would ever see their chief, and I again started for the +bunch of gray horses on the hilltop. The Indians followed me, yelling and +firing. I could not break the line at the bunch of gray horses and I +wheeled and went to the left down the valley with the line of soldiers +facing me as I went, firing at me, and all my men firing at the soldiers. +Then I rode on up the ridge to the left. I met an Indian with a big +war-bonnet on, and right there I saw a soldier wounded. I killed him and +jumped off my horse and scalped him. The Indian I met was Black Bear, a +Cheyenne. I then rode down the ridge and came to a group of four dead +soldiers; one of them had on a red flannel shirt, the other three had red +stripes on the arm, one had three stripes, the other had three stripes and +a sword. They all had on good clothes, and I jumped off my horse and took +their clothes and their guns. When I turned back I could not see anything +but soldiers and Indians all mixed up together. You could hardly tell one +from the other. As I rode along the ridge I found nearly all the soldiers +killed. I again rode up to the ridge along which Custer’s troops had been +stationed. I found two or three killed and saw one running away to get on +top of the high hills beyond, and we took after him, and killed him.” + +“The whole valley was filled with smoke and the bullets flew all about us, +making a noise like bees. We could hardly hear anything for the noise of +guns. When the guns were firing, the Sioux and Cheyennes and soldiers, +one falling one way and one falling another, together with the noise of +the guns, I shall never forget. At last we saw that Custer and his men +were grouped on the side of the hill, and we commenced to circle round and +round, the Sioux and the Cheyennes, and we all poured in on Custer and his +men, firing into them until the last man was shot. We then jumped off our +horses, took their guns, and scalped them.” + +“After the fight was over we gathered in the river bottom and cut willow +sticks, then some Indians were delegated to go and throw down a stick +wherever they found a dead soldier, and then they were ordered to pick up +the sticks again, and in this way we counted the number of dead. It was +about six times we had to cut willow sticks, because we kept finding men +all along the ridge. We counted four hundred and eighty-eight with our +sticks along the ridge. We were trying to count the dead there in the +valley when General Terry came up from the other side, and we fled away. +After the battle was over the Indians made a circle all over the ridges +and around through the valley to see if they could find any more soldiers, +as they were determined to kill every one. The next morning after the +fight we went up behind the Reno Field and camped at Black Lodge River. +We then followed the Black Lodge River until we came back to the Little +Big Horn again. Then we camped at the Little Big Horn, moving our camp +constantly, fearing pursuit by the soldiers.” + +“Before the Custer fight we went over on the Tongue River and found a camp +of soldiers. We rushed upon them and took all their horses away, and the +soldiers ran into the brush. We knew there would be other soldiers after +us; we knew about where they were, and we felt they would pursue us. At +Powder River the soldiers attacked our camp and destroyed everything, and +that made us mad. When the soldiers came after us, on the day of the +Custer fight, we were ready to kill them all. The soldiers were after us +all the time, and we had to fight.” + +The lonely stretches of prairie, the lonelier graves, the pathetic remnant +of Red Men—victors on this field—the hollow silence of these dreary hill +slopes, the imperishable valour of two hundred and seventy-seven men who +laid their lives on a blood-red altar, until the one lone figure of the +great captain lifted his unavailing sword against a howling horde of +savage warriors—glittering for a moment in the June sunlight, then falling +to the earth baptized with blood—is the solemn picture to forever hang in +the nation’s gallery of battles. + + + + + CONCLUSIONS + + +Fair play is an all compelling creed. Justice to the dead is one of the +commandments in that creed. Let the controversy rage. Let the sword be +unsheathed in the face of misrepresentation and wrong. General Custer was +a daring and chivalrous officer. He had won laurels on many a hard fought +field under Southern skies—he was a strategist, brave and unfaltering. He +had served in Western campaigns with distinction and success. He knew how +to deal with the masterful generalship of his wily Indian foes. Hitherto +his tactics had been victorious. The orders under which he now marched to +battle were definite up to a certain point—then, so the record in the War +Department reads—he was to use his own discretion and initiative. He was +compelled to follow this course—for he marched over a wild and trackless +waste, far distant from his base of supplies and absolutely without means +of communication with headquarters, and without ability to ascertain the +movements of any military force in the field. It is fair to state that +the ranking General in charge of this campaign against the Indians reposed +this confidence in General Custer, otherwise, knowing the Indian as a +fighter, knowing the character of the desolated wastes of country to +traverse—the difficulties to be encountered in the simple movement of +troops—the annihilation of any body of troops, when once they reached the +unmapped plains cut in twain by gorges and piled high with impassable +buttes, he would have stultified himself had not orders been given +allowing discretion at the moment of emergency. Custer was strong enough, +brave enough, and sufficiently masterful to see and seize the situation. +His tactics were the tactics he had previously and many times employed, +and always with brilliant success. On this June day he would have led the +daring “Seventh” to victory and routed, if not conquered, the great Indian +camp. He was defeated and slain with his entire command. They fell at +their posts in battle formation. Why? The entire group of Indian +warriors participating in this grim battle all testify that had Reno +pushed his charge when first he attacked the Indian camp that they would +have fled in confusion, for the attack was unexpected. The Indian always +expected a night attack. They further testify that after Reno made his +attack with a portion of his men, thus depleting his effective fighting +force by one half and in desperation made his bungling retreat, had he +later come to the aid of Custer with the added reinforcements of Benteen, +French, and Weir, who begged him to hear the appeal of Custer’s rapid +volleys, Custer would have broken the Indian camp. Reno remained on the +hill until every gun was silent. Reno failed. Custer was slain. This +conclusion is the voice of the Indian. + + + + + +THE LAST GREAT INDIAN COUNCIL + + +Kabibonok Ka, the North Wind, came marching out of the caverns and snows +of the north, whipping and driving blinding gusts of rain and sleet. +Nee-ba-naw baigs, the Water Spirits, unsealed their fountains, and the +turbulent waters of the Little Big Horn River rushed on, tearing out the +banks along which on the plain were huddled the myriad tepees of the +Indian camp. The wind in the trees roared like distant thunder. The dogs +were crouching in any shelter. Horses were standing with their backs to +the storm, their tails drenched and driven between their legs. The flaps +of the tepees were closed, and the rawhide streamers from the poles +cracked like the sharp report of a rifle. The women and children were +closely huddled around the lodge fire. It was the great spring storm, the +last triumphant blast of winter. Yonder in the centre of all this +dripping circle of tepees stood the council lodge. Inside were gathered +the great chief and his medicine men and warriors. They encircled the +blazing logs, heeding little the melancholy night that kept tune with the +sorrowful thoughts of their own hearts. The ashes had cooled in the bowl +of the council pipe, when, at the head of the circle, Chief Plenty Coups, +chief of all the Crow Nation, arose from his blankets, laid down his coup +stick, and addressed his brothers: + +“The ground on which we stand is sacred ground. It is the dust and blood +of our ancestors. On these plains the Great White Father at Washington +sent his soldiers armed with long knives and rifles to slay the Indian. +Many of them sleep on yonder hill where Pahaska—White Chief of the Long +Hair—so bravely fought and fell. A few more passing suns will see us here +no more, and our dust and bones will mingle with these same prairies. I +see as in a vision the dying spark of our council fires, the ashes cold +and white. I see no longer the curling smoke rising from our lodge poles. +I hear no longer the songs of the women as they prepare the meal. The +antelope have gone; the buffalo wallows are empty. Only the wail of the +coyote is heard. The white man’s medicine is stronger than ours; his iron +horse rushes over the buffalo trail. He talks to us through his +‘whispering spirit.’ ” (The Indian’s name for the telegraph and +telephone.) “We are like birds with a broken wing. My heart is cold +within me. My eyes are growing dim—I am old. Before our red brothers +pass on to the happy hunting ground let us bury the tomahawk. Let us +break our arrows. Let us wash off our war paint in the river. And I will +instruct our medicine men to tell the women to prepare a great council +lodge. I will send our hunters into the hills and pines for deer. I will +send my runners to the lodges of the Blackfeet, where in that far north +flowers border the snow on the hills. I will send them across the fiery +desert to the lodges of the Apaches in the south. I will send them east +to the lodges of the Sioux, warriors who have met us in many a hard +battle. I will send them to the west, where among the mountains dwell the +Cayuse and the Umatillas. I will have the outliers build smoke signals on +all the high hills, calling the chiefs of all the tribes together, that we +may meet here as brothers and friends in one great last council, that we +may eat our bread and meat together, and smoke the council pipe, and say +farewell as brothers, never to meet again.” The storm abated. The urn of +the morning seemed overturned, and the spices of a new spring day, +redolent with the perfume of growing things, bright with sunshine and song +of birds, flowed over the busy Indian camp. Weeks passed on. Runners +came into camp, rushing into the lodge of the great chief, announcing the +approach of a procession of chiefs from the north; other heralds told of a +great company on the hills coming from the east, and from the west, and +warrior chiefs from the south halted outside the camp. Chiefs from all +the great tribes had heard the call, had seen the smoke signal, and now +the plain is full of horses and gayly coloured riders as they dismount +before the council lodge. + +A wonderful blaze of colour meets the eye. Excitement and interest fill +the air as these veterans of the plains enter the council lodge. Chief +Plenty Coups then receives the chiefs; they are greeted one by one with a +courtly and graceful dignity. When the council had assembled Chief Plenty +Coups laid his coup stick and pipe sack on the ground, and in the sign +language gave welcome to the chiefs from many lands. + +“I am glad at heart to stand here to-day on this Indian ground and give a +hearty welcome to all the chiefs assembled from the various tribes from +all over the United States. It is a day of beauty, and bright sunshine; +it is a glad day for me. I rejoice that on this happy day we can all meet +here as friends, eat our bread and meat in communion, smoke the council +pipe, and the pipe of peace. I am rejoiced to give you all a great heart +of welcome. And then we must say farewell, but we go away as friends, +never to meet again. I am glad to have you here.” + +Then Chief Two Moons, the leader of the Cheyennes in the Custer fight, +arose and shook hands with Chief Plenty Coups, and said: + +“This is a glad day for me, and I am glad at heart that we can all meet as +chiefs from the various tribes from all over the land. It is a great day +for all of us, because there are no more wars between us, and we meet in +peace to hold this last great council of the chiefs, and smoke the pipe of +peace. I am glad at heart that this great picture is to be made of us, as +we are assembled here, because our old chiefs are fast dying away, and our +old Indian customs soon will pass out of sight, and the coming generations +will not know anything about us, but this picture will cause us to live +all through the years. And our children and their children will reap the +benefit. I am glad we are here.” + +Tottering with age, and nearly blind, Tin-Tin-Meet-Sa, head chief of the +Umatilla Indians, pulled himself up on his walking-stick, took Chief +Plenty Coups by the hand, and said: + +“I have come here to-day and am glad to meet all the chiefs and especially +Chief Plenty Coups, chief of the Crow tribe. And I am greatly satisfied +to meet you all and be at peace. On this day we meet as Indians and as +brothers, and now we sit here on this ground and smoke the peace pipe. We +meet as brothers that have been away from one another for many years. +Some of us have never seen each other before, and to-day we meet and shake +hands with these chiefs whom we shall never see again. Although these +people were our enemies at one time, to-day we are in peace, and I think +very much of this chief, and I think very much of all the chiefs. I think +it is a great day for all of us. I cannot give you any more words, as I +am of old age.” + +Umapine, head chief of the Cayuse tribe, wearing perhaps the finest +regalia of any chief in the council, with great dignity and grace +addressed Chief Plenty Coups: + +“We all chiefs of different tribes meet here in this country, the country +that some of us perhaps will never see any more. I appreciate your +kindness in greeting us. We all Indians are in peace toward each other as +well as toward our white brothers. I am very glad to meet you all. I +hope that we will in the future days respect one another, also respect our +white brothers, because we all, each one of us, belong to the animal +kingdom. This is all to you, my dear friends; wishing you a good health.” + +Red Cloud, head chief of the Ogallalla Sioux Nation, with his captivating +way, addressed Chief Plenty Coups: + +“I stand here to-day to shake hands with the chief of the Crow Nation, and +all the chiefs of the tribes assembled from the various quarters of our +country. I stand here on this great plain, with the broad sunlight +pouring down upon it. I want you to look me in the face, and I hope the +Great Heavenly Father, who will look down upon us, will give all the +tribes His blessing, that we may go forth in peace, and live in peace all +our days, and that He will look down upon our children and finally lift us +far above this earth; and that our Heavenly Father will look upon our +children as His children, that all the tribes may be His children, and as +we shake hands to-day upon this broad plain, we may forever live in peace. +We have assembled here to-day as chiefs from all over the land; we eat the +bread and meat together, we smoke the pipe of peace, and we shake the hand +of peace. And now we go out as one chief, and I hope we shall be as +brothers and friends for all our lives, and separate with kind hearts. I +am glad to-day as I shake hands with my brothers and friends, although I +shall never see them again. When the white man first came across the +ocean, the Indian took him by the hand and gave him welcome. This day +makes me think of that time, and now I say farewell.” + +Mountain Chief, head chief of the Blackfoot Indians, perhaps the most +vigorous talker in the sign language in the council, greeted Chief Plenty +Coups with these words: + +“I have come clear across the plains and from behind the distant mountains +to meet these chiefs assembled in council, and I am very glad that I am +here to see these Indian chiefs from all the various tribes, and my heart +is open to you all as to my own brother. We smoke the pipe of peace and +take the hand of all the different chiefs, and I shall be glad forever, +and shall look upon this as one of the greatest days of my life. We +separate from each other in peace, and with a kind heart, but never to +meet again.” + +Bear Ghost, Chief of the Yankton Sioux, with great calmness and +deliberation said: + +“I am glad that I am here to shake the hand in peace with all the chiefs +of the various tribes assembled. It is a great day for me, and a great +day for us all. I rejoice that a record is to be made of this council +that it may live for future generations. I am glad that I can smoke the +pipe of peace, and that with a sad but satisfied heart I can say farewell +to all the chiefs.” + +The commanding figure of Koon-Kah-Za-Chy, an eminent Apache chief, stood +before Chief Plenty Coups compelling the attention of the entire council: +“As I stand before you to-day my mind runs over the many fierce battles +that my own tribe, the Apaches, have had with the Kiowas, Cheyennes, +Sioux, and other tribes. Many of the chiefs present to-day I have met +before on the battlefield, but my heart is glad as I shake hands with all +the chiefs to know that now we are all at peace. We smoke the pipe of +peace. We meet as friends and brothers. I am glad to meet all these +chiefs before I die, in peace, as I have before met them in war. It is a +great day for me, for I have come far across the plains of the south, and +I shall go back home carrying with me the memory of this council, and of +these chiefs whom I shall never see again. I say farewell!” + +Curly, Custer scout, advanced with great readiness and ease, and took the +hand of Chief Plenty Coups. According to the custom of the Crows he did +not lay down his coup stick, but gestured with one hand. He said: + +“Dear Brother Plenty Coups, I am here to-day to greet you, and to greet +all these other chiefs, chiefs who were once my enemies. My heart goes +out to that great battlefield and that great monument erected to my dear +Custer, with whom, and for whom, I fought. He fell on yonder hilltop +almost within reach of our arms from this council lodge. And my heart is +glad that I can shake hands with these chiefs, some of whom I fought +against with Custer on that great battlefield. I have pledged myself +never to lay aside this coup stick so long as the blood runs through my +fingers, but I have resolved this day, as I look into the faces of these +great chiefs who were once my enemies, that I will never lift the coup +stick again, that I will live as a brother to all the tribes, and at peace +with all men. I say farewell to the chiefs, a last, sad farewell.” + +After these and other eminent chiefs had made reply to the address of +welcome given by Chief Plenty Coups, according to Indian custom they were +all seated in rows on the ground in semicircles, the more eminent chiefs +in the first row, the lines falling back until they reached the wall line +of the lodge. Every chief wore his full war regalia and carried with him +all of his ceremonial and sacred insignia. The small army of coup sticks, +always held aloft, presented a suggestive picture, for these coup sticks +of the many chiefs from many lands each told a story of struggle and +achievement, but in the speeches made by the chiefs each coup stick was to +become a pledge of peace. + +Now, following the ancient custom, while still seated, an Indian woman +belonging to the Blackfoot tribe and wearing the full costume of her +people, together with two Cheyenne maidens, dressed in the costume of +their particular tribe, entered the council lodge carrying wooden bowls +filled with meat and bread. This they served to the chiefs with a wooden +fork. This to them answered as a ceremony of communion. When all had +partaken, Chief Plenty Coups took the two long-stemmed pipes with red +sandstone bowls containing emblematic decorations the whole length of the +stems—pipes that had been filled by the medicine men and placed on the +ground before the standing place of the great chiefs in the centre of the +lodge. Chief Plenty Coups then lighted one pipe and passed it to the +chiefs at his left, and lighting the other he smoked it himself for the +first, and then passed it on to the right, each chief in turn smoking the +pipe, then passing it on to his brother chief, until all had smoked the +council pipe. When the pipes were returned to Chief Plenty Coups they +were again filled and lighted, smoked by the Great Chief, and passed on to +the others. And this became the Pipe of Peace. + +These Indian councils were the legislative halls of the tribes; thither +all matters of importance were brought by the chiefs and the warriors. +Here all tribal problems were discussed. Here the destiny of any +particular tribe was settled. Here the decision to make war was reached. +In these council lodges, around the blazing fire, the Indians have uttered +speech more eloquent than a Pitt or a Chatham in St. Stephens or a Webster +in a Senate hall, an oratory that aroused the disintegrated Indian tribes +and far separated clans into such a masterful and resistful force that the +Indian against odds many times mightier than himself has been able to +withstand the aggressions of civilization. + +When questions of such moment made the necessity, chiefs of all the tribes +attended and entered into solemn council. Then the council meant war. +The day finally dawned when the Indian as a race was conquered by the +white man. The ranks of the chiefs became thinner and thinner until in +this day only a few of the great warriors remain. These representatives +of former greatness and prowess gathered from their peaceful wigwams from +many and faraway lands to hold once again and for the last time a council +of the old days. On this day the council was for peace, and the dominant, +resonant note ringing through every sentiment uttered; if we did not know +they were Indians and did not know that this was an Indian council, we +would have said this was a Peace Conference at The Hague. + +To stand in the presence of these mighty men of the plains, to witness +their nobility, to listen to their eloquence, to think with them the +mighty thoughts of their dead past, to watch their solemn faces, to +tremble before the dignity of their masterful bearing, to cherish the +thought of all that they have been and all that they might have been, to +realize that as their footfalls leave this council lodge they have turned +their backs on each other forever, and that as they mount their horses and +ride away to their distant lodges they are riding into the sunset and are +finally lost in the purple mists of evening, is to make the coldest page +of history burn with an altar fire that shall never go out. + + + + + + [The Council Pipe] + + The Council Pipe + + +INDIAN IMPRESSIONS OF THE LAST GREAT COUNCIL + + +To the student of Indian affairs it might at first seem that the gathering +of the great chiefs from all the Indian tribes, wearing war-shirt and +war-bonnet, carrying their coup sticks, tomahawks, spears, bows and +arrows, guns and tom-toms, would necessarily reemphasize to the Indian the +glory of his former prestige, and this impression would gather such +momentum that deleterious results would follow; but an alert and studious +effort was always manifest to inculcate in the Indian mind that this last +great council of the chiefs had for its dominant idea the welfare of the +Indian, that he should live at peace with his fellows and all men, and the +making of a lasting historic record of the fast-fading manners and customs +of the North American Indian. This paramount idea gained such fast hold +of the Indian mind that the council became not only a place of historic +record but a school for the inculcation of the highest ideals of peace. +That the lesson was well taught and well learned becomes strikingly +evident in the peace sentiments of the chiefs expressed in their speeches +at the council, and their impressions of the council now to follow: + + [Chief Plenty Coups Addressing the Council] + + Chief Plenty Coups Addressing the Council + + +CHIEF PLENTY COUPS: I have a very glad heart to-day because it has been +my privilege to welcome the chiefs from all the great tribes, all over the +United States, here on these beautiful plains of Montana. I am rejoiced +that on this day of beauty and bright sunshine we could meet together. I +am glad to welcome as my guests Indian chiefs whom I have never seen, and +that I could give them a welcome with my heart open, eat with them bread +and meat, and smoke the pipe of peace, and greet all the chiefs as +brothers. As the bright sun has opened upon us, Doctor Dixon has met us +all in peace and friendliness and we all feel toward him with a kind +heart. His coming has brought about the coming of the chiefs whom I have +never seen before and will never see again, and as the chief of the Crow +Nation I am rejoiced to give him and all these chiefs a great heart of +welcome, and send them away in peace, and I feel that they are all like my +own brothers. During my life from my early days I have fought the other +nations before the white man ever stepped into this country, then the +Great Father ordered that we should stop fighting and live in peace. +Before this we conquered each other’s horses and killed on all sides. And +now to-day we have met in this great council as chiefs and friends. The +Great Father is good to us again in permitting us to have this meeting, +and I look upon all these chiefs and all the tribes as my friends. And as +the bright sunshine falls, I pray that our Heavenly Father may let His +blessing come down upon all the chiefs and all the tribes, and that we may +go forth from this great day happy and in peace. In former days we were +in ceaseless conflict; then Uncle Sam came to us and said we must live in +peace. And since that time we have had allotments of land, schools have +been built for the education of our children, and as an illustration of +the feelings of my heart to-day—the tribes have all met here and we have +met in peace, and have met as one man. We are all as brothers—the tobacco +of all the tribes is as the tobacco of one man, and we have all smoked the +pipe of peace together. Out of the struggle of these old days we have +come into the calm and serene light of such a day as this. This I +consider to be the greatest event of my life, and my country I shall live +for, and my country shall remain in peace, as I feel peaceful toward my +country. + +CURLY: Since my boyhood days I have never seen anything so great. We +have seen here the chiefs from all over the United States. It was +wonderful. You are the first man that ever brought such a thing to pass. +I enjoyed it very much more than I can tell. The thought of this thing +was a great thought, one of the greatest thoughts of our time. Many of +our Indians have gone to Washington, and have seen the Great White Father, +and have seen great things. These Indian chiefs have all been brought +here so that we could see them and talk with them by the sign language, +and I think it is most wonderful. + +CHIEF RED WHIP: I think this is a great idea. I am glad to meet the +chiefs of all the tribes. I have never seen them before. It will not be +long until all these big chiefs are dead, and the younger generation will +read the history of these chiefs and see these pictures, and I am glad the +record is being made. + + [Chief Koon-Ka-Za-Chy Addressing the Council] + + Chief Koon-Ka-Za-Chy Addressing the Council + + +CHIEF KOON-KAH-ZA-CHY: I never before have seen so many chiefs meet +together. I have met a great many chiefs here whom I have never seen +before. When I was asked to come here I heard it was for the purpose of +making a record, and to me the thought was good. I am sorry in my heart +that I must say farewell to all these chiefs. + +CHIEF RUNNING BIRD: I am sixty years old, and when I came to this ground +it was ground I had never seen before in my life. I met the chiefs whom I +had never seen before. I had heard of them but had not seen them. I was +very glad to come here and see the old-time tepees, the kind of tepees our +fathers used to live in. I grew up to manhood myself in this kind of a +tepee, and I had good health. Now When they give us a house to live in I +am not healthy at all. I am getting old now, and am getting up in years, +and all I wish now at the present time is that my children shall grow up +industrious and work, because they cannot get honour in the war as I used +to get it—they can only get honour now by working hard. I can only teach +my children that the way to get honour is to go to work, and be good men +and women. These impressions have been strengthened by this council. I +shall go home and tell the other Indians and our agent about the council, +for the meeting of the chiefs will always live in my memory. + +CHIEF BRAVE BEAR: The meeting of all the chiefs, my friends and those who +are strangers to me, makes my heart feel high. I think of this and when I +get back I shall still think of it, and it will be just as though I was +here. I will never forget these men sitting here as my friends, as long +as I live. We have been treated kindly and this I shall never forget. I +would like a nice little story of this meeting so that I can show it to my +friends. + +CHIEF UMAPINE: I have come from the far distant mountains of Oregon to +meet the chiefs in council. I cannot understand their language; I can +only talk to them in signs, but I have great respect for them. We each +have two hands, two feet, two eyes, two ears, but one nose, one mouth, one +head, and one heart. We all breathe the same air; we are all, therefore, +brothers. On my journey to this land, where in former years I have chased +the buffalo and fought the hostile Sioux who came to steal our horses and +women, I saw the old buffalo trails where these great beasts used to march +in single file, each walking in the footsteps of the other until they had +worn deep their trail. The snows of many winters have cut the trail deep +like an irrigating ditch, and when I thought of the buffalo I cried in my +heart. I have taken these great chiefs by the hand, I have been glad to +meet them; I must now say farewell forever, and my heart is more lonely +than when I think of the buffalo. + +CHIEF TIN-TIN-MEET-SA: My idea of this meeting is that we are doing a +great thing. I am of old age and I feel strange to these people whom I +have met here at this place for the first time. I know that after this +meeting is over we will all of us go back to our own country, probably +never to see one another again, or talk any more to each other. The man +who was sent here to do this work has been very kind to the Indians and is +a fit man to do this kind of work. The work he is doing is one of the +greatest works that has ever been done. The record here made will not +perish. We will soon all be gone, but the record will last. I have no +hard feelings toward any one in this camp, and I am only worrying about my +hay at home. + +CHIEF PRETTY VOICE EAGLE: The meeting of the chiefs is to me a great +thing in many ways. First: I was glad to come here and meet the chiefs +from all over the country, and see many whom I had never seen before, and +talk to them by sign language. It is a great sign to me that we have all +met here, met in peace. We had this feeling before we came, but now that +we are here and can see each other face to face, the feeling has grown. +Second: it is a great idea that has been thought of to send a man here to +take our speeches and make our pictures, and think over and talk over the +old times, and make a record of them. To me this is a great +accomplishment. It is a great accomplishment in this way: we cannot go to +Washington; we cannot present ourselves there, but the pictures and the +record will be preserved there and in great cities, to speak for us. I +want to draw a little illustration. You speak a language that we know +nothing about. With the help of your people you have educated the younger +element and through them we can speak to you, and the different +interpreters can speak for the different tribes to you, and thus we can +all talk with you and tell our story. I want to point out in this way the +difference between the old people and the young people. The illustration +I have given seems to me like a dream. I can see the advancement our race +has made thus far. Our race is constantly changing, and this meeting will +be a great memory to all the Indians represented here. This meeting means +a great deal to my tribe. One great feeling of gratefulness I have about +this meeting is that I hope that my grandchildren and their grandchildren +will read the speeches I have made here, and will see my pictures. + +CHIEF RUNNING FISHER: I think there is a great idea back of calling the +chiefs together, because there will be something left of us when we are +all gone. This record and pictures will live when we are all dead. I am +glad to have had this privilege of meeting all these chiefs from all the +tribes. I feel sad at the thought of not meeting these chiefs again, for +I would like to meet them all once more, but I feel pretty sure we will +never meet again. + +Chief Running Fisher died within two weeks after reaching home from the +council. + +CHIEF BULL-DON’T-FALL-DOWN: This meeting of the great chiefs in council I +consider one of the great events of my life. Chiefs from all over the +United States have come here, chiefs whom I have never seen before and +whom I will never see again. We have had an opportunity to see their +faces, shake hands with them, and talk with them in the sign language. +Since the great council of the chiefs on the Platte River in 1867, we have +not seen any of their faces until this day. Then we were on the +warpath—at this council we meet in peace. I was one of the first Crow +Indians to make peace with the Sioux after we had been on the warpath, and +now I can say farewell to all the chiefs with peace in my heart for all +men. + + [Chief Two Moons Addressing the Council] + + Chief Two Moons Addressing the Council + + +CHIEF TWO MOONS: I feel that I am engaging in a great work in helping to +make this historic picture of a great Indian council. I have led the +Cheyennes in so many battles, and my life has been so full, that I felt +when I came here that I was an old man, but since meeting the chiefs and +having a share in the great council and recalling my old life for this +record, I feel like a young man again. It is a great day for all of us, +because there are no more wars between us, and we meet in peace and hold +this great council of the chiefs and smoke the pipe of peace. I am glad +at heart that this great picture is to be made of us, as we are assembled +here, because our old chiefs are fast dying away, and our old Indian +customs soon will pass out of sight. This record will survive for our +children, and their children will reap the benefit. I am glad we are +here, but my heart is sorry to say farewell. + +CHIEF RED CLOUD: I think this a great and good thing. Good things have +come to us from the white man. When the white man came across the ocean +we heard he was coming because there was land over here, and he brought us +food to eat. The coming of this man to make these pictures, to be +preserved in Washington and to be shown in great cities, means good to us, +because the generations to come will know of our manners and customs. It +is good, besides, to meet all these chiefs who are as brothers to one +another. We have never met them before; we shall never see their faces +again, and it is, therefore, I think, a great and good thing to have this +last council of the chiefs. + +MOUNTAIN CHIEF: I think it was one of the greatest things that ever +happened when we had this great council. It will be remembered forever. +As for myself, it will not be very long until I go to the happy hunting +grounds, but I have left this record for the coming generations. While I +was sitting in the council I was thinking of the past when we used not to +see each other’s faces, except with the firing of guns, and now we have +met the different tribes in council to talk with one another in the sign +language. It shows that the Government is greater than the Indian. I +think it was a great thing to bring these chiefs together, and so long as +I live I am going to tell this story to my children and my grandchildren. +I think that Chief Two Moons and Chief Plenty Coups were the two greatest +men in the council. They impressed me more than any others by their +appearance. Two Moons was not dressed up, but he showed that he was a +man. I feel as I sit talking here with you that we are brothers together. +And I say farewell to all the chiefs with a sad heart. + +CHIEF WHITE HORSE: This council of all the chiefs seems to me to be a +wonderful idea. I have met a good many whom I have never seen before, and +it was a great surprise to me, and my heart felt glad. These different +tribes of Indians have been enemies to each other for generations back, +but we have now been at peace with each other for many years. But now we +all meet here and see each other. I think your idea of taking notes and +making a record of our lives and taking pictures of us, of our Indian +costumes and our manners, is a great thing. I am old enough now and do +not expect to live very long, but I am very glad that this record is to be +made, and put on file in the Great Father’s house at Washington. Another +thing I would like to say: we all speak different languages, and we are +all as helpless as a child, and we want you to help us in our needs during +our last days. My trip here was the first time I have ever been on an +iron horse, and there are a great many lessons that I learned from my ride +here. When I came here and saw all the Indians speaking different +languages and looking different, and I saw all that was going on and heard +their speeches by sign language, I thought it was one of the most +important events in my life. The first lesson I got while riding on the +iron horse was to see the coaches filled with white people, and when I +went in they all looked at me and looked as though I was a great curiosity +to them. When I first saw the white people I felt backward—they looked at +me so hard. I felt backward, but I finally felt more at ease, for I +thought, I am going to die anyway. I looked over the white people and +their dress, and I looked over the ceiling of the coach, and I thought +these are all wonderful things. I looked out of the window and the train +was going so fast that it seemed to me I was on the wings of a great bird. +We travelled so fast I could not see the things very near the coach. When +we used to travel on our ponies it took us many days to come over to this +place. But on the train it took us one half day to come to Miles City, +and that was one of the things that made me fear. It seems impossible how +the trains go so fast, and this thought came to my mind: This is of the +white people, who are so educated they can make the iron horse draw things +across the country so fast. My wish is that the Indians will come to be +like the white people, and be able to invent things, but the thought comes +to me that this will be impossible. As we came along, flying as a bird, I +looked out of the window, saw a country over which I had once hunted, and +the thought of the buffalo came back to me, and I cried in my heart. When +I get home I expect to stay there, and never leave my country again. I +shall never see this land any more. I expect to die at home. When I get +home I shall tell my people of the journey I had on the train, and what I +saw, and of my visit to this great country, of the speeches that we made, +of the pictures that were taken, and I know when I tell them they will be +glad. + + [An Indian Communion] + + An Indian Communion + + + + + + [The Final Trail] + + The Final Trail + + +THE FAREWELL OF THE CHIEFS + + +We are standing at the centre of a mighty circumference. An Indian world +revolves for the last time upon its axis. All the constellations which +gave it light have burned out. The Indian cosmos sweeps a dead thing amid +the growing lustre of the unfading stars of civilization and history. The +solemn hour passes, unmarked by any cataclysm of nature—volcano and +earthquake utter no speech—darkness and tempest rend no veil of this +crumbling life temple. In the deepening twilight all is silent—all speech +is vulgar. To utter a word here would be profanation. The remnant of a +race have gathered for shelter within the sacred walls of their council +lodge. The ashes of the council pipe have been scattered upon the ground. +In silence, deep, profound, awe-inspiring, the old Indian guard—the Last +of the Great Chiefs—break not the silence. Who can ask death to retreat? +And who put in shackles the decrees of destiny? The world annals contain +no heroism and no bravery more lofty and enduring than that furnished by +the record of the red man. But the summital requirement is at hand. +These old heroes, few in number, must with their own moccasined feet +measure the distance in yards and inches from that council lodge to the +grave—the grave of their race. It were almost sacrilege to invade their +thoughts. The old question of the carven Sphinx sat on each bronze face. +The far cry of the hills and plains—the memories of other days—forged new +lines until the brow of each solemn warrior seemed like a page in the book +of fate. They saw again the slowly rising smoke column, as in the sunrise +and from the far off hilltop it lifted its call for the chiefs to +assemble. The memory of the old days stirred their hearts. Again they +saw the flaming council fires, and heard once more the burning speech of +their brothers as they counselled for war or the welfare of the tribe. +The blood of youth again chased in their veins as they felt once more that +they might sit in council as in the old time and then die in peace. The +old war-bonnets and war-shirts were brought out; the coup stick with its +trembling eagle feathers, the ancient bows and arrows. The favourite +horse was blanketed, and the journey begun. Old scenes and landmarks were +made new. Here they crossed a river through whose rushing waters they +had, in other days, pursued a foe. Over there was a coulee where in +exciting patience they had sought to ambush the enemy. Yonder was a plain +that had been a battlefield. Winding over the pine-girt hilltop they +traced an old buffalo trail. And now they had reached the council lodge. +They had partaken of the bread and meat. They had exchanged greetings, +and pledged themselves to brotherhood and peace. How familiar it all +seemed! For one splendid moment they were once again really Indians. The +same historic river wound its way among the purple hills and through the +lacework of alder and aspen trees that like a green ribbon festooned the +valley. How peaceful seemed even this place—once also a place of battle. +And now the far stretch of the years loomed up: boys again, trapping +foxes, learning to shoot the arrow which finally found its mark in the +buffalo calf; capturing and taming the wild horse; the first war party; +the first scalp, and its consequent honour among the tribe; the first coup +counted; the eagle that was shot to get the coveted feather that to all +men should be a pledge of victory; then the love for an Indian maiden, the +ponies and furs and beadwork willingly given in exchange for this new +love; the making of a new home. Thoughts of war parties, and war’s bitter +struggles; other coups counted, other scalps taken, were thoughts that +lighted new altar fires. In imagination vast herds of ponderous buffalo +once again thundered across the plains, and the exhilaration of the chase +quickened the pulse beat, only to give place to the tireless lament that +the buffalo were all gone. Memories of tribal tragedies, of old camping +places, of the coming of the white man, of broken treaties, of the advent +of the soldiers—all thronged for recognition; the wigwam around which +happy children and the merry round of life sped on, the old men, their +counsellors and friends, who had gone into the spirit land, and now this +was to be the last, the very last council. The heart grows tense with +emotion as they break the silence, and in Indian fashion chief looks into +the face of chief, and, without an uttered word, they pass one by one +through the doorway that leads to a land without a horizon. + + [The Fading Sunset] + + The Fading Sunset + + +The prairie grass turned to brown, the trees on the banks of the nearby +river turning to crimson and orange, the Syrian blue of the skies, holding +here and there a mountainous cloud, the brilliant sunshine of the early +autumn day, all served to emphasize and revivify the splendid mosaic of +colouring worn by the chieftains, as, without the mockery of speech, they +mounted their horses, and faced their final destiny. + +The Indian is a superb horseman. Both horse and rider seem to have grown +together. It is poetry in motion. The brilliant cavalcade are fast +leaving the old council lodge in the distance. The word farewell was +baptized with the spirit of peace, and now as they ride forth the banner +of peace floats over them. Peace is in the air. Not far hence there is a +river to cross, whose waters were born amid the snows of the distant +mountains, and the river bathed in sunlight utters its jubilations of +peace. Like “an army with banners” they enter the shaded defile of the +valley—cross the swiftly flowing stream, and pass out upon the plain. +Weird and picturesque is the procession as the long line of horsemen face +the loneliness of the far-flung line of desert waste—the flat and sombre +serenity of sand and sage and cactus. Clouds of dust are lifted from the +immensity of the arid stretches, like smoke signals to the matchless +immensity of the sky. The burning haze, the molten heavens, the weird and +spearlike cactus, the valiant horsemen, hold the eye. We follow their +trail until they are almost lost to view in the drapery that enshrouds +sand and sage and riders. There seems now to be a tragic soul roaming +these infinite wilds, restless and burning with passion, the companion of +storms and the herald of violent deeds. + + [Vanishing into the Mists] + + Vanishing into the Mists + + +The chiefs bravely emerge from these echoless silences, dust-covered but +intrepid. They must now make the ascent of abrupt and massive bluffs. +The summit attained, they pause for rest and retrospect. The trail has +been obliterated. Every hoof-print in the sands has been erased. The +trackless, yellow expanse now assumes alluring miles of colour; the royal +purple of the shadows seems like tinted bands binding all the intervale +back yonder to the far distant council lodge. They are familiar with the +speech of the granite hills, from whose heights they now view the +prospect. In these rocks, so red that it would seem as though the molten +fires had not yet cooled, the Indian listens to the tongues of ten million +years. Earth’s heart fires had here and over there split the land and +left jagged monuments of stone and red ash bearing still the tint of flame +which had been cooled by the breath of countless winters. Still subject +to the inner and absorbing passion of his life, the Indian made an altar +in this weird sanctuary, and waited to worship. + +But for the Indian the path is forever down—down into the shadowed vale, +down into the abysmal canon, balustraded with sombre, cold gray rocks +holding in the far recesses secret streams that make their way beneath the +mountain to the cloven rock on the sunlit slope. Thither then they rode, +solemn but steadfast. Once and again they turned upon their tired steeds +to look back upon the far-reaching line of cliffs which to them seemed to +float in the rising tide of a crimson sea. Forward and ever on until they +had reached the hush of the spacious prairies, rolling like the billows of +the ocean. Melancholy broods in the mind when these limitless and +unexplored stretches sweep before the eye bounded only by the horizon. +The spirit of a great awe stilled the souls of these men, every one, +because added to the monotone of the landscape they must heed the demands +for endurance, for it was again “a land where no water is.” Memory is at +times the birth-hour of prophecy, but here memory clothes the present with +pain and loss, and for them prophecy died yesterday and the despair of a +to-morrow writes its gloomy headlines upon every advance step of their +journey. But the Indian will face it. He always faces death as though it +were a plaything of the hour. The winds on these prairies always travel +on swift wing—they are never still—they are full of spectral voices. The +chiefs have left the council lodge, they have said farewell, their days of +triumph are behind them. Thoughts that burn the brain held the weary +pilgrims. + + [Facing the Sunset] + + Facing the Sunset + + +One refreshing thought is now flung at them: their days of journeying have +brought them within sight of water—water without which there is no life. +That long green fringe winding under the brow of the distant hills means +tree growth. The Indian loves the brotherhood of trees. Trees grow in +that desolate landscape only on the borders of streams. Toward the water +and welcome shade they hasten. Tired beast and tired man lave in the +lifegiving flood. The horses wade in it as though the snows had melted +and run thither to caress and refresh them. Oh, the exhilaration of +water! On the margin of the far banks the camp is made for the night. +There is witchery in a Western night. Myriads upon myriads of low-hung +stars, brilliant, large and lustrous, bend to warm the soul and light the +trail. Under these night lamps, amid the speech of leaves and the rush of +the river, they bivouac for their last night, bending under the weight of +thoughts too deep for tears. In the haze of a broken sleep they wrought +out again the sorrows of their troubled record. When the morning broke +through the dull gray of the eastern sky rim, he would be a heartless +surgeon of emotions who attempted to probe the pathos of their thoughts, +and a dull and vulgar rhetorician who should attempt to parse the +fathomless sorrow of their speech. + +In the hush of the new morning they mounted, and set forth upon their +journey over the Great Divide. All Nature seemed conscious of the burden +weighing to the earth every Indian thought, and trailing in the dust every +hope of the race. The birds remembered not to sing—the prairie dogs +ceased their almost continual and rasping chatter. The very horses seemed +to loiter and fear the weary miles of their final day of travel. The +hills, the sky, the very light of the noonday sun gathered to themselves a +new atmosphere and spread it like a mantle over this travelling host. +Tired feet now press the highest dome of the hills. It had been a +westward climb. Full in their faces, as though to canonize the moment, +the god of day had wrought cloud and sky into a miracle of sunset, +transmuting by living fire the brown grasses into burnished gold—the +fading sage into a silver glow, and the gleam of the distant river into +the red of wine. The scene transfixed them. Gladiators of other days +became helpless children. During the solemn suspense of this tragic +moment, waiting in confused and wondering silence, their faces lighted +with the ominous sunset sheen, one great chief uttered speech for all: +“Brothers, the West, the West! We alone have the key to the West, and we +must bravely unlock the portals; we can buy no lamp that will banish the +night. We have always kept our time by the sun. When we pass through the +gates of this dying day, we shall pass into a sunless land, and for us +there shall be no more time, a forever-land of annihilating darkness.” + +For one wistful moment they looked and waited, then the hill upbore them +no longer. They filed down the narrow, barren ridge, lined on either hand +by sullen and impassable gulfs. Their eagle feathers fluttered from +war-bonnet and coup stick, encarnadined by the sun’s red rays. Steeper +and more rugged became the path until they were confronted by the sharp +edge of the bluff. There was danger in the untrodden descent. It was a +pathway of struggle. + +Once in the valley + + + They said farewell forever. + Thus departed the Great Chieftains, + In the purple mists of evening. + + + [The Sunset of a Dying Race] + + The Sunset of a Dying Race + + +The Indian composes music for every emotion of his soul. He has a song +for the Great Mystery; for the animals of the chase; for the maiden he +woos; for the rippling river. His prayers are breathed in song. His +whole life is an expression in music. These songs are treasured down +through the ages, and old age teaches youth the import of the melody so +that nothing is lost, nothing forgotten. Haydn wrote his “Creation,” +Beethoven his “Symphonies,” Mendelssohn his “Songs Without Words,” Handel +gave the world his “Dead March in Saul,” Mozart was commissioned by Count +Walsegg to pour his great soul into a requiem; during its composition he +felt that he was writing the dead march of his soul. For generations it +has been sung in the little church at St. Mark’s, where the great composer +lies in an unknown grave. Had the Indian the combined soul of these +masters in music, could he cull from symphony and oratorio and requiem and +dirge the master notes that have thrilled and inspired the ages, he then +would falter at the edge of his task in an attempt to register the burden +of his lament, and utter for the generations of men the requiem wrought +out during these moments of passion—a passion of sorrow so sad that the +voice of it must ride through the width of the sky, and conquer the +thunder of the fiercest tempest. The orchestral grandeur of the world’s +great composers is the child of genius. They reached the far heights of +inspiration in a few isolated instances and for the delight of men. The +Indian composing his own requiem must encompass the eternal pathos of a +whole race of mankind riding forth beyond the challenge of death. It is +well that the Indian does not compose this death march, for the sorrow of +it would hush all lullabies, and banish the laughter of children. + +Napoleon said to his soldiers, drawn up in battle line on the plains of +Egypt, in sight of the solemn Sphinx and the eternal pyramids: “Forty +centuries look down upon your actions to-day!” Four hundred and a score +years ago Columbus looked first upon the red man. These solemn centuries +look down upon this day; look down upon the sheathed sword, the broken +coup stick, the shattered battle-axe, the deserted wigwams, the last red +men mobilized on the plains of death. Ninety millions, with suffused +eyes, watch this vanishing remnant of a race, whose regnant majesty +inspires at the very moment it succumbs to the iconoclasm of civilization. +It is the imposing triumph of solitary grandeur sweeping beyond the reach +of militant crimes, their muffled footfalls reaching beyond the margin of +an echo. + + [The Empty Saddle] + + The Empty Saddle + + + + + + +***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE VANISHING RACE*** + + + +CREDITS + + +December 25, 2008 + + Project Gutenberg Edition + Martin Schub + + + +A WORD FROM PROJECT GUTENBERG + + +This file should be named 27616-0.txt or 27616-0.zip. + +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: + + + http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/2/7/6/1/27616/ + + +Updated editions will replace the previous one — the old editions will be +renamed. + +Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no one +owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation (and +you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without permission +and without paying copyright royalties. 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