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diff --git a/old/68768-0.txt b/old/68768-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index c3c041e..0000000 --- a/old/68768-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,13867 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of Illustrations of the manners, customs, -& condition of the North American Indians, Vol. I (of 2), by George -Catlin - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world 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 -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this eBook. - -Title: Illustrations of the manners, customs, & condition of the North - American Indians, Vol. I (of 2) - With letters and notes, written during eight years of travel and - adventure among the wildest and most remarkable tribes now - existing - -Author: George Catlin - -Release Date: August 16, 2022 [eBook #68768] -[Most recently updated: August 23, 2023] - -Language: English - -Produced by: Richard Hulse, Robert Tonsing and the Online Distributed - Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was - produced from images generously made available by The - Internet Archive/American Libraries.) - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE MANNERS, -CUSTOMS, & CONDITION OF THE NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS, VOL. I (OF 2) *** - - - -[Illustration: _G. Catlin_ - - _The Author painting a Chief at the base of the Rocky Mountains._] - - - - - ILLUSTRATIONS - OF THE - _MANNERS, CUSTOMS, & CONDITION_ - OF THE - NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS. - - =With Letters and Notes=, - - +Written during Eight Years of Travel and Adventure among the - Wildest and most Remarkable Tribes now Existing+. - - +By+ GEORGE CATLIN. - - WITH - _THREE HUNDRED AND SIXTY COLOURED ENGRAVINGS_ - FROM THE AUTHOR’S ORIGINAL PAINTINGS. - - [Illustration] - - IN TWO VOLUMES.—VOL. I. - - =London:= - CHATTO & WINDUS, PICCADILLY. - 1876. - - - LONDON: - PRINTED BY J. OGDEN AND CO., - 172, ST. JOHN STREET, E.C. - - - - - CONTENTS - OF - THE FIRST VOLUME. - - -+Frontispiece+:—_The Author painting a Chief in an Indian Village._ - -+Map+ _of_ +Indian Localities+ _embraced within the Author’s Travels_. - - - LETTER—No. 1. - -Wyöming, birth-place of the Author, p. 2.—His former Profession—First - cause of his Travels to the Indian Country—Delegation of Indians in - Philadelphia—First start to the Far West, in 1832, p. 3.—Design of - forming a National Gallery—Numbers of Tribes visited, and number of - Paintings and other things collected, p. 4.—Probable extinction of - the Indians, p. 5.—Former and present numbers of—The proper mode of - approaching them, and estimating their character, p. 5–10. - -+Certificates+ _of Government Officers, Indian Agents and others, as to - the fidelity of the Portraits and other Paintings_, p. 11–13. - - - LETTER—No. 2. - -Mouth of Yellow Stone, p. 14, pl. 3.—Distance from St. - Louis—Difficulties of the Missouri—Politeness of Mr. Chouteau and - Major Sanford—Fur Company’s Fort—Indian Epicures—New and true School - for the Arts—Beautiful Models, p. 14–16. - - - LETTER—+No. 3, Mouth of Yellow Stone+. - -Character of Missouri River, p. 18, pl. 4.—Beautiful prairie shores, p. - 19, pl. 5.—Picturesque clay bluffs, p. 19, pl. 6.—First appearance of - a steamer at the Yellow Stone, and curious conjectures of the Indians - about it, p. 20.—Fur Company’s Establishment at the mouth of Yellow - Stone—M‘Kenzie—His table and politeness, p. 21.—Indian tribes in this - vicinity, p. 22. - - - LETTER—+No. 4, Mouth of Yellow Stone+. - -Upper Missouri Indians—General character, p. 23.—Buffaloes—Description - of, p. 24, pls. 7, 8.—Modes of killing them—Buffalo-hunt, p. - 25.—Chardon’s Leap, p. 26, pl. 9.—Wounded bull, p. 26, pl. - 10.—Extraordinary feat of Mr. M‘Kenzie, p. 27.—Return from the chase, - p. 28. - - - LETTER—+No. 5, Mouth of Yellow Stone+. - -Author’s painting-room, and characters in it, p. 29.—Blackfoot - chief, p. 29, pl. 11.—Other Blackfoot chiefs, and their costumes, - p. 30.—Blackfoot woman and child, p. 30, pls. 12, 13;—Scalps, - and objects for which taken—red pipes, and pipe-stone quarry, p. - 31.—Blackfoot bows, shields, arrows and lances, p. 32, 33, pl. - 18.—Several distinguished Blackfeet, p. 34, pls. 14, 15, 16, 17. - - - LETTER—+No. 6, Mouth of Yellow Stone+. - -Medicines or mysteries—medicine-bag—origin of the word medicine, - p. 35.—Mode of forming the medicine-bag, p. 36.—Value of the - medicine-bag to the Indian, and materials for their construction, - p. 37, pl. 18.—Blackfoot doctor or medicine-man—his mode of curing - the sick, p. 39, pl. 19.—Different offices and importance of - medicine-men, p. 41. - - - LETTER—+No. 7, Mouth of Yellow Stone+. - -Crews and Blackfeet—General character and appearance, p. 42.—Killing - and drying meat, p. 43, pl. 22.—Crow lodge or wigwam, p. 43, pl. - 20.—Striking their tents and encampment moving, p. 44, pl. 21.—Mode - of dressing and smoking skins, p. 45.—Crows—Beauty of their - dresses—Horse-stealing or capturing—Reasons why they are called - rogues and robbers of the first order, &c. p. 46. - - - LETTER—+No. 8, Mouth of Yellow Stone+. - -Further remarks on the Crows—Extraordinary length of hair, p. - 49.—Peculiarities of the Crow head, and several portraits, p. 50, - pls. 24, 25, 26, 27.—Crow and Blackfeet women—Their modes of dressing - and painting, p. 51.—Differences between the Crow and Blackfoot - languages, p. 51.—Different hands—Different languages, and numbers - of the Blackfeet, p. 52.—Knisteneaux—Assinneboins, and Ojibbeways, - p. 53.—Assinneboins a part of the Sioux—Their mode of boiling meat, - p. 54.—Pipe-dance, p. 55, pl. 52.—Wi-jun-jon (a chief) and wife, - pls. 28, 29.—His visit to Washington, p. 56.—Dresses of women - and children of the Assinneboins, p. 57, pl. 34.—Knisteneaux (or - Crees)—character and numbers, and several portraits, p. 57, pls. 30, - 31.—Ojibbeways—Chief and wife, p. 58, pls. 35, 36. - - - LETTER—+No. 9, Mouth of Yellow Stone+. - -Contemplations of the Great Far West and its customs, p. 59.—Old - acquaintance, p. 60.—March and effects of civilization, p. 60.—The - “Far West”—The Author in search of it, p. 62.—Meeting with - “Ba’tiste,” a free trapper, p. 63, 64. - - - LETTER—+No. 10, Mandan Village, Upper Missouri+. - -A strange place—Voyage from Mouth of Yellow Stone down the river to - Mandans—Commencement—Leave M‘Kenzie’s Fort, p. 66.—Assinneboins - encamped on the river Wi-jun-jon lecturing on the customs of white - people—Mountain-sheep, p. 67,—War-eagles—Grizzly bears, p. 68.—Clay - bluffs, “brick-kilns,” volcanic remains, p. 69, pls. 37, 38.—Red - pumice stone—A wild stroll—Mountaineer’s sleep, p. 70.—Grizzly bear - and cubs—Courageous attack—Canoe robbed, p. 71.—Eating our meals - on a pile of drift-wood—Encamping in the night—Voluptuous scene of - wild flowers, buffalo bush and berries, p. 72.—Adventure after an - elk—War-party discovered, p. 74.—Magnificent scenery in the “Grand - Détour”—Stupendous clay bluffs—Table land, p. 75, pl. 39.—Antelope - shooting, p. 76, pl. 40.—“Grand Dome”—Prairie dogs—Village—Fruitless - endeavours to shoot them, p. 77, pl. 42.—Pictured bluff and the Three - Domes, p. 78, pls. 43, 44.—Arrival at the Mandan village, p. 79. - - - LETTER—+No. 11, Mandan Village+. - -Location—Village, p. 80, pl. 45.—Former locations fortification of - their village—Description of village and mode of constructing their - wigwams, p. 81, 82.—Description of interior—Beds—Weapons—Family - groups, p. 82, 83, pl. 46.—Indian garrulity—Jokes—Fire-side fun and - story-telling, p. 84.—Causes of Indian taciturnity in civilized - society, p. 85. - - - LETTER—+No. 12, Mandan Village+. - -Bird’s-eye view of the village, p. 87, pl. 47.—The “big - canoe”—Medicine-lodge—A strange medley, p. 88.—Mode of depositing - the dead on scaffolds, p. 89.—Respect to the dead—Visiting the - dead—Feeding the dead—Converse with the dead—Bones of the dead, p. - 90, pl. 48. - - - LETTER—+No. 13, Mandan Village+. - -The wolf-chief—Head-chief of the tribe, p. 92, pl. - 49.—Several portraits, p. 92, pls. 50, 51, 52, 53.—Personal - appearance—Peculiarities—Complexion, p. 93.—“Cheveux gris,” p. - 94.—Hair of the men—Hair of the women, p. 95, pl. 54.—Bathing and - swimming, p. 96.—Mode of swimming—Sudatories or vapour-baths, p. - 97–8, pl. 71. - - - LETTER—+No. 14, Mandan Village+. - -Costumes of the Mandans—High value set upon them—Two horses for - a head-dress—Made of war-eagles’ quills and ermine, p. 100, - 101.—Head-dresses with horns, p. 103.—A Jewish custom, p. 104. - - - LETTER—+No. 15, Mandan Village+. - -Astonishment of the Mandans at the operation of the Author’s - brush, p. 105.—The Author installed medicine or medicine-man, - p. 106.—Crowds around the Author—Curiosity to see and to touch - him, p. 107.—Superstitious fears for those who were painted, p. - 168.—Objections raised to being painted, p. 109.—The Author’s - operations opposed by a Mandan doctor, or medicine-man, and how - brought over, p. 110, pl. 55. - - - LETTER—+No. 16, Mandan Village+. - -An Indian beau or dandy, p. 112.—A fruitless endeavour to paint one, p. - 113.—Mah-to-toh-pa (the four bears), second chief of the tribe—The - Author feasted in his wigwam, p. 114, pl. 62.—Viands of the feast, p. - 115.—Pemican and marrow-fat—Mandan pottery—Robe presented, p. 116. - - - LETTER—+No. 17, Mandan Village+. - -Polygamy—Reasons and excuses for it, p. 118.—Marriages, how - contracted—Wives bought and sold, p. 120.—Paternal and filial - affection—Virtue and modesty of women—Early marriages—Slavish lives - and occupations of the Indian women, p. 121.—Pomme blanche—Dried - meat—Caches—Modes of cooking, and times of eating—Attitudes in - eating, p. 122.—Separation of males and females in eating—the Indians - moderate eaters—Some exceptions, p. 123.—Curing meat in the sun, - without smoke or salt—The wild Indians eat no salt, p. 124. - - - LETTER—+No. 18. Mandan Village+. - -Indian dancing—“Buffalo dance,” p. 127, pl. 56.—Discovery of - buffaloes—Preparations for the chase—Start—A decoy—A retreat—Death - and scalping, p. 129. - - - LETTER—+No. 19, Mandan Village+. - -Sham fight and sham scalp dance of the Mandan boys, p. 131, pl. - 57.—Game of Tchung-kee, p. 132, pl. 59.—Feasting—Fasting and - sacrificing—White buffalo robe—Its value p. 133, pl. 47.—Rain makers - and rain stoppers, p. 131.—Rain making, p. 135, pl. 58.—“The thunder - boat”—The big double medicine, p. 140. - - - LETTER—+No. 20, Mandan Village+. - -Mandan archery—“Game of the arrow,” p. 141, pl. 60.—Wild - horses—Horse-racing, p. 142, pl. 61.—Foot war-party in council, p. - 143, pl. 63. - - - LETTER—+No. 21, Mandan Village, Upper Missouri+. - -Mah-to-toh-pa, (the Four Bears)—His costume and his portrait, p. 145, - pl. 64.—The robe of Mah-to-toh-pa, with all the battles of his life - painted on it, p. 148, pl. 65. - - - LETTER—+No. 22, Mandan Village+. - -Mandan religious ceremonies—Mandan religious creed, p. 156.—Three - objects of the ceremony, p. 157.—Place of holding the ceremony—Big - canoe—Season of commencing—and manner, p. 158.—Opening the medicine - lodge—Sacrifices to the water, p. 159.—Fasting scene for four - days and nights, p. 161, pl. 66.—Bei-lohck-nah-pick, (the bull - dance), p. 164, pl. 67.—Pohk-hong (the cutting or torturing scene), - p. 169, pl. 68.—Ah-ke-nah-ka-nah-pick, (the last race) p. 173, - pl. 69.—Extraordinary instances of cruelty in self-torture, p. - 175.—Sacrificing to the water, p. 176.—Certificates of the Mandan - ceremonies—Inferences drawn from these horrible cruelties, with - traditions, p. 177.—Tradition of O-kee-hee-de (the Evil Spirit), p. - 179.—Mandans can be civilized, p. 183. - - - LETTER—+No. 23, Minataree Village+. - -Location and numbers—Origin, p. 185.—Principal village, pl. 70.—Vapour - baths, pl. 71.—Old chief, Black Moccasin, p. 186, pl. 72.—Two - portraits, man and woman, pls. 73, 74.—Green corn dance, p. 189, pl. - 75. - - - LETTER—+No. 24, Minataree Village+. - -Crows, in the Minataree village, p. 191.—Crow chief on horseback, - in full dress, p. 192, pl. 76.—Peculiarities of the Crows—Long - hair—Semi-lunar faces, p. 193, pls. 77, 78.—Rats in the Minataree - village, p. 195.—Crossing Knife River in “bull boat”—Swimming of - Minataree girls, p. 196.—Horse-racing—A banter—Riding a “naked horse,” - p. 197.—Grand buffalo surround, p. 199, pl. 79.—Cutting up and - carrying in meat, p. 201. - - - LETTER—+No. 25, Little Mandan Village, Upper Missouri+. - -An Indian offering himself for a pillow, p. 203.—Portraits of - Riccarees, p. 204, pls. 83, 84, 82, 81.—Riccaree village, p. 204, pl. - 80.—Origin of the Mandans—Welsh colony—Expedition of Madoc, p. 206–7. - - - LETTER—+No. 26, Mouth of Teton River+. - -Sioux or (Dah-co-ta), p. 208.—Fort Pierre, pl. 85.—Mississippi - and Missouri Sioux, p. 209.—Ha-wan-je-tah (chief), p. 211, pl. - 86.—Puncahs, Shoo-de-ga-cha (chief) and wife, p. 212, pls. 87, - 88.—Four wives taken at once, p. 213, pl. 90.—Portrait of one of the - wives, p. 214, pl. 89.—Early marriages—Causes of, p. 215. - - - LETTER—+No. 27, Mouth of Teton River+. - -Custom of exposing the aged, p. 216.—A tedious march on foot, p. - 218.—Level prairies—“Out of sight of land”—Mirage—Looming of the - prairies, p. 218.—Turning the toes in—Bijou hills—Salt meadows, - p. 219.—Arrive at Fort Pierre—Great assemblage of Sioux—Paint the - portrait of the chief—Superstitious objections—Opposed by the - doctors, p. 220.—Difficulty settled—Death of Ha-wan-je-tah (the - chief)—Mode of, p. 221.—Portraits of other Sioux chiefs—Wampum, - p. 222–3, pls. 91, 92.—Beautiful Sioux women—Daughter of Black - Rock—Chardon, his Indian wife, p. 224–5, pls. 94, 95. - - - LETTER—+No. 28, Mouth of Teton River+. - -Difficulty of painting Indian women, p. 226.—Indian vanity—Watching - their portraits—Arrival of the first steamer amongst the Sioux, p. - 227.—Dog-feast, p. 228, pl. 96. - - - LETTER—+No. 29, Mouth of Teton River.+ - -Voluntary torture, “looking at the sun,” p. 232, pl. 97.—Religious - ceremony, p. 233.—Smoking “k’nick-k’neck”—Pipes, p. 234. pl. - 98.—Calumets or pipes of peace, p. 235.—Tomahawks and scalping knives, - p. 235–6, pl. 99.—Dance of the chiefs, p. 237, pl. 100.—Scalps—Mode - of taking, and object, p. 238–9.—Modes of carrying and using the - scalps, p. 240, pl. 101. - - - LETTER—+No. 30, Mouth of Teton River+. - -Indian weapons and instruments of music, p. 241, pl. - 101½.—Quiver and shield—Smoking the shield, p. 241.—Tobacco - pouches—Drums—Rattles—Whistles—Lutes, p. 242, pl. 101½.—Bear dance, - p. 244, pl. 102.—Beggars’ dance—Scalp dance, p. 245, pls. 103, 104. - - - LETTER—+No. 31, Mouth of Teton River+. - -Bisons (or buffaloes) description of, p. 247.—Habits of, p. 248.—Bulls’ - fighting—Buffalo wallows—Fairy circles, p. 249, pls. 105, - 106.—Running the buffaloes, and throwing the arrow, p. 251, pl. - 107.—Buffalo chase—Use of the laso, p. 253, pls. 108, 109.—Hunting - under masque of white wolfskins, p. 254, pl. 110.—Horses destroyed - in buffalo hunting, p. 255, pl. 111.—Buffalo calf—Mode of catching - and bringing in, p. 255, pl. 112.—Immense and wanton destruction of - buffaloes—1,400 killed, p. 256.—White wolves attacking buffaloes, p. - 257–8, pls. 113, 114.—Contemplations on the probable extinction of - buffaloes and Indians, p. 258, 264. - - - -[Illustration: - - OUTLINE MAP - _OF_ - INDIAN LOCALITIES - _in 1833_. - - In Vol. 2. see Map of - _LOCALITIES in 1840, - since all the tribes have - been removed from the States, - W. of the Mississippi_ -] - - - - - - - - LETTER—No. 1. - - -As the following pages have been hastily compiled, at the urgent -request of a number of my friends, from a series of Letters and Notes -written by myself during several years’ residence and travel amongst -a number of the wildest and most remote tribes of the North American -Indians, I have thought it best to make this page the beginning of my -book; dispensing with Preface, and even with Dedication, other than -that which I hereby make of it, with all my heart, to those who will -take the pains to read it. - -If it be necessary to render any apology for beginning thus -unceremoniously my readers will understand that I had no space in -these, my first volumes, to throw away; nor much time at my disposal, -which I could, in justice, use for introducing myself and my works to -the world. - -Having commenced thus abruptly then, I will venture to take upon myself -the sin of calling this one of the series of Letters of which I have -spoken; although I am writing it several years later, and placing it -at the beginning of my book; by which means I will be enabled briefly -to introduce myself to my readers (who, as yet, know little or nothing -of me), and also the subjects of the following epistles, with such -explanations of the customs described in them, as will serve for a -key or glossary to the same, and prepare the reader’s mind for the -information they contain. - -Amidst the multiplicity of books which are, in this enlightened age, -flooding the world, I feel it my duty, as early as possible, to beg -pardon for making a book at all; and in the next (if my readers should -become so much interested in my narrations, as to censure me for the -brevity of the work) to take some considerable credit for not having -trespassed too long upon their time and patience. - -Leaving my readers, therefore, to find out what is in the book, without -promising them anything, I proceed to say—of _myself_, that I was born -in Wyöming, in North America, some thirty or forty years since, of -parents who entered that beautiful and famed valley soon after the -close of the revolutionary war, and the disastrous event of the “Indian -massacre.” - -The early part of my life was whiled away, apparently, somewhat -in vain, with books reluctantly held in one hand, and a rifle or -fishing-pole firmly and affectionately grasped in the other. - -At the urgent request of my father, who was a practising lawyer, -I was prevailed upon to abandon these favourite themes, and also -my occasional dabblings with the brush, which had secured already -a corner in my affections; and I commenced reading the law for a -profession, under the direction of Reeve and Gould, of Connecticut. -I attended the lectures of these learned judges for two years—was -admitted to the bar—and practised the law, as a sort of _Nimrodical_ -lawyer, in my native land, for the term of two or three years; when -I very deliberately sold my law library and all (save my rifle and -fishing-tackle), and converting their proceeds into brushes and paint -pots; I commenced the art of painting in Philadelphia, without teacher -or adviser. - -I there closely applied my hand to the labours of the art for several -years; during which time my mind was continually reaching for some -branch or enterprise of the art, on which to devote a whole life-time -of enthusiasm; when a delegation of some ten or fifteen noble and -dignified-looking Indians, from the wilds of the “Far West,” suddenly -arrived in the city, arrayed and equipped in all their classic -beauty,—with shield and helmet,—with tunic and manteau,—tinted and -tasselled off, exactly for the painter’s palette! - -In silent and stoic dignity, these lords of the forest strutted about -the city for a few days, wrapped in their pictured robes, with their -brows plumed with the quills of the war-eagle, attracting the gaze -and admiration of all who beheld them. After this, they took their -leave for Washington City, and I was left to reflect and regret, which -I did long and deeply, until I came to the following deductions and -conclusions. - -Black and blue cloth and civilization are destined, not only to -veil, but to obliterate the grace and beauty of Nature. Man, in the -simplicity and loftiness of his nature, unrestrained and unfettered -by the disguises of art, is surely the most beautiful model for the -painter,—and the country from which he hails is unquestionably the best -study or school of the arts in the world: such I am sure, from the -models I have seen, is the wilderness of North America. And the history -and customs of such a people, preserved by pictorial illustrations, -are themes worthy the life-time of one man, and nothing short of the -loss of my life, shall prevent me from visiting their country, and of -becoming their historian. - -There was something inexpressibly delightful in the above resolve, -which was to bring me amidst such living models for my brush: and at -the same time to place in my hands again, for my living and protection, -the objects of my heart above-named; which had long been laid by to -rust and decay in the city, without the remotest prospect of again -contributing to my amusement. - -I had fully resolved—I opened my views to my friends and relations, -but got not one advocate or abettor. I tried fairly and faithfully, -but it was in vain to reason with those whose anxieties were ready to -fabricate every difficulty and danger that could be imagined, without -being able to understand or appreciate the extent or importance of -my designs, and I broke from them all,—from my wife and my aged -parents,—myself my only adviser and protector. - -With these views firmly fixed—armed, equipped, and supplied, I started -out in the year 1832, and penetrated the vast and pathless wilds -which are familiarly denominated the great “Far West” of the North -American Continent, with a light heart, inspired with an enthusiastic -hope and reliance that I could meet and overcome all the hazards -and privations of a life devoted to the production of a literal and -graphic delineation of the living manners, customs, and character of an -interesting race of people, who are rapidly passing away from the face -of the earth—lending a hand to a dying nation, who have no historians -or biographers of their own to pourtray with fidelity their native -looks and history; thus snatching from a hasty oblivion what could be -saved for the benefit of posterity, and perpetuating it, as a fair and -just monument, to the memory of a truly lofty and noble race. - -I have spent about eight years already in the pursuit above-named, -having been for the most of that time immersed in the Indian country, -mingling with red men, and identifying myself with them as much as -possible, in their games and amusements; in order the better to -familiarize myself with their superstitions and mysteries, which are -the keys to Indian life and character. - -It was during the several years of my life just mentioned, and whilst I -was in familiar participation with them in their sports and amusements, -that I penned the following series of epistles; describing only such -glowing or curious scenes and events as passed under my immediate -observation; leaving their early history, and many of their traditions, -language, &c. for a subsequent and much more elaborate work, for which -I have procured the materials, and which I may eventually publish. - -I set out on my arduous and perilous undertaking with the determination -of reaching, ultimately, every tribe of Indians on the Continent -of North America, and of bringing home faithful portraits of their -principal personages, both men and women, from each tribe; views of -their villages, games, &c. and full notes on their character and -history. I designed, also, to procure their costumes, and a complete -collection of their manufactures and weapons, and to perpetuate them in -a _Gallery unique_, for the use and instruction of future ages. - -I claim whatever merit there may have been in the originality of such -a design, as I was undoubtedly the first artist who ever set out upon -such a work, designing to carry his canvass to the Rocky Mountains; -and a considerable part of the following Letters were written and -published in the New York Papers, as early as the years 1832 and 1833; -long before the Tours of Washington Irving, and several others, whose -interesting narratives are before the world. - -I have, as yet, by no means visited _all_ the tribes; but I have -progressed a very great way with the enterprise, and with far greater -and more complete success than I expected. - -I have visited forty-eight different tribes, the greater part of which -I found speaking different languages, and containing in all 400,000 -souls. I have brought home safe, and in good order, 310 portraits in -oil, all painted in their native dress, and in their own wigwams; -and also 200 other paintings in oil, containing views of their -villages—their wigwams—their games and religious ceremonies—their -dances—their ball plays—their buffalo hunting, and other amusements -(containing in all, over 3000 full-length figures); and the landscapes -of the country they live in, as well as a very extensive and curious -collection of their costumes, and all their other manufactures, from -the size of a wigwam down to the size of a quill or a rattle. - -A considerable part of the above-named paintings, and Indian -manufactures, will be found amongst the very numerous illustrations -in the following pages; having been, in every instance, faithfully -copied and reduced by my own hand, for the engraver, from my original -paintings; and the reader of this book who will take the pains to step -in to “+Catlin’s North American Indian Gallery+,” will find nearly -every scene and custom which is described in this work, as well as many -others, carefully and correctly delineated, and displayed upon the -walls, and every weapon (and every “Sachem” and every “Sagamore” who -has wielded them) according to the tenor of the tales herein recited. - -So much of _myself_ and of my _works_, which is all that I wish to say -at present. - -Of the +Indians+, I have much more to say, and to the following -delineations of them, and their character and customs, I shall make no -further apology for requesting the attention of my readers. - -The Indians (as I shall call them), the savages or red men of the -forests and prairies of North America, are at this time a subject of -great interest and some importance to the civilized world; rendered -more particularly so in this age, from their relative position to, and -their rapid declension from, the civilized nations of the earth. A -numerous nation of human beings, whose origin is beyond the reach of -human investigation,—whose early history is lost—whose term of national -existence is nearly expired—three-fourths of whose country has fallen -into the possession of civilized man within the short space of 250 -years—twelve millions of whose bodies have fattened the soil in the -mean time; who have fallen victims to whiskey, the small-pox, and the -bayonet; leaving at this time but a meagre proportion to live a short -time longer, in the certain apprehension of soon sharing a similar fate. - -The writer who would undertake to embody the whole history of such a -people, with all their misfortunes and calamities, must needs have -much more space than I have allotted to this epitome; and he must -needs begin also (as I am doing) with those who are _living_, or he -would be very apt to dwell upon the preamble of his work, until the -present living remnants of the race should have passed away; and their -existence and customs, like those of ages gone bye, become subjects of -doubt and incredulity to the world for whom his book was preparing. -Such an historian also, to do them justice, must needs correct many -theories and opinions which have, either ignorantly or maliciously, -gone forth to the world in indelible characters; and gather and arrange -a vast deal which has been but imperfectly recorded, or placed to -the credit of a people who have not had the means of recording it -themselves; but have entrusted it, from necessity, to the honesty and -punctuality of their enemies. - -In such an history should be embodied, also, a correct account of their -treatment, and the causes which have led to their rapid destruction; -and a plain and systematical prophecy as to the time and manner of -their final extinction, based upon the causes and the ratio of their -former and present declension. - -So Herculean a task may fall to my lot at a future period, or it -may not: but I send forth these volumes at this time, fresh and -full of their living deeds and customs, as a familiar and unstudied -introduction (at least) to them and their native character; which I -confidently hope will repay the readers who read for information and -historical facts, as well as those who read but for amusement. - -The world know generally, that the Indians of North America are -copper-coloured; that their eyes and their hair are black, &c.; that -they are mostly uncivilized, and consequently unchristianized; that -they are nevertheless human beings, with features, thoughts, reason, -and sympathies like our own; but few yet know how they _live_, how they -_dress_, how they _worship_, what are their actions, their customs, -their religion, their amusements, &c. as they practise them in the -uncivilized regions of their uninvaded country, which it is the main -object of this work, clearly and distinctly to set forth. - -It would be impossible at the same time, in a book of these dimensions, -to explain _all_ the manners and customs of these people; but as far -as they are narrated, they have been described by my pen, upon the -spot, as I have seen them transacted; and if some few of my narrations -should seem a _little too highly coloured_, I trust the world will be -ready to extend to me that pardon which it is customary to yield to all -artists whose main faults exist in the vividness of their colouring, -rather than in the drawing of their pictures; but there is nothing else -in them, I think, that I should ask pardon for, even though some of -them should stagger credulity, and incur for me the censure of those -critics, who sometimes, unthinkingly or unmercifully, sit at home at -their desks, enjoying the luxury of wine and a good cigar, over the -simple narration of the honest and weather-worn traveller (who shortens -his half-starved life in catering for the world), to condemn him and -his work to oblivion, and his wife and his little children to poverty -and starvation; merely because he describes scenes which they have not -beheld, and which, consequently, they are unable to believe. - -The Indians of North America, as I have before said, are -copper-coloured, with long black hair, black eyes, tall, straight, and -elastic forms—are less than two millions in number—were originally -the undisputed owners of the soil, and got their title to their lands -from the Great Spirit who created them on it,—were once a happy and -flourishing people, enjoying all the comforts and luxuries of life -which they knew of, and consequently cared for:—were sixteen millions -in numbers, and sent that number of daily prayers to the Almighty, -and thanks for his goodness and protection. Their country was entered -by white men, but a few hundred years since; and thirty millions of -these are now scuffling for the goods and luxuries of life, over -the bones and ashes of twelve millions of red men; six millions of -whom have fallen victims to the small-pox, and the remainder to the -sword, the bayonet, and whiskey; all of which means of their death and -destruction have been introduced and visited upon them by acquisitive -white men; and by white men, also, whose forefathers were welcomed -and embraced in the land where the poor Indian met and fed them with -“ears of green corn and with pemican.” Of the two millions remaining -alive at this time, about 1,400,000, are already the miserable living -victims and dupes of white man’s cupidity, degraded, discouraged and -lost in the bewildering maze that is produced by the use of whiskey and -its concomitant vices; and the remaining number are yet unroused and -unenticed from their wild haunts or their primitive modes, by the dread -or love of white man and his allurements. - -It has been with these, mostly, that I have spent my time, and of -these, chiefly, and their customs, that the following Letters treat. -Their habits (and their’s alone) as we can see them transacted, are -native, and such as I have wished to fix and preserve for future ages. - -Of the dead, and of those who are dying, of those who have suffered -death, and of those who are now trodden and kicked through it, I may -speak more fully in some deductions at the close of this book; or at -some future time, when I may find more leisure, and may be able to -speak of these scenes without giving offence to the world, or to any -body in it. - -Such a portrait then as I have set forth in the following pages (taken -by myself from the free and vivid realities of life, instead of the -vague and uncertain imagery of recollection, or from the haggard -deformities and distortions of disease and death), I offer to the world -for their amusement, as well as for their information; and I trust they -will pardon me, if it should be thought that I have over-estimated the -Indian character, or at other times descended too much into the details -and minutiæ of Indian mysteries and absurdities. - -The reader, then, to understand me rightly, and draw from these Letters -the information which they are intended to give, must follow me a vast -way from the civilized world; he must needs wend his way from the city -of New York, over the Alleghany, and far beyond the mighty Missouri, -and even to the base and summit of the Rocky Mountains, some two or -three thousand miles from the Atlantic coast. He should forget many -theories he has read in the books of Indian barbarities, of wanton -butcheries and murders; and divest himself, as far as possible of the -deadly prejudices which he has carried from his childhood, against this -most unfortunate and most abused part of the race of his fellow-man. - -He should consider, that if he has seen the savages of North America -without making such a tour, he has fixed his eyes upon and drawn his -conclusions (in all probability) only from those who inhabit the -frontier; whose habits have been changed—whose pride has been cut -down—whose country has been ransacked—whose wives and daughters have -been shamefully abused—whose lands have been wrested from them—whose -limbs have become enervated and naked by the excessive use of -whiskey—whose friends and relations have been prematurely thrown into -their graves—whose native pride and dignity have at last given way to -the unnatural vices which civilized cupidity has engrafted upon them, -to be silently nurtured and magnified by a burning sense of injury and -injustice, and ready for that cruel vengeance which often falls from -the hand that is palsied by refined abuses, and yet unrestrained by the -glorious influences of refined and moral cultivation.—That if he has -laid up what he considers well-founded knowledge of these people, from -books which he has read, and from newspapers only, he should pause at -least, and withhold his sentence before he passes it upon the character -of a people, who are dying at the hands of their enemies, without the -means of recording their own annals—struggling in their nakedness with -their simple weapons, against guns and gunpowder—against whiskey and -steel, and disease, and mailed warriors who are continually trampling -them to the earth, and at last exultingly promulgating from the very -soil which they have wrested from the poor savage, the history of his -cruelties and barbarities, whilst his bones are quietly resting under -the very furrows which their ploughs are turning. - -So great and unfortunate are the disparities between savage and civil, -in numbers—in weapons and defences—in enterprise, in craft, and in -education, that the former is almost universally the sufferer either in -peace or in war; and not less so after his pipe and his tomahawk have -retired to the grave with him, and his character is left to be entered -upon the pages of history, and that justice done to his memory which -from necessity, he has intrusted to his enemy. - -Amongst the numerous historians, however, of these strange people, they -have had some friends who have done them justice; yet as a part of all -systems of justice whenever it is meted to the poor Indian, it comes -invariably too late, or is administered at an ineffectual distance; and -that too when his enemies are continually about him, and effectually -applying the means of his destruction. - -Some writers, I have been grieved to see, have written down the -character of the North American Indian, as dark, relentless, cruel and -murderous in the last degree; with scarce a quality to stamp their -existence of a higher order than that of the brutes:—whilst others -have given them a high rank, as I feel myself authorized to do, as -honourable and highly-intellectual beings; and others, both friends and -foes to the red men, have spoken of them as an “anomaly in nature!” - -In this place I have no time or inclination to reply to so -unaccountable an assertion as this; contenting myself with the belief, -that the term would be far more correctly applied to that part of the -human family who have strayed farthest from nature, than it could be to -those who are simply moving in, and filling the sphere for which they -were designed by the Great Spirit who made them. - -From what I have seen of these people I feel authorized to say, that -there is nothing very strange or unaccountable in their character; but -that it is a simple one, and easy to be learned and understood, if the -right means be taken to familiarize ourselves with it. Although it has -its dark spots, yet there is much in it to be applauded, and much to -recommend it to the admiration of the enlightened world. And I trust -that the reader, who looks through these volumes with care, will be -disposed to join me in the conclusion that the North American Indian in -his native state, is an honest, hospitable, faithful, brave, warlike, -cruel, revengeful, relentless,—yet honourable, contemplative and -religious being. - -If such be the case, I am sure there is enough in it to recommend it -to the fair perusal of the world, and charity enough in all civilized -countries, in this enlightened age, to extend a helping hand to a -dying race; provided that prejudice and fear can be removed, which -have heretofore constantly held the civilized portions in dread of the -savage—and away from that familiar and friendly embrace, in which alone -his true native character can be justly appreciated. - -I am fully convinced, from a long familiarity with these people, that -the Indian’s misfortune has consisted chiefly in our ignorance of their -true native character and disposition, which has always held us at a -distrustful distance from them; inducing us to look upon them in no -other light than that of a hostile foe, and worthy only of that system -of continued warfare and abuse that has been for ever waged against -them. - -There is no difficulty in approaching the Indian and getting acquainted -with him in his wild and unsophisticated state, and finding him an -honest and honourable man; with feelings to meet feelings, if the above -prejudice and dread can be laid aside, and any one will take the pains, -as I have done, to go and see him in the simplicity of his native -state, smoking his pipe under his own humble roof, with his wife and -children around him, and his faithful dogs and horses hanging about his -hospitable tenement.—So the world _may_ see him and smoke his friendly -pipe, which will be invariably extended to them; and share, with a -hearty welcome, the best that his wigwam affords for the appetite, -which is always set out to a stranger the next moment after he enters. - -But so the mass of the world, most assuredly, will _not_ see these -people; for they are too far off, and approachable to those only whose -avarice or cupidity alone lead them to those remote regions, and whose -shame prevents them from publishing to the world the virtues which they -have thrown down and trampled under foot. - -The very use of the word savage, as it is applied in its general sense, -I am inclined to believe is an abuse of the word, and the people to -whom it is applied. The word, in its true definition, means no more -than _wild_, or _wild man_; and a wild man may have been endowed by his -Maker with all the humane and noble traits that inhabit the heart of a -tame man. Our ignorance and dread or fear of these people, therefore, -have given a new definition to the adjective; and nearly the whole -civilized world apply the word _savage_, as expressive of the most -ferocious, cruel, and murderous character that can be described. - -The grizzly bear is called savage, because he is blood-thirsty, -ravenous and cruel; and so is the tiger, and they, like the poor red -man, have been feared and dreaded (from the distance at which ignorance -and prejudice have kept us from them, or from resented abuses which we -have practised when we have come in close contact with them), until Van -Amburgh shewed the world, that even these ferocious and unreasoning -animals wanted only the friendship and close embrace of their master, -to respect and to love him. - -As evidence of the hospitality of these ignorant and benighted people, -and also of their honesty and honour, there will be found recorded -many striking instances in the following pages. And also, as an offset -to these, many evidences of the dark and cruel, as well as ignorant -and disgusting excesses of passions, unrestrained by the salutary -influences of laws and Christianity. - -I have roamed about from time to time during seven or eight years, -visiting and associating with some three or four hundred thousand of -these people, under an almost infinite variety of circumstances; and -from the very many and decided voluntary acts of their hospitality -and kindness, I feel bound to pronounce them, by nature, a kind and -hospitable people. I have been welcomed generally in their country, -and treated to the best that they could give me, without any charges -made for my board; they have often escorted me through their enemies’ -country at some hazard to their own lives, and aided me in passing -mountains and rivers with my awkward baggage; and under all of these -circumstances of exposure, no Indian ever betrayed me, struck me a -blow, or stole from me a shilling’s worth of my property that I am -aware of. - -This is saying a great deal, (and proving it too, if the reader will -believe me) in favour of the virtues of these people; when it is borne -in mind, as it should be, that there is no law in their land to punish -a man for theft—that locks and keys are not known in their country—that -the commandments have never been divulged amongst them; nor can any -human retribution fall upon the head of a thief, save the disgrace -which attaches as a stigma to his character, in the eyes of his people -about him. - -And thus in these little communities, strange as it may seem, in the -absence of all systems of jurisprudence, I have often beheld peace -and happiness, and quiet, reigning supreme, for which even kings and -emperors might envy them. I have seen rights and virtue protected, -and wrongs redressed; and I have seen conjugal, filial and paternal -affection in the simplicity and contentedness of nature. I have -unavoidably, formed warm and enduring attachments to some of these -men which I do not wish to forget—who have brought me near to their -hearts, and in our final separation have embraced me in their arms, and -commended me and my affairs to the keeping of the Great Spirit. - -For the above reasons, the reader will be disposed to forgive me for -dwelling so long and so strong on the justness of the claims of these -people; and for my occasional expressions of sadness, when my heart -bleeds for the fate that awaits the remainder of their unlucky race; -which is long to be outlived by the rocks, by the beasts, and even -birds and reptiles of the country they live in;—set upon by their -fellow-man, whose cupidity, it is feared, will fix no bounds to the -Indian’s earthly calamity, short of the grave. - -I cannot help but repeat, before I close this Letter, that the tribes -of the red men of North America, as a nation of human beings, are on -their wane; that (to use their own very beautiful figure) “they are -fast travelling to the shades of their fathers, towards the setting -sun;” and that the traveller who would see these people in their native -simplicity and beauty, must needs be hastily on his way to the prairies -and Rocky Mountains, or he will see them only as they are now seen on -the frontiers, as a basket of _dead game_,—harassed, chased, bleeding -and dead; with their plumage and colours despoiled; to be gazed -amongst in vain for some system or moral, or for some scale by which -to estimate their true native character, other than that which has too -often recorded them but a dark and unintelligible mass of cruelty and -barbarity. - -Without further comments I close this Letter, introducing my readers -at once to the heart of the Indian country, only asking their -forgiveness for having made it so long, and their patience whilst -travelling through the following pages (as I journeyed through those -remote realms) in search of information and rational amusement; in -tracing out the true character of that “_strange anomaly_” of man in -the simple elements of his nature, undissolved or compounded into the -mysteries of enlightened and fashionable life. - - - ———————————— - - NOTE. - -_As the singular manners of the Country set forth in the following -pages, and the extraordinary scenes represented in the very numerous -illustrations, are of such a character as to require all possible aids -for the satisfaction of the readers; I hope they will excuse me for -intruding in this place the numerous Certificates which follow, and -which have been voluntarily furnished me by men whose lives, it will -be seen, have been spent, in great part, in the Indian Country, and in -familiarity with the men and manners set forth in the work_: - - - CERTIFICATES. - -“I hereby certify, that the persons whose signatures are affixed to the -certificates here below, by Mr. +Catlin+, are officers in the service -of the United States, as herein set forth; and that their opinions -of the accuracy of the likenesses, and correctness of the views, &c. -exhibited by him in his ‘+Indian Gallery+,’ are entitled to full credit. - - “J. R. POINSETT, _Secretary of War, Washington_.” - - ———————————— - -“With regard to the gentlemen whose names are affixed to certificates -below, I am fully warranted in saying, that no individuals have had -better opportunities of acquiring a knowledge of the persons, habits, -costumes, and sports of the Indian tribes, or possess stronger claims -upon the public confidence in the statements they make, respecting the -correctness of delineations, &c. of Mr. +Catlin’s Indian Gallery+; and -I may add my own testimony, with regard to many of those Indians whom -I have seen, and whose likenesses are in the collection, and sketched -with fidelity and correctness. - - “C. A. HARRIS, _Commissioner of Indian Affairs, Washington_.” - - ———————————— - -“I have seen Mr. +Catlin’s+ Collection of Portraits of Indians, -east of the Rocky Mountains many of which were familiar to me, and -painted in my presence: and as far as they have included Indians of -my acquaintance, the _likenesses_ are easily recognized, bearing -the most striking resemblance to the originals, as well as faithful -representations of their costumes. - - “W. CLARK, _Superintendent of Indian Affairs, St. Louis_.” - - ———————————— - -“I have examined Mr. +Catlin’s+ Collection of the Upper Missouri -Indians to the Rocky Mountains, all of which I am acquainted with; -and indeed most of them were painted when I was present, and I do -not hesitate to pronounce them correct likenesses, and readily to be -recognized. And I consider the _costumes_, as painted by him, to be the -_only correct representations_ I have ever seen. - - “JOHN F. A. SANFORD, - “_U. SS. Indian Agent for Mandans, Rickarees, Minatarees, - Crows, Knisteneaux, Assinneboins, Blackfeet, &c._” - - ———————————— - -“We have seen Mr. +Catlin’s+ Portraits of Indians east of the Rocky -Mountains, many of which are familiar to us; the likenesses are easily -recognized, bearing a strong resemblance to the originals, as well as a -faithful representation of their costumes. - - “J. DOUGHERTY, _Indian Agent_. - “_November 27th, 1837._ J. GANTT.” - - ———————————— - -“We hereby certify, that the Portraits of the Grand Pawnees, Republican -Pawnees, Pawnee Loups, Tappage Pawnees, Otoes, Omahaws, and Missouries, -which are in Mr. +Catlin’s Indian Gallery+, were painted from life by -Mr. +Geo. Catlin+, and that the individuals sat to him in the costumes -precisely in which they are painted. - - “J. DOUGHERTY, _I. A. for Pawnees, Omahaws, and Otoes_. - “_New York, 1837._ J. GANTT.” - - ———————————— - -“I have seen Mr. +Catlin’s+ Collection of Indian Portraits, many -of which were familiar to me, and painted in my presence at their -own villages. I have spent the greater part of my life amongst the -tribes and individuals he has represented, and I do not hesitate to -pronounce them correct likenesses, and easily recognized: also his -sketches of their _manners_ and _customs_, I think, are excellent; and -the _landscape views_ on the Missouri and Mississippi, are correct -representations. - - “K. M‘KENZIE, _of the Am. Fur Co. Mouth of Yellow Stone_.” - - ———————————— - -“We hereby certify, that the Portraits of Seminoles and Euchees, in -Mr. +Catlin’s Gallery+, were painted by him, from the life, at Fort -Moultrie; that the Indians sat or stood in the costumes precisely in -which they are painted, and that the likenesses are remarkably good. - - “P. MORRISON, Capt. 4th Inft. H. WHARTON, 2d. Lieut. 6th Inft. - J. S. HATHAWAY, 2d Lieut. 1st Art. F. WEEDON, Assistant Surgeon. - _Fort Moultrie, Jan. 26, 1838._” - - ———————————— - -“Having examined Mr. +Catlin’s+ Collection of Portraits of Indians -of the Missouri to the Rocky Mountains, I have no hesitation in -pronouncing them, so far as I am acquainted with the Individuals, -to be the best I have ever seen, both as regards the expression of -countenance, and the exact and complete manner in which the costume has -been painted by him. - - “J. L. BEAN, _S. Agent for Indian Affairs_.” - - ———————————— - -“I have been for many years past in familiar acquaintance with the -Indian tribes of the Upper Missouri to the Rocky Mountains, and also -with the landscape and other scenes represented in Mr. +Catlin’s+ -Collection; and it gives me great pleasure to assure the world, that on -looking them over, I found the likenesses of my old friends easily to -be recognized; and his sketches of Manners and Customs to be pourtrayed -with singular truth and correctness. - - “J. PILCHER, _Agent for Upper Missouri Indians_.” - - ———————————— - -“It gives me great pleasure in being enabled to add my name to the list -of those who have spontaneously expressed their approbation of Mr. -+Catlin’s+ Collection of Indian Paintings. His Collection of materials -place it in his power to throw much light on the Indian character, -and his portraits, so far as I have seen them, are drawn with great -fidelity as to character and likeness. - - “H. SCHOOLCRAFT, _Indian Agent for Wisconsin Territory_.” - -“Having lived and dealt with the Black Feet Indians for five years -past, I was enabled to recognize _every one_ of the Portraits of -those people, and of the Crows also, which Mr. +Catlin+ has in his -Collection, from the faithful likenesses they bore to the originals. - - “_St. Louis, 1835._ “J. E. BRAZEAU.” - - ———————————— - -“Having spent sixteen years in the continual acquaintance with the -Indians of the several tribes of the Missouri, represented in Mr. -+Catlin’s+ Gallery of Indian Paintings, I was enabled to judge of the -correctness of the likenesses, and I _instantly recognized every one of -them_, when I looked them over, from the striking resemblance they bore -to the originals—so also, of the Landscapes on the Missouri. - - “HONORE PICOTTE.” - - ———————————— - -“The Portraits, in the possession of Mr. +Catlin+, of Pawnee Picts, -Kioways, Camanches, Wecos, and Osages, were painted by him _from life_, -when on a tour to their country, with the United States Dragoons. The -_likenesses_ are good, very easily to be recognized, and the _costumes_ -faithfully represented. - - “HENRY DODGE, Col. of Drag. D. PERKINS. Capt. of Drag. - R. H. MASON, Major of Ditto. M. DUNCAN, Ditto. - D. HUNTER, Capt. Ditto. T. B. WHEELOCK, Lieut. Drag.” - - ———————————— - -“The Landscapes, Buffalo-Hunting scenes, &c. above-mentioned, I have -seen, and although it has been thirty years since I travelled over that -country; yet a considerable number of them I recognized as faithful -representations, and the remainder of them are so much in the peculiar -character of that country as to seem entirely familiar to me. - - “WM. CLARK, _Superintendent of Indian Affairs_.” - - ———————————— - -“The Landscape Views on the Missouri, Buffalo Hunts, and other scenes, -taken by my friend Mr. +Catlin+, are correct delineations of the scenes -they profess to represent, as I am perfectly well acquainted with the -country, having passed through it more than a dozen times. And further, -I know, that they were taken on the spot, from nature, as I was present -when Mr. +Catlin+ visited that country. - - “JOHN F. A. SANFORD, _U. SS. Indian Agent_.” - - ———————————— - -“It gives me great pleasure to be able to pronounce the Landscape -Views, Views of Hunting, and other scenes, taken on the Upper Missouri -by Mr. +Catlin+, to be correct delineations of the scenery they profess -to represent; and although I was not present when they were taken in -the field, I was able to identify almost every one between St. Louis -and the grand bend of the Missouri. - - “J. L. BEAN, _S. Agent of Indian Affairs_.” - - ———————————— - -“I have examined a series of paintings by Mr. +Catlin+, representing -_Indian Buffalo Hunts, Landscapes, &c._, and from an acquaintance -of twenty-seven years with such scenes as are represented, I feel -qualified to judge them, and do unhesitatingly pronounce them good and -unexaggerated representations. - - “JNO. DOUGHERTY, _Indian Agent for Pawnees, Omahaws, and Otoes_.” - - - - - LETTER—No. 2. - - MOUTH OF YELLOW STONE, _UPPER MISSOURI_, 1832. - - -I arrived at this place yesterday in the steamer “Yellow Stone,” -after a voyage of nearly three months from St. Louis, a distance of -two thousand miles, the greater part of which has never before been -navigated by steam; and the almost insurmountable difficulties which -continually oppose the _voyageur_ on this turbid stream, have been -by degrees overcome by the indefatigable zeal of Mr. Chouteau, a -gentleman of great perseverance, and part proprietor of the boat. To -the politeness of this gentleman I am indebted for my passage from St. -Louis to this place, and I had also the pleasure of his _company_, with -that of Major Sanford, the government agent for the Missouri Indians. - -The American Fur Company have erected here, for their protection -against the savages, a very substantial Fort, 300 feet square, with -bastions armed with ordnance (+plate+ 3); and our approach to it under -the continued roar of cannon for half an hour, and the shrill yells of -the half-affrighted savages who lined the shores, presented a scene -of the most thrilling and picturesque appearance. A voyage so full of -incident, and furnishing so many novel scenes of the picturesque and -romantic, as we have passed the numerous villages of the “astonished -natives,” saluting them with the puffing of steam and the thunder of -artillery, would afford subject for many epistles; and I cannot deny -myself the pleasure of occasionally giving you some little sketches of -scenes that I have witnessed, and _am witnessing_; and of the singular -feelings that are excited in the breast of the stranger travelling -through this interesting country. Interesting (as I have said) and -_luxurious_, for this is truly the land of Epicures; we are invited by -the savages to feasts of _dog’s meat_, as the most honourable food that -can be presented to a stranger, and glutted with the more delicious -food of beavers’ tails, and buffaloes’ tongues. You will, no doubt, be -somewhat surprised on the receipt of a Letter from me, so far strayed -into the Western World; and still more startled, when I tell you that I -am here in the full enthusiasm and practice of my art. That enthusiasm -alone has brought me into this remote region, 3500 miles from my native -soil; the last 2000 of which have furnished me with almost unlimited -models, both in landscape and the human figure, exactly suited to -my feelings. I am now in the full possession and enjoyments of -those conditions, on which alone I was induced to pursue the art as a -profession; and in anticipation of which alone, my admiration for the -art could ever have been kindled into a pure flame. I mean the free use -of nature’s undisguised models, with the privilege of selecting for -myself. If I am here losing the benefit of the fleeting fashions of the -day, and neglecting that elegant polish, which the world say an artist -should draw from a continual intercourse with the polite world; yet -have I this consolation, that in this country, I am entirely divested -of those dangerous steps and allurements which beset an artist in -fashionable life; and have little to steal my thoughts away from the -contemplation of the beautiful models that are about me. If, also, I -have not here the benefit of that feeling of emulation, which is the -life and spur to the arts, where artists are associates together; yet -am I surrounded by living models of such elegance and beauty, that I -feel an unceasing excitement of a much higher order—the certainty that -I am drawing knowledge from the true source. My enthusiastic admiration -of man in the honest and elegant simplicity of nature, has always fed -the warmest feelings of my bosom, and shut half the avenues to my -heart against the specious refinements of the accomplished world. This -feeling, together with the desire to study my art, independently of the -embarrassments which the ridiculous fashions of civilized society have -thrown in its way, has led me to the wilderness for a while, as the -true school of the arts. - -[Illustration: 3] - -[Illustration: 4] - -I have for a long time been of opinion, that the wilderness of our -country afforded models equal to those from which the Grecian sculptors -transferred to the marble such inimitable grace and beauty; and I am -now more confirmed in this opinion, since I have immersed myself in -the midst of thousands and tens of thousands of these knights of the -forest; whose whole lives are lives of chivalry, and whose daily feats, -with their naked limbs, might vie with those of the Grecian youths in -the beautiful rivalry of the Olympian games. - -No man’s imagination, with all the aids of description that can be -given to it, can ever picture the beauty and wildness of scenes that -may be daily witnessed in this romantic country; of hundreds of these -graceful youths, without a care to wrinkle, or a fear to disturb -the full expression of pleasure and enjoyment that beams upon their -faces—their long black hair mingling with their horses’ tails, floating -in the wind, while they are flying over the carpeted prairie, and -dealing death with their spears and arrows, to a band of infuriated -buffaloes; or their splendid procession in a war-parade, arrayed in all -their gorgeous colours and trappings, moving with most exquisite grace -and manly beauty, added to that bold defiance which man carries on his -front, who acknowledges no superior on earth, and who is amenable to no -laws except the laws of God and honour. - -In addition to the knowledge of human nature and of my art, which I -hope to acquire by this toilsome and expensive undertaking, I have -another in view, which, if it should not be of equal service to me, -will be of no less interest and value to posterity. I have, for many -years past, contemplated the noble races of red men who are now spread -over these trackless forests and boundless prairies, melting away -at the approach of civilization. Their rights invaded, their morals -corrupted, their lands wrested from them, their customs changed, and -therefore lost to the world; and they at last sunk into the earth, -and the ploughshare turning the sod over their graves, and I have -flown to their rescue—not of their lives or of their race (for they -are “_doomed_” and must perish), but to the rescue of their looks and -their modes, at which the acquisitive world may hurl their poison and -every besom of destruction, and trample them down and crush them to -death; yet, phœnix-like, they may rise from the “stain on a painter’s -palette,” and live again upon canvass, and stand forth for centuries -yet to come, the living monuments of a noble race. For this purpose, -I have designed to visit every tribe of Indians on the Continent, if -my life should be spared; for the purpose of procuring portraits of -distinguished Indians, of both sexes in each tribe, painted in their -native costume; accompanied with pictures of their villages, domestic -habits, games, mysteries, religious ceremonies, &c. with anecdotes, -traditions, and history of their respective nations. - -If I should live to accomplish my design, the result of my labours will -doubtless be interesting to future ages; who will have little else left -from which to judge of the original inhabitants of this simple race of -beings, who require but a few years more of the march of civilization -and death, to deprive them of all their native customs and character. -I have been kindly supplied by the Commander-in-Chief of the Army and -the Secretary of War, with letters to the commander of every military -post, and every Indian agent on the Western Frontier, with instructions -to render me all the facilities in their power, which will be of great -service to me in so arduous an undertaking. The opportunity afforded me -by familiarity with so many tribes of human beings in the simplicity of -nature, devoid of the deformities of art; of drawing fair conclusions -in the interesting sciences of physiognomy and phrenology; of manners -and customs, rites, ceremonies, &c.; and the opportunity of examining -the geology and mineralogy of this western, and yet unexplored -country, will enable me occasionally to entertain you with much new -and interesting information, which I shall take equal pleasure in -communicating by an occasional Letter in my clumsy way. - - - - - LETTER—No. 3. - - MOUTH OF YELLOW STONE, _UPPER MISSOURI_. - - -Since the date of my former Letter, I have been so much engaged in -the amusements of the country, and the use of my brush, that I have -scarcely been able to drop you a line until the present moment. - -Before I let you into the amusements and customs of this delightful -country however, (and which, as yet, are secrets to most of the world), -I must hastily travel with you over the tedious journey of 2000 miles, -from St. Louis to this place; over which distance one is obliged to -pass, before he can reach this wild and lovely spot. - -The Missouri is, perhaps, different in appearance and character -from all other rivers in the world; there is a terror in its manner -which is sensibly felt, the moment we enter its muddy waters from -the Mississippi. From the mouth of the Yellow Stone River, which is -the place from whence I am now writing, to its junction with the -Mississippi, a distance of 2000 miles, the Missouri, with its boiling, -turbid waters, sweeps off, in one unceasing current; and in the whole -distance there is scarcely an eddy or resting-place for a canoe. Owing -to the continual falling in of its rich alluvial banks, its water is -always turbid and opaque; having, at all seasons of the year, the -colour of a cup of chocolate or coffee, with sugar and cream stirred -into it. To give a better definition of its density and opacity, I -have tried a number of simple experiments with it at this place, and -at other points below, at the results of which I was exceedingly -surprised. By placing a piece of silver (and afterwards a piece of -shell, which is a much whiter substance) in a tumbler of its water, -and looking through the side of the glass, I ascertained that those -substances could not be seen through the eighth part of an inch; this, -however, is in the spring of the year, when the freshet is upon the -river, rendering the water, undoubtedly, much more turbid than it would -be at other seasons; though it is always muddy and yellow, and from its -boiling and wild character and uncommon colour, a stranger would think, -even in its lowest state, that there was a freshet upon it. - -For the distance of 1000 miles above St. Louis, the shores of this -river (and, in many places, the whole bed of the stream) are filled -with snags and raft, formed of trees of the largest size, which have -been undermined by the falling banks and cast into the stream; -their roots becoming fastened in the bottom of the river, with their -tops floating on the surface of the water, and pointing down the -stream, forming the most frightful and discouraging prospect for the -adventurous voyageur. (See +plate+ 4.) - -Almost every island and sand-bar is covered with huge piles of these -floating trees, and when the river is flooded, its surface is almost -literally covered with floating raft and drift wood which bid positive -defiance to keel-boats and steamers, on their way up the river. - -With what propriety this “Hell of waters” might he denominated the -“River Styx,” I will not undertake to decide; but nothing could be more -appropriate or innocent than to call it the River _of Sticks_. - -The scene is not, however, all so dreary; there is a redeeming beauty -in the green and carpeted shores, which hem in this huge and terrible -deformity of waters. There is much of the way though, where the mighty -forests of stately cotton wood stand, and frown in horrid dark and -coolness over the filthy abyss below; into which they are ready to -plunge headlong, when the mud and soil in which they were germed and -reared have been washed out from underneath them, and with the rolling -current are mixed, and on their way to the ocean. - -The greater part of the shores of this river, however, are without -timber, where the eye is delightfully relieved by wandering over the -beautiful prairies; most of the way gracefully sloping down to the -water’s edge, carpeted with the deepest green, and, in distance, -softening into velvet of the richest hues, entirely beyond the reach -of the artist’s pencil. Such is the character of the upper part of the -river especially; and as one advances towards its source, and through -its upper half, it becomes more pleasing to the eye, for snags and raft -are no longer to be seen; yet the current holds its stiff and onward -turbid character. - -It has been, heretofore, very erroneously represented to the world, -that the scenery on this river was monotonous, and wanting in -picturesque beauty. This intelligence is surely incorrect, and that -because it has been brought perhaps, by men who are not the best -judges in the world, of Nature’s beautiful works; and if they were, -they always pass them by, in pain or desperate distress, in toil and -trembling fear for the safety of their furs and peltries, or for their -lives, which are at the mercy of the yelling savages who inhabit this -delightful country. - -One thousand miles or more of the upper part of the river, was, to -my eye, like fairy-land; and during our transit through that part of -our voyage, I was most of the time rivetted to the deck of the boat, -indulging my eyes in the boundless and tireless pleasure of roaming -over the thousand hills, and bluffs, and dales, and ravines; where the -astonished herds of buffaloes, of elks, and antelopes, and sneaking -wolves, and mountain-goats, were to be seen bounding up and down and -over the green fields; each one and each tribe, band, and gang, taking -their own way, and using their own means to the greatest advantage -possible, to leave the sight and sound of the puffing of our boat; -which was, for the first time, saluting the green and wild shores of -the Missouri with the din of mighty steam. - -From St. Louis to the falls of the Missouri, a distance of 2600 miles, -is one continued prairie; with the exception of a few of the bottoms -formed along the bank of the river, and the streams which are falling -into it, which are often covered with the most luxuriant growth of -forest timber. - -The summit level of the great prairies stretching off to the west and -the east from the river, to an almost boundless extent, is from two to -three hundred feet above the level of the river; which has formed a bed -or valley for its course, varying in width from two to twenty miles. -This channel or valley has been evidently produced by the force of the -current, which has gradually excavated, in its floods and gorges, this -immense space, and sent its débris into the ocean. By the continual -overflowing of the river, its deposits have been lodged and left with a -horizontal surface, spreading the deepest and richest alluvion over the -surface of its meadows on either side; through which the river winds -its serpentine course, alternately running from one bluff to the other, -which present themselves to its shores in all the most picturesque -and beautiful shapes and colours imaginable—some with their green -sides gracefully slope down in the most lovely groups to the water’s -edge (+plate+ 5); whilst others, divested of their verdure, present -themselves in immense masses of clay of different colours, which arrest -the eye of the traveller, with the most curious views in the world. - -These strange and picturesque appearances have been produced by the -rains and frosts, which are continually changing the dimensions, and -varying the thousand shapes of these denuded hills, by washing down -their sides and carrying them into the river. - -Amongst these groups may be seen tens and hundreds of thousands of -different forms and figures, of the sublime and the picturesque; in -many places for miles together, as the boat glides along, there is -one continued appearance, before and behind us, of some ancient and -boundless city in ruins—ramparts, terraces, domes, towers, citadels and -castles may be seen,—cupolas, and magnificent porticos, and here and -there a solitary column and crumbling pedestal, and even spires of clay -which stand alone—and glistening in distance, as the sun’s rays are -refracted back by the thousand crystals of gypsum which are imbedded in -the clay of which they are formed (+plate+ 6). Over and through these -groups of domes and battlements (as one is compelled to imagine them), -the sun sends his long and gilding rays, at morn or in the evening; -giving life and light, by aid of shadows cast, to the different glowing -colours of these clay-built ruins; shedding a glory over the solitude -of this wild and pictured country, which no one can realize unless he -travels here and looks upon it. - -It is amidst these wild and quiet haunts that the mountain-sheep, and -the fleet-bounding antelope sport and live in herds, secure from their -enemies, to whom the sides and slopes of these bluffs (around which -they fearlessly bound) are nearly inaccessible. - -The grizzly bear also has chosen these places for his abode; he -sullenly sneaks through the gulphs and chasms, and ravines, and frowns -away the lurking Indian; whilst the mountain-sheep and antelope are -bounding over and around the hill tops, safe and free from harm of man -and beast. - -Such is a hasty sketch of the river scenes and scenery for 2000 miles, -over which we tugged, and puffed, and blowed, and toiled for three -months, before we reached this place. Since we arrived here, the -steamer has returned and left me here to explore the country and visit -the tribes in this vicinity, and then descend the river from this place -to St. Louis; which Tour, if I live through it, will furnish material -for many a story and curious incident, which I may give you in detail -in future epistles, and when I have more leisure than I have at the -present moment. I will then undertake to tell how we astonished the -natives, in many an instance, which I can in this Letter but just -hint at and say adieu. If anything did ever literally and completely -“astonish (and astound) the natives,” it was the appearance of our -steamer, puffing and blowing, and paddling and rushing by their -villages which were on the banks of the river. - -These poor and ignorant people for the distance of 2000 miles, had -never before seen or heard of a steam-boat, and in some places they -seemed at a loss to know what to do, or how to act; they could not, -as the Dutch did at Newburgh, on the Hudson River, take it to be a -“_floating saw-mill_”—and they had no name for it—so it was, like -every thing else (with them), which is mysterious and unaccountable, -called _medicine_ (mystery). We had on board one twelve-pound cannon -and three or four eight-pound swivels, which we were taking up to -arm the Fur Company’s Fort at the mouth of Yellow Stone, and at the -approach to every village they were all discharged several times in -rapid succession, which threw the inhabitants into utter confusion and -amazement—some of them laid their faces to the ground, and cried to -the Great Spirit—some shot their horses and dogs, and sacrificed them -to appease the Great Spirit, whom they conceived was offended—some -deserted their villages and ran to the tops of the bluffs some miles -distant; and others, in some places, as the boat landed in front of -their villages, came with great caution, and peeped over the bank of -the river to see the fate of their chiefs whose duty it was (from the -nature of their office) to approach us, whether friends or foes, and -to go on board. Sometimes, in this plight, they were instantly thrown -‘neck and heels’ over each other’s heads and shoulders—men, women -and children, and dogs—sage, sachem, old and young—all in a mass, at -the frightful discharge of the steam from the escape-pipe, which the -captain of the boat let loose upon them for his own fun and amusement. - -There were many curious conjectures amongst their wise men, with regard -to the nature and powers of the steam-boat. Amongst the Mandans, some -called it the “big thunder canoe;” for when in distance below the -village, they saw the lightning flash from its sides, and heard the -thunder come from it; others called it the “big medicine canoe with -eyes;” it was _medicine_ (mystery) because they could not understand -it; and it must have eyes, for said they, “it sees its own way, and -takes the deep water in the middle of the channel.” - -[Illustration: 5] - -[Illustration: 6] - -They had no idea of the boat being steered by the man at the wheel, and -well they might have been astonished at its taking the deepest water. I -may (if I do not forget it) hereafter give you an account of some other -curious incidents of this kind, which we met with in this voyage; for -we met many, and some of them were really laughable. - -The Fort in which I am residing was built by Mr. M‘Kenzie, who now -occupies it. It is the largest and best-built establishment of the kind -on the river, being the great or principal head-quarters and depôt -of the Fur Company’s business in this region. A vast stock of goods -is kept on hand at this place; and at certain times of the year the -numerous out-posts concentrate here with the returns of their season’s -trade, and refit out with a fresh supply of goods to trade with the -Indians. - -The site for the Fort is well selected, being a beautiful prairie -on the bank near the junction of the Missouri with the Yellow Stone -rivers; and its inmates and its stores well protected from Indian -assaults. - -Mr. M‘Kenzie is a kind-hearted and high-minded Scotchman; and seems to -have charge of all the Fur Companies’ business in this region, and from -this to the Rocky Mountains. He lives in good and comfortable style, -inside of the Fort, which contains some eight or ten log-houses and -stores, and has generally forty or fifty men, and one hundred and fifty -horses about him. - -He has, with the same spirit of liberality and politeness with -which Mons. Pierre Chouteau treated me on my passage up the river, -pronounced me welcome at his table, which groans under the luxuries of -the country; with buffalo meat and tongues, with beavers’ tails and -marrow-fat; but _sans_ coffee, _sans_ bread and butter. Good cheer and -good living we get at it however, and good wine also; for a bottle of -Madeira and one of excellent Port are set in a pail of ice every day, -and exhausted at dinner. - -At the hospitable board of this gentleman I found also another, who -forms a happy companion for _mine host_; and whose intellectual and -polished society has added not a little to _my_ pleasure and amusement -since I arrived here. - -The gentleman of whom I am speaking is an Englishman, by the name -of Hamilton, of the most pleasing and entertaining conversation, -whose mind seems to be a complete store-house of ancient and modern -literature and art; and whose free and familiar acquaintance with the -manners and men of his country gives him the stamp of a gentleman, who -has had the curiosity to bring the embellishments of the enlightened -world, to contrast with the rude and the wild of these remote regions. - -We three _bons vivants_ form the group about the dinner-table, of which -I have before spoken, and crack our jokes and fun over the bottles of -Port and Madeira, which I have named; and a considerable part of which, -this gentleman has brought with great and precious care from his own -country. - -This post is the general rendezvous of a great number of Indian tribes -in these regions, who are continually concentrating here for the -purpose of trade; sometimes coming, the whole tribe together, in a -mass. There are now here, and encamped about the Fort, a great many, -and I am continually at work with my brush; we have around us at this -time the Knisteneaux, Crows, Assinneboins and Blackfeet, and in a few -days are to have large accessions. - -The finest specimens of Indians on the Continent are in these regions; -and before I leave these parts, I shall make excursions into their -respective countries, to their own native fire-sides; and there study -their looks and peculiar customs; enabling me to drop you now and then -an interesting Letter. The tribes which I shall be enabled to see and -study by my visit to this region, are the Ojibbeways, the Assinneboins, -Knisteneaux, Blackfeet, Crows, Shiennes, Grosventres, Mandans, and -others; of whom and their customs, their history, traditions, costumes, -&c., I shall in due season, give you further and minute accounts. - - - - - LETTER—No. 4. - - MOUTH OF YELLOW STONE. - - -The several tribes of Indians inhabiting the regions of the Upper -Missouri, and of whom I spoke in my last Letter, are undoubtedly the -finest looking, best equipped, and most beautifully costumed of any on -the Continent. They live in a country well-stocked with buffaloes and -wild horses, which furnish them an excellent and easy living; their -atmosphere is pure, which produces good health and long life; and they -are the most independent and the happiest races of Indians I have met -with: they are all entirely in a state of primitive wildness, and -consequently are picturesque and handsome, almost beyond description. -Nothing in the world, of its kind, can possibly surpass in beauty and -grace, some of their games and amusements—their gambols and parades, of -which I shall speak and paint hereafter. - -As far as my travels have yet led me into the Indian country, I have -more than realized my former predictions that those Indians who could -be found most entirely in a state of nature, with the least knowledge -of civilized society, would be found to be the most cleanly in their -persons, elegant in their dress and manners, and enjoying life to the -greatest perfection. Of such tribes, perhaps the Crows and Blackfeet -stand first; and no one would be able to appreciate the richness and -elegance (and even taste too), with which some of these people dress, -without seeing them in their own country. I will do all I can, however, -to make their looks as well as customs known to the world; I will paint -with my brush and scribble with my pen, and bring their plumes and -plumage, dresses, weapons, &c., and every thing but the Indian himself, -to prove to the world the assertions which I have made above. - -Every one of these red sons of the forest (or rather of the prairie) -is a knight and lord—his squaws are his slaves; the only things which -he deems worthy of his exertions are to mount his snorting steed, with -his bow and quiver slung, his arrow-shield upon his arm, and his long -lance glistening in the war-parade; or, divested of all his plumes and -trappings, armed with a simple bow and quiver, to plunge his steed -amongst the flying herds of buffaloes, and with his sinewy bow, which -he seldom bends in vain, to drive deep to life’s fountain the whizzing -arrow. - -The buffalo herds, which graze in almost countless numbers on these -beautiful prairies, afford them an abundance of meat; and so much is -it preferred to all other, that the deer, the elk, and the antelope -sport upon the prairies in herds in the greatest security; as the -Indians seldom kill them, unless they want their skins for a dress. -The buffalo (or more correctly speaking bison) is a noble animal, -that roams over the vast prairies, from the borders of Mexico on the -south, to Hudson’s Bay on the north. Their size is somewhat above -that of our common bullock, and their flesh of a delicious flavour, -resembling and equalling that of fat beef. Their flesh which is easily -procured, furnishes the savages of these vast regions the means of a -wholesome and good subsistence, and they live almost exclusively upon -it—converting the skins, horns, hoofs and bones, to the construction -of dresses, shields, bows, &c. The buffalo bull is one of the most -formidable and frightful looking animals in the world when excited to -resistance; his long shaggy mane hangs in great profusion over his neck -and shoulders and often extends quite down to the ground (+plate+ 7). -The cow is less in stature, and less ferocious; though not much less -wild and frightful in her appearance (+plate+ 8). - -The mode in which these Indians kill this noble animal is spirited and -thrilling in the extreme; and I must in a future epistle, give you -a minute account of it. I have almost daily accompanied parties of -Indians to see the fun, and have often shared in it myself; but much -oftener ran my horse by their sides, to see how the thing was done—to -study the modes and expressions of these splendid scenes, which I am -industriously putting upon the canvass. - -They are all (or nearly so) killed with arrows and the lance, while at -full speed; and the reader may easily imagine, that these scenes afford -the most spirited and picturesque views of the sporting kind that can -possibly be seen. - -At present, I will give a little sketch of a bit of fun I joined in -yesterday, with Mr. M‘Kenzie and a number of his men, without the -company or aid of Indians. - -I mentioned the other day, that M‘Kenzie’s table from day to day -groans under the weight of buffalo tongues and beavers’ tails, and -other luxuries of this western land. He has within his Fort a spacious -ice-house, in which he preserves his meat fresh for any length of time -required; and sometimes, when his larder runs low. he starts out, -rallying some five or six of his best hunters (not to hunt, but to “go -for meat”). He leads the party, mounted on his favourite buffalo horse -(_i. e._ the horse amongst his whole group which is best trained to run -the buffalo), trailing a light and short gun in his hand, such an one -as he can most easily reload whilst his horse is at full speed. - -Such was the condition of the ice-house yesterday morning, which caused -these self-catering gentlemen to cast their eyes with a wishful look -over the prairies; and such was the plight in which our host took -the lead, and I, and then Mons. Chardon, and Ba’tiste Défonde and -Tullock (who is a trader amongst the Crows, and is here at this time, -with a large party of that tribe), and there were several others whose -names I do not know. - -[Illustration: 7] - -[Illustration: 8] - -As we were mounted and ready to start, M‘Kenzie called up some four -or five of his men, and told them to follow immediately on our trail, -with as many one-horse carts, which they were to harness up, to bring -home the meat; “ferry them across the river in the scow,” said he, -“and following our trail through the bottom, you will find us on the -plain yonder, between the Yellow Stone and the Missouri rivers, with -meat enough to load you home. My watch on yonder bluff has just told -us by his signals, that there are cattle a plenty on that spot, and -we are going there as fast as possible.” We all crossed the river, -and galloped away a couple of miles or so, when we mounted the bluff; -and to be sure, as was said, there was in full view of us a fine herd -of some four or five hundred buffaloes, perfectly at rest, and in -their own estimation (probably) perfectly secure. Some were grazing, -and others were lying down and sleeping; we advanced within a mile or -so of them in full view, and came to a halt. Mons. Chardon “tossed -the feather” (a custom always observed, to try the course of the -wind), and we commenced “stripping” as it is termed (_i. e._ every -man strips himself and his horse of every extraneous and unnecessary -appendage of dress, &c. that might be an incumbrance in running): hats -are laid off, and coats—and bullet pouches; sleeves are rolled up, -a handkerchief tied tightly around the head, and another around the -waist—cartridges are prepared and placed in the waistcoat pocket, or -a half dozen bullets “throwed into the mouth,” &c., &c., all of which -takes up some ten or fifteen minutes, and is not, in appearance or in -effect, unlike a council of war. Our leader lays the whole plan of the -chase, and preliminaries all fixed, guns charged and ramrods in our -hands, we mount and start for the onset. The horses are all trained for -this business, and seem to enter into it with as much enthusiasm, and -with as restless a spirit as the riders themselves. While “stripping” -and mounting, they exhibit the most restless impatience; and when -“approaching”—(which is, all of us abreast, upon a slow walk, and -in a straight line towards the herd, until they discover us and -run), they all seem to have caught entirely the spirit of the chase, -for the laziest nag amongst them prances with an elasticity in his -step—champing his bit—his ears erect—his eyes strained out of his head, -and fixed upon the game before him, whilst he trembles under the saddle -of his rider. In this way we carefully and silently marched, until -within some forty or fifty rods; when the herd discovering us, wheeled -and laid their course in a mass. At this instant we started! (and -all _must_ start, for no one could check the fury of those steeds at -that moment of excitement,) and away all sailed, and over the prairie -flew, in a cloud of dust which was raised by their trampling hoofs. -M‘Kenzie was foremost in the throng, and soon dashed off amidst the -dust and was out of sight—he was after the fattest and the fastest. I -had discovered a huge bull whose shoulders towered above the whole -band, and I picked my way through the crowd to get alongside of him. I -went not for “meat,” but for a _trophy_; I wanted his head and horns. I -dashed along through the thundering mass, as they swept away over the -plain, scarcely able to tell whether I was on a buffalo’s back or my -horse—hit, and hooked, and jostled about, till at length I found myself -alongside of my game, when I gave him a shot, as I passed him. I saw -guns flash in several directions about me, but I heard them not. Amidst -the trampling throng, Mons. Chardon had wounded a stately bull, and at -this moment was passing him again with his piece levelled for another -shot; they were both at full speed and I also, within the reach of the -muzzle of my gun, when the bull instantly turned and receiving the -horse upon his horns, and the ground received poor Chardon, who made a -frog’s leap of some twenty feet or more over the bull’s back (+plate+ -9), and almost under my horse’s heels. I wheeled my horse as soon as -possible and rode back, where lay poor Chardon, gasping to start his -breath again; and within a few paces of him his huge victim, with his -heels high in the air, and the horse lying across him. I dismounted -instantly, but Chardon was raising himself on his hands, with his eyes -and mouth full of dirt, and feeling for his gun, which lay about thirty -feet in advance of him. “Heaven spare you! are you hurt, Chardon?” -“hi—hic——hic———hic————hic—————hic——————no,——hic———no——no, I believe -not. Oh! this is not much, Mons. Cataline—this is nothing new—but this -is a d——d hard piece of ground here—hic—oh! hic!” At this the poor -fellow fainted, but in a few moments arose, picked up his gun, took his -horse by the bit; which then opened _its_ eyes, and with a _hic_ and a -_ugh_—+UGHK+! sprang upon its feet—shook off the dirt—and here we were, -all upon our legs again, save the bull, whose fate had been more sad -than that of either. - -I turned my eyes in the direction where the herd had gone, and -our companions in pursuit, and nothing could be seen of them, nor -indication, except the cloud of dust which they left behind them. -At a little distance on the right, however, I beheld my huge victim -endeavouring to make as much head-way as he possibly could, from this -dangerous ground, upon three legs. I galloped off to him, and at my -approach he wheeled around—and bristled up for battle; he seemed to -know perfectly well that he could not escape from me, and resolved to -meet his enemy and death as bravely as possible. - -I found that my shot had entered him a little too far forward, breaking -one of his shoulders, and lodging in his breast, and from his very -great weight it was impossible for him to make much advance upon me. -As I rode up within a few paces of him, he would bristle up with fury -enough in his _looks_ alone, almost to annihilate me (+plate+ 10); and -making one lunge at me, would fall upon his neck and nose, so that I -found the sagacity of my horse alone enough to keep me out of reach of -danger: and I drew from my pocket my sketch-book, laid my gun across -my lap, and commenced taking his likeness. He stood stiffened up, and -swelling with awful vengeance, which was sublime for a picture, but -which he could not vent upon me. I rode around him and sketched him -in numerous attitudes, sometimes he would lie down, and I would then -sketch him; then throw my cap at him, and rousing him on his legs, -rally a new expression, and sketch him again. - -[Illustration: 9] - -[Illustration: 10] - -In this way I added to my sketch-book some invaluable sketches of -this grim-visaged monster, who knew not that he was standing for his -likeness. - -No man on earth can imagine what is the look and expression of such a -subject before him as this was. I defy the world to produce another -animal than can look so frightful as a huge buffalo bull, when wounded -as he was, turned around for battle, and swelling with rage;—his eyes -bloodshot, and his long shaggy mane hanging to the ground,—his mouth -open, and his horrid rage hissing in streams of smoke and blood from -his mouth and through his nostrils, as he is bending forward to spring -upon his assailant. - -After I had had the requisite time and opportunity for using my pencil, -M‘Kenzie and his companions came walking their exhausted horses back -from the chase, and in our rear came four or five carts to carry home -the meat. The party met from all quarters around me and my buffalo -bull, whom I then shot in the head and finished. And being seated -together for a few minutes, each one took a smoke of the pipe, and -recited his exploits, and his “coups” or deaths; when all parties had -a hearty laugh at me, as a novice, for having aimed at an old bull, -whose flesh was not suitable for food, and the carts were escorted on -the trail, to bring away the meat. I rode back with Mr. M‘Kenzie, who -pointed out five cows which he had killed, and all of them selected -as the fattest and slickest of the herd. This astonishing feat was -all performed within the distance of one mile—all were killed at full -speed, and every one shot through the heart. In the short space of time -required for a horse under “full whip,” to run the distance of one -mile, he had discharged his gun five, and loaded it four times—selected -his animals, and killed at every shot! There were six or eight others -killed at the same time, which altogether furnished, as will be seen, -abundance of freight for the carts; which returned, as well as several -packhorses, loaded with the choicest parts which were cut from the -animals, and the remainder of the carcasses left a prey for the wolves. - -Such is the mode by which white men live in this country—such the way -in which they get their food, and such is one of their delightful -amusements—at the hazard of every bone in one’s body, to feel the fine -and thrilling exhilaration of the chase for a moment, and then as often -to upbraid and blame himself for his folly and imprudence. - -From this scene we commenced leisurely wending our way back; and -dismounting at the place where we had stripped, each man dressed -himself again, or slung his extra articles of dress, &c. across -his saddle, astride of which he sat; and we rode back to the Fort, -reciting as we rode, and for twenty-four hours afterwards, deeds of -chivalry and chase, and hair’s-breadth escapes which each and either -had fought and run on former occasions. M‘Kenzie, with all the true -character and dignity of a leader, was silent on these subjects; but -smiled, while those in his train were reciting for him the astonishing -and almost incredible deeds of his sinewy arms, which they had -witnessed in similar scenes; from which I learned (as well as from -my own observations), that he was reputed (and actually _was_) the -most distinguished of all the white men who have flourished in these -regions, in the pursuit and death of the buffalo. - -On our return to the Fort, a bottle or two of wine were set forth -upon the table, and around them a half dozen parched throats were -soon moistened, and good cheer ensued. Ba’tiste Défonde, Chardon, -&c., retired to their quarters, enlarging smoothly upon the events -of our morning’s work; which they were reciting to their wives and -sweethearts; when about this time the gate of the Fort was thrown open, -and the procession of carts and packhorses laden with buffalo meat made -its entrée; gladdening the hearts of a hundred women and children, -and tickling the noses of as many hungry dogs and puppies, who were -stealing in and smelling at the tail of the procession. The door of the -ice-house was thrown open, the meat was discharged into it, and I being -fatigued, went to sleep. - -[Illustration: 11] - - - - - LETTER—No. 5. - - MOUTH OF YELLOW STONE, _UPPER MISSOURI_. - - -In my former epistle I told you there were encamped about the Fort -a host of wild, incongruous spirits—chiefs and sachems—warriors, -braves, and women and children of different tribes—of Crows and -Blackfeet—Ojibbeways—Assinneboins—and Crees or Knisteneaux. Amongst -and in the midst of them am I, with my paint pots and canvass, snugly -ensconced in one of the bastions of the Fort, which I occupy as a -painting-room. My easel stands before me, and the cool breech of a -twelve-pounder makes me a comfortable seat, whilst her muzzle is -looking out at one of the port-holes. The operations of my brush are -_mysteries_ of the highest order to these red sons of the prairie, and -my room the earliest and latest place of concentration of these wild -and jealous spirits, who all meet here to be amused and pay me signal -honours; but gaze upon each other, sending their sidelong looks of -deep-rooted hatred and revenge around the group. However, whilst in the -Fort, their weapons are placed within the arsenal, and naught but looks -and thoughts can be breathed here; but death and grim destruction will -visit back those looks upon each other, when these wild spirits again -are loose and free to breathe and act upon the plains. - -I have this day been painting a portrait of the head chief of the -Blackfoot nation; he is a good-looking and dignified Indian, about -fifty years of age, and superbly dressed (+plate+ 11); whilst sitting -for his picture he has been surrounded by his own braves and warriors, -and also gazed at by his enemies, the Crows and the Knisteneaux, -Assinneboins and Ojibbeways; a number of distinguished personages of -each of which tribes, have laid all day around the sides of my room; -reciting to each other the battles they have fought, and pointing to -the scalp-locks, worn as proofs of their victories, and attached to -the seams of their shirts and leggings. This is a curious scene to -witness, when one sits in the midst of such inflammable and combustible -materials, brought together, unarmed, for the first time in their -lives; peaceably and calmly recounting over the deeds of their lives, -and smoking their pipes upon it, when a few weeks or days will bring -them on the plains again, where the war-cry will be raised, and their -deadly bows will again be drawn on each other. - -The name of this dignitary, of whom I have just spoken, is -Stu-mick-o-sucks (the buffalo’s back fat), _i. e._ the “hump” or -“fleece,” the most delicious part of the buffalo’s flesh. I have -also painted, of the Blackfeet, Pe-toh-pee-kiss (the eagle ribs), -and Mix-ke-mote-skin-na (the iron horn), and Wun-nes-tou (the -white buffalo), and Tcha-aes-sa-ko-mah-pee (the bear’s child), and -In-ne-o-cose (the buffalo’s child), and half-a-dozen others, and all in -rich and costly dresses. - -There is no tribe, perhaps, on the Continent, who dress more -comfortably, and more gaudily, than the Blackfeet, unless it be -the tribe of Crows. There is no great difference, however, in the -costliness or elegance of their costumes; nor in the materials of which -they are formed; though there is a distinctive mode in each tribe, of -stitching or ornamenting with the porcupine quills, which constitute -one of the principal ornaments to all their fine dresses; and which -can be easily recognized, by any one a little familiar with their -modes, as belonging to such or such a tribe. The dress, for instance of -the chief whom I have just mentioned, and whose portrait I have just -painted, consists of a shirt or tunic, made of two deer skins finely -dressed, and so placed together with the necks of the skins downwards, -and the skins of the hind legs stitched together, the seams running -down on each arm, from the neck to the knuckles of the hand; this -seam is covered with a band of two inches in width, of very beautiful -embroidery of porcupine quills, and suspended from the under edge of -this, from the shoulders to the hands, is a fringe of the locks of -black hair, which he has taken from the heads of victims slain by his -own hand in battle. The leggings are made also of the same material; -and down the outer side of the leg, from the hip to the feet, extends -also a similar band or belt of the same width; and wrought in the same -manner, with porcupine quills, and fringed with scalp locks. These -locks of hair are procured from scalps, and worn as trophies. - -The wife (or squaw) of this dignitary Eeh-nis-kin (the crystal stone), -I have also placed upon my canvass (+plate+ 13); her countenance is -rather pleasing, which is an uncommon thing amongst the Blackfeet—her -dress is made of skins, and being the youngest of a bevy of six or -eight, and the last one taken under his guardianship, was smiled upon -with great satisfaction, whilst he exempted her from the drudgeries of -the camp; and keeping her continually in the halo of his own person, -watched and guarded her as the apple of his eye. The grandson also -of this sachem, a boy of six years of age, and too young as yet to -have acquired a name, has stood forth like a tried warrior; and I -have painted him at full length (+plate+ 12), with his bow and quiver -slung, and his robe made of a racoon skin. The history of this child is -somewhat curious and interesting; his father is dead, and in case of -the death of the chief, of whom I have spoken, he becomes hereditary -chief of the tribe. This boy has been twice stolen away by the Crows -by ingenious stratagems, and twice re-captured by the Blackfeet, at -considerable sacrifice of life, and at present he is lodged with Mr. -M‘Kenzie, for safe keeping and protection, until he shall arrive at the -proper age to take the office to which he is to succeed, and able to -protect himself. - -[Illustration: 13] - -[Illustration: 12] - -The scalp of which I spoke above, is procured by cutting out a piece -of the skin of the head, the size of the palm of the hand or less, -containing the very centre or crown of the head, the place where the -hair radiates from a point, and exactly over what the phrenologists -call self-esteem. This patch then is kept and dried with great care, as -proof positive of the death of an enemy, and evidence of a man’s claims -as a warrior; and after having been formally “danced,” as the saying -is, (_i. e._ after it has been stuck up upon a pole or held up by an -“old woman,” and the warriors have danced around it for two or three -weeks at intervals,) it is fastened to the handle of a lance, or the -end of a war-club, or divided into a great many small locks and used -to fringe and ornament the victor’s dress. When these dresses are seen -bearing such trophies, it is of course a difficult matter to purchase -them of the Indian, for they often hold them above all price. I shall -hereafter take occasion to speak of the scalp-dance; describing it in -all its parts, and giving a long Letter, at the same time on scalps -and scalping, an interesting and general custom amongst all the North -American Indians. - -In the chief’s dress, which I am describing, there are his moccasins, -made also of buckskin, and ornamented in a corresponding manner. And -over all, his robe, made of the skin of a young buffalo bull, with -the hair remaining on; and on the inner or flesh side, beautifully -garnished with porcupine quills, and the battles of his life very -ingeniously, though rudely, pourtrayed in pictorial representations. -In his hand he holds a very beautiful pipe, the stem of which is four -or five feet long, and two inches wide, curiously wound with braids -of the porcupine quills of various colours; and the bowl of the pipe -ingeniously carved by himself from a piece of red steatite of an -interesting character, and which they all tell me is procured somewhere -between this place and the Falls of St. Anthony, on the head waters of -the Mississippi. - -This curious stone has many peculiar qualities, and has, undoubtedly, -but one origin in this country, and perhaps in the world. It is found -but in the hands of the savage, and every tribe, and nearly every -individual in the tribe has his pipe made of it. I consider this stone -a subject of great interest, and curiosity to the world; and I shall -most assuredly make it a point, during my Indian rambles, to visit the -place from whence it is brought. I have already got a number of most -remarkable traditions and stories relating to the “sacred quarry;” -of pilgrimages performed there to procure the stone, and of curious -transactions that have taken place on that ground. It seems, from all -I can learn, that all the tribes in these regions, and also of the -Mississippi and the Lakes, have been in the habit of going to that -place, and meeting their enemies there, whom they are obliged to treat -as friends, under an injunction of the Great Spirit. - -So then is this sachem (the buffalo’s back fat) dressed; and in a -very similar manner, and almost the same, is each of the others above -named; and all are armed with bow and quiver, lance and shield. These -north-western tribes are all armed with the bow and lance, and -protected with the shield or arrow fender, which is carried outside of -the left arm, exactly as the Roman and Grecian shield was carried, and -for the same purpose. - -There is an appearance purely classic in the plight and equipment of -these warriors and “knights of the lance.” They are almost literally -always on their horses’ backs, and they wield these weapons with -desperate effect upon the open plains; where they kill their game -while at full speed, and contend in like manner in battles with their -enemy. There is one prevailing custom in these respects, amongst all -the tribes who inhabit the great plains or prairies of these western -regions. These plains afford them an abundance of wild and fleet -horses, which are easily procured; and on their backs at full speed, -they can come alongside of any animal, which they easily destroy. - -The bow with which they are armed is small, and apparently an -insignificant weapon, though one of great and almost incredible power -in the hands of its owner, whose sinews have been from childhood -habituated to its use and service. The length of these bows is -generally about three feet, and sometimes not more than two and a half -(+plate+ 18 _a_). They have, no doubt, studied to get the requisite -power in the smallest compass possible, as it is more easily and -handily used on horseback than one of greater length. The greater -number of these bows are made of ash, or of “bois d’arc” (as the -French call it), and lined on the back with layers of buffalo or -deer’s sinews, which are inseparably attached to them, and give them -great elasticity. There are very many also (amongst the Blackfeet -and the Crows) which are made of bone, and others of the horn of the -mountain-sheep. Those made of bone are decidedly the most valuable, and -cannot in this country be procured of a good quality short of the price -of one or two horses. About these there is a mystery yet to be solved, -and I advance my opinion against all theories that I have heard in the -country where they are used and made. I have procured several very fine -specimens, and when purchasing them have inquired of the Indians, what -bone they were made of? and in every instance, the answer was, “That’s -medicine,” meaning that it was a mystery to them, or that they did not -wish to be questioned about them. The bone of which they are made is -certainly not the bone of any animal now grazing on the prairies, or -in the mountains between this place and the Pacific Ocean; for some -of these bows are three feet in length, of a solid piece of bone, and -that as close-grained—as hard—as white, and as highly polished as -any ivory; it cannot, therefore be made from the elks’ horn (as some -have supposed), which is of a dark colour and porous: nor can it come -from the buffalo. It is my opinion, therefore, that the Indians on -the Pacific coast procure the bone from the jaw of the sperm whale, -which is often stranded on that coast, and bringing the bone into the -mountains, trade it to the Blackfeet and Crows, who manufacture it into -these bows without knowing any more than we do, from what source it has -been procured. - -[Illustration: 14] - -One of these little bows in the hands of an Indian, on a fleet and -well-trained horse, with a quiver of arrows slung on his back, is a -most effective and powerful weapon in the open plains. No one can -easily credit the force with which these missiles are thrown, and the -sanguinary effects produced by their wounds, until he has rode by -the side of a party of Indians in chase of a herd of buffaloes, and -witnessed the apparent ease and grace with which their supple arms have -drawn the bow, and seen these huge animals tumbling down and gushing -out their hearts’ blood from their mouths and nostrils. - -Their bows are often made of bone and sinews, and their arrows headed -with flints or with bones, of their own construction (+plate+ 18, _c_), -or with steel, as they are now chiefly furnished by the Fur Traders -quite to the Rocky Mountains (+plate+ 18, _d_). The quiver, which is -uniformly carried on the back, and made of the panther or otter skins -(+plate+ 18, _e_) is a magazine of these deadly weapons, and generally -contains two varieties. The one to be drawn upon an enemy, generally -poisoned, and with long flukes or barbs, which are designed to hang the -blade in the wound after the shaft is withdrawn, in which they are but -slightly glued;—the other to be used for their game, with the blade -firmly fastened to the shaft, and the flukes inverted; that it may -easily be drawn from the wound, and used on a future occasion. - -Such is the training of men and horses in this country, that this work -of death and slaughter is simple and easy. The horse is trained to -approach the animals on the _right_ side, enabling its rider to throw -his arrows to the left; it runs and approaches without the use of the -halter, which is hanging loose upon its neck bringing the rider within -three or four paces of the animal, when the arrow is thrown with great -ease and certainty to the heart; and instances sometimes occur, where -the arrow passes entirely through the animal’s body. - -An Indian, therefore, mounted on a fleet and well-trained horse, with -his bow in his hand, and his quiver slung on his back, containing an -hundred arrows, of which he can throw fifteen or twenty in a minute, is -a formidable and dangerous enemy. Many of them also ride with a lance -of twelve or fourteen feet in length (+plate+ 18, _b_), with a blade -of polished steel; and all of them (as a protection for their vital -parts), with a shield or arrow-fender made of the skin of the buffalo’s -neck, which has been smoked, and hardened with glue extracted from the -hoofs (+plate+ 18). These shields are arrow-proof, and will glance off -a rifle shot with perfect effect by being turned obliquely, which they -do with great skill. - -This shield or arrow-fender is, in my opinion, made of similar -materials, and used in the same way, and for the same purpose, as was -the clypeus or small shield in the Roman and Grecian cavalry. They were -made in those days as a means of defence on horseback only—made small -and light, of bull’s hides; sometimes single, sometimes double and -tripled. Such was Hector’s shield, and of most of the Homeric heroes of -the Greek and Trojan wars. In those days also were darts or javelins -and lances; the same were also used by the Ancient Britons; and such -exactly are now in use amongst the Arabs and the North American Indians. - -In this wise then, are all of these wild red knights of the prairie, -armed and equipped,—and while nothing can possibly be more picturesque -and thrilling than a troop or war-party of these fellows, galloping -over these green and endless prairies; there can be no set of mounted -men of equal numbers, so effective and so invincible in this country -as they would be, could they be inspired with confidence of their own -powers and their own superiority; yet this never can be done;—for the -Indian, as far as the name of white man has travelled, and long before -he has to try his strength with him, is trembling with fright and fear -of his approach; he hears of white man’s arts and artifice—his tricks -and cunning, and his hundred instruments of death and destruction—he -dreads his approach, shrinks from him with fear and trembling—his -heart sickens, and his pride and courage wither, at the thoughts of -contending with an enemy, whom he thinks may war and destroy with -weapons of _medicine_ or mystery. - -Of the Blackfeet, whom I mentioned in the beginning of this Letter, and -whose portraits are now standing in my room, there is another of whom -I must say a few words; Pe-toh-pee-kiss, the eagle ribs (+plate+ 14). -This man is one of the extraordinary men of the Blackfoot tribe; though -not a chief, he stands here in the Fort, and deliberately boasts of -eight scalps, which he says he has taken from the heads of trappers and -traders with his own hand. His dress is really superb, almost literally -covered with scalp-locks, of savage and civil. - -I have painted him at full length, with a head-dress made entirely -of ermine skins and horns of the buffalo. This custom of wearing -horns beautifully polished and surmounting the head-dress, is a very -curious one, being worn only by the bravest of the brave; by the most -extraordinary men in the nation. Of their importance and meaning, I -shall say more in a future epistle. When he stood for his picture, he -also held a lance and two “medicine-bags” in his hand; of lances I have -spoken,—but “medicine-bags” and “medicine” will be the text for my next -Letter. - -Besides the chiefs and warriors above-named, I have also transferred -to my canvass the “looks and very resemblance” of an aged chief, -who combines with his high office, the envied title of mystery or -medicine-man, _i. e._ doctor—magician—prophet—soothsayer—jongleur—and -high priest, all combined in one person, who necessarily is looked -upon as “Sir Oracle” of the nation. The name of this distinguished -functionary is Wun-nes-tou, the white buffalo (+plate+ 15); and on -his left arm he presents his mystery-drum or tambour, in which are -concealed the hidden and sacred mysteries of his healing art. - -And there is also In-ne-o-cose, the iron-horn (+plate+ 16), at full -length, in a splendid dress, with his “medicine-bag” in his hand; -and Ah-kay-ee-pix-en, the woman who strikes many (+plate+ 17), in a -beautiful dress of the mountain-goats’ skin, and her robe of the young -buffalo’s hide. - -[Illustration: 15] - -[Illustration: 17] - -[Illustration: 16] - - - - - LETTER—No. 6. - - MOUTH OF YELLOW STONE, _UPPER MISSOURI_. - - -Now for medicines or mysteries—for doctors, high-priests, for hocus -pocus, witchcraft, and animal magnetism! - -In the last Letter I spoke of Pe-toh-pee-kiss (the eagle ribs), a -Blackfoot brave, whose portrait I had just painted at full length, in -a splendid dress. I mentioned also, that he held two medicine-bags in -his hand; as they are represented in the picture; both of them made of -the skins of otters, and curiously ornamented with ermine, and other -strange things. - -I must needs stop here—my painting and every thing else, until I can -explain the word “_medicine_,” and “_medicine-bag_;” and also some -_medicine operations_, which I have seen transacted at this place -within a few days past. “Medicine” is a great word in this country; and -it is very necessary that one should know the meaning of it, whilst he -is scanning and estimating the Indian character, which is made up, in a -great degree, of mysteries and superstitions. - -The word medicine, in its common acceptation here, means _mystery_, and -nothing else; and in that sense I _shall_ use it very frequently in my -Notes on Indian Manners and Customs. - -The Fur Traders in this country, are nearly all French; and in their -language, a doctor or physician, is called “_Medecin_.” The Indian -country is full of doctors; and as they are all magicians, and skilled, -or profess to be skilled, in many mysteries, the word “medecin” has -become habitually applied to every thing mysterious or unaccountable; -and the English and Americans, who are also trading and passing through -this country, have easily and familiarly adopted the same word, with -a slight alteration, conveying the same meaning; and to be a little -more explicit, they have denominated these personages “medicine-men,” -which means something more than merely a doctor or physician. These -physicians, however, are all _medicine-men_, as they are all supposed -to deal more or less in mysteries and charms, which are aids and -handmaids in their practice. Yet it was necessary to give the word or -phrase a still more comprehensive meaning—as there were many personages -amongst them, and also amongst the white men who visit the country, -who could deal in mysteries, though not skilled in the application of -drugs and medicines; and they all range now, under the comprehensive -and accommodating phrase of “medicine-men.” For instance, I am a -“medicine-man” of the highest order amongst these superstitious -people, on account of the art which I practice; which is a strange and -unaccountable thing to them, and of course, called the greatest of -“medicine.” My gun and pistols, which have percussion-locks, are great -medicine; and no Indian can be prevailed on to fire them off, for they -say they have nothing to do with white man’s medicine. - -The Indians do not use the word medicine, however; but in each tribe -they have a word of their own construction, synonimous with mystery or -mystery-man. - -The “medicine-bag” then, is a mystery-bag; and its meaning and -importance necessary to be understood, as it may be said to be the -key to Indian life and Indian character. These bags are constructed -of the skins of animals, of birds, or of reptiles, and ornamented and -preserved in a thousand different ways, as suits the taste or freak of -the person who constructs them. These skins are generally attached to -some part of the clothing of the Indian, or carried in his hand—they -are oftentimes decorated in such a manner as to be exceedingly -ornamental to his person, and always are stuffed with grass, or moss, -or something of the kind; and generally without drugs or medicines -within them, as they are religiously closed and sealed, and seldom, if -ever, to be opened. I find that every Indian in his primitive state, -carries his medicine-bag in some form or other, to which he pays the -greatest homage, and to which he looks for safety and protection -through life—and in fact, it might almost be called a species of -idolatry; for it would seem in some instances, as if he actually -worshipped it. Feasts are often made, and dogs and horses sacrificed, -to a man’s medicine; and days, and even weeks, of fasting and penance -of various kinds are often suffered, to appease his medicine, which he -imagines he has in some way offended. - -This curious custom has principally been done away with along the -frontier, where white men laugh at the Indian for the observance of so -ridiculous and useless a form; but in this country it is in full force, -and every male in the tribe carries this, his supernatural charm or -guardian, to which he looks for the preservation of his life, in battle -or in other danger; at which times it would be considered ominous of -bad luck and an ill fate to be without it. - -The manner in which this curious and important article is instituted -is this: a boy, at the age of fourteen or fifteen years, is said to -be making or “forming his medicine,” when he wanders away from his -father’s lodge, and absents himself for the space of two or three, and -sometimes even four or five, days; lying on the ground in some remote -or secluded spot, crying to the Great Spirit, and fasting the whole -time. During this period of peril and abstinence, when he falls asleep, -the first animal, bird, or reptile, of which he dreams (or pretends to -have dreamed, perhaps), he considers the Great Spirit has designated -for his mysterious protector through life. He then returns home to his -father’s lodge, and relates his success; and after allaying his thirst, -and satiating his appetite, he sallies forth with weapons or traps, -until he can procure the animal or bird, the skin of which he preserves -entire, and ornaments it according to his own fancy, and carries -it with him through life, for “good luck” (as he calls it); as his -strength in battle—and in death his guardian _Spirit_, that is buried -with him, and which is to conduct him safe to the beautiful hunting -grounds, which he contemplates in the world to come. - -The value of the medicine-bag to the Indian is beyond all price; for -to sell it, or give it away, would subject him to such signal disgrace -in his tribe, that he could never rise above it; and again, his -superstition would stand in the way of any such disposition of it, for -he considers it the gift of the Great Spirit. An Indian carries his -_medicine-bag_ into battle, and trusts to it for his protection; and -if he loses it thus, when fighting ever so bravely for his country, -he suffers a disgrace scarcely less than that which occurs in case he -sells or gives it away; his enemy carries it off and displays it to his -own people as a trophy; whilst the loser is cut short of the respect -that is due to other young men of his tribe, and for ever subjected -to the degrading epithet of “a man without medicine,” or “he who has -lost his medicine,” until he can replace it again; which can only be -done, by rushing into battle and plundering one from an enemy whom he -slays with his own hand. This done, his medicine is restored, and he -is reinstated again in the estimation of his tribe; and even higher -than before, for such is called the best of medicine, or “_medicine -honourable_.” - -It is a singular fact, that a man can institute his mystery or -medicine, but once in his life; and equally singular that he can -reinstate himself by the adoption of the medicine of his enemy; both -of which regulations are strong and violent inducements for him to -fight bravely in battle: the first, that he may protect and preserve -his medicine; and the second, in case he has been so unlucky as to -lose it, that he may restore it, and his reputation also, while he is -desperately contending for the protection of his community. - -During my travels thus far, I have been unable to buy a medicine-bag of -an Indian, although I have offered them extravagant prices for them; -and even on the frontier, where they have been induced to abandon the -practice, though a white man may induce an Indian to relinquish his -medicine, yet he cannot _buy_ it of him—the Indian in such case will -bury it, to please a white man, and save it from his sacrilegious -touch; and he will linger around the spot and at regular times visit it -and pay it his devotions, as long as he lives. - -These curious appendages to the persons or wardrobe of an Indian -(+plate+ 18, _g_), are sometimes made of the skin of an otter, a -beaver, a musk-rat, a weazel, a racoon, a pole-cat, a snake, a frog, -a toad, a bat, a mouse, a mole, a hawk, an eagle, a magpie, or a -sparrow:—sometimes of the skin of an animal so large as a wolf; and -at others, of the skins of the lesser animals, so small that they -are hidden under the dress, and very difficult to be found, even if -searched for. - -Such then is the medicine-bag—such its meaning and importance; and when -its owner dies, it is placed in his grave and decays with his body. - -In the case of the portrait of which I spoke in the beginning -of this Letter, there are seen two medicine-bags in the hand of -Pe-toh-pee-kiss; the one was of his own instituting, and the other was -taken from his enemy, whom he had slain in battle; both of these he has -a right to display and boast of on such an occasion. This is but the -beginning or incipient stage of “medicines,” however, in this strange -and superstitious country; and if you have patience, I will carry you -a few degrees further into the mysteries of conjuration, before I -close this Letter. Sit still then and read, until I relate a scene of -a tragic, and yet of the most grotesque character, which took place in -this Fort a few days since, and to all of which I was an eye-witness. -The scene I will relate as it transpired precisely; and call it the -story of the “doctor,” or the “Blackfoot medicine-man.” - -Not many weeks since, a party of Knisteneaux came here from the north, -for the purpose of making their summer’s trade with the Fur Company; -and, whilst here, a party of Blackfeet, their natural enemies (the -same who are here now), came from the west, also to trade. These two -belligerent tribes encamped on different sides of the Fort, and had -spent some weeks here in the Fort and about it, in apparently good -feeling and fellowship; unable in fact to act otherwise, for, according -to a regulation of the Fort their arms and weapons were all locked up -by M‘Kenzie in his “arsenal,” for the purpose of preserving the peace -amongst these fighting-cocks. - -The Knisteneaux had completed their trade, and loitered about the -premises, until all, both Indians and white men, were getting tired of -their company, wishing them quietly off. When they were ready to start, -with their goods packed upon their backs, their arms were given them, -and they started; bidding everybody, both friends and foes, a hearty -farewell. They went out of the Fort, and though the party gradually -moved off, one of them undiscovered, loitered about the Fort, until he -got an opportunity to poke the muzzle of his gun through between the -piquets; when he fired it at one of the chiefs of the Blackfeet, who -stood within a few paces, talking with Mr. M‘Kenzie, and shot him with -two musket bullets through the centre of his body! The Blackfoot fell, -and rolled about upon the ground in the agonies of death. The Blackfeet -who were in the Fort seized their weapons and ran in a mass out of the -Fort, in pursuit of the Knisteneaux, who were rapidly retreating to the -bluffs. The Frenchmen in the Fort, also, at so flagrant and cowardly -an insult, seized their guns and ran out, joining the Blackfeet in -the pursuit. I, at that moment, ran to my painting-room in one of the -bastions overlooking the plain, where I had a fair view of the affair; -many shots were exchanged back and forward, and a skirmish ensued -which lasted half an hour; the parties, however, were so far apart -that little effect was produced; the Knisteneaux were driven off over -the bluffs, having lost one man and had several others wounded. The -Blackfeet and Frenchmen returned into the Fort, and then, I saw what -I never before saw in my life—I saw a “_medicine-man_” performing his -mysteries over a dying man. The man who had been shot was still living, -though two bullets had passed through the centre of his body, about two -inches apart from each other; he was lying on the ground in the agonies -of death, and no one could indulge the slightest hope of his recovery; -yet the _medicine-man_ must needs be called (for such a personage they -had in their party), and hocus pocus applied to the dying man, as the -dernier resort, when all drugs and all specifics were useless, and -after all possibility of recovery was extinct! - -[Illustration: 18] - -I have mentioned that all tribes have their physicians, who are also -medicine (or mystery) men. These professional gentlemen are worthies -of the highest order in all tribes. They are regularly called and paid -as physicians, to prescribe for the sick; and many of them acquire -great skill in the medicinal world, and gain much celebrity in their -nation. Their first prescriptions are roots and herbs, of which they -have a great variety of species; and when these have all failed, their -last resort is to “_medicine_” or mystery; and for this purpose, -each one of them has a strange and unaccountable dress, conjured up -and constructed during a life-time of practice, in the wildest fancy -imaginable, in which he arrays himself, and makes his last visit to -his dying patient,—dancing over him, shaking his frightful rattles, -and singing songs of incantation, in hopes to cure him by a charm. -There are some instances, of course, where the exhausted patient -unaccountably recovers, under the application of these absurd forms; -and in such cases, this ingenious son of _Indian_ Esculapius will be -seen for several days after, on the top of a wigwam, with his right arm -extended and waving over the gaping multitude, to whom he is vaunting -forth, without modesty, the surprising skill he has acquired in his -art, and the undoubted efficacy of his medicine or mystery. But if, on -the contrary, the patient dies, he soon changes his dress, and joins in -doleful lamentations with the mourners; and easily, with his craft, and -the ignorance and superstition of his people, protects his reputation -and maintains his influence over them; by assuring them, that it was -the will of the Great Spirit that his patient should die, and when sent -for, his feeble efforts must cease. - -Such was the case, and such the extraordinary means resorted to in -the instance I am now relating. Several hundred spectators, including -Indians and traders, were assembled around the dying man, when it was -announced that the “_medicine-man_” was coming; we were required to -“form a ring,” leaving a space of some thirty or forty feet in diameter -around the dying man, in which the doctor could perform his wonderful -operations; and a space was also opened to allow him free room to pass -through the crowd without touching any one. This being done, in a -few moments his arrival was announced by the death-like “hush——sh——” -through the crowd; and nothing was to be heard, save the light and -casual tinkling of the rattles upon his dress, which was scarcely -perceptible to the ear, as he cautiously and slowly moved through the -avenue left for him; which at length brought him into the ring, in view -of the pitiable object over whom his mysteries were to be performed. - -Readers! you may have seen or read of the witch of Endor—or you may -imagine all the ghosts, and spirits, and furies, that ever ranked -amongst the “rank and file” of demonology; and yet you must see my -painting of this strange scene before you can form a just conception of -real frightful ugliness and Indian conjuration—yes, and even more: you -must see the magic _dress_ of this Indian “big bug” (which I have this -day procured in all its parts), placed upon the back of some person who -can imitate the strides, and swells, the grunts, and spring the rattles -of an Indian magician. - -His entrée and his garb were somewhat thus:—he approached the ring -with his body in a crouching position (+plate+ 19), with a slow and -tilting step—his body and head were entirely covered with the skin of -a yellow bear, the head of which (his own head being inside of it) -served as a mask; the huge claws of which also, were dangling on his -wrists and ancles; in one hand he shook a frightful rattle, and in the -other brandished his medicine-spear or magic wand; to the rattling din -and discord of all of which, he added the wild and startling jumps -and yelps of the Indian, and the horrid and appalling grunts, and -snarls, and growls of the grizzly bear, in ejaculatory and guttural -incantations to the Good and Bad Spirits, in behalf of his patient; who -was rolling and groaning in the agonies of death, whilst he was dancing -around him, jumping over him, and pawing him about, and rolling him in -every direction. - -In this wise, this strange operation proceeded for half an hour, to the -surprise of a numerous and death-like silent audience, until the man -died; and the medicine-man danced off to his quarters, and packed up, -and tied and secured from the sight of the world, his mystery dress and -equipments. - -This dress, in all its parts, is one of the greatest curiosities in the -whole collection of Indian manufactures which I have yet obtained in -the Indian country. It is the strangest medley and mixture, perhaps of -the mysteries of the animal and vegetable kingdoms that ever was seen. -Besides the skin of the yellow bear (which being almost an anomaly in -that country, is out of the regular order of nature, and, of course, -great medicine, and converted to a medicine use), there are attached to -it the skins of many animals, which are also anomalies or deformities, -which render them, in their estimation, _medicine_; and there are also -the skins of snakes, and frogs, and bats,—beaks and toes and tails of -birds,—hoofs of deer, goats, and antelopes; and, in fact, the “odds -and ends,” and fag ends, and tails, and tips of almost everything that -swims, flies, or runs, in this part of the wide world. - -Such is a medicine-man or a physician, and such is one of his wild -and ridiculous manœuvres, which I have just witnessed in this strange -country. - -These men, as I before remarked, are valued as dignitaries in the -tribe, and the greatest respect is paid to them by the whole community; -not only for their skill in their “materia medica;” but more -especially for their tact in magic and mysteries, in which they all -deal to a very great extent. I shall have much more to say of these -characters and their doings in future epistles, and barely observe in -the present place, that no tribe is without them;—that in all tribes -their doctors are conjurors—are magicians—are sooth-sayers, and I had -like to have said, high-priests, inasmuch as they superintend and -conduct all their religious ceremonies;—they are looked upon by all -as oracles of the nation. In all councils of war and peace, they have -a seat with the chiefs—are regularly consulted before any public step -is taken, and the greatest deference and respect is paid to their -opinions. - -[Illustration: 19] - - - - - LETTER—No. 7. - - MOUTH OF YELLOW STONE, _UPPER MISSOURI_. - - -The Letter which I gave you yesterday, on the subject of “medicines” -and “medicine-men,” has somewhat broken the “thread of my discourse;” -and left my painting-room (in the bastion), and all the Indians in it, -and portraits, and buffalo hunts, and landscapes of these beautiful -regions, to be taken up and discussed; which I will now endeavour to -do, beginning just where I left (or digressed) off. - -I was seated on the cool breech of a twelve-pounder, and had my easel -before me, and Crows and Blackfeet, and Assinneboins, whom I was -tracing upon the canvass. And so I have been doing to-day, and shall -be for several days to come. My painting-room has become so great a -lounge, and I so great a “medicine-man,” that all other amusements are -left, and all other topics of conversation and gossip are postponed -for future consideration. The chiefs have had to place “soldiers” -(as they are called) at my door, with spears in hand to protect me -from the throng, who otherwise would press upon me; and none but the -worthies are allowed to come into my medicine apartments, and none to -be painted, except such as are decided by the chiefs to be worthy of so -high an honour. - -The Crows and Blackfeet who are here together, are enemies of the -most deadly kind while out on the plains; but here they sit and smoke -quietly together, yet with a studied and dignified reserve. - -The Blackfeet are, perhaps, one of the most (if not entirely the most) -numerous and warlike tribes on the Continent. They occupy the whole of -the country about the sources of the Missouri, from this place to the -Rocky Mountains; and their numbers, from the best computations, are -something like forty or fifty thousand—they are (like all other tribes -whose numbers are sufficiently large to give them boldness) warlike and -ferocious, _i. e._ they are predatory, are roaming fearlessly about the -country, even into and through every part of the Rocky Mountains, and -carrying war amongst their enemies, who are, of course, every tribe who -inhabit the country about them. - -The Crows who live on the head waters of Yellow Stone, and extend from -this neighbourhood also to the base of the Rocky Mountains, are similar -in the above respects to the Blackfeet; roaming about a great part of -the year—and seeking their enemies wherever they can find them. - -They are a much smaller tribe than the Blackfeet, with whom they are -always at war, and from whose great numbers they suffer prodigiously -in battle; and probably will be in a few years entirely destroyed by -them. - -[Illustration: 20] - -The Crows have not, perhaps, more than 7000 in their nation, and -probably not more than eight hundred warriors or fighting men. Amongst -the more powerful tribes, like the Sioux and Blackfeet, who have been -enabled to preserve their warriors, it is a fair calculation to count -one in five as warriors; but among the Crows and Minatarees, and -Puncahs, and several other small but warlike tribes, this proportion -cannot exist; as in some of these I have found two or three women to -a man in the nation; in consequence of the continual losses sustained -amongst their men in war, and also whilst pursuing the buffaloes on the -plains for food, where their lives are exceedingly exposed. - -The Blackfeet and the Crows, like the Sioux and Assinneboins, have -nearly the same mode of constructing their wigwam or lodge; in which -tribes it is made of buffalo skins sewed together, after being dressed, -and made into the form of a tent; supported within by some twenty -or thirty pine poles of twenty-five feet in height, with an apex or -aperture at the top, through which the smoke escapes and the light -is admitted. These lodges, or tents, are taken down in a few minutes -by the squaws, when they wish to change their location, and easily -transported to any part of the country where they wish to encamp; -and they generally move some six or eight times in the course of the -summer; following the immense herds of buffaloes, as they range over -these vast plains, from east to west, and north to south. The objects -for which they do this are two-fold,—to procure and dress their skins, -which are brought in, in the fall and winter, and sold to the Fur -Company, for white man’s luxury; and also for the purpose of killing -and drying buffalo meat (+plate+ 22), which they bring in from their -hunts, packed on their horses’ backs, in great quantities; making -pemican, and preserving the marrow-fat for their winter quarters; which -are generally taken up in some heavy-timbered bottom, on the banks of -some stream, deep imbedded within the surrounding bluffs, which break -off the winds, and make their long and tedious winter tolerable and -supportable. They then sometimes erect their skin lodges amongst the -timber, and dwell in them during the winter months; but more frequently -cut logs and make a miserable and rude sort of log cabin, in which they -can live much warmer and better protected from the assaults of their -enemies, in case they are attacked; in which case a log cabin is a -tolerable fort against Indian weapons. - -The Crows, of all the tribes in this region, or on the Continent, -make the most beautiful lodge. As I have before mentioned, they -construct them as the Sioux do, and make them of the same material; -yet they oftentimes dress the skins of which they are composed almost -as white as linen, and beautifully garnish them with porcupine -quills, and paint and ornament them in such a variety of ways, as -renders them exceedingly picturesque and agreeable to the eye. I have -procured a very beautiful one of this description (+plate+ 20), -highly-ornamented, and fringed with scalp-locks, and sufficiently large -for forty men to dine under. The poles which support it are about -thirty in number, of pine, and all cut in the Rocky Mountains, having -been some hundred years, perhaps, in use. This tent, when erected, is -about twenty-five feet high, and has a very pleasing effect; with the -Great or Good Spirit painted on one side, and the Evil Spirit on the -other. If I can ever succeed in transporting it to New York and other -eastern cities, it will be looked upon as a beautiful and exceedingly -interesting specimen. - -The manner in which an encampment of Indians strike their tents and -transport them is curious, and to the traveller in this country a very -novel and unexpected sight, when he first beholds it. Whilst ascending -the river to this place, I saw an encampment of Sioux, consisting of -six hundred of these lodges, struck, and all things packed and on the -move in a very few minutes. The chief sends his runners or criers (for -such all chiefs keep in their employment) through the village, a few -hours before they are to start; announcing his determination to move, -and the hour fixed upon, and the necessary preparations are in the -meantime making; and at the time announced, the lodge of the chief is -seen flapping in the wind, a part of the poles having been taken out -from under it; this is the signal, and in one minute, six hundred of -them (on a level and beautiful prairie), which before had been strained -tight and fixed, were seen waving and flapping in the wind, and in one -minute more all were flat upon the ground. Their horses and dogs, of -which they had a vast number, had all been secured upon the spot, in -readiness; and each one was speedily loaded with the burthen allotted -to it, and ready to fall into the grand procession. - -For this strange cavalcade, preparation is made in the following -manner: the poles of a lodge are divided into two bunches, and the -little ends of each bunch fastened upon the shoulders or withers of a -horse, leaving the butt ends to drag behind on the ground on either -side. Just behind the horse, a brace or pole is tied across, which -keeps the poles in their respective places; and then upon that and -the poles behind the horse, is placed the lodge or tent, which is -rolled up, and also numerous other articles of household and domestic -furniture, and on the top of all, two, three, and even (sometimes) four -women and children! Each one of these horses has a conductress, who -sometimes walks before and leads it, with a tremendous pack upon her -own back; and at others she sits astride of its back, with a child, -perhaps, at her breast, and another astride of the horse’s back behind -her, clinging to her waist with one arm, while it affectionately -embraces a sneaking dog-pup in the other. - -In this way five or six hundred wigwams, with all their furniture -(+plate+ 21), may be seen drawn out for miles, creeping over the -grass-covered plains of this country; and three times that number of -men, on good horses, strolling along in front or on the flank; and, in -some tribes, in the rear of this heterogeneous caravan, at least five -times that number of dogs, which fall into the rank, and follow in -the train and company of the women, and every cur of them, who is large -enough, and not too cunning to be enslaved, is encumbered with a car or -sled (or whatever it may be better called), on which he patiently drags -his load—a part of the household goods and furniture of the lodge to -which he belongs. Two poles, about fifteen feet long, are placed upon -the dog’s shoulder, in the same manner as the lodge poles are attached -to the horses, leaving the larger ends to drag upon the ground behind -him; on which is placed a bundle or wallet which is allotted to him to -carry, and with which he trots off amid the throng of dogs and squaws; -faithfully and cheerfully dragging his load ’till night, and by the way -loitering and occasionally - - “Catching at little bits of fun and glee - That’s played on dogs enslaved by dog that’s free.” - -[Illustration: 21] - -[Illustration: 22] - -The Crows, like the Blackfeet, are beautifully costumed, and perhaps -with somewhat more of taste and elegance; inasmuch as the skins of -which their dresses are made are more delicately and whitely dressed. -The art of dressing skins belongs to the Indians in all countries; -and the Crows surpass the civilized world in the beauty of their -skin-dressing. The art of tanning is unknown to them, so far as -civilized habits and arts have not been taught them; yet the art of -dressing skins, so far as we have it in the civilized world, has been -(like hundreds of other ornamental and useful customs which we are -practising), borrowed from the savage; without our ever stopping to -enquire from whence they come, or by whom invented. - -The usual mode of dressing the buffalo, and other skins, is by -immersing them for a few days under a lye from ashes and water, until -the hair can be removed; when they are strained upon a frame or upon -the ground, with stakes or pins driven through the edges into the -earth; where they remain for several days, with the brains of the -buffalo or elk spread upon and over them; and at last finished by -“graining,” as it is termed, by the squaws; who use a sharpened bone, -the shoulder-blade or other large bone of the animal, sharpened at the -edge, somewhat like an adze; with the edge of which they scrape the -fleshy side of the skin; bearing on it with the weight of their bodies, -thereby drying and softening the skin, and fitting it for use. - -The greater part of these skins, however, go through still another -operation afterwards, which gives them a greater value, and renders -them much more serviceable—that is, the process of smoking. For this, -a small hole is dug in the ground, and a fire is built in it with -rotten wood, which will produce a great quantity of smoke without -much blaze; and several small poles of the proper length stuck in the -ground around it, and drawn and fastened together at the top, around -which a skin is wrapped in form of a tent, and generally sewed together -at the edges to secure the smoke within it; within this the skins -to be smoked are placed, and in this condition the tent will stand a -day or so, enclosing the heated smoke; and by some chemical process -or other, which I do not understand, the skins thus acquire a quality -which enables them, after being ever so many times wet, to dry soft -and pliant as they were before, which secret I have never yet seen -practiced in my own country; and for the lack of which, all of our -dressed skins when once wet, are, I think, chiefly ruined. - -An Indian’s dress of deer skins, which is wet a hundred times upon his -back, dries soft; and his lodge also, which stands in the rains, and -even through the severity of winter, is taken down as soft and as clean -as when it was first put up. - -A Crow is known wherever he is met by his beautiful white dress, and -his tall and elegant figure; the greater part of the men being six -feet high. The Blackfeet on the other hand, are more of the Herculean -make—about middling stature, with broad shoulders, and great expansion -of chest; and the skins of which their dresses are made, are chiefly -dressed black, or of a dark brown colour; from which circumstance, in -all probability, they having black leggings or moccasins, have got the -name of Blackfeet. - -The Crows are very handsome and gentlemanly Indians in their personal -appearance: and have been always reputed, since the first acquaintance -made with them, very civil and friendly. - -These people to be sure, have in some instances plundered and robbed -trappers and travellers in their country; and for that I have sometimes -heard them called rascals and thieves, and rogues of the first order, -&c.; yet they do not consider themselves such; for thieving in their -estimation is a high crime, and considered the most disgraceful act -that a man can possibly do. They call this _capturing_, where they -sometimes run off a Trader’s horses, and make their boast of it; -considering it a kind of retaliation or summary justice, which they -think it right and honourable that they should administer. And why -not? for the unlicensed trespass committed through their country from -one end to the other, by mercenary white men, who are destroying the -game, and catching all the beaver and other rich and valuable furs -out of their country, without paying them an equivalent, or, in fact, -anything at all, for it; and this too, when they have been warned time -and again of the danger they would be in, if they longer persisted in -the practice. Reader, I look upon the Indian as the most honest and -honourable race of people that I ever lived amongst in my life; and in -their native state, I pledge you my honour they are the last of all -the human family to pilfer or to steal, if you trust to their honour; -and for this never-ending and boundless system of theft and plunder, -and debauchery, that is practiced off upon these rightful owners of -the soil, by acquisitive white men, I consider the infliction, or -retaliation, by driving off and appropriating a few horses, but a -lenient punishment, which those persons at least should expect; and -which, in fact, none but a very honourable and high-minded people -could inflict, instead of a much severer one; which they could easily -practice upon the few white men in their country, without rendering -themselves amenable to any law. - -Mr. M‘Kenzie has repeatedly told me, within the four last weeks, while -in conversation relative to the Crows, that they were friendly and -honourable in their dealing with the whites, and that he considered -them the finest Indians of his acquaintance. - -I recollect whilst in St. Louis, and other places at the East, to have -heard it often said, that the Crows were a rascally and thieving set of -vagabonds, highway robbers, &c. &c.; and I have been told since, that -this information has become current in the world, from the fact that -they made some depredations upon the camp of Messrs. Crooks and Hunt of -the Fur Company; and drove off a number of their horses, when they were -passing through the Crow country, on their way to Astoria. This was no -doubt true; and equally true, would these very Indians tell us, was the -fact, that they had a good and sufficient reason for it. - -These gentlemen, with their party, were crossing the Crow country -with a large stock of goods, of guns, and ammunition, of knives, and -spears, arrowheads, &c.; and stopped for some time and encamped in the -midst of the Crow country (and I think wintered there), when the Crows -assembled in large numbers about them, and treated them in a kind and -friendly manner; and at the same time proposed to trade with them for -guns and ammunition, &c. (according to these gentlemen’s own account,) -of which they were in great want, and for which they brought a great -many horses, and offered them repeatedly in trade; which they refused -to take, persisting in their determination of carrying their goods -to their destined place, across the mountains; thereby disappointing -these Indians, by denying them the arms and weapons which were in -their possession, whilst they were living upon them, and exhausting -the game and food of their country. No doubt, these gentlemen told the -Crows, that these goods were going to Astoria, of which place they knew -nothing; and of course, it was enough for them that they were going to -take them farther west; which they would at once suppose was to the -Blackfeet, their principal enemy, having eight or ten warriors to one -of the Crows; where they supposed the white men could get a greater -price for their weapons, and arm their enemies in such a way as would -enable them to turn upon the Crows, and cut them to pieces without -mercy. Under these circumstances, the Crows rode off, and to show their -indignation, drove off some of the Company’s horses, for which they -have ever since been denominated a band of thieves and highway robbers. -It is a custom, and a part of the system of jurisprudence amongst all -savages, to revenge upon the person or persons who give the offence, -if they can; and if not, to let that punishment fall upon the head of -the first white man who comes in their way, provided the offender was a -white man. And I would not be surprised, therefore, if I get robbed of -my horse; and you too, readers, if you go into that country, for that -very (supposed) offence. - -I have conversed often and much with Messrs. Sublette and Campbell, -two gentlemen of the highest respectability, who have traded with the -Crows for several years, and they tell me they are one of the most -honourable, honest, and high-minded races of people on earth; and with -Mr. Tullock, also, a man of the strictest veracity, who is now here -with a party of them; and, he says, they never steal,—have a high -sense of honour,—and being fearless and proud, are quick to punish or -retaliate. - -So much for the character of the Crows for the present, a subject which -I shall assuredly take up again, when I shall have seen more of them -myself. - - - - - LETTER—No. 8. - - MOUTH OF YELLOW STONE, _UPPER MISSOURI_. - - -Since my last Letter, nothing of great moment has transpired at this -place; but I have been continually employed in painting my portraits -and making notes on the character and customs of the wild folks who -are about me. I have just been painting a number of the Crows, fine -looking and noble gentlemen. They are really a handsome and well-formed -set of men as can be seen in any part of the world. There is a sort of -ease and grace added to their dignity of manners, which gives them the -air of gentlemen at once. I observed the other day, that most of them -were over six feet high, and very many of these have cultivated their -natural hair to such an almost incredible length, that it sweeps the -ground as they walk; there are frequent instances of this kind amongst -them, and in some cases, a foot or more of it will drag on the grass -as they walk, giving exceeding grace and beauty to their movements. -They usually oil their hair with a profusion of bear’s grease every -morning, which is no doubt one cause of the unusual length to which -their hair extends; though it cannot be the sole cause of it, for the -other tribes throughout this country use the bear’s grease in equal -profusion without producing the same results. The Mandans, however, and -the Sioux, of whom I shall speak in future epistles, have cultivated -a very great growth of the hair, as many of them are seen whose hair -reaches near to the ground. - -This extraordinary length of hair amongst the Crows is confined to the -men alone; for the women, though all of them with glossy and beautiful -hair, and a great profusion of it, are unable to cultivate it to so -great a length; or else they are not allowed to compete with their -lords in a fashion so ornamental (and on which the men so highly pride -themselves), and are obliged in many cases to cut it short off. - -The fashion of long hair amongst the men, prevails throughout all the -Western and North Western tribes, after passing the Sacs and Foxes; and -the Pawnees of the Platte, who, with two or three other tribes only, -are in the habit of shaving nearly the whole head. - -The present chief of the Crows, who is called “Long-hair,” and has -received his name as well as his office from the circumstance of -having the longest hair of any man in the nation, I have not yet -seen: but I hope I yet may, ere I leave this part of the country. -This extraordinary man is known to several gentlemen with whom I am -acquainted, and particularly to Messrs. Sublette and Campbell, of whom -I have before spoken, who told me they had lived in his hospitable -lodge for months together; and assured me that they had measured his -hair by a correct means, and found it to be ten feet and seven inches -in length; closely inspecting every part of it at the same time, and -satisfying themselves that it was the natural growth. - -On ordinary occasions it is wound with a broad leather strap, from his -head to its extreme end, and then folded up into a budget or block, of -some ten or twelve inches in length, and of some pounds weight; which -when he walks is carried under his arm, or placed in his bosom, within -the folds of his robe; but on any great parade or similar occasion, his -pride is to unfold it, oil it with bear’s grease and let it drag behind -him, some three or four feet of it spread out upon the grass, and black -and shining like a raven’s wing. - -It is a common custom amongst most of these upper tribes, to splice or -add on several lengths of hair, by fastening them with glue; probably -for the purpose of imitating the Crows, upon whom alone Nature has -bestowed this conspicuous and signal ornament. - -Amongst the Crows of distinction now at this place, I have painted the -portraits of several, who exhibit some striking peculiarities. Amongst -whom is Chah-ee-chopes, the four wolves (+plate+ 24); a fine looking -fellow, six feet in stature, and whose natural hair sweeps the grass -as he walks; he is beautifully clad, and carries himself with the most -graceful and manly mien—he is in mourning for a brother; and according -to their custom, has cut off a number of locks of his long hair, which -is as much as a man can well spare of so valued an ornament, which he -has been for the greater part of his life cultivating; whilst a woman -who mourns for a husband or child, is obliged to crop her hair short to -her head, and so remain till it grows out again; ceasing gradually to -mourn as her hair approaches to its former length. - -Duhk-pits-a-ho-shee, the red bear (+plate+ 26), a distinguished -warrior; and Oo-je-en-a-he-ha, the woman who lives in the bear’s den -(+plate+ 25). I have also painted Pa-ris-ka-roo-pa (two crows) the -younger (+plate+ 27), one of the most extraordinary men in the Crow -nation; not only for his looks, from the form of his head, which seems -to be distortion itself—and curtailed of all its fair proportions; but -from his extraordinary sagacity as a counsellor and orator, even at an -early stage of his life. - -There is something very uncommon in this outline, and sets forth the -striking peculiarity of the Crow tribe, though rather in an exaggerated -form. The semi-lunar outline of the Crow head, with an exceedingly low -and retreating forehead, is certainly a very peculiar and striking -characteristic; and though not so strongly marked in most of the tribe -as in the present instance, is sufficient for their detection whenever -they are met; and will be subject for further comment in another place. - -The Crow women (and Blackfeet also) are not handsome, and I shall at -present say but little of them. They are, like all other Indian -women, the slaves of their husbands: being obliged to perform all the -domestic duties and drudgeries of the tribe, and not allowed to join -in their religious rites or ceremonies, nor in the dance or other -amusements. - -[Illustration: 24 25] - -[Illustration: 26 27] - -The women in all these upper and western tribes are decently dressed, -and many of them with great beauty and taste; their dresses are all of -deer or goat skins, extending from their chins quite down to the feet; -these dresses are in many instances trimmed with ermine, and ornamented -with porcupine quills and beads with exceeding ingenuity. - -The Crow and Blackfeet women, like all others I ever saw in any Indian -tribe, divide the hair on the forehead, and paint the separation or -crease with vermilion or red earth. For what purpose this little, but -universal, custom is observed, I never have been able to learn. - -The men amongst the Blackfeet tribe, have a fashion equally simple, and -probably of as little meaning, which seems strictly to be adhered to -by every man in the tribe; they separate the hair in two places on the -forehead, leaving a lock between the two, of an inch or two in width, -which is carefully straightened down on to the bridge of the nose, and -there cut square off. It is more than probable that this is done for -the purpose of distinction; that they may thereby be free from the -epithet of effeminacy, which might otherwise attach to them. - -These two tribes, whom I have spoken of connectedly, speak two distinct -and entirely dissimilar languages; and the language of each is -different, and radically so, from that of all other tribes about them. -As these people are always at war, and have been, time out of mind, -they do not intermarry or hold converse with each other, by which any -knowledge of each other’s language could be acquired. It would be the -work of a man’s life-time to collect the languages of all the different -tribes which I am visiting; and I shall, from necessity, leave this -subject chiefly for others, who have the time to devote to them, to -explain them to the world. I have, however, procured a brief vocabulary -of their words and sentences in these tribes; and shall continue to do -so amongst the tribes I shall visit, which will answer as a specimen -or sample in each; and which, in the sequel to these Letters (if they -should ever be published), will probably be arranged. - -The Blackfeet are, perhaps, the most powerful tribe of Indians on -the Continent; and being sensible of their strength, have stubbornly -resisted the Traders in their country, who have been gradually forming -an acquaintance with them, and endeavouring to establish a permanent -and profitable system of trade. Their country abounds in beaver and -buffalo, and most of the fur-bearing animals of North America; and -the American Fur Company, with an unconquerable spirit of trade and -enterprize, has pushed its establishments into their country; and the -numerous parties of trappers are tracing up their streams and rivers, -rapidly destroying the beavers which dwell in them. The Blackfeet -have repeatedly informed the Traders of the Company, that if their -men persisted in trapping beavers in their country, they should kill -them whenever they met them. They have executed their threats in many -instances, and the Company loses some fifteen or twenty men annually, -who fall by the hands of these people, in defence of what they deem -their property and their rights. Trinkets and whiskey, however, will -soon spread their charms amongst these, as they have amongst other -tribes; and white man’s voracity will sweep the prairies and the -streams of their wealth, to the Rocky Mountains and the Pacific Ocean; -leaving the Indians to inhabit, and at last to starve upon, a dreary -and solitary waste. - -The Blackfeet, therefore, having been less traded with, and less seen -by white people than most of the other tribes, are more imperfectly -understood; and it yet remains a question to be solved—whether there -are twenty, or forty or fifty thousand of them? for no one, as yet, can -correctly estimate their real strength. From all I can learn, however, -which is the best information that can be got from the Traders, there -are not far from 40,000 Indians (altogether), who range under the -general denomination of Blackfeet. - -From our slight and imperfect knowledge of them, and other tribes -occupying the country about the sources of the Missouri, there is no -doubt in my mind, that we are in the habit of bringing more Indians -into the computation, than are entitled justly to the appellation of -“Blackfeet.” - -Such, for instance, are the “Grosventres de Prairie” and Cotonnés, -neither of which speak the Blackfeet language; but hunt, and eat, -and fight, and intermarry with the Blackfeet; living therefore in a -state of confederacy and friendship with them, but speaking their own -language, and practicing their own customs. - -The Blackfeet proper are divided into four bands or families, as -follow:—the “Pe-a-gans,” of 500 lodges; the “Blackfoot” band, of 450 -lodges; the “Blood” band, of 450 lodges; and the “Small Robes,” of 250 -lodges. These four bands constituting about 1650 lodges, averaging ten -to the lodge, amount to about 16,500 souls. - -There are then of the other tribes above-mentioned (and whom we, -perhaps, incorrectly denominate Blackfeet), Grosventres des Prairies, -430 lodges, with language entirely distinct; Circees, of 220 lodges, -and Cotonnés, of 250 lodges, with language also distinct from either.[1] - -There is in this region a rich and interesting field for the linguist -of the antiquarian; and stubborn facts, I think, if they could be well -procured, that would do away the idea which many learned gentlemen -entertain, that the Indian languages of North America can all be -traced to two or three roots. The language of the Dohcotas is entirely -and radically distinct from that of the Mandans, and theirs equally so -from the Blackfoot and the Crows. And from the lips of Mr. Brazeau, a -gentleman of education and strict observation, who has lived several -years with the Blackfeet and Shiennes, and who speaks the language of -tribes on either side of them, assures me that these languages are -radically distinct and dissimilar, as I have above stated; and also, -that although he has been several years amongst those tribes, he has -not been able to trace the slightest resemblance between the Circee, -Cotonné, and Blackfoot, and Shienne, and Crow, and Mandan tongues; and -from a great deal of corroborating information, which I have got from -other persons acquainted with these tribes, I am fully convinced of the -correctness of his statements. - -Besides the Blackfeet and Crows, whom I told you were assembled at -this place, are also the Knisteneaux (or Crees, as they are commonly -called), a very pretty and pleasing tribe of Indians, of about 3000 -in number, living on the north of this, and also the Assinneboins and -Ojibbeways; both of which tribes also inhabit the country to the north -and north-east of the mouth of Yellow Stone. - -The Knisteneaux are of small stature, but well-built for strength and -activity combined; are a people of wonderful prowess for their numbers, -and have waged an unceasing warfare with the Blackfeet, who are their -neighbours and enemies on the west. From their disparity in numbers -they are rapidly thinning the ranks of their warriors, who bravely -sacrifice their lives in contentions with their powerful neighbours. -This tribe occupy the country from the mouth of the Yellow Stone, in -a north-western direction, far into the British territory, and trade -principally at the British N. W. Company’s Posts. - -The Assinneboins of seven thousand, and the Ojibbeways of six thousand, -occupy a vast extent of country, in a north-eastern direction from -this; extending also into the British possessions as high north as -Lake Winnepeg; and trading principally with the British Company. These -three tribes are in a state of nature, living as neighbours, and are -also on terms of friendship with each other. This friendship, however, -is probably but a temporary arrangement, brought about by the Traders -amongst them; and which, like most Indian peace establishments, will be -of short duration. - -The Ojibbeways are, undoubtedly, a part of the tribe of Chippeways, -with whom we are more familiarly acquainted, and who inhabit the -south-west shore of Lake Superior. Their language is the same, though -they are separated several hundred miles from any of them, and seem to -have no knowledge of them, or traditions of the manner in which, or of -the time when, they became severed from each other. - -The Assinneboins are a part of the Dohcotas, or Sioux, undoubtedly; for -their personal appearance as well as their language is very similar. - -At what time, or in what manner, these two parts of a nation got -strayed away from each other is a mystery; yet such cases have often -occurred, of which I shall say more in future. Large parties who -are straying off in pursuit of game, or in the occupation of war, -are oftentimes intercepted by their enemy; and being prevented from -returning, are run off to a distant region, where they take up their -residence and establish themselves as a nation. - -There is a very curious custom amongst the Assinneboins, from which -they have taken their name; a name given them by their neighbours, -from a singular mode they have of boiling their meat, which is done in -the following manner:—when they kill meat, a hole is dug in the ground -about the size of a common pot, and a piece of the raw hide of the -animal, as taken from the back, is put over the hole, and then pressed -down with the hands close around the sides, and filled with water. The -meat to be boiled is then put in this hole or pot of water; and in a -fire, which is built near by, several large stones are heated to a red -heat, which are successively dipped and held in the water until the -meat is boiled; from which singular and peculiar custom, the Ojibbeways -have given them the appellation of Assinneboins or stone boilers. - -This custom is a very awkward and tedious one, and used only as an -ingenious means of boiling their meat, by a tribe who was too rude and -ignorant to construct a kettle or pot. - -The Traders have recently supplied these people with pots; and even -long before that, the Mandans had instructed them in the secret of -manufacturing very good and serviceable earthen pots; which together -have entirely done away the custom, excepting at public festivals; -where they seem, like all others of the human family, to take pleasure -in cherishing and perpetuating their ancient customs. - -Of these three tribes, I have also lined my painting-room with a number -of very interesting portraits of the distinguished and brave men; and -also representations of their games and ceremonies, which will be found -in my +Indian Gallery+, if I live, and they can be preserved until I -get home. - -The Assinneboins, or stone boilers, are a fine and noble looking race -of Indians; bearing, both in their looks and customs, a striking -resemblance to the Dohcotas or Sioux, from whom they have undoubtedly -sprung. The men are tall, and graceful in their movements; and wear -their pictured robes of the buffalo hide with great skill and pleasing -effect. They are good hunters, and tolerably supplied with horses; -and living in a country abounding with buffaloes, are well supplied -with the necessaries of Indian life, and may be said to live well. -Their games and amusements are many, of which the most valued one is -the ball-play; and in addition to which, they have the game of the -moccasin, horse-racing, and dancing; some one of which, they seem to be -almost continually practicing, and of all of which I shall hereafter -give the reader (as well as of many others of their amusements) a -minute account. - -Their dances, which were frequent and varied, were generally exactly -the same as those of the Sioux, of which I have given a faithful -account in my Notes on the Sioux, and which the reader will soon -meet with. There was one of these scenes, however, that I witnessed -the other day, which appeared to me to be peculiar to this tribe, -and exceedingly picturesque in its effect; which was described to me -as the _pipe-dance_, and was as follows:—On a hard-trodden pavement -in front of their village, which place is used for all their public -meetings, and many of their amusements, the young men, who were to -compose the dance, had gathered themselves around a small fire (+plate+ -32), and each one seated on a buffalo-robe spread upon the ground. -In the centre and by the fire, was seated a dignitary, who seemed -to be a chief (perhaps a doctor or medicine-man), with a long pipe -in his hand, which he lighted at the fire and smoked incessantly, -grunting forth at the same time, in half-strangled gutturals, a sort -of song, which I did not get translated to my satisfaction, and which -might have been susceptible of none. While this was going on, another -grim-visaged fellow in another part of the group, commenced beating -on a drum or tambourine, accompanied by his voice; when one of the -young men seated, sprang instantly on his feet, and commenced singing -in time with the taps of the drum, and leaping about on one foot and -the other in the most violent manner imaginable. In this way he went -several times around the circle, bowing and brandishing his fists in -the faces of each one who was seated, until at length he grasped one of -them by the hands, and jerked him forcibly up upon his feet; who joined -in the dance for a moment, leaving the one who had pulled him up, to -continue his steps and his song in the centre of the ring; whilst he -danced around in a similar manner, jerking up another, and then joining -his companion in the centre; leaving the third and the fourth, and -so on to drag into the ring, each one his man, until all were upon -their feet; and at last joined in the most frightful gesticulations -and yells that seemed almost to make the earth quake under our feet. -This strange manœuvre, which I did but partially understand, lasted -for half or three-quarters of an hour; to the great amusement of the -gaping multitude who were assembled around, and broke up with the most -piercing yells and barks like those of so many affrighted dogs. - -The Assinneboins, somewhat like the Crows, cultivate their hair to -a very great length, in many instances reaching down nearly to the -ground; but in most instances of this kind, I find the great length is -produced by splicing or adding on several lengths, which are fastened -very ingeniously by means of glue, and the joints obscured by a sort -of paste of red earth and glue, with which the hair is at intervals of -every two or three inches filled, and divided into locks and slabs of -an inch or so in breadth, and falling straight down over the back to -the heels. - -I have painted the portrait of a very distinguished young man, and son -of the chief (+plate+ 28); his dress is a very handsome one, and in -every respect answers well to the descriptions I have given above. The -name of this man is Wi-jun-jon (the pigeon’s egg head), and by the side -of him (+plate+ 29) will be seen the portrait of his wife, Chin-cha-pee -(the fire bug that creeps), a fine looking squaw, in a handsome dress -of the mountain-sheep skin, holding in her hand a stick curiously -carved, with which every woman in this country is supplied; for the -purpose of digging up the “Pomme Blanche,” or prairie turnip, which is -found in great quantities in these northern prairies, and furnishes the -Indians with an abundant and nourishing food. The women collect these -turnips by striking the end of the stick into the ground, and prying -them out; after which they are dried and preserved in their wigwams for -use during the season. - -I have just had the satisfaction of seeing this travelled-gentleman -(Wi-jun-jon) meet his tribe, his wife and his little children; after an -absence of a year or more, on his journey of 6000 miles to Washington -City, and back again (in company with Major Sanford, the Indian agent); -where he has been spending the winter amongst the fashionables in the -polished circles of civilized society. And I can assure you, readers, -that his entrée amongst his own people, in the dress and with the airs -of a civilized beau, was one of no ordinary occurrence; and produced no -common sensation amongst the red-visaged Assinneboins, or in the minds -of those who were travellers, and but spectators to the scene. - -On his way home from St. Louis to this place, a distance of 2000 miles, -I travelled with this gentleman, on the steamer Yellow-Stone; and -saw him step ashore (on a beautiful prairie, where several thousands -of his people were encamped), with a complete suit _en militaire_, -a colonel’s uniform of blue, presented to him by the President of -the United States, with a beaver hat and feather, with epaulettes of -gold—with sash and belt, and broad sword; with high-heeled boots—with -a keg of whiskey under his arm, and a blue umbrella in his hand. In -this plight and metamorphose, he took his position on the bank, amongst -his friends—his wife and other relations; not one of whom exhibited, -for an half-hour or more, the least symptoms of recognition, although -they knew well who was before them. He also gazed upon them—upon his -wife and parents, and little children, who were about, as if they were -foreign to him, and he had not a feeling or thought to interchange with -them. Thus the mutual gazings upon and from this would-be-stranger, -lasted for full half an hour; when a gradual, but cold and exceedingly -formal recognition began to take place, and an acquaintance ensued, -which ultimately and smoothly resolved itself, without the least -apparent emotion, into its former state; and the mutual kindred -intercourse seemed to flow on exactly where it had been broken off, -as if it had been but for a moment, and nothing had transpired in the -interim to check or change its character or expression. - -Such is one of the stoic instances of a custom which belongs to all the -North American Indians, forming one of the most striking features in -their character; valued, cherished and practiced, like many others -of their strange notions, for reasons which are difficult to be learned -or understood; and which probably will never be justly appreciated by -others than themselves. - -[Illustration: 29 28] - -[Illustration: 30 31] - -[Illustration: 32] - -This man, at this time, is creating a wonderful sensation amongst -his tribe, who are daily and nightly gathered in gaping and listless -crowds around him, whilst he is descanting upon what he has seen in the -fashionable world; and which to them is unintelligible and beyond their -comprehension; for which I find they are already setting him down as a -liar and impostor. - -What may be the final results of his travels and initiation into the -fashionable world, and to what disasters his incredible narrations -may yet subject the poor fellow in this strange land, time only will -develop. - -He is now in disgrace, and spurned by the leading men of the tribe, and -rather to be pitied than envied, for the advantages which one might -have supposed would have flown from his fashionable tour. More of this -curious occurrence and of this extraordinary man, I will surely give in -some future epistles. - -The women of this tribe are often comely, and sometimes pretty; -in +plate+ 34, will be seen a fair illustration of the dresses of -the women and children, which are usually made of the skins of the -mountain-goat, and ornamented with porcupine’s quills and rows of elk’s -teeth. - -The Knisteneaux (or Crees, as they are more familiarly called in this -country) are a very numerous tribe, extending from this place as high -north as the shores of Lake Winnepeg; and even much further in a -north-westerly direction, towards, and even through, a great part of -the Rocky Mountains. - -I have before said of these, that they were about 3000 in numbers—by -that, I meant but a small part of this extensive tribe, who are in the -habit of visiting the American Fur Company’s Establishment, at this -place, to do their trading; and who themselves, scarcely know anything -of the great extent of country over which this numerous and scattered -family range. Their customs may properly be said to be primitive, as no -inroads of civilized habits have been as yet successfully made amongst -them. Like the other tribes in these regions, they dress in skins, and -gain their food, and conduct their wars in a very similar manner. They -are a very daring and most adventurous tribe; roaming vast distances -over the prairies and carrying war into their enemy’s country. With the -numerous tribe of Blackfeet, they are always waging an uncompromising -warfare; and though fewer in numbers and less in stature, they have -shewn themselves equal in sinew, and not less successful in mortal -combats. - -Amongst the foremost and most renowned of their warriors, is -Bro-cas-sie, the broken arm (+plate+ 30), in a handsome dress; and by -the side of him (+plate+ 31), his wife, a simple and comely looking -woman. In +plate+ 33, will be seen the full length portrait of a young -woman with a child on her back, shewing fairly the fashion of cutting -and ornamenting the dresses of the females in this tribe; which, -without further comment, is all I shall say at this time, of the -valorous tribe of Crees or Knisteneaux. - -The Ojibbeways I have briefly mentioned in a former place, and of them -should say more; which will be done at a proper time, after I shall -have visited other branches of this great and scattered family. - -The chief of that part of the Ojibbeway tribe who inhabit these -northern regions (+plate+ 35), and whose name is Sha-co-pay (the Six), -is a man of huge size; with dignity of manner, and pride and vanity, -just about in proportion to his bulk. He sat for his portrait in a most -beautiful dress, fringed with scalp locks in profusion; which he had -snatched, in his early life from his enemies’ heads, and now wears as -proud trophies and proofs of what his arm has accomplished in battles -with his enemies. His shirt of buckskin is beautifully embroidered and -painted in curious hieroglyphics, the history of his battles and charts -of his life. This, and also each and every article of his varied dress, -had been manufactured by his wives, of which he had several; and one, -though not the most agreeable (+plate+ 36), is seen represented by his -side. - -I have much to see of these people yet, and much consequently to write; -so for the present I close my book. - - [1] Several years since writing the above, I held a conversation - with Major Pilcher (a strictly correct and honourable man, who was - then the agent for these people, who has lived amongst them, and is - at this time superintendent of Indian affairs at St. Louis), who - informed me, much to my surprise, that the Blackfeet were not far - from 60,000 in numbers, including all the confederacy of which I - have just spoken. - - - - - LETTER—No. 9. - - MOUTH OF YELLOW STONE, _UPPER MISSOURI_. - - -Since the dates of my other Letters from this place, I have been taking -some wild rambles about this beautiful country of green fields; jolted -and tossed about, on horseback and on foot, where pen, ink, and paper -never thought of going; and of course the most that I saw and have -learned, and would tell to the world, is yet to be written. It is not -probable, however, that I shall again date a letter at this place, as I -commence, in a few days, my voyage down the river in a canoe; but yet -I may give you many a retrospective glance at this fairy land and its -amusements. - -A traveller on his tour through such a country as this, has no time to -write, and scarcely time enough to moralize. It is as much as he can -_well_ do to “look out for his _scalp_,” and “for _something to eat_.” -Impressions, however, of the most vivid kind, are rapidly and indelibly -made by the fleeting incidents of savage life; and for the mind that -can ruminate upon them with pleasure, there are abundant materials -clinging to it for its endless entertainment in driving the quill -when he gets back. The mind susceptible of such impressions catches -volumes of incidents which are easy to write—it is but to unfold a web -which the fascinations of this _shorn_ country and its allurements -have spun over the soul—it is but to paint the splendid panorama of a -world entirely different from anything seen or painted before; with its -thousands of miles, and tens of thousands of grassy hills and dales, -where nought but silence reigns, and where the soul of a contemplative -mould is seemingly lifted up to its Creator. What man in the world, -I would ask, ever ascended to the pinnacle of one of Missouri’s -green-carpeted bluffs, a thousand miles severed from his own familiar -land, and giddily gazed over the interminable and boundless ocean of -grass-covered hills and valleys which lie beneath him, where the gloom -of _silence_ is complete—where not even the voice of the sparrow or -cricket is heard—without feeling a sweet melancholy come over him, -which seemed to drown his sense of everything beneath and on a level -with him? - -It is but to paint a vast country of green fields, where the _men_ -are all _red_—where _meat_ is the staff of life—where no _laws_, but -those of _honour_, are known—where the oak and the pine give way -to the cotton-wood and peccan—where the buffaloes range, the elk, -mountain-sheep, and the fleet-bounding antelope—where the magpie and -chattering parroquettes supply the place of the red-breast and the -blue-bird—where wolves are white and bears grizzly—where pheasants are -hens of the prairie, and frogs have horns!—where the rivers are yellow, -and white men are turned savages in looks. Through the whole of this -strange land the dogs are all wolves—women all slaves—men all lords. -The _sun_ and _rats_ alone (of all the list of old acquaintance), could -be recognised in this country of strange metamorphose. The former shed -everywhere his familiar rays; and Monsr. Ratapon was hailed as an old -acquaintance, which it gave me pleasure to meet; though he had grown a -little more _savage_ in his look. - -In traversing the immense regions of the _classic_ West, the mind of -a philanthropist is filled to the brim with feelings of admiration; -but to reach this country, one is obliged to descend from the light -and glow of civilized atmosphere, through the different grades of -civilization, which gradually sink to the most deplorable condition -along the extreme frontier; thence through the most pitiable misery -and wretchedness of savage degradation; where the genius of natural -liberty and independence have been blasted and destroyed by the -contaminating vices and dissipations introduced by the immoral part of -_civilized_ society. Through this dark and sunken vale of wretchedness -one hurries, as through a pestilence, until he gradually rises again -into the proud and chivalrous pale of savage society, in its state of -original nature, beyond the reach of civilized contamination; here he -finds much to fix his enthusiasm upon, and much to admire. Even here, -the predominant passions of the savage breast, of ferocity and cruelty, -are often found; yet _restrained_, and frequently _subdued_, by the -noblest traits, of honour and magnanimity,—a race of men who live and -enjoy life and its luxuries, and practice its virtues, very far beyond -the usual estimation of the world, who are apt to judge the savage and -his virtues from the poor, degraded, and humbled specimens which alone -can be seen along our frontiers. From the first settlements of our -Atlantic coast to the present day, the bane of this _blasting frontier_ -has regularly crowded upon them, from the northern to the southern -extremities of our country; and, like the fire in a prairie, which -destroys everything where it passes, it has blasted and sunk them, and -all but their names, into oblivion, wherever it has travelled. It is to -this tainted class alone that the epithet of “poor, naked, and drunken -savage,” can be, with propriety, applied; for all those numerous tribes -which I have visited, and are yet uncorrupted by the vices of civilized -acquaintance, are well clad, in many instances cleanly, and in the -full enjoyment of life and its luxuries. It is for the character and -preservation of these noble fellows that I am an enthusiast; and it is -for these uncontaminated people that I would be willing to devote the -energies of my life. It is a sad and melancholy truth to contemplate, -that all the numerous tribes who inhabited our vast Atlantic States -_have not_ “fled to the West;”—that they are not to be found here—that -they have been blasted by the fire which has passed over them—have -sunk into their graves, and everything but their names travelled into -oblivion. - -[Illustration: 33] - -[Illustration: 34] - -[Illustration: 35] - -[Illustration: 36] - -The distinctive character of all these Western Indians, as well as -their traditions relative to their ancient locations, prove beyond a -doubt, that they have been for a very long time located on the soil -which they now possess; and in most respects, distinct and unlike those -nations who formerly inhabited the Atlantic coast, and who (according -to the erroneous opinion of a great part of the world), have fled to -the West. - -It is for these inoffensive and unoffending people, yet unvisited by -the vices of civilized society, that I would proclaim to the world, -that it is time, for the honour of our country—for the honour of -every citizen of the republic—and for the sake of humanity, that our -government should raise her strong arm to save the remainder of them -from the pestilence which is rapidly advancing upon them. We have -gotten from them territory enough, and the country which they now -inhabit is most of it too barren of timber for the use of civilized -man; it affords them, however, the means and luxuries of savage life; -and it is to be hoped that our government will not acquiesce in the -continued wilful destruction of these happy people. - -My heart has sometimes almost bled with pity for them, while amongst -them, and witnessing their innocent amusements, as I have contemplated -the inevitable bane that was rapidly advancing upon them; without that -check from the protecting arm of government, and which alone could -shield them from destruction. - -What degree of happiness these sons of Nature may attain to in the -world, in their own way; or in what proportion they may relish the -pleasures of life, compared to the sum of happiness belonging to -civilized society, has long been a subject of much doubt, and one which -I cannot undertake to decide at this time. I would say thus much, -however, that if the thirst for knowledge has entailed everlasting -miseries on mankind from the beginning of the world; if refined -and intellectual pains increase in proportion to our intellectual -pleasures, I do not see that we gain much advantage over them on that -score; and judging from the full-toned enjoyment which beams from their -happy faces, I should give it as my opinion, that their lives were -much more happy than ours; that is, if the word happiness is properly -applied to the enjoyments of those who have not experienced the light -of the Christian religion. I have long looked with the eye of a critic, -into the jovial faces of these sons of the forest, unfurrowed with -cares—where the agonizing feeling of poverty had never stamped distress -upon the brow. I have watched the bold, intrepid step—the proud, yet -dignified deportment of Nature’s man, in fearless freedom, with a soul -unalloyed by mercenary lusts, too great to yield to laws or power -except from God. As these independent fellows are all joint-tenants of -the soil, they are all rich, and none of the steepings of comparative -poverty can strangle their just claims to renown. Who (I would ask) -can look without admiring, into a society where peace and harmony -prevail—where virtue is cherished—where rights are protected, and -wrongs are redressed—with no laws, but the laws of honour, which are -the supreme laws of their land. Trust the boasted virtues of civilized -society for awhile, with all its intellectual refinements, to such a -tribunal, and then write down the degradation of the “lawless savage,” -and our trancendent virtues. - -As these people have no laws, the sovereign right of summary redress -lies in the breast of the party (or friends of the party) aggrieved; -and infinitely more dreaded is the certainty of cruel revenge from -the licensed hands of an offended savage, than the slow and uncertain -vengeance of the law. - -If you think me _enthusiast_, be it so; for I deny it not. It has -ever been the predominant passion of my soul to seek Nature’s wildest -haunts, and give my hand to Nature’s men. Legends of _these_, and -visits to _those_, filled the earliest page of my juvenile impressions. - -The tablet has stood, and I am an enthusiast for God’s works as He left -them. - -The sad tale of my native “valley,”[2] has been beautifully sung; and -from the flight of “Gertrude’s” soul, my young imagination closely -traced the savage to his deep retreats, and gazed upon him in dreadful -horror, until pity pleaded, and admiration worked a charm. - -A journey of 4000 miles from the Atlantic shore, regularly receding -from the centre of civilized society to the extreme wilderness of -Nature’s original work, and back again, opens a book for many an -interesting tale to be sketched; and the mind which lives, but to -relish the works of Nature, reaps a reward on such a tour of a much -higher order than can arise from the selfish expectations of pecuniary -emolument. Notwithstanding all that has been written and said, there is -scarcely any subject on which the _knowing_ people of the East, are yet -less informed and instructed than on the character and amusements of -the West: by this I mean the “Far West;”—the country whose fascinations -spread a charm over the mind almost dangerous to civilized pursuits. -Few people even know the true definition of the term “West;” and where -is its location?—phantom-like it flies before us as we travel, and on -our way is continually gilded, before us, as we approach the setting -sun. - -In the commencement of my Tour, several of my travelling companions -from the city of New York, found themselves at a frightful distance -to the West, when we arrived at Niagara Falls; and hastened back to -amuse their friends with tales and scenes of the West. At Buffalo a -steam-boat was landing with 400 passengers, and twelve days out—“Where -from?” “From the West.” In the rich state of Ohio, hundreds were -selling their farms and going—to the West. In the beautiful city of -Cincinnati, people said to me, “Our town has passed the days of its -most rapid growth, it is not far enough West.”—In St. Louis, 1400 miles -west of New York, my landlady assured me that I would be pleased with -her boarders, for they were nearly all merchants from the “West.” I -there asked,—“Whence come those steam-boats, laden with pork, honey, -hides, &c.?” - -From the West. - -Whence those ponderous bars of silver, which those men have been for -hours shouldering and putting on board that boat? - -They come from Santa Fee, from the West. - -Where goes this steam-boat so richly laden with dry goods, -steam-engines, &c.? - -She goes to Jefferson city. - -Jefferson city?—Where is that? - -Far to the West. - -And where goes that boat laden down to her gunnels, the Yellow Stone? - -She goes still farther to the West—“Then,” said I, “I’ll go to the -West.” - -I went on the Yellow Stone— * * * * - -* * * Two thousand miles on her, and we were at the mouth of -Yellow Stone river—at the West. What! invoices, bills of lading, &c., a -wholesale establishment so far to the West! And those strange looking, -long-haired gentlemen, who have just arrived, and are relating the -adventures of their long and tedious journey. Who are they? - -Oh! they are some of our merchants just arrived from the West. - -And that keel-boat, that Mackinaw-boat, and that formidable caravan, -all of which are richly laden with goods. - -These, Sir, are outfits starting for the _West_. - -Going to the _West_, ha? “Then” said I, “I’ll try it again. I will try -and see if I can go to the West.” - - * * * What, a Fort here, too? - -Oui, Monsieur—oui, Monsieur (as a dauntless, and -_semibarbarian_-looking, jolly fellow, dashed forth in advance of his -party on his wild horse to meet me.) - -What distance are you west of Yellow Stone here, my good fellow? - -Comment? - -What distance?—(stop)—quel distance? - -Pardón, Monsieur, je ne sais pas, Monsieur. - -Ne parlez vous l’Anglais? - -Non, Monsr. I speaks de French and de Americaine; mais je ne parle pas -l’Anglais. - -“Well then, my good fellow, I will speak English, and you may speak -Americaine.” - -Pardón, pardón, Monsieur. - -Well, then we will both speak Americaine. - -Val, sare, je suis bien content, pour for I see dat you speaks putty -coot Americaine. - -What may I call your name? - -Ba’tiste, Monsieur. - -What Indians are those so splendidly dressed, and with such fine -horses, encamped on the plain yonder? - -Ils sont Corbeaux. - -Crows, ha? - -Yes, sare, Monsieur. - -We are then in the Crow country? - -Non, Monsieur, not putty éxact; we are in de coontrae of de dam Pieds -noirs. - -Blackfeet, ha? - -Oui. - -What blue mountain is that which we see in the distance yonder? - -Ha, quel Montaigne? cela est la Montaigne du (pardón). - -Du Rochers, I suppose? - -Oui, Monsieur, de Rock Montaigne. - -You live here, I suppose? - -Non, Monsieur, I comes fair from de West. - -What, from the West! Where under the heavens is that? - -Wat, diable! de West? well you shall see, Monsieur, he is putty fair -off, súppose. Monsieur Pierre Chouteau can give you de histoire de ma -vie—il bien sait que je prends les castors, very fair in de West. - -You carry goods, I suppose, to trade with the Snake Indians beyond the -mountains, and trap beaver also? - -Oui, Monsieur. - -Do you see anything of the “Flat-heads” in your country? - -Non, Monsieur, ils demeurent very, _very_ fair to de West. - -Well, Ba’tiste, I’ll lay my course back again for the present, and at -some future period, endeavour to go to the “West.” But you say you -trade with the Indians and trap beavers; you are in the employment of -the American Fur Company, I suppose? - -Non, Monsieur, not quite éxact; mais, súppose, I am “_free trappare_,” -free, Monsr. free. - -Free trapper, what’s that? I don’t understand you, Ba’tiste. - -Well, Monsr. súppose he is easy pour understand—you shall know all. -In de first place, I am enlist for tree year in de Fur Comp in St. -Louis—for bounté—pour bounté, eighty dollare (understand, ha?) den I -am go for wages, et I ave come de Missouri up, et I am trap castors -putty much for six years, you see, until I am learn very much; and den -you see, Monsr. M‘Kenzie is give me tree horse—one pour ride, et two -pour pack (mais he is not buy, him not give, he is lend), and he is -lend twelve trap; and I ave make start into de Rocky Montaigne, et I am -live all álone on de leet rivares pour prendre les castors. Sometime -six months—sometime five month, and I come back to Yel Stone, et Monsr. -M‘Kenzie is give me coot price pour all. - -So Mr. M‘Kenzie fits you out, and takes your beaver of you at a certain -price? - -Oui, Monsr. oui. - -What price does he pay you for your beaver, Ba’tiste? - -Ha! súppose one dollare pour one beavare. - -A dollar per skin, ah? - -Oui. - -Well, you must live a lonesome and hazardous sort of life; can you make -anything by it? - -Oh! oui, Monsr. putty coot, mais if it is not pour for de dam rascalité -Riccaree, et de dam Pieds noirs, de Blackfoot Ingin, I am make very -much monnair, mais (sacré), I am rob—rob—rob too much! - -What, do the Blackfeet rob you of your furs? - -Oui, Monsr. rob, súppose, five time! I am been free trappare seven -year, et I am rob five time—I am someting left not at all—he is take -all; he is take all de horse—he is take my gun—he is take all my -clothes—he is takee de castors—et I am come back with foot. So in -de Fort, some cloths is cost putty much monnair, et some whiskey is -give sixteen dollares pour gall; so you see I am owe de Fur Comp 600 -dollare, by Gar! - -Well, Ba’tiste, this then is what you call being a free trapper is it? - -Oui, Monsr. “free trappare,” free! - -You seem to be going down towards the Yellow Stone, and probably have -been out on a trapping excursion. - -Oui, Monsr. c’est vrai. - -Have you been robbed this time, Ba’tiste? - -Oui, Monsr. by de dam Pieds noirs—I am loose much; I am loose all—very -all——eh bien——pour le dernier—c’est le dernier fois, Monsr. I am go to -Yel Stone—I am go le Missouri down, I am go to St. Louis. - -Well, Ba’tiste, I am to figure about in this part of the world a few -weeks longer, and then I shall descend the Missouri from the mouth of -Yellow Stone, to St. Louis; and I should like exceedingly to employ -just such a man as you are as a voyageur with me—I will give you good -wages, and pay all your expenses; what say you? - -Avec tout mon cour, Monsr. remercie, remercie. - -It’s a bargain then, Ba’tiste; I will see you at the mouth of Yellow -Stone. - -Oui, Monsr. in de Yel Stone, bon soir, bon soir, Monsr. - -But stop, Ba’tiste, you told me those were Crows encamped yonder. - -Oui, Monsieur, oui, des Corbeaux. - -And I suppose you are their interpreter? - -Non, Monsieur. - -But you speak the Crow language? - -Ouis, Monsieur. - -Well then, turn about; I am going to pay them a visit, and you can -render me a service.—Bien, Monsieur, allons. - - [2] Wyöming. - - - - - LETTER—No. 10. - - MANDAN VILLAGE, _UPPER MISSOURI_. - - -Soon after the writing of my last Letter, which was dated at the Mouth -of Yellow Stone, I embarked on the river for this place, where I landed -safely; and have resided for a couple of weeks, a guest in this almost -subterraneous city—the strangest place in the world; where one sees -in the most rapid succession, scenes which force him to mirth—to pity -and compassion—to admiration—disgust; to fear and astonishment. But -before I proceed to reveal them, I must give you a brief sketch of my -voyage down the river from the Mouth of the Yellow Stone river to this -place, a distance of 200 miles; and which my little note-book says, was -performed somewhat in the following manner: - -When I had completed my rambles and my sketches in those regions, and -Ba’tiste and Bogard had taken their last spree, and fought their last -battles, and forgotten them in the final and affectionate embrace and -farewell (all of which are habitual with these game-fellows, when -settling up their long-standing accounts with their fellow-trappers -of the mountain streams); and after Mr. M‘Kenzie had procured for me -a snug little craft, that was to waft us down the mighty torrent; we -launched off one fine morning, taking our leave of the Fort, and the -friends within it; and also, for ever, of the beautiful green fields, -and hills, and dales, and prairie bluffs, that encompass the enchanting -shores of the Yellow Stone. - -Our canoe, which was made of green timber, was heavy and awkward; but -our course being with the current, promised us a fair and successful -voyage. Ammunition was laid in in abundance—a good stock of dried -buffalo tongues—a dozen or two of beavers’ tails—and a good supply of -pemican. Bogard and Ba’tiste occupied the middle and bow, with their -paddles in their hands; and I took my seat in the stern of the boat, -at the steering oar. Our larder was as I have said; and added to that, -some few pounds of fresh buffalo meat. - -Besides which, and ourselves, our little craft carried several -packs of Indian dresses and other articles, which I had purchased -of the Indians; and also my canvass and easel, and our culinary -articles, which were few and simple; consisting of three tin cups, a -coffee-pot—one plate—a frying-pan—and a tin kettle. - -Thus fitted out and embarked, we swept off at a rapid rate under the -shouts of the savages, and the cheers of our friends, who lined the -banks as we gradually lost sight of them, and turned our eyes towards -St. Louis, which was 2000 miles below us, with nought intervening, save -the widespread and wild regions, inhabited by the roaming savage. - -At the end of our first day’s journey, we found ourselves handily -encamping with several thousand Assinneboins, who had pitched their -tents upon the bank of the river, and received us with every mark of -esteem and friendship. - -In the midst of this group, was my friend Wi-jun-jon (the pigeon’s -egg head), still lecturing on the manners and customs of the “pale -faces.” Continuing to relate without any appearance of exhaustion, the -marvellous scenes which he had witnessed amongst the white people, on -his tour to Washington City. - -Many were the gazers who seemed to be the whole time crowding around -him, to hear his recitals; and the plight which he was in rendered his -appearance quite ridiculous. His beautiful military dress, of which I -before spoke, had been so shockingly tattered and metamorphosed, that -his appearance was truly laughable. - -His keg of whiskey had dealt out to his friends all its charms—his -frock-coat, which his wife had thought was of no earthly use below -the waist, had been cut off at that place, and the nether half of it -supplied her with a beautiful pair of leggings; and his silver-laced -hat-band had been converted into a splendid pair of garters for the -same. His umbrella the poor fellow still affectionately held on to, -and kept spread at all times. As I before said, his theme seemed to -be exhaustless, and he, in the estimation of his tribe, to be an -unexampled liar. - -Of the village of Assinneboins we took leave on the following morning, -and rapidly made our way down the river. The rate of the current -being four or five miles per hour, through one continued series of -picturesque grass-covered bluffs and knolls, which everywhere had the -appearance of an old and highly-cultivated country, with houses and -fences removed. - -There is, much of the way, on one side or the other, a bold and abrupt -precipice of three or four hundred feet in elevation, presenting itself -in an exceedingly rough and picturesque form, to the shore of the -river; sloping down from the summit level of the prairies above, which -sweep off from the brink of the precipice, almost level, to an unknown -distance. - -It is along the rugged and wild fronts of these cliffs, whose sides are -generally formed of hard clay, that the mountain-sheep dwell, and are -often discovered in great numbers. Their habits are much like those -of the goat; and in every respect they are like that animal, except -in the horns, which resemble those of the ram; sometimes making two -entire circles in their coil; and at the roots, each horn is, in some -instances, from five to six inches in breadth. - -On the second day of our voyage we discovered a number of these -animals skipping along the sides of the precipice, always keeping -about equi-distant between the top and bottom of the ledge; leaping -and vaulting in the most extraordinary manner from point to point, and -seeming to cling actually, to the sides of the wall, where neither man -nor beast could possibly follow them. - -We landed our canoe, and endeavoured to shoot one of these sagacious -animals; and after he had led us a long and fruitless chase, amongst -the cliffs, we thought we had fairly entrapped him in such a way as to -be sure to bring him, at last, within the command of our rifles; when -he suddenly bounded from his narrow foot-hold in the ledge, and tumbled -down a distance of more than a hundred feet, amongst the fragments of -rocks and clay, where I thought we must certainly find his carcass -without further trouble; when, to my great surprise, I saw him bounding -off, and he was almost instantly out of my sight. - -Bogard, who was an old hunter, and well acquainted with these -creatures, shouldered his rifle, and said to me—“the game is up; and -you now see the use of those big horns; when they fall by accident, or -find it necessary to quit their foot-hold in the crevice, they fall -upon their head at a great distance unharmed, even though it should be -on the solid rock.” - -Being on shore, and our canoe landed secure, we whiled away the greater -part of this day amongst the wild and ragged cliffs, into which we had -entered; and a part of our labours were vainly spent in the pursuit -of a war-eagle. This noble bird is the one which the Indians in these -regions, value so highly for their tail feathers, which are used as -the most valued plumes for decorating the heads and dresses of their -warriors. It is a beautiful bird, and, the Indians tell me, conquers -all other varieties of eagles in the country; from which circumstance, -the Indians respect the bird, and hold it in the highest esteem, and -value its quills. I am unable so say to what variety it belongs; but -I am sure it is not to be seen in any of our museums; nor is it to be -found in America (I think), until one gets near to the base of the -Rocky Mountains. This bird has often been called the calumet eagle and -war-eagle; the last of which appellations I have already accounted -for; and the other has arisen from the fact, that the Indians almost -invariably ornament their calumets or pipes of peace with its quills. - -Our day’s loitering brought us through many a wild scene; occasionally -across the tracks of the grizzly bear, and, in sight merely of a band -of buffaloes; “which got the wind of us,” and were out of the way, -leaving us to return to our canoe at night, with a mere speck of good -luck. Just before we reached the river, I heard the crack of a rifle, -and in a few moments Bogard came in sight, and threw down from his -shoulders a fine antelope; which added to our larder, and we were -ready to proceed. We embarked and travelled until nightfall, when -we encamped on a beautiful little prairie at the base of a series of -grass-covered bluffs; and the next morning cooked our breakfast and -ate it, and rowed on until late in the afternoon; when we stopped at -the base of some huge clay bluffs, forming one of the most curious -and romantic scenes imaginable. At this spot the river expands itself -into the appearance somewhat of a beautiful lake; and in the midst of -it, and on and about its sand-bars, floated and stood, hundreds and -thousands of white swans and pelicans. - -Though the scene in front of our encampment at this place was placid -and beautiful; with its flowing water—its wild fowl—and its almost -endless variety of gracefully sloping hills and green prairies in the -distance; yet it was not less wild and picturesque in our rear, where -the rugged and various coloured bluffs were grouped in all the wildest -fancies and rudeness of Nature’s accidental varieties. - -The whole country behind us seemed to have been dug and thrown up into -huge piles, as if some giant mason had been there mixing his mortar -and paints, and throwing together his rude models for some sublime -structure of a colossal city;—with its walls—its domes—its ramparts—its -huge porticos and galleries—its castles—its fosses and ditches;—and in -the midst of his progress, he had abandoned his works to the destroying -hand of time, which had already done much to tumble them down, and -deface their noble structure; by jostling them together, with all their -vivid colours, into an unsystematic and unintelligible mass of sublime -ruins. - -To this group of clay bluffs, which line the river for many miles in -distance, the voyageurs have very appropriately given the name of “the -Brick-kilns;” owing to their red appearance, which may be discovered in -a clear day at the distance of many leagues. - -By the action of water, or other power, the country seems to have been -graded away; leaving occasionally a solitary mound or bluff, rising in -a conical form to the height of two or three hundred feet, generally -pointed or rounded at the top, and in some places grouped together -in great numbers; some of which having a tabular surface on the top, -and covered with a green turf. This fact (as all of those which are -horizontal on their tops, and corresponding exactly with the summit -level of the wide-spreading prairies in distance) clearly shows, that -their present isolated and rounded forms have been produced by the -action of waters: which have carried away the intervening earth, and -left them in the picturesque shapes in which they are now seen. - -A similar formation (or _de_formation) may be seen in hundreds of -places on the shores of the Missouri river, and the actual progress -of the operation by which it is produced; leaving yet for the -singularity of this place, the peculiar feature, that nowhere else -(to my knowledge) occurs; that the superstratum, forming the tops of -these mounds (where they remain high enough to support anything of -the original surface) is composed, for the depth of fifteen feet, of -red pumice; terminating at its bottom, in a layer of several feet of -sedimentary deposite, which is formed into endless conglomerates of -basaltic crystals. - -This strange feature in the country arrests the eye of a traveller -suddenly, and as instantly brings him to the conclusion, that he stands -in the midst of the ruins of an extinguished volcano. - -As will be seen in the drawings (+plate+ 37, a near view, and +plate+ -38, a distant view), the sides of these conical bluffs (which are -composed of strata of different coloured clays), are continually -washing down by the effect of the rains and melting of the frost; and -the superincumbent masses of pumice and basalt are crumbling off, and -falling down to their bases; and from thence, in vast quantities, by -the force of the gorges of water which are often cutting their channels -between them—carried into the river, which is close by; and wafted for -thousands of miles, floating as light as a cork upon its surface, and -lodging in every pile of drift-wood from this place to the ocean. - -The upper part of this layer of pumice is of a brilliant red; and when -the sun is shining upon it, is as bright and vivid as vermilion. It is -porous and open, and its specific gravity but trifling. These curious -bluffs must be seen as they are in nature; or else in a painting, where -their colours are faithfully given, or they lose their picturesque -beauty, which consists in the variety of their vivid tints. The strata -of clay are alternating from red to yellow—white—brown and dark blue; -and so curiously arranged, as to form the most pleasing and singular -effects. - -During the day that I loitered about this strange scene, I left my -men stretched upon the grass, by the canoe; and taking my rifle and -sketch-book in my hand, I wandered and clambered through the rugged -defiles between the bluffs; passing over and under the immense blocks -of the pumice, that had fallen to their bases; determined, if possible, -to find the crater, or source, from whence these strange phenomena -had sprung; but after clambering and squeezing about for some time, -I unfortunately came upon the enormous tracks of a grizzly bear, -which, apparently, was travelling in the same direction (probably for -a very different purpose) but a few moments before me; and my ardour -for exploring was instantly so cooled down, that I hastily retraced -my steps, and was satisfied with making my drawings, and collecting -specimens of the lava and other minerals in its vicinity. - -After strolling about during the day, and contemplating the beauty of -the scenes that were around me, while I sat upon the pinnacles of these -pumice-capped mounds; most of which time, Bogard and Ba’tiste laid -enjoying the pleasure of a “mountaineer’s nap”—we met together—took -our coffee and dried buffalo tongues—spread our buffalo robes upon the -grass, and enjoyed during the night the luxury of sleep, that belongs -so peculiarly to the tired voyageur in these realms of pure air and -dead silence. - -[Illustration: 37] - -[Illustration: 38] - -In the morning, and before sunrise, as usual, Bogard (who was a Yankee, -and a “wide-awake-fellow,” just retiring from a ten years’ siege of -hunting and trapping in the Rocky Mountains,) thrust his head out from -under the robe, rubbing his eyes open, and exclaiming as he grasped -for his gun, “By darn, look at old Cale! will you!” Ba’tiste, who was -more fond of his dreams, snored away, muttering something that I could -not understand, when Bogard seized him with a grip, that instantly -shook off his iron slumbers. I rose at the same time, and all eyes -were turned at once upon _Caleb_ (as the grizzly bear is familiarly -called by the trappers in the Rocky Mountains—or more often “Cale,” for -brevity’s sake), who was sitting up in the dignity and fury of her sex, -within a few rods, and gazing upon us, with her two little cubs at her -side! here was a “_fix_,” and a subject for the painter; but I had no -time to sketch it—I turned my eyes to the canoe which had been fastened -at the shore a few paces from us; and saw that everything had been -pawed out of it, and all eatables had been without ceremony devoured. -My packages of dresses and Indian curiosities had been drawn out upon -the bank, and deliberately opened and inspected. Every thing had been -scraped and pawed out, to the bottom of the boat; and even the rawhide -thong, with which it was tied to a stake, had been chewed, and no doubt -swallowed, as there was no trace of it remaining. Nor was this peep -into the secrets of our luggage enough for her insatiable curiosity—we -saw by the prints of her huge paws, that were left in the ground, that -she had been perambulating our humble mattresses, smelling at our toes -and our noses, without choosing to molest us; verifying a trite saying -of the country, “That man lying down is _medicine_ to the grizzly -bear;” though it is a well-known fact, that man and beast, upon their -feet, are sure to be attacked when they cross the path of this grizzly -and grim monster, which is the terror of all this country; often -growing to the enormous size of eight hundred or one thousand pounds. - -Well—whilst we sat in the dilemma which I have just described, each -one was hastily preparing his weapons for defence, when I proposed the -mode of attack; by which means I was in hopes to destroy her—capture -her young ones, and bring her skin home as a trophy. My plans, however, -entirely failed, though we were well armed; for Bogard and Ba’tiste -both remonstrated with a vehemence that was irresistible; saying that -the standing rule in the mountains was “never to fight Caleb, except -in self-defence.” I was almost induced, however, to attack her alone, -with my rifle in hand, and a pair of heavy pistols; with a tomahawk -and scalping-knife in my belt; when Ba’tiste suddenly thrust his arm -over my shoulder and pointing in another direction, exclaimed in an -emphatic tone, “Voila! voila un corps de reserve—Monsr. Cataline—voila -sa mari! allons—allons! déscendons la riviére, toute de suite! toute -de suite! Monsr.” to which Bogard added, “these darned animals are too -much for us, and we had better be off;” at which my courage cooled, and -we packed up and re-embarked as fast as possible; giving each one of -them the contents of our rifles as we drifted off in the current; which -brought the she-monster, in all her rage and fury, to the spot where -we, a few moments before, had passed our most prudent resolve. - -During the rest of this day, we passed on rapidly, gazing upon and -admiring the beautiful shores, which were continually changing, from -the high and ragged cliffs, to the graceful and green slopes of the -prairie bluffs; and then to the wide expanded meadows, with their long -waving grass, enamelled with myriads of wild flowers. - -The scene was one of enchantment the whole way; our chief conversation -was about grizzly bears and hair’s-breadth escapes; of the histories -of which my companions had volumes in store.—Our breakfast was a late -one—cooked and eaten about five in the afternoon; at which time our -demolished larder was luckily replenished by the unerring rifle of -Bogard, which brought down a fine antelope, as it was innocently gazing -at us, from the bank of the river. We landed our boat, and took in -our prize; but there being no wood for our fire, we shoved off, and -soon ran upon the head of an island, that was covered with immense -quantities of raft and drift wood, where we easily kindled a huge fire -and ate our delicious meal from a clean peeled log, astride of which -we comfortably sat, making it answer admirably the double purpose of -chairs and a table. After our meal was finished, we plied the paddles, -and proceeded several miles further on our course; leaving our fire -burning, and dragging our canoe upon the shore, in the dark, in a wild -and unknown spot; and silently spreading our robes for our slumbers, -which it is not generally considered prudent to do by the side of our -fires, which might lead a war-party upon us, who often are prowling -about and seeking an advantage over their enemy. - -The scenery of this day’s travel, as I have before said, was -exceedingly beautiful; and our canoe was often run to the shore, -upon which we stepped to admire the endless variety of wild flowers, -“wasting their sweetness on the desert air,” and the abundance of -delicious fruits that were about us. Whilst wandering through the high -grass, the wild sun-flowers and voluptuous lilies were constantly -taunting us by striking our faces; whilst here and there, in every -direction, there were little copses and clusters of plum trees and -gooseberries, and wild currants, loaded down with their fruit; and -amongst these, to sweeten the atmosphere and add a charm to the -effect, the wild rose bushes seemed planted in beds and in hedges, and -everywhere were decked out in all the glory of their delicate tints, -and shedding sweet aroma to every breath of the air that passed over -them. - -In addition to these, we had the luxury of service-berries, without -stint; and the buffalo bushes, which are peculiar to these northern -regions, lined the banks of the river and defiles in the bluffs, -sometimes for miles together; forming almost impassable hedges, -so loaded with the weight of their fruit, that their boughs were -everywhere gracefully bending down and resting on the ground. - -This last shrub (_shepperdia_), which may be said to be the most -beautiful ornament that decks out the wild prairies, forms a striking -contrast to the rest of the foliage, from the blue appearance of its -leaves, by which it can be distinguished for miles in distance. The -fruit which it produces in such incredible profusion, hanging in -clusters to every limb and to every twig, is about the size of ordinary -currants, and not unlike them in colour and even in flavour; being -exceedingly acid, and almost unpalatable, until they are bitten by the -frost of autumn, when they are sweetened, and their flavour delicious; -having, to the taste, much the character of grapes, and I am inclined -to think, would produce excellent wine. - -The shrub which bears them resembles some varieties of the thorn, -though (as I have said) differs entirely in the colour of its leaves. -It generally grows to the height of six or seven feet, and often to -ten or twelve; and in groves or hedges, in some places, for miles in -extent. While gathering the fruit, and contemplating it as capable of -producing good wine, I asked my men this question, “Suppose we three -had ascended the river to this point in the spring of the year, and in -a timbered bottom had pitched our little encampment; and one of you two -had been a boat-builder, and the other a cooper—the one to have got out -your staves and constructed the wine casks, and the other to have built -a mackinaw-boat, capable of carrying fifty or a hundred casks; and I -had been a good hunter, capable of supplying the little encampment with -meat; and we should have started off about this time, to float down -the current, stopping our boat wherever we saw the finest groves of -the buffalo bush, collecting the berries and expressing the juice, and -putting it into our casks for fermentation while on the water for two -thousand miles; how many bushels of these berries could you two gather -in a day, provided I watched the boat and cooked your meals? and how -many barrels of good wine do you think we could offer for sale in St. -Louis when we should arrive there?” - -This idea startled my two men exceedingly, and Ba’tiste gabbled so -fast in French, that I could not translate; and I am almost willing -to believe, that but for the want of the requisite tools for the -enterprize, I should have lost the company of Bogard and Ba’tiste; or -that I should have been under the necessity of submitting to one of the -unpleasant alternatives which are often regulated by the _majority_, in -this strange and singular wilderness. - -I at length, however, got their opinions on the subject; when they -mutually agreed that they could gather thirty bushels of this fruit -per day; and I gave it then, and I offer it now, as my own also, -that their estimate was not out of the way, and judged so from the -experiments which we made in the following manner:—We several times -took a large mackinaw blanket which I had in the canoe, and spreading -it on the ground under the bushes, where they were the most abundantly -loaded with fruit; and by striking the stalk of the tree with a club, -we received the whole contents of its branches in an instant on the -blanket, which was taken up by the corners, and not unfrequently would -produce us, from one blow, the eighth part of a bushel of this fruit; -when the boughs relieved of their burden, instantly flew up to their -native position. - -Of this beautiful native, which I think would form one of the loveliest -ornamental shrubs for a gentleman’s park or pleasure grounds, I -procured a number of the roots; but which, from the many accidents and -incidents that our unlucky bark was subjected to on our rough passage, -I lost them (and almost the recollection of them) as well as many other -curiosities I had collected on our way down the river. - -On the morning of the next day, and not long after we had stopped and -taken our breakfast, and while our canoe was swiftly gliding along -under the shore of a beautiful prairie, I saw in the grass, on the -bank above me, what I supposed to be the back of a fine elk, busy at -his grazing. I let our craft float silently by for a little distance, -when I communicated the intelligence to my men, and slily ran in, to -the shore. I pricked the priming of my firelock, and taking a bullet -or two in my mouth, stepped ashore, and trailing my rifle in my hand, -went back under the bank, carefully crawling up in a little ravine, -quite sure of my game; when, to my utter surprise and violent alarm, -I found the elk to be no more nor less than an Indian pony, getting -his breakfast! and a little beyond him, a number of others grazing; -and nearer to me, on the left, a war-party reclining around a little -fire; and yet nearer, and within twenty paces of the muzzle of my gun, -the naked shoulders if a brawny Indian, who seemed busily engaged in -cleaning his gun. From this critical dilemma, the reader can easily -imagine that I vanished with all the suddenness and secrecy that was -possible, bending my course towards my canoe. Bogard and Ba’tiste -correctly construing the expression of my face, and the agitation of -my hurried retreat, prematurely unmoored from the shore; and the force -of the current carrying them around a huge pile of drift wood, threw -me back for some distance upon my own resources; though they finally -got in, near the shore, and I into the boat, with the steering oar in -my hand; when we plied our sinews with effect and in silence, till we -were wafted far from the ground which we deemed critical and dangerous -to our lives; for we had been daily in dread of meeting a war-party of -the revengeful Riccarees, which we had been told was on the river, in -search of the Mandans. From and after this exciting occurrence, the -entries in my journal for the rest of the voyage to the village of the -Mandans, were as follow:— - -Saturday, fifth day of our voyage from the mouth of Yellow Stone, at -eleven o’clock.—Landed our canoe in the Grand Détour (or Big Bend) as -it is called, at the base of a stately clay mound, and ascended, all -hands, to the summit level, to take a glance at the picturesque and -magnificent works of Nature that were about us. Spent the remainder -of the day in painting a view of this grand scene; for which purpose -Ba’tiste and Bogard carried my easel and canvass to the top of a huge -mound, where they left me at my work; and I painted my picture (+plate+ -39), whilst they amused themselves with their rifles, decoying a flock -of antelopes, of which they killed several, and abundantly added to the -stock of our provisions. - -Scarcely anything in nature can be found, I am sure, more exceedingly -picturesque than the view from this place; exhibiting the wonderful -manner in which the gorges of the river have cut out its deep channel -through these walls of clay on either side, of two or three hundred -feet in elevation; and the imposing features of the high table-lands -in distance, standing as a perpetual anomaly in the country, and -producing the indisputable, though astounding evidence of the fact, -that there has been at some ancient period, a _super_ surface to this -country, corresponding with the elevation of these tabular hills, whose -surface, for half a mile or more, on their tops, is perfectly level; -being covered with a green turf, and yet one hundred and fifty or two -hundred feet elevated above what may now be properly termed the summit -level of all this section of country; as will be seen stretching off at -their base, without furnishing other instances in hundreds of miles, -of anything rising one foot above its surface, excepting the solitary -group which is shewn in the painting. - -The fact, that _there_ was once the summit level of this great valley, -is a stubborn one, however difficult it may be to reconcile it with -reasonable causes and results; and the mind of feeble man is at once -almost paralyzed in endeavouring to comprehend the process by which the -adjacent country, from this to the base of the Rocky Mountains, as well -as in other directions, could have been swept away; and equally so, for -knowledge of the place where its mighty deposits have been carried. - -I recollect to have seen on my way up the river, at the distance of -six or eight hundred miles below, a place called “the Square Hills,” -and another denominated “the Bijou Hills;” which are the only features -on the river, seeming to correspond with this strange _remain_, and -which, on my way down, I shall carefully examine; and not fail to -add their testimonies (if I am not mistaken in their character) to -further speculations on this interesting feature of the geology of the -great valley of the Missouri. Whilst my men were yet engaged in their -sporting excursions, I left my easel and travelled to the base and -summit of these tabular hills; which, to my great surprise, I found to -be several miles from the river, and a severe journey to accomplish -getting back to our encampment at nightfall. I found by their sides -that they were evidently of an alluvial deposite, composed of a great -variety of horizontal layers of clays of different colours—of granitic -sand and pebbles (many of which furnished me beautiful specimens of -agate, jasper and carnelians), and here and there large fragments of -pumice and cinders, which gave, as instances above-mentioned, evidences -of volcanic remains. - -The mode by which Bogard and Ba’tiste had been entrapping the timid -and sagacious antelopes was one which is frequently and successfully -practised in this country; and on this day had afforded them fine -sport. - -The antelope of this country, I believe to be different from all -other known varieties, and forms one of the most pleasing, living -ornaments to this western world. They are seen in some places in great -numbers sporting and playing about the hills and dales; and often, in -flocks of fifty or a hundred, will follow the boat of the descending -voyageur, or the travelling caravan, for hours together; keeping off -at a safe distance, on the right or left, galloping up and down the -hills, snuffing their noses and stamping their feet; as if they were -endeavouring to remind the traveller of the wicked trespass he was -making on their own hallowed ground. - -This little animal seems to be endowed, like many other gentle and -sweet-breathing creatures, with an undue share of curiosity, which -often leads them to destruction; and the hunter who wishes to entrap -them, saves himself the trouble of travelling after them. When he has -been discovered, he has only to elevate above the tops of the grass, -his red or yellow handkerchief on the end of his gun-rod (+plate+ 40), -which he sticks in the ground, and to which they are sure to advance, -though with great coyness and caution; whilst he lies close, at a -little distance, with his rifle in hand; when it is quite an easy -matter to make sure of two or three at a shot, which he gets in range -of his eye, to be pierced with one bullet. - -On Sunday, departed from our encampment in the Grand Détour; and having -passed for many miles, through a series of winding and ever-varying -bluffs and fancied ruins, like such as have already been described, our -attention was more than usually excited by the stupendous scene (+plate+ -41), called by the voyageurs “the Grand Dome,” which was lying in full -view before us. - -Our canoe was here hauled ashore, and a day whiled away again, amongst -these clay built ruins. - -We clambered to their summits and enjoyed the distant view of the -Missouri for many miles below, wending its way through the countless -groups of clay and grass-covered hills; and we wandered back on the -plains, in a toilsome and unsuccessful pursuit of a herd of buffaloes, -which we discovered at some distance. Though we were disappointed -in the results of the chase; yet we were in a measure repaid in -amusements, which we found in paying a visit to an extensive village of -prairie dogs, and of which I should render some account. - -I have subjoined a sketch (+plate+ 42) of one of these _sub-terra_ -communities; though it was taken in a former excursion, when my party -was on horseback, and near the mouth of the Yellow Stone River; yet -it answers for this place as well as any other, for their habits are -one and the same wherever they are found; their houses or burrows -are all alike, and as their location is uniformly on a level and -desolate prairie, without timber, there is little room for variety or -dissimilarity. - -The prairie dog of the American Prairies is undoubtedly a variety -of the marmot; and probably not unlike those which inhabit the vast -Steppes of Asia. It bears no resemblance to any variety of dogs, -except in the sound of its voice, when excited by the approach of -danger, which is something like that of a very small dog, and still -much more resembling the barking of a grey squirrel. - -[Illustration: 39] - -[Illustration: 40] - -The size of these curious little animals is not far from that of a -very large rat, and they are not unlike in their appearance. As I have -said, their burrows, are uniformly built in a lonely desert; and away, -both from the proximity of timber and water. Each individual, or each -family, dig their hole in the prairie to the depth of eight or ten -feet, throwing up the dirt from each excavation, in a little pile, in -the form of a cone, which forms the only elevation for them to ascend; -where they sit, to bark and chatter when an enemy is approaching their -village. These villages are sometimes of several miles in extent; -containing (I would almost say) myriads of their excavations and little -dirt hillocks, and to the ears of their visitors, the din of their -barkings is too confused and too peculiar to be described. - -In the present instance, we made many endeavours to shoot them, but -finding our efforts to be entirely in vain. As we were approaching them -at a distance, each one seemed to be perched up, on his hind feet, -on his appropriate domicil, with a significant jerk of his tail at -every bark, positively disputing our right of approach. I made several -attempts to get near enough to “draw a bead” upon one of them; and -just before I was ready to fire (and as if they knew the utmost limits -of their safety), they sprang down into their holes, and instantly -turning their bodies, shewed their ears and the ends of their noses, as -they were peeping out at me; which position they would hold, until the -shortness of the distance subjected their scalps to danger again, from -the aim of a rifle; when they instantly disappeared from our sight, -and all was silence thereafter, about their premises, as I passed them -over; until I had so far advanced by them, that their ears were again -discovered, and at length themselves, at full length, perched on the -tops of their little hillocks and threatening as before; thus gradually -sinking and rising like a wave before and behind me. - -The holes leading down to their burrows, are four or five inches in -diameter, and run down nearly perpendicular; where they undoubtedly -communicate into something like a subterraneous city (as I have -formerly learned from fruitless endeavours to dig them out), undermined -and vaulted; by which means, they can travel for a great distance under -the ground, without danger from pursuit. - -Their food is simply the grass in the immediate vicinity of their -burrows, which is cut close to the ground by their flat, shovel teeth; -and, as they sometimes live twenty miles from any water, it is to be -supposed that they get moisture enough from the dew on the grass, on -which they feed chiefly at night; or that (as is generally supposed) -they sink wells from their under-ground habitations, by which they -descend low enough to get their supply. In the winter, they are for -several months invisible; existing, undoubtedly, in a torpid state, -as they certainly lay by no food for that season—nor can they procure -any. These curious little animals belong to almost every latitude in -the vast plains of prairie in North America; and their villages, which -I have sometimes encountered in my travels, have compelled my party to -ride several miles out of our way to get by them; for their burrows are -generally within a few feet of each other, and dangerous to the feet -and the limbs of our horses. - -The sketch of the bluffs denominated “the Grand Dome,” of which I spoke -but a few moments since, is a faithful delineation of the lines and -character of that wonderful scene; and the reader has here a just and -striking illustration of the ruin-like appearances, as I have formerly -described, that are so often met with on the banks of this mighty river. - -This is, perhaps, one of the most grand and beautiful scenes of the -kind to be met with in this country, owing to the perfect appearance -of its several huge domes, turrets, and towers, which were everywhere -as precise and as perfect in their forms as they are represented in -the illustration. These stupendous works are produced by the continual -washing down of the sides of these clay-formed hills; and although, in -many instances, their sides, by exposure, have become so hardened, that -their change is very slow; yet they are mostly subjected to continual -phases, more or less, until ultimately their decomposition ceases, -and their sides becoming seeded and covered with a green turf, which -protects and holds them (and will hold them) unalterable: with carpets -of green, and enamelled with flowers, to be gazed upon with admiration, -by the hardy voyageur and the tourist, for ages and centuries to come. - -On Monday, the seventh day from the mouth of the Yellow Stone River, -we floated away from this noble scene; looking back again and again -upon it, wondering at its curious and endless changes, as the swift -current of the river, hurried us by, and gradually out of sight of -it. We took a sort of melancholy leave of it—but at every bend and -turn in the stream, we were introduced to others—and others—and yet -others, almost as strange and curious. At the base of one of these, -although we had passed it, we with difficulty landed our canoe, and I -ascended to its top, with some hours’ labour; having to cut a foot-hold -in the clay with my hatchet for each step, a great part of the way up -its sides. So curious was this solitary bluff, standing alone as it -did, to the height of 250 feet (+plate+ 43), with its sides washed -down into hundreds of variegated forms—with large blocks of indurated -clay, remaining upon pedestals and columns as it were, and with such -a variety of tints; that I looked upon it as a beautiful picture, and -devoted an hour or two with my brush, in transferring it to my canvass. - -In the after part of this day we passed another extraordinary scene, -which is denominated “the Three Domes” (+plate+ 44), forming an -exceedingly pleasing group, though requiring no further description for -the reader, who is now sufficiently acquainted with these scenes to -understand them. - -[Illustration: 41] - -[Illustration: 42] - -[Illustration: 43] - -[Illustration: 44] - -On this day, just before night, we landed our little boat in front of -the Mandan village; and amongst the hundreds and thousands who flocked -towards the river to meet and to greet us, was Mr. Kipp, the agent of -the American Fur Company, who has charge of their Establishment at this -place. He kindly ordered my canoe to be taken care of, and my things to -be carried to his quarters, which was at once done; and I am at this -time reaping the benefits of his genuine politeness, and gathering the -pleasures of his amusing and interesting society. - - - - - LETTER—No. 11. - - MANDAN VILLAGE, _UPPER MISSOURI_. - - -I said that I was here in the midst of a strange people, which is -literally true; and I find myself surrounded by subjects and scenes -worthy the pens of Irving or Cooper—of the pencils of Raphael or -Hogarth; rich in legends and romances, which would require no aid of -the imagination for a book or a picture. - -The Mandans (or See-pohs-kah-nu-mah-kah-kee, “people of the pheasants,” -as they call themselves), are perhaps one of the most ancient tribes -of Indians in our country. Their origin, like that of all the other -tribes is from necessity, involved in mystery and obscurity. Their -traditions and peculiarities I shall casually recite in this or future -epistles; which when understood, will at once, I think, denominate them -a peculiar and distinct race. They take great pride in relating their -traditions, with regard to their origin; contending that they were the -_first_ people created on earth. Their existence in these regions has -not been from a very ancient period; and, from what I could learn of -their traditions, they have, at a former period, been a very numerous -and powerful nation; but by the continual wars which have existed -between them and their neighbours, they have been reduced to their -present numbers. - -This tribe is at present located on the west bank of the Missouri, -about 1800 miles above St. Louis, and 200 below the Mouth of Yellow -Stone river. They have two villages only, which are about two miles -distant from each other; and number in all (as near as I can learn), -about 2000 souls. Their present villages are beautifully located, and -judiciously also, for defence against the assaults of their enemies. -The site of the lower (or principal) town, in particular (+plate+ -45), is one of the most beautiful and pleasing that can be seen -in the world, and even more beautiful than imagination could ever -create. In the very midst of an extensive valley (embraced within a -thousand graceful swells and parapets or mounds of interminable green, -changing to blue, as they vanish in distance) is built the city, or -principal town of the Mandans. On an extensive plain (which is covered -with a green turf, as well as the hills and dales, as far as the eye -can possibly range, without tree or bush to be seen) are to be seen -rising from the ground, and towards the heavens, domes—(not “of gold,” -but) of dirt—and the thousand spears (not “spires”) and scalp-poles, -&c. &c., of the semi-subterraneous village of the hospitable and -gentlemanly Mandans. - -[Illustration: 45] - -[Illustration: 46] - -These people formerly (and within the recollection of many of their -oldest men) lived fifteen or twenty miles farther down the river, in -ten contiguous villages; the marks or ruins of which are yet plainly -to be seen. At that period, it is evident, as well from the number of -lodges which their villages contained, as from their traditions, that -their numbers were much greater than at the present day. - -There are other, and very interesting, traditions and historical facts -relative to a still prior location and condition of these people, -of which I shall speak more fully on a future occasion. From these, -when they are promulged, I think there may be a pretty fair deduction -drawn, that they formerly occupied the lower part of the Missouri, and -even the Ohio and Muskingum, and have gradually made their way up the -Missouri to where they now are. - -There are many remains on the river below this place (and, in fact, -to be seen nearly as low down as St. Louis), which shew clearly the -peculiar construction of Mandan lodges, and consequently carry a strong -proof of the above position. While descending the river, however, which -I shall commence in a few weeks, in a canoe, this will be a subject of -interest; and I shall give it close examination. - -The ground on which the Mandan village is at present built, was -admirably selected for defence; being on a bank forty or fifty feet -above the bed of the river. The greater part of this bank is nearly -perpendicular, and of solid rock. The river, suddenly changing its -course to a right-angle, protects two sides of the village, which is -built upon this promontory or angle; they have therefore but one side -to protect, which is effectually done by a strong piquet, and a ditch -inside of it, of three or four feet in depth. The piquet is composed -of timbers of a foot or more in diameter, and eighteen feet high, set -firmly in the ground at sufficient distances from each other to admit -of guns and other missiles to be fired between them. The ditch (unlike -that of civilized modes of fortification) is inside of the piquet, in -which their warriors screen their bodies from the view and weapons of -their enemies, whilst they are reloading and discharging their weapons -through the piquets. - -The Mandans are undoubtedly secure in their villages, from the attacks -of any Indian nation, and have nothing to fear, except when they meet -their enemy on the prairie. Their village has a most novel appearance -to the eye of a stranger; their lodges are closely grouped together, -leaving but just room enough for walking and riding between them; and -appear from without, to be built entirely of dirt; but one is surprised -when he enters them, to see the neatness, comfort, and spacious -dimensions of these earth-covered dwellings. They all have a circular -form, and are from forty to sixty feet in diameter. Their foundations -are prepared by digging some two feet in the ground, and forming the -floor of earth, by levelling the requisite size for the lodge. These -floors or foundations are all perfectly circular, and varying in size -in proportion to the number of inmates, or of the quality or standing -of the families which are to occupy them. The superstructure is then -produced, by arranging, inside of this circular excavation, firmly -fixed in the ground and resting against the bank, a barrier or wall of -timbers, some eight or nine inches in diameter, of equal height (about -six feet) placed on end, and resting against each other, supported by -a formidable embankment of earth raised against them outside; then, -resting upon the tops of these timbers or piles, are others of equal -size and equal in numbers, of twenty or twenty-five feet in length, -resting firmly against each other, and sending their upper or smaller -ends towards the centre and top of the lodge; rising at an angle of -forty-five degrees to the apex or sky-light, which is about three or -four feet in diameter, answering as a chimney and a sky-light at the -same time. The roof of the lodge being thus formed, is supported by -beams passing around the inner part of the lodge about the middle of -these poles or timbers, and themselves upheld by four or five large -posts passing down to the floor of the lodge. On the top of, and over -the poles forming the roof, is placed a complete mat of willow-boughs, -of half a foot or more in thickness, which protects the timbers from -the dampness of the earth, with which the lodge is covered from bottom -to top, to the depth of two or three feet; and then with a hard or -tough clay, which is impervious to water, and which with long use -becomes quite hard, and a lounging place for the whole family in -pleasant weather—for sage—for wooing lovers—for dogs and all; an airing -place—a look-out—a place for gossip and mirth—a seat for the solitary -gaze and meditations of the stern warrior, who sits and contemplates -the peaceful mirth and happiness that is breathed beneath him, fruits -of his hard-fought battles, on fields of desperate combat with -bristling Red Men. - -The floors of these dwellings are of earth, but so hardened by use, -and swept so clean, and tracked by bare and moccassined feet, that -they have almost a polish, and would scarcely soil the whitest linen. -In the centre, and immediately under the sky-light (+plate+ 46) is the -fire-place—a hole of four or five feet in diameter, of a circular form, -sunk a foot or more below the surface, and curbed around with stone. -Over the fire-place, and suspended from the apex of diverging props or -poles, is generally seen the pot or kettle, filled with buffalo meat; -and around it are the family, reclining in all the most picturesque -attitudes and groups, resting on their buffalo-robes and beautiful mats -of rushes. These cabins are so spacious, that they hold from twenty -to forty persons—a family and all their connexions. They all sleep on -bedsteads similar in form to ours, but generally not quite so high; -made of round poles rudely lashed together with thongs. A buffalo skin, -fresh stripped from the animal, is stretched across the bottom poles, -and about two feet from the floor; which, when it dries, becomes much -contracted, and forms a perfect sacking-bottom. The fur side of this -skin is placed uppermost, on which they lie with great comfort, with -a buffalo-robe folded up for a pillow, and others drawn over them -instead of blankets. These beds, as far as I have seen them (and I have -visited almost every lodge in the village), are uniformly screened with -a covering of buffalo or elk skins, oftentimes beautifully dressed -and placed over the upright poles or frame, like a suit of curtains; -leaving a hole in front, sufficiently spacious for the occupant to pass -in and out, to and from his or her bed. Some of these coverings or -curtains are exceedingly beautiful, being cut tastefully into fringe, -and handsomely ornamented with porcupine’s quills and picture writings -or hieroglyphics. - -From the great number of inmates in these lodges, they are necessarily -very spacious, and the number of beds considerable. It is no uncommon -thing to see these lodges fifty feet in diameter inside (which is an -immense room), with a row of these curtained beds extending quite -around their sides, being some ten or twelve of them, placed four or -five feet apart, and the space between them occupied by a large post, -fixed quite firm in the ground, and six or seven feet high, with large -wooden pegs or bolts in it, on which are hung and grouped, with a wild -and startling taste, the arms and armour of the respective proprietor; -consisting of his whitened shield, embossed and emblazoned with the -figure of his protecting _medicine_ (or mystery), his bow and quiver, -his war-club or battle-axe, his dart or javelin—his tobacco pouch and -pipe—his medicine-bag—and his eagle—ermine or raven head-dress; and -over all, and on the top of the post (as if placed by some conjuror -or Indian magician, to guard and protect the spell of wildness that -reigns in this strange place), stands forth and in full relief the head -and horns of a buffalo, which is, by a village regulation, owned and -possessed by every man in the nation, and hung at the head of his bed, -which he uses as a mask when called upon by the chiefs, to join in the -buffalo-dance, of which I shall say more in a future epistle. - -This arrangement of beds, of arms, &c., combining the most vivid -display and arrangement of colours, of furs, of trinkets—of barbed and -glistening points and steel—of mysteries and hocus pocus, together -with the sombre and smoked colour of the roof and sides of the -lodge; and the wild, and rude and red—the graceful (though uncivil) -conversational, garrulous, story-telling and happy, though ignorant -and untutored groups, that are smoking their pipes—wooing their -sweethearts, and embracing their little ones about their peaceful and -endeared fire-sides; together with their pots and kettles, spoons, -and other culinary articles of their own manufacture, around them; -present altogether, one of the most picturesque scenes to the eye of a -stranger, that can be possibly seen; and far more wild and vivid than -could ever be imagined. - -Reader, I said these people were garrulous, story-telling and happy; -this is true, and literally so; and it belongs to me to establish the -fact, and correct the error which seems to have gone forth to the world -on this subject. - -As I have before observed, there is no subject that I know of within -the scope and reach of human wisdom, on which the civilized world in -this enlightened age are more incorrectly informed, than upon that -of the true manners and customs, and moral condition, rights and -abuses, of the North American Indians; and that, as I have also before -remarked, chiefly on account of the difficulty of our cultivating a -fair and honourable acquaintance with them, and doing them the justice, -and ourselves the credit, of a fair and impartial investigation of -their true character. The present age of refinement and research has -brought every thing else that I know of (and a vast deal more than -the most enthusiastic mind ever dreamed of) within the scope and fair -estimation of refined intellect and of science; while the wild and -timid savage, with his interesting customs and modes has vanished, or -his character has become changed, at the approach of the enlightened -and intellectual world; who follow him like a phantom for awhile, and -in ignorance of his true character at last turn back to the common -business and social transactions of life. - -Owing to the above difficulties, which have stood in the way, the world -have fallen into many egregious errors with regard to the true modes -and meaning of the savage, which I am striving to set forth and correct -in the course of these epistles. And amongst them all, there is none -more common, nor more entirely erroneous, nor more easily refuted, -than the current one, that “the Indian is a sour, morose, reserved and -taciturn man.” I have heard this opinion advanced a thousand times and -I believed it; but such certainly, is not uniformly nor generally the -case. - -I have observed in all my travels amongst the Indian tribes, and -more particularly amongst these unassuming people, that they are a -far more talkative and conversational race than can easily be seen -in the civilized world. This assertion, like many others I shall -occasionally make, will somewhat startle the folks at the East, yet -it is true. No one can look into the wigwams of these people, or into -any little momentary group of them, without being at once struck with -the conviction that small-talk, gossip, garrulity, and story-telling, -are the leading passions with them, who have little else to do in -the world, but to while away their lives in the innocent and endless -amusement of the exercise of those talents with which Nature has -liberally endowed them, for their mirth and enjoyment. - -One has but to walk or ride about this little town and its environs -for a few hours in a pleasant day, and overlook the numerous games and -gambols, where their notes and yelps of exultation are unceasingly -vibrating in the atmosphere; or peep into their wigwams (and watch -the glistening fun that’s beaming from the noses, cheeks, and chins, -of the crouching, cross-legged, and prostrate groups around the fire; -where the pipe is passed, and jokes and anecdote, and laughter are -excessive) to become convinced that it is natural to laugh and be -merry. Indeed it would be strange if a race of people like these, who -have little else to do or relish in life, should be curtailed in that -source of pleasure and amusement; and it would be also strange, if a -life-time of indulgence and practice in so innocent and productive a -mode of amusement, free from the cares and anxieties of business or -professions, should not advance them in their modes, and enable them to -draw far greater pleasure from such sources, than we in the civilized -and business world can possibly feel. If the uncultivated condition of -their minds curtails the number of their enjoyments; yet they are free -from, and independent of, a thousand cares and jealousies, which arise -from mercenary motives in the civilized world; and are yet far a-head -of us (in my opinion) in the real and uninterrupted enjoyment of their -simple natural faculties. - -They live in a country and in communities, where it is not customary -to look forward into the future with concern, for they live without -incurring the expenses of life, which are absolutely necessary and -unavoidable in the enlightened world; and of course their inclinations -and faculties are solely directed to the enjoyment of the present day, -without the sober reflections on the past or apprehensions of the -future. - -With minds thus unexpanded and uninfluenced by the thousand passions -and ambitions of civilized life, it is easy and natural to concentrate -their thoughts and their conversation upon the little and trifling -occurrences of their lives. They are fond of fun and good cheer, and -can laugh easily and heartily at a slight joke, of which their peculiar -modes of life furnish them an inexhaustible fund, and enable them to -cheer their little circle about the wigwam fire-side with endless -laughter and garrulity. - -It may be thought, that I am taking a great deal of pains to establish -this fact, and I am dwelling longer upon it than I otherwise should, -inasmuch as I am opposing an error that seems to have become current -through the world; and which, if it be once corrected, removes a -material difficulty, which has always stood in the way of a fair and -just estimation of the Indian character. For the purpose of placing -the Indian in a proper light before the world, as I hope to do in -many respects, it is of importance to me—it is but justice to the -savage—and justice to my readers also, that such points should be -cleared up as I proceed; and for the world who enquire for correct and -just information, they must take my words for the truth, or else come -to this country and look for themselves, into these grotesque circles -of never-ending laughter and fun, instead of going to Washington -City to gaze on the poor embarrassed Indian who is called there by -his “Great Father,” to contend with the sophistry of the learned and -acquisitive world, in bartering away his lands with the graves and the -hunting grounds of his ancestors. There is not the proper place to -study the Indian character; yet it is the place where the sycophant and -the scribbler go to gaze and frown upon him—to learn his character, -and write his history! and because he does not speak, and quaffs the -delicious beverage which he receives from white men’s hands, “he’s a -speechless brute and a drunkard.” An Indian is a beggar in Washington -City, and a white man is almost equally so in the Mandan village. An -Indian in Washington is mute, is dumb and embarrassed; and so is a -white man (and for the very same reasons) in this place—he has nobody -to talk to. - -A wild Indian, to reach the civilized world, must needs travel -some thousands of miles in vehicles of conveyance, to which he is -unaccustomed—through latitudes and longitudes which are new to -him—living on food that he is unused to—stared and gazed at by the -thousands and tens of thousands whom he cannot talk to—his heart -grieving and his body sickening at the exhibition of white men’s wealth -and luxuries, which are enjoyed on the land, and over the bones of -his ancestors. And at the end of his journey he stands (like a caged -animal) to be scanned—to be criticised—to be pitied—and heralded to the -world as a mute—as a brute, and a beggar. - -A white man, to reach this village, must travel by steam-boat—by -canoes—on horseback and on foot; swim rivers—wade quagmires—fight -mosquitoes—patch his moccasins, and patch them again and again, and his -breeches; live on meat alone—sleep on the ground the whole way, and -think and dream of his friends he has left behind; and when he gets -here, half-starved, and half-naked, and more than half sick, he finds -himself a beggar for a place to sleep, and for something to eat; a -mute amongst thousands who flock about him, to look and to criticise, -and to laugh at him for his jaded appearance, and to speak of him as -they do of all white men (without distinction) as liars. These people -are in the habit of seeing no white men in their country but Traders, -and know of no other; deeming us all alike, and receiving us all under -the presumption that we come to trade or barter; applying to us all, -indiscriminately, the epithet of “liars” or Traders. - -The reader will therefore see, that we mutually suffer in each other’s -estimation from the unfortunate ignorance, which distance has chained -us in; and (as I can vouch, and the Indian also, who has visited -the civilized world) that the historian who would record justly and -correctly the character and customs of a people, must go and live among -them. - - - - - LETTER—No. 12. - - MANDAN VILLAGE, UPPER MISSOURI. - - -In my last, I gave some account of the village, and the customs, and -appearances of this strange people,—and I will now proceed to give -further details on that subject. - -I have this morning, perched myself upon the top of one of the -earth-covered lodges, which I have before described, and having the -whole village beneath and about me (+plate+ 47), with its sachems—its -warriors—its dogs—and its horses in motion—its medicines (or mysteries) -and scalp-poles waving over my head—its piquets—its green fields and -prairies, and river in full view, with the din and bustle of the -thrilling panorama that is about me. I shall be able, I hope, to give -some sketches more to the life than I could have done from any effort -of recollection. - -I said that the lodges or wigwams were covered with earth—were of forty -or sixty feet in diameter, and so closely grouped that there was but -just room enough to walk and ride between them,—that they had a door by -which to enter them, and a hole in the top for the admission of light, -and for the smoke to escape,—that the inmates were at times grouped -upon their tops in conversations and other amusements, &c.; and yet -you know not exactly how they look, nor what is the precise appearance -of the strange world that is about me. There is really a newness -and rudeness in every thing that is to be seen. There are several -hundred houses or dwellings about me, and they are purely unique—they -are all covered with dirt—the people are all red, and yet distinct -from all other red folks I have seen. The horses are wild—every dog -is a wolf—the whole moving mass are strangers to me: the living, in -everything, carry an air of intractable wildness about them, and the -dead are not buried, but dried upon scaffolds. - -The groups of lodges around me present a very curious and pleasing -appearance, resembling in shape (more nearly than anything else I -can compare them to) so many potash-kettles inverted. On the tops -of these are to be seen groups standing and reclining, whose wild -and picturesque appearance it would be difficult to describe. Stern -warriors, like statues, standing in dignified groups, wrapped in their -painted robes, with their heads decked and plumed with quills of the -war-eagle; extending their long arms to the east or the west, the -scenes of their battles, which they are recounting over to each other. -In another direction, the wooing lover, softening the heart of his fair -Taih-nah-tai-a with the notes of his simple lute. On other lodges, and -beyond these, groups are engaged in games of the “moccasin,” or the -“platter.” Some are to be seen manufacturing robes and dresses, and -others, fatigued with amusements or occupations, have stretched their -limbs to enjoy the luxury of sleep, whilst basking in the sun. With -all this wild and varied medley of living beings are mixed their dogs, -which seem to be so near an Indian’s heart, as almost to constitute a -material link of his existence. - -In the centre of the village is an open space, or public area, of 150 -feet in diameter, and circular in form, which is used for all public -games and festivals, shews and exhibitions; and also for their “annual -religious ceremonies,” which are soon to take place, and of which I -shall hereafter give some account. The lodges around this open space -front in, with their doors towards the centre; and in the middle of -this circle stands an object of great religious veneration, as I am -told, on account of the importance it has in the conduction of those -annual religious rites. - -This object is in form of a large hogshead, some eight or ten feet -high, made of planks and hoops, containing within it some of their -choicest medicines or mysteries, and religiously preserved unhacked or -scratched, as a symbol of the “Big Canoe,” as they call it. - -One of the lodges fronting on this circular area, and facing this -strange object of their superstition, is called the “Medicine Lodge,” -or council house. It is in this sacred building that these wonderful -ceremonies, in commemoration of the flood, take place. I am told by the -Traders that the cruelties of these scenes are frightful and abhorrent -in the extreme; and that this huge wigwam, which is now closed, has -been built exclusively for this grand celebration. I am every day -reminded of the near approach of the season for this strange affair, -and as I have not yet seen any thing of it, I cannot describe it; I -know it only from the relations of the Traders who have witnessed parts -of it; and their descriptions are of so extraordinary a character, that -I would not be willing to describe until I can see for myself,—which -will, in all probability, be in a few days. - -In ranging the eye over the village from where I am writing, there -is presented to the view the strangest mixture and medley of -unintelligible trash (independent of the living beings that are in -motion), that can possibly be imagined. On the roofs of the lodges, -besides the groups of living, are buffaloes’ skulls, skin canoes, -pots and pottery; sleds and sledges—and suspended on poles, erected -some twenty feet above the doors of their wigwams, are displayed in a -pleasant day, the scalps of warriors, preserved as trophies; and thus -proudly exposed as evidence of their warlike deeds. In other parts are -raised on poles the warriors’ pure and whitened shields and quivers, -with medicine-bags attached; and here and there a sacrifice of red -cloth, or other costly stuff, offered up to the Great Spirit, over -the door of some benignant chief, in humble gratitude for the blessings -which he is enjoying. Such is a part of the strange medley that is -before and around me; and amidst them and the blue streams of smoke -that are rising from the tops of these hundred “coal-pits,” can be -seen in distance, the green and boundless, treeless, bushless prairie; -and on it, and contiguous to the piquet which encloses the village, a -hundred scaffolds on which their “dead live,” as they term it. - -[Illustration: 47] - -[Illustration: 48] - -These people never bury the dead, but place the bodies on slight -scaffolds just above the reach of human hands, and out of the way of -wolves and dogs; and they are there left to moulder and decay. This -cemetery, or place of deposite for the dead, is just back of the -village, on a level prairie (+plate+ 48); and with all its appearances, -history, forms, ceremonies, &c. is one of the strangest and most -interesting objects to be described in the vicinity of this peculiar -race. - -Whenever a person dies in the Mandan village, and the customary honours -and condolence are paid to his remains, and the body dressed in its -best attire, painted, oiled, feasted, and supplied with bow and quiver, -shield, pipe and tobacco—knife, flint and steel, and provisions enough -to last him a few days on the journey which he is to perform; a fresh -buffalo’s skin, just taken from the animal’s back, is wrapped around -the body, and tightly bound and wound with thongs of raw hide from head -to foot. Then other robes are soaked in water, till they are quite -soft and elastic, which are also bandaged around the body in the same -manner, and tied fast with thongs, which are wound with great care and -exactness, so as to exclude the action of the air from all parts of the -body. - -There is then a separate scaffold erected for it, constructed of four -upright posts, a little higher than human hands can reach; and on the -tops of these are small poles passing around from one post to the -others; across which a number of willow-rods just strong enough to -support the body, which is laid upon them on its back, with its feet -carefully presented towards the rising sun. - -There are a great number of these bodies resting exactly in a similar -way; excepting in some instances where a chief, or medicine-man, may -be seen with a few yards of scarlet or blue cloth spread over his -remains, as a mark of public respect and esteem. Some hundreds of these -bodies may be seen reposing in this manner in this curious place, which -the Indians call, “the village of the dead;” and the traveller, who -visits this country to study and learn, will not only be struck with -the novel appearance of the scene; but if he will give attention to -the respect and devotions that are paid to this sacred place, he will -draw many a moral deduction that will last him through life: he will -learn, at least, that filial, conjugal, and paternal affection are not -necessarily the results of civilization; but that the Great Spirit -has given them to man in his native state; and that the spices and -improvements of the enlightened world have never refined upon them. - -There is not a day in the year in which one may not see in this place -evidences of this fact, that will wring tears from his eyes, and kindle -in his bosom a spark of respect and sympathy for the poor Indian, if -he never felt it before. Fathers, mothers, wives, and children, may -be seen lying under these scaffolds, prostrated upon the ground, with -their faces in the dirt, howling forth incessantly the most piteous -and heart-broken cries and lamentations for the misfortunes of their -kindred; tearing their hair—cutting their flesh with their knives, -and doing other penance to appease the spirits of the dead, whose -misfortunes they attribute to some sin or omission of their own, for -which they sometimes inflict the most excruciating self-torture. - -When the scaffolds on which the bodies rest, decay and fall to the -ground, the nearest relations having buried the rest of the bones, -take the skulls, which are perfectly bleached and purified, and place -them in circles of an hundred or more on the prairie—placed at equal -distances apart (some eight or nine inches from each other), with the -faces all looking to the centre; where they are religiously protected -and preserved in their precise positions from year to year, as objects -of religious and affectionate veneration (+plate+ 48). - -There are several of these “Golgothas” or circles of twenty or thirty -feet in diameter, and in the centre of each ring or circle is a -little mound of three feet high, on which uniformly rest two buffalo -skulls (a male and female); and in the centre of the little mound is -erected a “medicine pole,” about twenty feet high, supporting many -curious articles of mystery and superstition, which they suppose have -the power of guarding and protecting this sacred arrangement. Here -then, to this strange place do these people again resort, to evince -their further affections for the dead—not in groans and lamentations -however, for several years have cured the anguish; but fond affections -and endearments are here renewed, and conversations are here held and -cherished with the dead. - -Each one of these skulls is placed upon a bunch of wild sage, which -has been pulled and placed under it. The wife knows (by some mark or -resemblance) the skull of her husband or her child, which lies in this -group; and there seldom passes a day that she does not visit it, with -a dish of the best cooked food that her wigwam affords, which she sets -before the skull at night, and returns for the dish in the morning. -As soon as it is discovered that the sage on which the skull rests is -beginning to decay, the woman cuts a fresh bunch, and places the skull -carefully upon it, removing that which was under it. - -Independent of the above-named duties, which draw the women to this -spot, they visit it from inclination, and linger upon it to hold -converse and company with the dead. There is scarcely an hour in a -pleasant day, but more or less of these women may be seen sitting or -laying by the skull of their child or husband—talking to it in the most -pleasant and endearing language that they can use (as they were wont -to do in former days) and seemingly getting an answer back. It is not -unfrequently the case, that the woman brings her needle-work with her, -spending the greater part of the day, sitting by the side of the skull -of her child, chatting incessantly with it, while she is embroidering -or garnishing a pair of moccasins; and perhaps, overcome with fatigue, -falls asleep, with her arms encircled around it, forgetting herself for -hours; after which she gathers up her things and returns to the village. - -There is something exceedingly interesting and impressive in these -scenes, which are so strikingly dissimilar, and yet within a few rods -of each other; the one is the place where they pour forth the frantic -anguish of their souls—and afterwards pay their visits to the other, to -jest and gossip with the dead. - -The great variety of shapes and characters exhibited in these groups -of crania, render them a very interesting study for the craniologist -and phrenologist; but I apprehend that it would be a matter of great -difficulty (if not of impossibility) to procure them at this time, for -the use and benefit of the scientific world. - - - - - LETTER—No. 13. - - MANDAN VILLAGE, UPPER MISSOURI. - - -In several of my former Letters I have given sketches of the village, -and some few of the customs of these peculiar people; and I have many -more yet in store; some of which will induce the readers to laugh, and -others almost dispose them to weep. But at present, I drop them, and -introduce a few of the wild and gentlemanly Mandans themselves; and -first, Ha-na-tah-nu-mauh, the wolf chief (+plate+ 49). This man is -head-chief of the nation, and familiarly known by the name of “Chef -de Loup,” as the French Traders call him; a haughty, austere, and -overbearing man, respected and feared by his people rather than loved. -The tenure by which this man holds his office, is that by which the -head-chiefs of most of the tribes claim, that of inheritance. It is -a general, though not an infallible rule amongst the numerous tribes -of North American Indians, that the office of chief belongs to the -eldest son of a chief; provided he shews himself, by his conduct, to be -equally worthy of it as any other in the nation: making it hereditary -on a very proper condition—in default of which requisites, or others -which may happen, the office is elective. - -The dress of this chief was one of great extravagance, and some beauty; -manufactured of skins, and a great number of quills of the raven, -forming his stylish head-dress. - -The next and second chief of the tribe, is Mah-to-toh-pa (the four -bears). This extraordinary man, though second in office is undoubtedly -the first and most popular man in the nation. Free, generous, elegant -and gentlemanly in his deportment—handsome, brave and valiant; wearing -a robe on his back, with the history of his battles emblazoned on it; -which would fill a book of themselves, if properly translated. This, -readers, is the most extraordinary man, perhaps, who lives at this day, -in the atmosphere of Nature’s noblemen; and I shall certainly tell you -more of him anon. - -After him, there are Mah-tahp-ta-ha, he who rushes through the middle -(+plate+ 50); Seehk-hee-da, the mouse-coloured feather (+plate+ 51); -San-ja-ka-ko-kah (the deceiving wolf); Mah-to-he-ha (the old bear), and -others, distinguished as chiefs and warriors—and there are belles also; -such as Mi-neek-e-sunk-te-ca, the mink (+plate+ 53); and the little -gray-haired Sha-ko-ka, mint (+plate+ 52); and fifty others, who are -famous for their conquests, not with the bow or the javelin, but -with their small black eyes, which shoot out from under their unfledged -brows, and pierce the boldest, fiercest chieftain to the heart. - -[Illustration: 49] - -[Illustration: 50 51] - -[Illustration: 52 53] - -The Mandans are certainly a very interesting and pleasing people in -their personal appearance and manners; differing in many respects, both -in looks and customs, from all other tribes which I have seen. They -are not a warlike people; for they seldom, if ever, carry war into -their enemies’ country; but when invaded, shew their valour and courage -to be equal to that of any people on earth. Being a small tribe, and -unable to contend on the wide prairies with the Sioux and other roaming -tribes, who are ten times more numerous; they have very judiciously -located themselves in a permanent village, which is strongly fortified, -and ensures their preservation. By this means they have advanced -further in the arts of manufacture; have supplied their lodges more -abundantly with the comforts, and even luxuries of life, than any -Indian nation I know of. The consequence of this is, that this tribe -have taken many steps ahead of other tribes in manners and refinements -(if I may be allowed to apply the word refinement to Indian life); and -are therefore familiarly (and correctly) denominated, by the Traders -and others, who have been amongst them, “the polite and friendly -Mandans.” - -There is certainly great justice in the remark; and so forcibly have -I been struck with the peculiar ease and elegance of these people, -together with the diversity of complexions, the various colours of -their hair and eyes; the singularity of their language, and their -peculiar and unaccountable customs, that I am fully convinced that -they have sprung from some other origin than that of the other North -American tribes, or that they are an amalgam of natives with some -civilized race. - -Here arises a question of very great interest and importance for -discussion; and, after further familiarity with their character, -customs, and traditions, if I forget it not, I will eventually give it -further consideration. Suffice it then, for the present, that their -_personal appearance_ alone, independent of their modes and customs, -pronounces them at once, as more or less, than savage. - -A stranger in the Mandan village is first struck with the different -shades of complexion, and various colours of hair which he sees in a -crowd about him; and is at once almost disposed to exclaim that “these -are not Indians.” - -There are a great many of these people whose complexions appear as -light as half breeds; and amongst the women particularly, there are -many whose skins are almost white, with the most pleasing symmetry -and proportion of features; with hazel, with grey, and with blue -eyes,—with mildness and sweetness of expression, and excessive modesty -of demeanour, which render them exceedingly pleasing and beautiful. - -Why this diversity of complexion I cannot tell, nor can they -themselves account for it. Their traditions, so far as I have yet -learned them, afford us no information of their having had any -knowledge of white men before the visit of Lewis and Clarke, made to -their village thirty-three years ago. Since that time there have been -but very few visits from white men to this place, and surely not enough -to have changed the complexions and the customs of a nation. And I -recollect perfectly well that Governor Clarke told me, before I started -for this place, that I would find the Mandans a strange people and half -white. - -The diversity in the colour of hair is also equally as great as that -in the complexion; for in a numerous group of these people (and more -particularly amongst the females, who never take pains to change its -natural colour, as the men often do), there may be seen every shade and -colour of hair that can be seen in our own country, with the exception -of red or auburn, which is not to be found. - -And there is yet one more strange and unaccountable peculiarity, which -can probably be seen nowhere else on earth; nor on any rational grounds -accounted for,—other than it is a freak or order of Nature, for which -she has not seen fit to assign a reason. There are very many, of both -sexes, and of every age, from infancy to manhood and old age, with hair -of a bright silvery grey; and in some instances almost perfectly white. - -This singular and eccentric appearance is much oftener seen among the -women than it is with the men; for many of the latter who have it, -seem ashamed of it, and artfully conceal it, by filling their hair -with glue and black and red earth. The women, on the other hand, seem -proud of it, and display it often in an almost incredible profusion, -which spreads over their shoulders and falls as low as the knee. I have -ascertained, on a careful enquiry, that about one in ten or twelve of -the whole tribe are what the French call “cheveux gris,” or greyhairs; -and that this strange and unaccountable phenomenon is not the result of -disease or habit; but that it is unquestionably a hereditary character -which runs in families, and indicates no inequality in disposition or -intellect. And by passing this hair through my hands, as I often have, -I have found it uniformly to be as coarse and harsh as a horse’s mane; -differing materially from the hair of other colours, which amongst the -Mandans, is generally as fine and as soft as silk. - -The reader will at once see, by the above facts, that there is enough -upon the faces and heads of these people to stamp them peculiar,—when -he meets them in the heart of this almost boundless wilderness, -presenting such diversities of colour in the complexion and hair; when -he knows from what he has seen, and what he has read, that all other -primitive tribes known in America, are dark copper-coloured, with jet -black hair. - -From these few facts alone, the reader will see that I am amongst a -strange and interesting people, and know how to pardon me, if I lead -him through a maze of novelty and mysteries to the knowledge of a -strange, yet kind and hospitable, people, whose fate, like that of all -their race is sealed;— whose doom is fixed, to live just long enough -to be imperfectly known, and then to fall before the fell disease or -sword of civilizing devastation. - -The stature of the Mandans is rather below the ordinary size of -man, with beautiful symmetry of form and proportion, and wonderful -suppleness and elasticity; they are pleasingly erect and graceful, -both in their walk and their attitudes; and the hair of the men, -which generally spreads over their backs, falling down to the hams, -and sometimes to the ground, is divided into plaits or slabs of two -inches in width, and filled with a profusion of glue and red earth or -vermilion, at intervals of an inch or two, which becoming very hard, -remains in and unchanged from year to year. - -This mode of dressing the hair is curious, and gives to the Mandans the -most singular appearance. The hair of the men is uniformly all laid -over from the forehead backwards; carefully kept above and resting on -the ear, and thence falling down over the back, in these flattened -bunches, and painted red, extending oftentimes quite on to the calf -of the leg, and sometimes in such profusion as almost to conceal the -whole figure from the person walking behind them. In the portrait -of San-ja-ka-ko-kah (the deceiving wolf, +plate+ 54), where he is -represented at full length, with several others of his family around -him in a group, there will be seen a fair illustration of these and -other customs of these people. - -The hair of the women is also worn as long as they can possibly -cultivate it, oiled very often, which preserves on it a beautiful gloss -and shows its natural colour. They often braid it in two large plaits, -one falling down just back of the ear, on each side of the head; and -on any occasion which requires them to “put on their best looks,” they -pass their fingers through it, drawing it out of braid, and spreading -it over their shoulders. The Mandan women observe strictly the same -custom, which I observed amongst the Crows and Blackfeet (and, in fact, -all other tribes I have seen, without a single exception), of parting -the hair on the forehead, and always keeping the crease or separation -filled with vermilion or other red paint. This is one of the very few -little (and apparently trivial) customs which I have found amongst the -Indians, without being able to assign any cause for it, other than that -“they are Indians,” and that this is an Indian fashion. - -In mourning, like the Crows and most other tribes the women are obliged -to crop their hair all off; and the usual term of that condolence is -until the hair has grown again to its former length. - -When a man mourns for the death of a near relation the case is quite -different; his long, valued tresses, are of much greater importance, -and only a lock or two can be spared. Just enough to tell of his grief -to his friends, without destroying his most valued ornament, is doing -just reverence and respect to the dead. - -To repeat what I have said before, the Mandans are a pleasing and -friendly race of people, of whom it is proverbial amongst the Traders -and all who ever have known them that their treatment of white men -in their country has been friendly and kind ever since their first -acquaintance with them—they have ever met and received them, on the -prairie or in their villages, with hospitality and honour. - -They are handsome, straight and elegant in their forms—not tall, -but quick and graceful; easy and polite in their manners, neat in -their persons and beautifully clad. When I say “neat in person and -beautifully clad,” however, I do not intend my readers to understand -that such is the case with them all, for among them and most other -tribes, as with the enlightened world, there are different grades of -society—those who care but little for their personal appearance, and -those who take great pains to please themselves and their friends. -Amongst this class of personages, such as chiefs and braves, or -warriors of distinction, and their families, and dandies or exquisites -(a class of beings of whom I shall take due time to speak in a future -Letter), the strictest regard to decency, and cleanliness and elegance -of dress is observed; and there are few people, perhaps, who take more -pains to keep their persons neat and cleanly than they do. - -At the distance of half a mile or so above the village, is the -customary place where the women and girls resort every morning in the -summer months, to bathe in the river. To this spot they repair by -hundreds, every morning at sunrise, where, on a beautiful beach, they -can be seen running and glistening in the sun, whilst they are playing -their innocent gambols and leaping into the stream. They all learn to -swim well, and the poorest swimmer amongst them will dash fearlessly -into the boiling and eddying current of the Missouri, and cross it with -perfect ease. At the distance of a quarter of a mile back from the -river, extends a terrace or elevated prairie, running north from the -village, and forming a kind of semi-circle around this bathing-place; -and on this terrace, which is some twenty or thirty feet higher than -the meadow between it and the river, are stationed every morning -several sentinels, with their bows and arrows in hand, to guard and -protect this sacred ground from the approach of boys or men from any -directions. - -At a little distance below the village, also, is the place where -the men and boys go to bathe and learn to swim. After this morning -ablution, they return to their village, wipe their limbs dry, and use a -profusion of bear’s grease through their hair and over their bodies. - -The art of swimming is known to all the American Indians; and perhaps -no people on earth have taken more pains to learn it, nor any who turn -it to better account. There certainly are no people whose avocations -of life more often call for the use of their limbs in this way; as -many of the tribes spend their lives on the shores of our vast lakes -and rivers, paddling about from their childhood in their fragile bark -canoes, which are liable to continual accidents, which often throw the -Indian upon his natural resources for the preservation of his life. - -There are many times also, when out upon their long marches in the -prosecution of their almost continued warfare, when it becomes -necessary to plunge into and swim across the wildest streams and -rivers, at times when they have no canoes or craft in which to cross -them. I have as yet seen no tribe where this art is neglected. It is -learned at a very early age by both sexes, and enables the strong and -hardy muscles of the squaws to take their child upon the back, and -successfully to pass any river that lies in their way. - -[Illustration: 54] - -The mode of swimming amongst the Mandans, as well as amongst most of -the other tribes, is quite different from that practiced in those parts -of the civilized world, which I have had the pleasure yet to visit. The -Indian, instead of parting his hands simultaneously under the chin, and -making the stroke outward, in a horizontal direction, causing thereby -a serious strain upon the chest, throws his body alternately upon the -left and the right side, raising one arm entirely above the water and -reaching as far forward as he can, to dip it, whilst his whole weight -and force are spent upon the one that is passing under him, and like a -paddle propelling him along; whilst this arm is making a half circle, -and is being raised out of the water behind him, the opposite arm is -describing a similar arch in the air over his head, to be dipped in the -water as far as he can reach before him, with the hand turned under, -forming a sort of bucket, to act most effectively as it passes in its -turn underneath him. - -By this bold and powerful mode of swimming, which may want the grace -that many would wish to see, I am quite sure, from the experience I -have had, that much of the fatigue and strain upon the breast and spine -are avoided, and that a man will preserve his strength and his breath -much longer in this alternate and rolling motion, than he can in the -usual mode of swimming, in the polished world. - -In addition to the modes of bathing which I have above described, -the Mandans have another, which is a much greater luxury, and often -resorted to by the sick, but far more often by the well and sound, as -a matter of luxury only, or perhaps for the purpose of hardening their -limbs and preparing them for the thousand exposures and vicissitudes -of life to which they are continually liable. I allude to their vapour -baths, or _sudatories_, of which each village has several, and which -seem to be a kind of public property—accessible to all, and resorted to -by all, male and female, old and young, sick and well. - -In every Mandan lodge is to be seen a crib or basket, much in the shape -of a bathing-tub, curiously woven with willow boughs, and sufficiently -large to receive any person of the family in a reclining or recumbent -posture; which, when any one is to take a bath, is carried by the squaw -to the sudatory for the purpose, and brought back to the wigwam again -after it has been used. - -These sudatories are always near the village, above or below it, on -the bank of the river. They are generally built of skins (in form of -a Crow or Sioux lodge which I have before described), covered with -buffalo skins sewed tight together, with a kind of furnace in the -centre; or in other words, in the centre of the lodge are two walls of -stone about six feet long and two and a half apart, and about three -feet high; across and over this space, between the two walls, are laid -a number of round sticks, on which the bathing crib is placed (vide -+plate+ 71). Contiguous to the lodge, and outside of it, is a little -furnace something similar, in the side of the bank, where the woman -kindles a hot fire, and heats to a red heat a number of large stones, -which are kept at these places for this particular purpose; and having -them all in readiness, she goes home or sends word to inform her -husband or other one who is waiting, that all is ready; when he makes -his appearance entirely naked, though with a large buffalo robe wrapped -around him. He then enters the lodge and places himself in the crib or -basket, either on his back or in a sitting posture (the latter of which -is generally preferred), with his back towards the door of the lodge; -when the squaw brings in a large stone red hot, between two sticks -(lashed together somewhat in the form of a pair of tongs) and, placing -it under him, throws cold water upon it, which raises a profusion of -vapour about him. He is at once enveloped in a cloud of steam, and a -woman or child will sit at a little distance and continue to dash water -upon the stone, whilst the matron of the lodge is out, and preparing to -make her appearance with another heated stone: or he will sit and dip -from a wooden bowl, with a ladle made of the mountain-sheep’s horn, and -throw upon the heated stones, with his own hands, the water which he is -drawing through his lungs and pores, in the next moment, in the most -delectable and exhilarating vapours, as it distils through the mat of -wild sage and other medicinal and aromatic herbs, which he has strewed -over the bottom of his basket, and on which he reclines. - -During all this time the lodge is shut perfectly tight, and he quaffs -this delicious and renovating draught to his lungs with deep drawn -sighs, and with extended nostrils, until he is drenched in the most -profuse degree of perspiration that can be produced; when he makes a -kind of strangled signal, at which the lodge is opened, and he darts -forth with the speed of a frightened deer, and plunges headlong into -the river, from which he instantly escapes again, wraps his robe around -him and “leans” as fast as possible for home. Here his limbs are wiped -dry, and wrapped close and tight within the fur of the buffalo robes, -in which he takes his nap, with his feet to the fire; then oils his -limbs and hair with bear’s grease, dresses and plumes himself for a -visit—a feast—a parade, or a council; or slicks down his long hair, -and rubs his oiled limbs to a polish, with a piece of soft buckskin, -prepared to join in games of ball or Tchung-kee. - -Such is the sudatory or the vapour bath of the Mandans, and as I before -observed, it is resorted to both as an every-day luxury by those who -have the time and energy or industry to indulge in it; and also used -by the sick as a remedy for nearly all the diseases which are known -amongst them. Fevers are very rare, and in fact almost unknown amongst -these people: but in the few cases of fever which have been known, this -treatment has been applied, and without the fatal consequences which -we would naturally predict. The greater part of their diseases are -inflammatory rheumatisms, and other chronic diseases; and for these, -this mode of treatment, with their modes of life, does admirably well. -This custom is similar amongst nearly all of these Missouri Indians, -and amongst the Pawnees, Omahas, and Punchas and other tribes, who have -suffered with the small-pox (the dread destroyer of the Indian race), -this mode was practiced by the poor creatures, who fled by hundreds -to the river’s edge, and by hundreds died before they could escape -from the waves, into which they had plunged in the heat and rage of a -burning fever. Such will yet be the scourge, and such the misery of -these poor unthinking people, and each tribe to the Rocky Mountains, -as it has been with every tribe between here and the Atlantic -Ocean. White men—whiskey—tomahawks—scalping knives—guns, powder and -ball—small-pox—debauchery—extermination. - - - - - LETTER No. 14. - - MANDAN VILLAGE, UPPER MISSOURI. - - -The Mandans in many instances dress very neatly, and some of them -splendidly. As they are in their native state, their dresses are all -of their own manufacture; and of course, altogether made of skins of -different animals belonging to those regions. There is, certainly, -a reigning and striking similarity of costume amongst most of the -North Western tribes; and I cannot say that the dress of the Mandans -is decidedly distinct from that of the Crows or the Blackfeet, the -Assinneboins or the Sioux; yet there are modes of stitching or -embroidering, in every tribe, which may at once enable the traveller, -who is familiar with their modes, to detect or distinguish the dress -of any tribe. These differences consist generally in the fashions of -constructing the head-dress, or of garnishing their dresses with the -porcupine quills, which they use in great profusion. - -Amongst so many different and distinct nations, always at war with -each other, and knowing nothing at all of each other’s languages; and -amongst whom, fashions in dress seldom if ever change; it may seem -somewhat strange that we should find these people so nearly following, -or imitating each other, in the forms and modes of their dress and -ornaments. This must however, be admitted, and I think may be accounted -for in a manner, without raising the least argument in favour of the -theory of their having all sprung from one stock or one family; for in -their continual warfare, when chiefs or warriors fall, their clothes -and weapons usually fall into the possession of the victors, who wear -them; and the rest of the tribe would naturally more or less often -copy from or imitate them; and so also in their repeated councils or -treaties of peace, such articles of dress and other manufactures are -customarily exchanged, which are equally adopted by the other tribe; -and consequently, eventually lead to the similarity which we find -amongst the modes of dress, &c. of the different tribes. - -The tunic or shirt of the Mandan men is very similar in shape to that -of the Blackfeet—made of two skins of deer or mountain-sheep, strung -with scalp-locks, beads, and ermine. The leggings, like those of the -other tribes, of whom I have spoken, are made of deer skins, and shaped -to fit the leg, embroidered with porcupine quills, and fringed with -scalps from their enemies heads. Their moccasins are made of buckskin, -and neatly ornamented with porcupine quills—over their shoulders (or -in other words, over one shoulder and passing under the other), they -very gracefully wear a robe from the young buffalo’s back, oftentimes -cut down to about half its original size, to make it handy and easy -for use. Many of these are also fringed on one side with scalp-locks; -and the flesh side of the skin curiously ornamented with pictured -representations of the creditable events and battles of their lives. - -Their head-dresses are of various sorts, and many of them exceedingly -picturesque and handsome; generally made of war-eagles’ or ravens -quills and ermine. These are the most costly part of an Indian’s dress -in all this country, owing to the difficulty of procuring the quills -and the fur. The war-eagle being the “_rara avis_,” and the ermine the -rarest animal that is found in the country. The tail of a war-eagle -in this village, provided it is a perfect one, containing some six or -eight quills, which are denominated first-rate plumes, and suitable to -arrange in a head-dress, will purchase a tolerable good horse (horses, -however, are much cheaper here than they are in most other countries). -I have had abundant opportunities of learning the great value which -these people sometimes attach to such articles of dress and ornament, -as I have been purchasing a great many, which I intend to exhibit in -my Gallery of Indian Paintings, that the world may examine them for -themselves, and thereby be enabled to judge of the fidelity of my -works, and the ingenuity of Indian manufactures. - -In these purchases I have often been surprised at the prices demanded -by them; and perhaps I could not recite a better instance of the kind, -than one which occurred here a few days since:—One of the chiefs, whom -I had painted at full length, in a beautiful costume, with head-dress -of war-eagles’ quills and ermine, extending quite down to his feet; -and whom I was soliciting for the purchase of his dress complete, was -willing to sell to me all but the head-dress; saying, that “he could -not part with that, as he would never be able to get quills and ermine -of so good a quality to make another like it.” I agreed with him, -however, for the rest of the dress, and importuned him, from day to -day, for the head-dress, until he at length replied, that, if I must -have it, he must have two horses for it; the bargain was instantly -struck—the horses were procured of the Traders at twenty-five dollars -each, and the head-dress secured for my Collection. - -There is occasionally, a chief or a warrior of so extraordinary renown, -that he is allowed to wear horns on his head-dress, which give to his -aspect a strange and majestic effect. These are made of about a third -part of the horn of a buffalo bull; the horn having been split from end -to end, and a third part of it taken and shaved thin and light, and -highly polished. These are attached to the top of the head-dress on -each side, in the same place that they rise and stand on the head of -a buffalo; rising out of a mat of ermine skins and tails, which hang -over the top of the head-dress, somewhat in the form that the large and -profuse locks of hair hang and fall over the head of a buffalo bull. -See head-dress in +plates+ 14, 64, and 91, of three different tribes. - -The same custom I have found observed amongst the Sioux,—the Crows—the -Blackfeet and Assinneboins, and it is one of so striking a character -as needs a few more words of observation. There is a peculiar meaning -or importance (in their estimation) to this and many other curious and -unaccountable appearances in the habits of Indians, upon which the -world generally look as things that are absurd and ridiculous, merely -because they are beyond the world’s comprehension, or because we do not -stop to enquire or learn their uses or meaning. - -I find that the principal cause why we underrate and despise the -savage, is generally because we do not understand him; and the reason -why we are ignorant of him and his modes, is that we do not stop to -investigate—the world have been too much in the habit of looking -upon him as altogether inferior—as a beast, a brute; and unworthy -of more than a passing notice. If they stop long enough to form -an acquaintance, it is but to take advantage of his ignorance and -credulities—to rob him of the wealth and resources of his country;—to -make him drunk with whiskey, and visit him with abuses which in his -ignorance he never thought of. By this method his first visitors -entirely overlook and never understand the meaning of his thousand -interesting and characteristic customs; and at the same time, by -changing his native modes and habits of life, blot them out from the -view of the enquiring world for ever. - -It is from the observance of a thousand little and apparently trivial -modes and tricks of Indian life, that the Indian character must be -learned; and, in fact, it is just the same with us if the subject were -reversed: excepting that the system of civilized life would furnish -ten apparently useless and ridiculous trifles to one which is found in -Indian life; and at least twenty to one which are purely nonsensical -and unmeaning. - -The civilized world look upon a group of Indians, in their classic -dress, with their few and simple oddities, all of which have their -moral or meaning, and laugh at them excessively, because they are not -like ourselves—we ask, “why do the silly creatures wear such great -bunches of quills on their heads?—Such loads and streaks of paint upon -their bodies—and bear’s grease? abominable!” and a thousand other -equally silly questions, without ever stopping to think that Nature -taught them to do so—and that they all have some definite importance -or meaning which an Indian could explain to us at once, if he were -asked and felt disposed to do so—that each quill in his head stood, -in the eyes of his whole tribe, as the symbol of an enemy who had -fallen by his hand—that every streak of red paint covered a wound -which he had got in honourable combat—and that the bear’s grease with -which he carefully anoints his body every morning, from head to foot, -cleanses and purifies the body, and protects his skin from the bite of -mosquitoes, and at the same time preserves him from colds and coughs -which are usually taken through the pores of the skin. - -At the same time, an Indian looks among the civilized world, no doubt, -with equal, if not much greater, astonishment, at our apparently, as -well as _really_, ridiculous customs and fashions; but he laughs not, -nor ridicules, nor questions,—for his natural good sense and good -manners forbid him,—until he is reclining about the fire-side of his -wigwam companions, when he vents forth his just criticisms upon the -learned world, who are a rich and just theme for Indian criticism and -Indian gossip. - -An Indian will not ask a white man the reason why he does not oil his -skin with bears’ grease, or why he does not paint his body—or why he -wears a hat on his head, or why he has buttons on the back part of -his coat, where they never can be used—or why he wears whiskers, and -a shirt collar up to his eyes—or why he sleeps with his head towards -the fire instead of his feet—why he walks with his toes out instead of -turning them in—or why it is that hundreds of white folks will flock -and crowd round a table to see an Indian eat—but he will go home to his -wigwam fire-side, and “make the welkin ring” with jokes and fun upon -the ignorance and folly of the knowing world. - -A wild Indian thrown into the civilized atmosphere will see a man -occasionally moving in society, wearing a cocked hat; and another with -a laced coat and gold or silver epaulettes upon his shoulders, without -knowing or enquiring the meaning of them, or the objects for which they -are worn. Just so a white man travels amongst a wild and untaught tribe -of Indians, and sees occasionally one of them parading about their -village, with a head-dress of eagles’ quills and ermine, and elevated -above it a pair of beautifully polished buffalo horns; and just as -ignorant is he also, of their meaning or importance; and more so, for -the first will admit the presumption that epaulettes and cocked hats -amongst the civilized world, are made for some important purpose,—but -the latter will presume that horns on an Indian’s head are nothing more -nor less (nor can they be in their estimation), than Indian nonsense -and stupidity. - -This brings us to the “corned crest” again, and if the poor Indian -scans epaulettes and cocked hats, without enquiring their meaning, -and explaining them to his tribe, it is no reason why I should have -associated with the noble dignitaries of these western regions, with -horns and ermine on their heads, and then to have introduced the -subject without giving some further clue to their importance and -meaning. For me, this negligence would be doubly unpardonable, as I -travel, not to _trade_ but to _herald_ the Indian and his dying customs -to posterity. - -This custom then, which I have before observed belongs to all the -north-western tribes, is one no doubt of very ancient origin, having -a purely classic meaning. No one wears the head-dress surmounted with -horns except the dignitaries who are very high in authority, and whose -exceeding valour, worth, and power is admitted by all the nation. - -He may wear them, however, who is not a _chief_; but a brave, or -warrior of such remarkable character, that he is esteemed universally -in the tribe, as a man whose “voice is as loud in council” as that of a -chief of the first grade, and consequently his _power_ as great. - -This head-dress with horns is used only on certain occasions, and they -are very seldom. When foreign chiefs, Indian agents, or other important -personages visit a tribe; or at war parades, at the celebration of -a victory, at public festivals, &c. they are worn; but on no other -occasions—unless, sometimes, when a chief sees fit to lead a war-party -to battle, he decorates his head with this symbol of power, to -stimulate his men; and throws himself into the foremost of the battle, -inviting his enemy to concentrate their shafts upon him. - -The horns on these head-dresses are but loosely attached at the bottom, -so that they easily fall back or forward, according as the head is -inclined forward or backward; and by an ingenious motion of the head, -which is so slight as to be almost imperceptible—they are made to -balance to and fro, and sometimes, one backward and the other forward -like a horse’s ears, giving a vast deal of expression and force of -character, to the appearance of the chief who is wearing them. This, -reader, is a remarkable instance (like hundreds of others), for its -striking similarity to _Jewish customs_, to the kerns (or keren, in -Hebrew), the horns worn by the Abysinian chiefs and Hebrews, as a -_symbol of power_ and command; worn at great parades and celebrations -of victories. - -“The false prophet Zedekiah, made him horns of iron” (1 Kings xxii. -11). “Lift not your horns on high; speak not with a stiff neck” (Ps. -lxxv. 5). - -This last citation seems so exactly to convey to my mind the mode of -raising and changing the position of the horns by a motion of the head, -as I have above described, that I am irresistibly led to believe that -this custom is now practiced amongst these tribes very nearly as it -was amongst the Jews; and that it has been, like many other customs of -which I shall speak more in future epistles, handed down and preserved -with very little innovation or change from that ancient people. - -The reader will see this custom exemplified in the portrait of -Mah-to-toh-pa (+plate+ 64). This man, although the second chief, was -the only man in the nation who was allowed to wear the horns; and -all, I found, looked upon him as the leader, who had the power to -lead all the warriors in time of war; and that, in consequence of the -extraordinary battles which he had fought. - - - - - LETTER—No. 15. - - MANDAN VILLAGE, UPPER MISSOURI. - - -A week or more has elapsed since the date of my last Letter, and -nothing as yet of the great and curious event—or the _Mandan religious -ceremony_. There is evidently much preparation making for it, -however; and from what I can learn, no one in the nation, save the -_medicine-men_, have any knowledge of the exact day on which it is to -commence. I am informed by the chiefs, that it takes place as soon as -the willow-tree is in full leaf; for, say they, “the twig which the -bird brought in was a willow bough, and had full-grown leaves on it.” -So it seems that this celebration has some relation to the Flood. - -This great occasion is close at hand, and will, undoubtedly, commence -in a few days; in the meantime I will give a few notes and memorandums, -which I have made since my last. - -I have been continually at work with my brush, with fine and -picturesque subjects before me; and from the strange, whimsical, -and superstitious notions which they have of an art so novel and -unaccountable to them, I have been initiated into many of their -mysteries—have witnessed many very curious incidents, and preserved -several anecdotes, some of which I must relate. - -Perhaps nothing ever more completely astonished these people than the -operations of my _brush_. The art of portrait-painting was a subject -entirely new to them, and of course, unthought of; and my appearance -here has commenced a new era in the arcana of _medicine_ or mystery. -Soon after arriving here, I commenced and finished the portraits of -the two principal chiefs. This was done without having awakened the -curiosity of the villagers, as they had heard nothing of what was going -on, and even the chiefs themselves seemed to be ignorant of my designs, -until the pictures were completed. No one else was admitted into my -lodge during the operation; and when finished, it was exceedingly -amusing to see them mutually recognizing each other’s likeness, and -assuring each other of the striking resemblance which they bore to the -originals. Both of these pressed their hand over their mouths awhile -in dead silence (a custom amongst most tribes, when anything surprises -them very much); looking attentively upon the portraits and myself, and -upon the palette and colours with which these unaccountable effects had -been produced. - -They then walked up to me in the most gentle manner, taking me in -turn by the hand, with a firm grip; with head and eyes inclined -downwards, and in a tone a little above a whisper—pronounced the words -“te-ho-pe-nee Wash-ee!” and walked off. - -Readers, at that moment I was christened with a new and a great -name—one by which I am now familiarly hailed, and talked of in this -village; and no doubt will be, as long as traditions last in this -strange community. - -That moment conferred an honour on me, which you as yet do not -understand. I took the degree (not of Doctor of Laws, nor Bachelor of -Arts) of Master of Arts—of mysteries—of magic, and of hocus pocus. -I was recognized in that short sentence as a “great _medicine white -man_;” and since that time, have been regularly installed _medicine_ or -mystery, which is the most honourable degree that could be conferred -upon me here; and I now hold a place amongst the most eminent and -envied personages, the doctors and conjurati of this titled community. - -Te-ho-pe-nee Wash-ee (or medicine white man) is the name I now go by, -and it will prove to me, no doubt, of more value than gold, for I have -been called upon and feasted by the doctors, who are all mystery-men; -and it has been an easy and successful passport already to many strange -and mysterious places; and has put me in possession of a vast deal of -curious and interesting information, which I am sure I never should -have otherwise learned. I am daily growing in the estimation of the -medicine-men and the chiefs; and by assuming all the gravity and -circumspection due from so high a dignitary (and even considerably -more); and endeavouring to perform now and then some art or trick that -is unfathomable, I am in hopes of supporting my standing, until the -great annual ceremony commences; on which occasion, I may possibly be -allowed a seat in the _medicine-lodge_ by the doctors, who are the sole -conductors of this great source and fountain of all priestcraft and -conjuration in this country. - -After I had finished the portraits of the two chiefs, and they had -returned to their wigwams, and deliberately seated themselves by their -respective fire-sides, and silently smoked a pipe or two (according -to an universal custom), they gradually began to tell what had taken -place; and at length crowds of gaping listeners, with mouths wide open, -thronged their lodges; and a throng of women and girls were about my -house, and through every crack and crevice I could see their glistening -eyes, which were piercing my hut in a hundred places, from a natural -and restless propensity, a curiosity to see what was going on within. -An hour or more passed in this way, and the soft and silken throng -continually increased, until some hundreds of them were clung, and -piled about my wigwam like a swarm of bees hanging on the front and -sides of their hive. - -During this time, not a man made his appearance about the -premises—after awhile, however, they could be seen, folded in their -robes, gradually _siding_ up towards the lodge, with a silly look upon -their faces, which confessed at once that curiosity was leading them -reluctantly, where their pride checked and forbade them to go. The -rush soon after became general, and the chiefs and medicine-men took -possession of my room, placing _soldiers_ (braves with spears in their -hands) at the door, admitting no one, but such as were allowed by the -chiefs, to come in. - -Monsr. Kipp (the agent of the Fur Company, who has lived here eight -years, and to whom, for his politeness and hospitality, I am much -indebted), at this time took a seat with the chiefs, and, speaking -their language fluently, he explained to them my views and the objects -for which I was painting these portraits; and also expounded to them -the manner in which they were made,—at which they seemed all to be very -much pleased. The necessity at this time of exposing the portraits to -the view of the crowds who were assembled around the house, became -imperative, and they were held up together over the door, so that -the whole village had a chance to see and recognize their chiefs. -The effect upon so mixed a multitude, who as yet had heard no way of -accounting for them, was novel and really laughable. The likenesses -were instantly recognized, and many of the gaping multitude commenced -yelping; some were stamping off in the jarring dance—others were -singing, and others again were crying—hundreds covered their mouths -with their hands and were mute; others, indignant, drove their spears -frightfully into the ground, and some threw a reddened arrow at the -sun, and went home to their wigwams. - -The pictures seen,—the next curiosity was to see the man who made them, -and I was called forth. Readers! if you have any imagination, save me -the trouble of painting this scene. * * * * * * * -* * I stepped forth, and was instantly hemmed in in the throng. -Women were gaping and gazing—and warriors and braves were offering me -their hands,—whilst little boys and girls, by dozens, were struggling -through the crowd to touch me with the ends of their fingers; and -whilst I was engaged, from the waist upwards, in fending off the throng -and shaking hands, my legs were assailed (not unlike the nibbling of -little fish, when I have been standing in deep water) by children, who -were creeping between the legs of the bystanders for the curiosity or -honour of touching me with the end of their finger. The eager curiosity -and expression of astonishment with which they gazed upon me, plainly -shewed that they looked upon me as some strange and unaccountable -being. They pronounced me the greatest _medicine-man_ in the world; -for they said I had made _living beings_,—they said they could see -their chiefs alive, in two places—those that I had made were a _little_ -alive—they could see their eyes move—could see them smile and laugh, -and that if they could laugh they could certainly speak, if they should -try, and they must therefore have _some life_ in them. - -The squaws generally agreed, that they had discovered life enough in -them to render my _medicine_ too great for the Mandans; saying that -such an operation could not be performed without taking away from the -original something of his existence, which I put in the picture, and -they could see it move, could see it stir. - -This curtailing of the natural existence, for the purpose of -instilling life into the secondary one, they decided to be an useless -and destructive operation, and one which was calculated to do great -mischief in their happy community; and they commenced a mournful and -doleful chaunt against me, crying and weeping bitterly through the -village, proclaiming me a most “dangerous man; one who could make -living persons by looking at them; and at the same time, could, as -a matter of course, destroy life in the same way, if I chose. That -my medicine was dangerous to their lives, and that I must leave the -village immediately. That bad luck would happen to those whom I -painted—that I was to take a part of the existence of those whom I -painted, and carry it home with me amongst the white people, and that -when they died they would never sleep quiet in their graves.” - -In this way the women and some old quack medicine-men together, -had succeeded in raising an opposition against me; and the reasons -they assigned were so plausible and so exactly suited for their -superstitious feelings, that they completely succeeded in exciting -fears and a general panic in the minds of a number of chiefs who had -agreed to sit for their portraits, and my operations were, of course, -for several days completely at a stand. A grave council was held on -the subject from day to day, and there seemed great difficulty in -deciding what was to be done with me and the dangerous art which I was -practicing; and which had far exceeded their original expectations. -I finally got admittance to their sacred conclave, and assured them -that I was but a man like themselves,—that my art had no _medicine_ or -mystery about it, but could be learned by any of them if they would -practice it as long as I had—that my intentions towards them were of -the most friendly kind, and that in the country where I lived, brave -men never allowed their squaws to frighten them with their foolish -whims and stories. They all immediately arose, shook me by the hand, -and dressed themselves for their pictures. After this, there was no -further difficulty about sitting; all were ready to be painted,—the -squaws were silent, and my painting-room a continual resort for the -chiefs, and braves, and medicine-men; where they waited with impatience -for the completion of each one’s picture,—that they could decide as to -the likeness as it came from under the brush; that they could laugh, -and yell, and sing a new song, and smoke a fresh pipe to the health and -success of him who had just been safely delivered from the hands and -the mystic operation of the “_white medicine_.” - -In each of these operations, as they successfully took place, I -observed that a pipe or two were well filled, and as soon as I -commenced painting, the chiefs and braves, who sat around the sides -of the lodge, commenced smoking for the success of the picture (and -probably as much or more so for the safe deliverance of the sitter from -harm while under the operation); and so they continued to pass the -pipe around until the portrait was completed. - -In this way I progressed with my portraits, stopping occasionally -very suddenly as if something was wrong, and taking a tremendous puff -or two at the pipe, and streaming the smoke through my nostrils, -exhibiting in my looks and actions an evident relief; enabling me to -proceed with more facility and success,—by flattering and complimenting -each one on his good looks after I had got it done, and taking them -according to rank, or standing, making it a matter of honour with them, -which pleased them exceedingly, and gave me and my art the stamp of -respectability at once. - -I was then taken by the arm by the chiefs, and led to their lodges, -where feasts were prepared for me in elegant style, _i. e._ in the -best manner which this country affords; and being led by the arm, and -welcomed to them by _gentlemen_ of high and exalted feelings, rendered -them in my estimation truly elegant. - -I was waited upon in due form and ceremony by the _medicine-men_, who -received me upon the old adage, “Similis simili gaudet.” I was invited -to a feast, and they presented me a _she-shee-quoi_, or a doctor’s -rattle, and also a magical wand, or a doctor’s staff, strung with -claws of the grizzly bear, with hoofs of the antelope—with ermine—with -wild sage and bat’s wings—and perfumed withal with the _choice_ and -_savoury_ odour of the pole-cat—a dog was sacrificed and hung by -the legs over my wigwam, and I was therefore and thereby initiated -into (and countenanced in the practice of) the arcana of medicine -or mystery, and considered a Fellow of the Extraordinary Society of -_Conjurati_. - -Since this signal success and good fortune in my operations, things -have gone on very pleasantly, and I have had a great deal of amusement. -Some altercation has taken place, however, amongst the chiefs and -braves, with regard to standing or rank, of which they are exceedingly -jealous; and they must sit (if at all) in regular order, according to -that rank; the trouble is all settled at last, however, and I have had -no want of subjects, though a great many have become again alarmed, -and are unwilling to sit, for fear, as some say, that they will die -prematurely if painted; and as others say, that if they are painted, -the picture will live after they are dead, and they cannot sleep quiet -in their graves. - -I have had several most remarkable occurrences in my painting-room, of -this kind, which have made me some everlasting enemies here; though -the minds and feelings of the chiefs and medicine-men have not been -affected by them. There has been three or four instances where proud -and aspiring young men have been in my lodge, and after gazing at the -portraits of the head chief across the room (which sits looking them -in the eyes), have raised their hands before their faces and walked -around to the side of the lodge, on the right or left, from whence to -take a long and fair side-look at the chief, instead of staring him -full in the face (which is a most unpardonable offence in all Indian -tribes); and after having got in that position, and cast their eyes -again upon the portrait which was yet looking them full in the face, -have thrown their robes over their heads and bolted out of the wigwam, -filled equally with astonishment and indignation; averring, as they -always will in a sullen mood, that they “saw the eyes move,”—that as -they walked around the room “the eyes of the portrait followed them.” -With these unfortunate gentlemen, repeated efforts have been made by -the Traders, and also by the chiefs and doctors, who understand the -illusion, to convince them of their error, by explaining the mystery; -but they will not hear to any explanation whatever; saying, that “what -they see with their eyes is always evidence enough for them;” that they -always “believe their own eyes sooner than a hundred tongues,” and all -efforts to get them a second time to my room, or into my company in any -place, have proved entirely unsuccessful. - -I had trouble brewing also the other day from another source; one of -the “_medicines_” commenced howling and haranguing around my domicil, -amongst the throng that was outside, proclaiming that all who were -inside and being painted were fools and would soon die; and very -materially affecting thereby my popularity. I however sent for him -and called him in the next morning, when I was alone, having only the -interpreter with me; telling him that I had had my eye upon him for -several days, and had been so well pleased with his looks, that I had -taken great pains to find out his history, which had been explained by -all as one of a most extraordinary kind, and his character and standing -in his tribe as worthy of my particular notice; and that I had several -days since resolved that as soon as I had practiced my hand long enough -upon the others, to get the stiffness out of it (after paddling my -canoe so far as I had) and make it to work easily and successfully, -I would begin on his portrait, which I was then prepared to commence -on that day, and that I felt as if I could do him justice. He shook -me by the hand, giving me the “Doctor’s grip,” and beckoned me to sit -down, which I did, and we smoked a pipe together. After this was over, -he told me, that “he had no inimical feelings towards me, although he -had been telling the chiefs that they were all fools, and all would -die who had their portraits painted—that although he had set the old -women and children all crying, and even made some of the young warriors -tremble, yet he had no unfriendly feelings towards me, nor any fear -or dread of my art.” “I know you are a good man (said he), I know you -will do no harm to any one, your medicine is great and you are a great -‘medicine-man.’ I would like to see myself very well—and so would all -of the chiefs; but they have all been many days in this medicine-house, -and they all know me well, and they have not asked me to come in and be -_made alive_ with paints—my friend, I am glad that my people have told -you who I am—my heart is glad—I will go to my wigwam and eat, and in -a little while I will come, and you may go to work;”—another pipe was -lit and smoked, and he got up and went off. I prepared my canvass and -palette, and whistled away the time until twelve o’clock, before he -made his appearance; having used the whole of the fore-part of the day -at his toilette, arranging his dress and ornamenting his body for his -picture. - -[Illustration: 55] - -At that hour then, bedaubed and streaked with paints of various -colours, with bear’s grease and charcoal, with medicine-pipes in his -hands and foxes tails attached to his heels, entered Mah-to-he-ha (the -old bear, +plate+ 55), with a train of his own profession, who seated -themselves around him; and also a number of boys, whom it was requested -should remain with him, and whom I supposed it possible might have been -pupils, whom he was instructing in the mysteries of _materia medica_ -and _hoca poca_. He took his position in the middle of the room, waving -his eagle calumets in each hand, and singing his medicine-song which -he sings over his dying patient, looking me full in the face until I -completed his picture, which I painted at full length. His vanity has -been completely gratified in the operation; he lies for hours together, -day after day, in my room, in front of his picture, gazing intensely -upon it; lights my pipe for me while I am painting—shakes hands with -me a dozen times on each day, and talks of me, and enlarges upon my -_medicine_ virtues and my talents, wherever he goes; so that this new -difficulty is now removed, and instead of preaching against me, he -is one of my strongest and most enthusiastic friends and aids in the -country. - -There is yet to be described another sort of personage, that is often -seen stalking about in all Indian communities, a kind of nondescript, -with whom I have been somewhat annoyed, and still more amused, since I -came to this village, of whom (or of _which_) I shall give some account -in my next epistle. - - - - - LETTER—No. 16. - - MANDAN VILLAGE, UPPER MISSOURI. - - -Besides chiefs, and braves and doctors, of whom I have heretofore -spoken, there is yet another character of whom I must say a few words -before I proceed to other topics. The person I allude to, is the one -mentioned at the close of my last Letter, and familiarly known and -countenanced in every tribe as an Indian _beau_ or _dandy_. Such -personages may be seen on every pleasant day, strutting and parading -around the village in the most beautiful and unsoiled dresses, without -the honourable trophies however of scalp locks and claws of the grizzly -bear, attached to their costume, for with such things they deal not. -They are not peculiarly anxious to hazard their lives in equal and -honourable combat with the one, or disposed to cross the path of the -other; but generally remain about the village, to take care of the -women, and attire themselves in the skins of such animals as they can -easily kill, without seeking the rugged cliffs for the war-eagle, -or visiting the haunts of the grizzly bear. They plume themselves -with swan’s-down and quills of ducks, with braids and plaits of -sweet-scented grass and other harmless and unmeaning ornaments, which -have no other merit than they themselves have, that of looking pretty -and ornamental. - -These clean and elegant gentlemen, who are very few in each tribe, are -held in very little estimation by the chiefs and braves; inasmuch as it -is known by all, that they have a most horrible aversion to arms, and -are denominated “faint hearts” or “old women” by the whole tribe, and -are therefore but little respected. They seem, however, to be tolerably -well contented with the appellation, together with the celebrity -they have acquired amongst the women and children for the beauty and -elegance of their personal appearance; and most of them seem to take -and enjoy their share of the world’s pleasures, although they are -looked upon as drones in society. - -These gay and tinselled bucks may be seen in a pleasant day in all -their plumes, astride of their pied or dappled ponies, with a fan in -the right hand, made of a turkey’s tail—with whip and a fly-brush -attached to the wrist of the same hand, and underneath them a white and -beautiful and soft pleasure-saddle, ornamented with porcupine quills -and ermine, parading through and lounging about the village for an hour -or so, when they will cautiously bend their course to the suburbs of -the town, where they will sit or recline upon their horses for an hour -or two, overlooking the beautiful games where the braves and the young -aspirants are contending in manly and athletic amusements;—when they -are fatigued with this severe effort, they wend their way back again, -lift off their fine white saddle of doe’s-skin, which is wadded with -buffalo’s hair, turn out their pony—take a little refreshment, smoke a -pipe, fan themselves to sleep, and doze away the rest of the day. - -Whilst I have been painting, from day to day, there have been two or -three of these fops continually strutting and taking their attitudes -in front of my door; decked out in all their finery, without receiving -other benefit or other information, than such as they could discover -through the cracks and seams of my cabin. The chiefs, I observed, -passed them by without notice, and of course, without inviting them -in; and they seemed to figure about my door from day to day in their -best dresses and best attitudes, as if in hopes that I would select -them as models, for my canvass. It was natural that I should do so, -for their costume and personal appearance was entirely more beautiful -than anything else to be seen in the village. My plans were laid, -and one day when I had got through with all of the head men, who -were willing to sit to be painted, and there were two or three of -the chiefs lounging in my room, I stepped to the door and tapped one -of these fellows on the shoulder, who took the hint, and stepped in, -well-pleased and delighted with the signal and honourable notice I had -at length taken of him and his beautiful dress. Readers, you cannot -imagine what was the expression of gratitude which beamed forth in -this poor fellow’s face, and how high his heart beat with joy and -pride at the idea of my selecting him to be immortal, alongside of the -chiefs and worthies whose portraits he saw arranged around the room; -and by which honour he, undoubtedly, considered himself well paid for -two or three weeks of regular painting, and greasing, and dressing, -and standing alternately on one leg and the other at the door of my -premises. - -Well, I placed him before me, and a canvass on my easel, and “chalked -him out” at full length. He was truly a beautiful subject for the -brush, and I was filled with enthusiasm—his dress from head to foot was -of the skins of the mountain-goat, and dressed so neatly, that they -were almost as soft and as white as Canton crape—around the bottom and -the sides it was trimmed with ermine, and porcupine quills of beautiful -dyes garnished it in a hundred parts;—his hair which was long, and -spread over his back and shoulders, extending nearly to the ground, was -all combed back and parted on his forehead like that of a woman. He -was a tall and fine figure, with ease and grace in his movements, that -were well worthy of a man of better caste. In his left hand he held a -beautiful pipe—and in his right hand he plied his fan, and on his wrist -was still attached his whip of elk’s horn, and his fly-brush, made of -the buffalo’s tail. There was nought about him of the terrible, and -nought to shock the finest, chastest intellect. - -I had thus far progressed, with high-wrought feelings of pleasure, -when the two or three chiefs, who had been seated around the lodge, -and whose portraits I had before painted, arose suddenly, and wrapping -themselves tightly in their robes, crossed my room with a quick and -heavy step, and took an informal leave of my cabin. I was apprehensive -of their displeasure, though I continued my work; and in a few moments -the interpreter came furiously into my room, addressing me thus:—“My -God, Sir! this never will do; you have given great offence to the -chiefs—they have made complaint of your conduct to me—they tell me -this is a worthless fellow—a man of no account in the nation, and if -you paint his picture, you must instantly destroy theirs; you have no -alternative, my dear Sir—and the quicker this chap is out of your lodge -the better.” - -The same matter was explained to my sitter by the interpreter, when -he picked up his robe, wrapped himself in it, plied his fan nimbly -about his face, and walked out of the lodge in silence, but with quite -a consequential smile, taking his old position in front of the door -for awhile, after which he drew himself quietly off without further -exhibition. So highly do Mandan braves and worthies value the honour -of being painted; and so little do they value a man, however lavishly -Nature may have bestowed her master touches upon him, who has not the -pride and noble bearing of a warrior. - -I spoke in a former Letter of Mah-to-toh-pa (the four bears), the -second chief of the nation, and the most popular man of the Mandans—a -high-minded and gallant warrior, as well as a polite and polished -gentleman. Since I painted his portrait, as I before described, I -have received at his hands many marked and signal attentions; some -of which I must name to you, as the very relation of them will put -you in possession of many little forms and modes of Indian life, that -otherwise might not have been noted. - -About a week since, this noble fellow stepped into my painting-room -about twelve o’clock in the day, in full and splendid dress, and -passing his arm through mine, pointed the way, and led me in the most -gentlemanly manner, through the village and into his own lodge, where -a feast was prepared in a careful manner and waiting our arrival. The -lodge in which he dwelt was a room of immense size, some forty or fifty -feet in diameter, in a circular form, and about twenty feet high—with a -sunken curb of stone in the centre, of five or six feet in diameter and -one foot deep, which contained the fire over which the pot was boiling. -I was led near the edge of this curb, and seated on a very handsome -robe, most ingeniously garnished and painted with hieroglyphics; and he -seated himself gracefully on another one at a little distance from me; -with the feast prepared in several dishes, resting on a beautiful rush -mat, which was placed between us (+plate+ 62). - -The simple feast which was spread before us consisted of three dishes -only, two of which were served in wooden bowls, and the third in -an earthen vessel of their own manufacture, somewhat in shape of a -bread-tray in our own country. This last contained a quantity of -_pem-i-can_ and _marrow-fat_; and one of the former held a fine -brace of buffalo ribs, delightfully roasted; and the other was filled -with a kind of paste or pudding, made of the flour of the “_pomme -blanche_,” as the French call it, a delicious turnip of the prairie, -finely flavoured with the buffalo berries, which are collected in great -quantities in this country, and used with divers dishes in cooking, -as we in civilized countries use dried currants, which they very much -resemble. - -[Illustration: 62] - -A handsome pipe and a tobacco-pouch made of the otter skin, filled with -k’nick-k’neck (Indian tobacco), laid by the side of the feast; and when -we were seated, mine host took up his pipe, and deliberately filled -it; and instead of lighting it by the fire, which he could easily have -done, he drew from his pouch his flint and steel, and raised a spark -with which he kindled it. He drew a few strong whiffs through it, and -presented the stem of it to my mouth, through which I drew a whiff or -two while he held the stem in his hands. This done, he laid down the -pipe, and drawing his knife from his belt, cut off a very small piece -of the meat from the ribs, and pronouncing the words “Ho-pe-ne-chee -wa-pa-shee” (meaning a _medicine_ sacrifice), threw it into the fire. - -He then (by signals) requested me to eat, and I commenced, after -drawing out from my belt my knife (which it is supposed that every man -in this country carries about him, for at an Indian feast a knife is -never offered to a guest). Reader, be not astonished that I sat and ate -my dinner _alone_, for such is the custom of this strange land. In all -tribes in these western regions it is an invariable rule that a chief -never eats with his guests invited to a feast; but while they eat, he -sits by, at their service, and ready to wait upon them; deliberately -charging and lighting the pipe which is to be passed around after the -feast is over. Such was the case in the present instance, and while -I was eating, Mah-to-toh-pa sat cross-legged before me, cleaning his -pipe and preparing it for a cheerful smoke when I had finished my meal. -For this ceremony I observed he was making unusual preparation, and I -observed as I ate, that after he had taken enough of the k’nick-k’neck -or bark of the red willow, from his pouch, he rolled out of it also a -piece of the “_castor_,” which it is customary amongst these folks to -carry in their tobacco-sack to give it a flavour; and, shaving off a -small quantity of it, mixed it with the bark, with which he charged his -pipe. This done, he drew also from his sack a small parcel containing a -fine powder, which was made of dried buffalo dung, a little of which he -spread over the top, (according also to custom,) which was like tinder, -having no other effect than that of lighting the pipe with ease and -satisfaction. My appetite satiated, I straightened up, and with a whiff -the pipe was lit, and we enjoyed together for a quarter of an hour the -most delightful exchange of good feelings, amid clouds of smoke and -pantomimic signs and gesticulations. - -The dish of “pemican and marrow-fat,” of which I spoke, was thus:—The -first, an article of food used throughout this country, as familiarly -as we use bread in the civilized world. It is made of buffalo meat -dried very hard, and afterwards pounded in a large wooden mortar until -it is made nearly as fine as sawdust, then packed in this dry state in -bladders or sacks of skin, and is easily carried to any part of the -world in good order. “Marrow-fat” is collected by the Indians from -the buffalo bones which they break to pieces, yielding a prodigious -quantity of marrow, which is boiled out and put into buffalo bladders -which have been distended; and after it cools, becomes quite hard like -tallow, and has the appearance, and very nearly the flavour, of the -richest yellow butter. At a feast, chunks of this marrow-fat are cut -off and placed in a tray or bowl, with the pemican, and eaten together; -which we civilized folks in these regions consider a very good -substitute for (and indeed we generally so denominate it) “bread and -butter.” In this dish laid a spoon made of the buffalo’s horn, which -was black as jet, and beautifully polished; in one of the others there -was another of still more ingenious and beautiful workmanship, made of -the horn of the mountain-sheep, or “Gros corn,” as the French trappers -call them; it was large enough to hold of itself two or three pints, -and was almost entirely transparent. - -I spoke also of the earthen dishes or bowls in which these viands were -served out; they are a familiar part of the culinary furniture of -every Mandan lodge, and are manufactured by the women of this tribe -in great quantities, and modelled into a thousand forms and tastes. -They are made by the hands of the women, from a tough black clay, and -baked in kilns which are made for the purpose, and are nearly equal in -hardness to our own manufacture of pottery; though they have not yet -got the art of glazing, which would be to them a most valuable secret. -They make them so strong and serviceable, however, that they hang them -over the fire as we do our iron pots, and boil their meat in them with -perfect success. I have seen some few specimens of such manufacture, -which have been dug up in Indian mounds and tombs in the southern and -middle states, placed in our Eastern Museums and looked upon as a great -wonder, when here this novelty is at once done away with, and the whole -mystery; where women can be seen handling and using them by hundreds, -and they can be seen every day in the summer also, moulding them into -many fanciful forms, and passing them through the kiln where they are -hardened. - -Whilst sitting at this feast the wigwam was as silent as death, -although we were not alone in it. This chief, like most others, had a -plurality of wives, and all of them (some six or seven) were seated -around the sides of the lodge, upon robes or mats placed upon the -ground, and not allowed to speak, though they were in readiness to obey -his orders or commands, which were uniformly given by signs manual, and -executed in the neatest and most silent manner. - -When I arose to return, the pipe through which we had smoked was -presented to me; and the robe on which I had sat, he gracefully raised -by the corners and tendered it to me, explaining by signs that the -paintings which were on it were the representations of the battles of -his life, where he had fought and killed with his own hand fourteen -of his enemies; that he had been two weeks engaged in painting it for -me, and that he had invited me here on this occasion to present it to -me. The robe, readers, which I shall describe in a future epistle, I -took upon my shoulder, and he took me by the arm and led me back to my -painting-room. - - - - - LETTER—No. 17. - - MANDAN VILLAGE, _UPPER MISSOURI_. - - -I mentioned in the foregoing epistle, that the chiefs of the Mandans -frequently have a plurality of wives. Such is the custom amongst all of -these North Western tribes, and a few general remarks on this subject -will apply to them all, and save the trouble of repeating them. - -Polygamy is countenanced amongst all of the North American Indians, so -far as I have visited them; and it is no uncommon thing to find a chief -with six, eight, or ten, and some with twelve or fourteen wives in his -lodge. Such is an ancient custom, and in their estimation is right as -well as necessary. Women in a savage state, I believe, are always held -in a rank inferior to that of the men, in relation to whom in many -respects they stand rather in the light of menials and slaves than -otherwise; and as they are the “hewers of wood and drawers of water,” -it becomes a matter of necessity for a chief (who must be liberal, -keep open doors, and entertain, for the support of his popularity) to -have in his wigwam a sufficient number of such handmaids or menials to -perform the numerous duties and drudgeries of so large and expensive an -establishment. - -There are two other reasons for this custom which operate with -equal, if not with greater force than the one above assigned. In the -first place, these people, though far behind the civilized world in -acquisitiveness, have still more or less passion for the accumulation -of wealth, or, in other words, for the luxuries of life; and a -chief, excited by a desire of this kind, together with a wish to be -able to furnish his lodge with something more than ordinary for the -entertainment of his own people, as well as strangers who fall upon his -hospitality, sees fit to marry a number of wives, who are kept at hard -labour during most of the year; and the avails of that labour enable -him to procure those luxuries, and give to his lodge the appearance -of respectability which is not ordinarily seen. Amongst those tribes -who trade with the Fur Companies, this system is carried out to a -great extent, and the women are kept for the greater part of the -year, dressing buffalo robes and other skins for the market; and the -brave or chief, who has the greatest number of wives, is considered -the most affluent and envied man in the tribe; for his table is most -bountifully supplied, and his lodge the most abundantly furnished with -the luxuries of civilized manufacture, who has at the year’s end the -greatest number of robes to vend to the Fur Company. - -The manual labour amongst savages is all done by the women; and as -there are no daily labourers or persons who will “_hire out_” to labour -for another, it becomes necessary for him who requires more than the -labour or services of one, to add to the number by legalizing and -compromising by the ceremony of marriage, his stock of labourers; who -can thus, and thus alone, be easily enslaved, and the results of their -labour turned to good account. - -There is yet the other inducement, which probably is more effective -than either; the natural inclination which belongs to man, who -stands high in the estimation of his people and wields the sceptre -of power—surrounded by temptations which he considers it would be -unnatural to resist, where no law or regulation of society stands -in the way of his enjoyment. Such a custom amongst savage nations -can easily be excused too, and we are bound to excuse it, when -we behold man in a state of nature, as he was made, following a -natural inclination, which is sanctioned by ancient custom and by -their religion, without a law or regulation of their society to -discountenance it; and when, at the same time, such an accumulation of -a man’s household, instead of quadrupling his expenses (as would be -the case in the civilized world), actually becomes his wealth, as the -results of their labour abundantly secure to him all the necessaries -and luxuries of life. - -There are other and very rational grounds on which the propriety -of such a custom may be urged, one of which is as follows:—as all -nations of Indians in their natural condition are unceasingly at war -with the tribes that are about them, for the adjustment of ancient -and never-ending feuds, as well as from a love of glory, to which in -Indian life the battle-field is almost the only road, their warriors -are killed off to that extent, that in many instances two and sometimes -three women to a man are found in a tribe. In such instances I have -found that the custom of polygamy has kindly helped the community to an -evident relief from a cruel and prodigious calamity. - -The instances of which I have above spoken, are generally confined to -the chiefs and medicine-men; though there is no regulation prohibiting -a poor or obscure individual from marrying several wives, other than -the personal difficulties which lie between him and the hand which he -wishes in vain to get, for want of sufficient celebrity in society, or -from a still more frequent objection, that of his inability (from want -of worldly goods) to deal in the customary way with the fathers of the -girls whom he would appropriate to his own household. - -There are very few instances indeed, to be seen in these regions, where -a poor or ordinary citizen has more than one wife; but amongst chiefs -and braves of great reputation, and doctors, it is common to see some -six or eight living under one roof, and all apparently quiet and -contented; seemingly harmonizing, and enjoying the modes of life and -treatment that falls to their lot. - -Wives in this country are mostly treated for with the father, as in all -instances they are regularly bought and sold. In many cases the bargain -is made with the father alone, without ever consulting the inclinations -of the girl, and seems to be conducted on his part as a mercenary -contract entirely, where he stands out for the highest price he can -possibly command for her. There are other instances to be sure, where -the parties approach each other, and from the expression of a mutual -fondness, make their own arrangements, and pass their own mutual vows, -which are quite as sacred and inviolable as similar assurances when -made in the civilized world. Yet even in such cases, the marriage is -never consummated without the necessary form of making presents to the -father of the girl. - -It becomes a matter of policy and almost of absolute necessity, for the -white men who are Traders in these regions to connect themselves in -this way, to one or more of the most influential families in the tribe, -which in a measure identifies their interest with that of the nation, -and enables them, with the influence of their new family connexions, -to carry on successfully their business transactions with them. The -young women of the best families only can aspire to such an elevation; -and the most of them are exceedingly ambitious for such a connexion, -inasmuch as they are certain of a delightful exemption from the slavish -duties that devolve upon them when married under other circumstances; -and expect to be, as they generally are, allowed to lead a life of ease -and idleness, covered with mantles of blue and scarlet cloth—with beads -and trinkets, and ribbons, in which they flounce and flirt about, the -envied and tinselled belles of every tribe. - -These connexions, however, can scarcely be called marriages, for I -believe they are generally entered into without the form or solemnizing -ceremony of a marriage, and on the part of the father of the girls, -conducted purely as a mercenary or business transaction; in which -they are very expert, and practice a deal of shrewdness in exacting -an adequate price from a purchaser whom they consider possessed of -so large and so rich a stock of the world’s goods; and who they deem -abundantly able to pay liberally for so delightful a commodity. - -Almost every Trader and every clerk who commences in the business of -this country, speedily enters into such an arrangement, which is done -with as little ceremony as he would bargain for a horse, and just as -unceremoniously do they annul and abolish this connexion when they -wish to leave the country, or change their positions from one tribe to -another; at which time the woman is left, a fair and proper candidate -for matrimony or speculation, when another applicant comes along, and -her father equally desirous for another horse or gun, &c. which he can -easily command at her second espousal. - -From the enslaved and degraded condition in which the women are held in -the Indian country, the world would naturally think that theirs must -be a community formed of incongruous and unharmonizing materials; and -consequently destitute of the fine, reciprocal feelings and attachments -which flow from the domestic relations in the civilized world; yet it -would be untrue, and doing injustice to the Indians, to say that they -were in the least behind us in conjugal, in filial, and in paternal -affection. There is no trait in the human character which is more -universal than the attachments which flow from these relations, and -there is no part of the human species who have a stronger affection and -a higher regard for them than the North American Indians. - -There is no subject in the Indian character of more importance to be -rightly understood than this, and none either that has furnished me -more numerous instances and more striking proofs, of which I shall -make use on a future occasion, when I shall say a vast deal more of -marriage—of divorce—of polygamy—and of Indian domestic relations. For -the present I am scribbling about the looks and usages of the Indians -who are about me and under my eye; and I must not digress too much into -general remarks, lest I lose sight of those who are near me, and the -first to be heralded. - -Such, then, are the Mandans—their women are beautiful and modest,—and -amongst the respectable families, virtue is as highly cherished and -as inapproachable, as in any society whatever; yet at the same time a -chief may marry a dozen wives if he pleases, and so may a white man; -and if either wishes to marry the most beautiful and modest girl in the -tribe, she is valued only equal, perhaps, to two horses, a gun with -powder and ball for a year, five or six pounds of beads, a couple of -gallons of whiskey, and a handful of awls. - -The girls of this tribe, like those of most of these north-western -tribes, marry at the age of twelve or fourteen, and some at the age of -eleven years; and their beauty, from this fact, as well as from the -slavish life they lead, soon after marriage vanishes. Their occupations -are almost continual, and they seem to go industriously at them, as if -from choice or inclination, without a murmur. - -The principal occupations of the women in this village, consist in -procuring wood and water, in cooking, dressing robes and other skins, -in drying meat and wild fruit, and raising corn (maize). The Mandans -are somewhat of agriculturists, as they raise a great deal of corn and -some pumpkins and squashes. This is all done by the women, who make -their hoes of the shoulder-blade of the buffalo or the elk, and dig the -ground over instead of ploughing it, which is consequently done with a -vast deal of labour. They raise a very small sort of corn, the ears of -which are not longer than a man’s thumb. This variety is well adapted -to their climate, as it ripens sooner than other varieties, which would -not mature in so cold a latitude. The green corn season is one of great -festivity with them, and one of much importance. The greater part of -their crop is eaten during these festivals, and the remainder is -gathered and dried on the cob, before it has ripened, and packed away -in “_caches_” (as the French call them), holes dug in the ground, some -six or seven feet deep, the insides of which are somewhat in the form -of a jug, and tightly closed at the top. The corn, and even dried meat -and pemican, are placed in these _caches_, being packed tight around -the sides., with prairie grass, and effectually preserved through the -severest winters. - -Corn and dried meat are generally laid in in the fall, in sufficient -quantities to support them through the winter. These are the principal -articles of food during that long and inclement season; and in addition -to them, they oftentimes have in store great quantities of dried -squashes and dried “_pommes blanches_,” a kind of turnip which grows in -great abundance in these regions, and of which I have before spoken. -These are dried in great quantities, and pounded into a sort of meal, -and cooked with the dried meat and corn. Great quantities also of wild -fruit of different kinds are dried and laid away in store for the -winter season, such as buffalo berries, service berries, strawberries, -and wild plums. - -The buffalo meat, however, is the great staple and “staff of life” in -this country, and seldom (if ever) fails to afford them an abundant and -wholesome means of subsistence. There are, from a fair computation, -something like 250,000 Indians in these western regions, who live -almost exclusively on the flesh of these animals, through every part of -the year. During the summer and fall months they use the meat fresh, -and cook it in a great variety of ways, by roasting, broiling, boiling, -stewing, smoking, &c.; and by boiling the ribs and joints with the -marrow in them, make a delicious soup, which is universally used, and -in vast quantities. The Mandans, I find, have no regular or stated -times for their meals, but generally eat about twice in the twenty-four -hours. The pot is always boiling over the fire, and any one who is -hungry (either of the household or from any other part of the village) -has a right to order it taken off, and to fall to eating as he pleases. -Such is an unvarying custom amongst the North American Indians, and I -very much doubt, whether the civilized world have in their institutions -any system which can properly be called more humane and charitable. -Every man, woman, or child in Indian communities is allowed to enter -any one’s lodge, and even that of the chief of the nation, and eat when -they are hungry, provided misfortune or necessity has driven them to -it. Even so can the poorest and most worthless drone of the nation; if -he is too lazy to hunt or to supply himself, he can walk into any lodge -and everyone will share with him as long as there is anything to eat. -He, however, who thus begs when he is able to hunt, pays dear for his -meat, for he is stigmatized with the disgraceful epithet of a poltroon -and a beggar. - -The Mandans, like all other tribes, sit at their meals cross-legged, -or rather with their ancles crossed in front of them, and both feet -drawn close under their bodies; or, which is very often the case also, -take their meals in a reclining posture, with the legs thrown out, and -the body resting on one elbow and fore-arm, which are under them. The -dishes from which they eat are invariably on the ground or floor of -the lodge, and the group resting on buffalo robes or mats of various -structure and manufacture. - -The position in which the women sit at their meals and on other -occasions is different from that of the men, and one which they -take and rise from again, with great ease and much grace, by merely -bending the knees both together, inclining the body back and the head -and shoulders quite forward, they squat entirely down to the ground, -inclining both feet either to the right or the left. In this position -they always rest while eating, and it is both modest and graceful, for -they seem, with apparent ease, to assume the position and rise out of -it, without using their hands in any way to assist them. - -These women, however, although graceful and civil, and ever so -beautiful or ever so hungry, are not allowed to sit in the same group -with the men while at their meals. So far as I have yet travelled in -the Indian country, I never have seen an Indian woman eating with -her husband. Men form the first group at the banquet, and women, and -children and dogs all come together at the next, and these gormandize -and glut themselves to an enormous extent, though the men very seldom -do. - -It is time that an error on this subject, which has gone generally -abroad in the world, was corrected. It is everywhere asserted, and -almost universally believed, that the Indians are “enormous eaters;” -but comparatively speaking, I assure my readers that this is an error. -I venture to say that there are no persons on earth who practice -greater prudence and self-denial, than the men do (amongst the wild -Indians), who are constantly in war and in the chase, or in their -athletic sports and exercises; for all of which they are excited by -the highest ideas of pride and honour, and every kind of excess is -studiously avoided; and for a very great part of their lives, the most -painful abstinence is enforced upon themselves, for the purpose of -preparing their bodies and their limbs for these extravagant exertions. -Many a man who has been a few weeks along the frontier, amongst the -drunken, naked and beggared part of the Indian race, and run home -and written a book on Indians, has, no doubt, often seen them eat to -beastly excess; and he has seen them also guzzle whiskey (and perhaps -_sold_ it to them) till he has seen them glutted and besotted, without -will or energy to move; and many and thousands of such things can -always be seen, where white people have made beggars of them, and they -have nothing to do but lie under a fence and beg a whole week to get -meat and whiskey enough for one feast and one carouse; but amongst the -wild Indians in this country there are no beggars—no drunkards—and -every man, from a beautiful natural precept, studies to keep his body -and mind in such a healthy shape and condition as will at all times -enable him to use his weapons in self-defence, or struggle for the -prize in their manly games. - -As I before observed, these men generally eat but twice a day, and many -times not more than once, and those meals are light and simple compared -with the meals that are swallowed in the civilized world; and by the -very people also, who sit at the festive board three times a day, -making a jest of the Indian for his eating, when they actually guzzle -more liquids, besides their eating, than would fill the stomach of an -Indian. - -There are, however, many seasons and occasions in the year with all -Indians, when they fast for several days in succession; and others -where they can _get_ nothing to eat; and at such times (their habits -are such) they may be seen to commence with an enormous meal, and -because they do so, it is an insufficient reason why we should for ever -remain under so egregious an error with regard to a single custom of -these people. - -I have seen so many of these, and lived with them, and travelled with -them, and oftentimes felt as if I should starve to death on an equal -allowance, that I am fully convinced I am correct in saying that the -North American Indians, taking them in the aggregate, even where they -have an abundance to subsist on, eat less than any civilized population -of equal numbers, that I have ever travelled amongst. - -Their mode of curing and preserving the buffalo meat is somewhat -curious, and in fact it is almost incredible also; for it is all cured -or dried in the sun, without the aid of salt or smoke! The method of -doing this is the same amongst all the tribes, from this to the Mexican -Provinces, and is as follows:—The choicest parts of the flesh from the -buffalo are cut out by the squaws, and carried home on their backs or -on horses, and there cut “_across the grain_,” in such a manner as will -take alternately the layers of lean and fat; and having prepared it -all in this way, in strips about half an inch in thickness, it is hung -up by hundreds and thousands of pounds on poles resting on crotches, -out of the reach of dogs or wolves, and exposed to the rays of the sun -for several days, when it becomes so effectually dried, that it can -be carried to any part of the world without damage. This seems almost -an unaccountable thing, and the more so, as it is done in the hottest -months of the year, and also in all the different latitudes of an -Indian country. - -So singular a fact as this can only be accounted for, I consider, on -the ground of the extraordinary rarity and purity of the air which -we meet with in these vast tracts of country, which are now properly -denominated “the great buffalo plains,” a series of exceedingly -elevated plateaus of _steppes_ or _prairies_, lying at and near the -base of the Rocky Mountains. - -It is a fact then, which I presume will be new to most of the world, -that meat can be cured in the sun without the aid of smoke or salt; -and it is a fact equally true and equally surprising also, that none -of these tribes use salt in any way, although their country abounds -in salt springs; and in many places, in the frequent walks of the -Indian, the prairie may be seen, for miles together, covered with an -incrustation of salt as white as the drifted snow. - -I have, in travelling with Indians, encamped by such places, where they -have cooked and eaten their meat, when I have been unable to prevail on -them to use salt in any quantity whatever. The Indians cook their meat -more than the civilized people do, and I have long since learned, from -necessity, that meat thus cooked can easily be eaten and relished too, -without salt or other condiment. - -The fact above asserted applies exclusively to those tribes of Indians -which I have found in their primitive state, living entirely on meat; -but everywhere along our Frontier, where the game of the country -has long since been chiefly destroyed, and these people have become -semi-civilized, raising and eating, as we do, a variety of vegetable -food, they use (and no doubt require), a great deal of salt; and in -many instances use it even to destructive excess. - - - - - LETTER—No. 18. - - MANDAN VILLAGE, UPPER MISSOURI. - - -The Mandans, like all other tribes, lead lives of idleness and -leisure; and of course, devote a great deal of time to their sports -and amusements, of which they have a great variety. Of these, dancing -is one of the principal, and may be seen in a variety of forms: such -as the buffalo dance, the boasting dance, the begging dance, the scalp -dance, and a dozen other kinds of dances, all of which have their -peculiar characters and meanings or objects. - -These exercises are exceedingly grotesque in their appearance, and to -the eye of a traveller who knows not their meaning or importance, they -are an uncouth and frightful display of starts, and jumps, and yelps, -and jarring gutturals, which are sometimes truly terrifying. But when -one gives them a little attention, and has been lucky enough to be -initiated into their mysterious meaning, they become a subject of the -most intense and exciting interest. Every dance has its peculiar step, -and every step has its meaning; every dance also has its peculiar song, -and that is so intricate and mysterious oftentimes, that not one in ten -of the young men who are dancing and singing it, know the meaning of -the song which they are chanting over. None but the medicine-men are -allowed to understand them; and even they are generally only initiated -into these secret arcana, on the payment of a liberal stipend for their -tuition, which requires much application and study. There is evidently -a set song and sentiment for every dance, for the songs are perfectly -measured, and sung in exact time with the beat of the drum; and always -with an uniform and invariable set of sounds and expressions, which -clearly indicate certain sentiments, which are expressed by the voice, -though sometimes not given in any known language whatever. - -They have other dances and songs which are not so mystified, but which -are sung and understood by every person in the tribe, being sung in -their own language, with much poetry in them, and perfectly metred, but -without rhyme. On these subjects I shall take another occasion to say -more; and will for the present turn your attention to the style and -modes in which some of these curious transactions are conducted. - -My ears have been almost continually ringing since I came here, with -the din of yelping and beating of the drums; but I have for several -days past been peculiarly engrossed, and my senses almost confounded -with the stamping, and grunting, and bellowing of the _buffalo dance_, -which closed a few days since at sunrise (thank Heaven), and which I -must needs describe to you. - -Buffaloes, it is known, are a sort of roaming creatures, congregating -occasionally in huge masses, and strolling away about the country from -east to west, or from north to south, or just where their whims or -strange fancies may lead them; and the Mandans are sometimes, by this -means, most unceremoniously left without any thing to eat; and being a -small tribe, and unwilling to risk their lives by going far from home -in the face of their more powerful enemies, are oftentimes left almost -in a state of starvation. In any emergency of this kind, every man -musters and brings out of his lodge his mask (the skin of a buffalo’s -head with the horns on), which he is obliged to keep in readiness -for this occasion; and then commences the buffalo dance, of which I -have above spoken, which is held for the purpose of making “buffalo -come” (as they term it), of inducing the buffalo herds to change the -direction of their wanderings, and bend their course towards the Mandan -village, and graze about on the beautiful hills and bluffs in its -vicinity, where the Mandans can shoot them down and cook them as they -want them for food. - -For the most part of the year, the young warriors and hunters, by -riding out a mile or two from the village, can kill meat in abundance; -and sometimes large herds of these animals may be seen grazing in -full view of the village. There are other seasons also when the young -men have ranged about the country as far as they are willing to risk -their lives, on account of their enemies, without finding meat. This -sad intelligence is brought back to the chiefs and doctors, who sit in -solemn council, and consult on the most expedient measures to be taken, -until they are sure to decide upon the old and only expedient which -“never has failed.” - -The chief issues his order to his runners or criers, who proclaim it -through the village—and in a few minutes the dance begins. The place -where this strange operation is carried on is in the public area in the -centre of the village, and in front of the great medicine or mystery -lodge. About ten or fifteen Mandans at a time join in the dance, each -one with the skin of the buffalo’s head (or mask) with the horns on, -placed over his head, and in his hand his favourite bow or lance, with -which he is used to slay the buffalo. - -I mentioned that this dance always had the desired effect, that it -never fails, nor can it, for it cannot be stopped (but is going -incessantly day and night) until “buffalo come.” Drums are beating and -rattles are shaken, and songs and yells incessantly are shouted, and -lookers-on stand ready with masks on their heads, and weapons in hand, -to take the place of each one as he becomes fatigued, and jumps out of -the ring. - -During this time of general excitement, spies or “_lookers_” are kept -on the hills in the neighbourhood of the village, who, when they -discover buffaloes in sight, give the appropriate signal, by “throwing -their robes,” which is instantly seen in the village, and understood by -the whole tribe. At this joyful intelligence there is a shout of thanks -to the Great Spirit, and more especially to the mystery-man, and the -dancers, _who have been the immediate cause of their success_! There is -then a brisk preparation for the chase—a grand hunt takes place. The -choicest pieces of the victims are sacrificed to the Great Spirit, and -then a surfeit and a carouse. - -These dances have sometimes been continued in this village two and -three weeks without stopping an instant, until the joyful moment when -buffaloes made their appearance. So they _never fail_; and they think -they have been the means of bringing them in. - -Every man in the Mandan village (as I have before said) is obliged by -a village regulation, to keep the mask of the buffalo, hanging on a -post at the head of his bed, which he can use on his head whenever he -is called upon by the chiefs, to dance for the coming of buffaloes. -The mask is put over the head, and generally has a strip of the skin -hanging to it, of the whole length of the animal, with the tail -attached to it, which, passing down over the back of the dancer, is -dragging on the ground (+plate+ 56). When one becomes fatigued of the -exercise, he signifies it by bending quite forward, and sinking his -body towards the ground; when another draws a bow upon him and hits -him with a blunt arrow, and he falls like a buffalo—is seized by the -bye-standers, who drag him out of the ring by the heels, brandishing -their knives about him; and having gone through the motions of skinning -and cutting him up, they let him off, and his place is at once supplied -by another, who dances into the ring with his mask on; and by this -taking of places, the scene is easily kept up night and day, until the -desired effect has been produced, that of “making buffalo come.” - -The day before yesterday however, readers, which, though it commenced -in joy and thanksgiving to the Great Spirit for the signal success -which had attended their several days of dancing and supplication, -ended in a calamity which threw the village of the Mandans into -mourning and repentant tears, and that at a time of scarcity and great -distress. The signal was given into the village on that morning from -the top of a distant bluff, that a band of buffaloes were in sight, -though at a considerable distance off, and every heart beat with joy, -and every eye watered and glistened with gladness. - -The dance had lasted some three or four days, and now, instead of the -doleful tap of the drum and the begging chaunts of the dancers, the -stamping of horses was heard as they were led and galloped through the -village—young men were throwing off their robes and their shirts,—were -seen snatching a handful of arrows from their quivers, and stringing -their sinewy bows, glancing their eyes and their smiles at their -sweethearts, and mounting their ponies. * * * - - * * A few minutes there had been of bustle and boasting, -whilst bows were twanging and spears were polishing by running their -blades into the ground—every face and every eye was filled with joy and -gladness—horses were pawing and snuffing in fury for the outset, when -Louison Frénié, an interpreter of the Fur Company, galloped through the -village with his rifle in his hand and his powder-horn at his side; his -head and waist were bandaged with handkerchiefs, and his shirt sleeves -rolled up to his shoulders—the hunter’s yell issued from his lips and -was repeated through the village; he flew to the bluffs, and behind -him and over the graceful swells of the prairie, galloped the emulous -youths, whose hearts were beating high and quick for the onset. - -[Illustration: 56] - -In the village, where hunger had reigned, and starvation was almost -ready to look them in the face, all was instantly turned to joy and -gladness. The chiefs and doctors who had been for some days dealing -out minimum rations to the community from the public crib, now spread -before their subjects the contents of their own private _caches_, and -the last of every thing that could be mustered, that they might eat a -thanksgiving to the Great Spirit for his goodness in sending them a -supply of buffalo meat. A general carouse of banqueting ensued, which -occupied the greater part of the day; and their hidden stores which -might have fed an emergency for several weeks, were pretty nearly used -up on the occasion—bones were half picked, and dishes half emptied and -then handed to the dogs. _I_ was not forgotten neither, in the general -surfeit; several large and generous wooden bowls of pemican and other -palatable food were sent to my painting-room, and I received them in -this time of scarcity with great pleasure. - -After this general indulgence was over, and the dogs had licked the -dishes, their usual games and amusements ensued—and hilarity and mirth, -and joy took possession of, and reigned in, every nook and corner of -the village; and in the midst of this, screams and shrieks were heard! -and echoed everywhere. Women and children scrambled to the tops of -their wigwams, with their eyes and their hands stretched in agonizing -earnestness to the prairie, whilst blackened warriors ran furiously -through every winding maze of the village, and issuing their jarring -gutturals of vengeance, as they snatched their deadly weapons from -their lodges, and struck the reddened post as they furiously passed -it by! Two of their hunters were bending their course down the sides -of the bluff towards the village, and another broke suddenly out of a -deep ravine, and yet another was seen dashing over and down the green -hills, and all were goading on their horses at full speed! and then -came another, and another, and all entered the village amid shouts and -groans of the villagers who crowded around them; the story was told -in their looks, for one was bleeding, and the blood that flowed from -his naked breast had crimsoned his milk white steed as it had dripped -over him; another grasped in his left hand a scalp that was reeking in -blood—and in the other his whip—another grasped nothing, save the reins -in one hand and the mane of the horse in the other, having thrown his -bow and his arrows away, and trusted to the fleetness of his horse -for his safety; yet the story was audibly told, and the fatal tragedy -recited in irregular and almost suffocating ejaculations—the names -of the dead were in turns pronounced and screams and shrieks burst -forth at their recital—murmurs and groans ran through the village, and -this happy little community were in a moment smitten with sorrow and -distraction. - -Their proud band of hunters who had started full of glee and mirth in -the morning, had been surrounded by their enemy, the Sioux, and eight -of them killed. The Sioux, who had probably reconnoitred their village -during the night, and ascertained that they were dancing for buffaloes, -laid a stratagem to entrap them in the following manner:—Some six -or eight of them appeared the next morning (on a distant bluff, in -sight of their sentinel) under the skins of buffaloes, imitating the -movements of those animals whilst grazing; and being discovered by -the sentinel, the intelligence was telegraphed to the village, which -brought out their hunters as I have described. The masked buffaloes -were seen grazing on the top of a high bluff, and when the hunters had -approached within half a mile or so of them, they suddenly disappeared -over the hill. Louison Frénié, who was leading the little band of -hunters, became at that moment suspicious of so strange a movement, and -came to a halt * * * - - * “Look”! (said a Mandan, pointing to a little ravine to the right, and -at the foot of the hill, from which suddenly broke some forty or fifty -furious Sioux, on fleet horses and under full whip, who were rushing -upon them); they wheeled, and in front of them came another band more -furious from the other side of the hill! they started for home (poor -fellows), and strained every nerve; but the Sioux were too fleet for -them; and every now and then, the whizzing arrow and the lance were -heard to rip the flesh of their naked backs, and a grunt and a groan, -as they tumbled from their horses. Several miles were run in this -desperate race; and Frénié got home, and several of the Mandans, though -eight of them were killed and scalped by the way. - -So ended that day and the hunt; but many a day and sad, will last the -grief of those whose hearts were broken on that unlucky occasion. - -_This_ day, though, my readers, has been one of a more joyful kind, for -the Great Spirit, who was indignant at so flagrant an injustice, has -sent the Mandans an abundance of buffaloes; and all hearts have joined -in a general thanksgiving to Him for his goodness and justice. - -[Illustration: 57] - - - - - LETTER—No. 19. - - MANDAN VILLAGE, _UPPER MISSOURI_. - - -In my last Letter I gave an account of the buffalo dance, and in future -epistles may give some descriptions of a dozen other kinds of dance, -which these people have in common with other tribes; but in the present -Letter I shall make an endeavour to confine my observations to several -other customs and forms, which are very curious and peculiar to the -Mandans. - -Of these, one of the most pleasing is the _sham-fight_ and sham -scalp-dance of the Mandan boys, which is a part of their regular -exercise, and constitutes a material branch of their education. -During the pleasant mornings of the summer, the little boys between -the age of seven and fifteen are called out, to the number of several -hundred, and being divided into two companies, each of which is headed -by some experienced warrior, who leads them on, in the character -of a teacher; they are led out into the prairie at sunrise, where -this curious discipline is regularly taught them (+plate+ 57). Their -bodies are naked, and each one has a little bow in his left hand and -a number of arrows made of large spears of grass, which are harmless -in their effects. Each one has also a little belt or girdle around -his waist, in which he carries a knife made of a piece of wood and -equally harmless—on the tops of their heads are slightly attached -small tufts of grass, which answer as scalps, and in this plight, -they follow the dictates of their experienced leaders, who lead them -through the judicious evolutions of Indian warfare—of feints—of -retreats—of attacks—and at last to a general fight. Many manœuvres are -gone through, and eventually they are brought up face to face, within -fifteen or twenty feet of each other, with their leaders at their head -stimulating them on. Their bows are bent upon each other and their -missiles flying, whilst they are dodging and fending them off. - -If any one is struck with an arrow on any vital part of his body, he is -obliged to fall, and his adversary rushes up to him, places his foot -upon him, and snatching from his belt his wooden knife, grasps hold of -his victim’s scalp-lock of grass, and making a feint at it with his -wooden knife, twitches it off and puts it into his belt, and enters -again into the ranks and front of battle. - -This mode of training generally lasts an hour or more in the morning, -and is performed on an empty stomach, affording them a rigid and -wholesome exercise, whilst they are instructed in the important science -of war. Some five or six miles of ground are run over during these -evolutions, giving suppleness to their limbs and strength to their -muscles, which last and benefit them through life. - -After this exciting exhibition is ended, they all return to their -village, where the chiefs and braves pay profound attention to their -vaunting, and applaud them for their artifice and valour. - -Those who have taken scalps then step forward, brandishing them and -making their boast as they enter into the _scalp-dance_ (in which -they are also instructed by their leaders or teachers), jumping and -yelling—brandishing their scalps, and reciting their _sanguinary -deeds_, to the great astonishment of their tender aged sweethearts, who -are gazing with wonder upon them. - -The games and amusements of these people are in most respects like -those of the other tribes, consisting of ball plays—game of the -moccasin, of the platter—feats of archery—horse-racing, &c.; and they -have yet another, which may be said to be their favourite amusement, -and unknown to the other tribes about them. The game of Tchung-kee, a -beautiful athletic exercise, which they seem to be almost unceasingly -practicing whilst the weather is fair, and they have nothing else -of moment to demand their attention. This game is decidedly their -favourite amusement, and is played near to the village on a pavement -of clay, which has been used for that purpose until it has become as -smooth and hard as a floor. For this game two champions form their -respective parties, by choosing alternately the most famous players, -until their requisite numbers are made up. Their bettings are then -made, and their stakes are held by some of the chiefs or others -present. The play commences (+plate+ 59) with two (one from each -party), who start off upon a trot, abreast of each other, and one of -them rolls in advance of them, on the pavement, a little ring of two -or three inches in diameter, cut out of a stone; and each one follows -it up with his “tchung-kee” (a stick of six feet in length, with -little bits of leather projecting from its sides of an inch or more in -length), which he throws before him as he runs, sliding it along upon -the ground after the ring, endeavouring to place it in such a position -when it stops, that the ring may fall upon it, and receive one of the -little projections of leather through it, which counts for game, one, -or two, or four, according to the position of the leather on which the -ring is lodged. The last winner always has the rolling of the ring, -and both start and throw the tchung-kee together; if either fails to -receive the ring or to lie in a certain position, it is a forfeiture -of the amount of the number he was nearest to, and he loses his throw; -when another steps into his place. This game is a very difficult one -to describe, so as to give an exact idea of it, unless one can see it -played—it is a game of great beauty and fine bodily exercise, and these -people become excessively fascinated with it; often gambling away every -thing they possess, and even sometimes, when everything else was gone, -have been known to stake their liberty upon the issue of these games, -offering themselves as slaves to their opponents in case they get -beaten. - -_Feasting_ and _fasting_ are important customs observed by the Mandans, -as well as by most other tribes, at stated times and for particular -purposes. These observances are strictly religious and rigidly -observed. There are many of these forms practiced amongst the Mandans, -some of which are exceedingly interesting, and important also, in -forming a correct estimate of the Indian character; and I shall at a -future period take particular pains to lay them before my readers. - -_Sacrificing_ is also a religious custom with these people, and is -performed in many different modes, and on numerous occasions. Of -this custom I shall also speak more fully hereafter, merely noticing -at present, some few of the hundred modes in which these offerings -are made to the Good and Evil Spirits. Human sacrifices have never -been made by the Mandans, nor by any of the north western tribes (so -far as I can learn), excepting the Pawnees of the Platte; who have, -undoubtedly, observed such an inhuman practice in former times, though -they have relinquished it of late. The Mandans sacrifice their fingers -to the Great Spirit, and of their worldly goods, the best and the most -costly; if a horse or a dog, it must be the favourite one; if it is -an arrow from their quiver, they will select the most perfect one as -the most effective gift; if it is meat, it is the choicest piece cut -from the buffalo or other animal; if it is anything from the stores of -the Traders, it is the most costly—it is blue or scarlet cloth, which -costs them in this country an enormous price, and is chiefly used for -the purpose of hanging over their wigwams to decay, or to cover the -scaffolds where rest the bones of their departed relations. - -Of these kinds of sacrifices there are three of an interesting nature, -erected over the great medicine-lodge in the centre of the village—they -consist of ten or fifteen yards of blue and black cloth each, purchased -from the Fur Company at fifteen or twenty dollars per yard, which are -folded up so as to resemble human figures, with quills in their heads -and masks on their faces. These singular-looking figures, like “_scare -crows_” (+plate+ 47), are erected on poles about thirty feet high, over -the door of the mystery-lodge, and there are left to decay. There hangs -now by the side of them another, which was added to the number a few -days since, of the skin of a white buffalo, which will remain there -until it decays and falls to pieces. - -This beautiful and costly skin, when its history is known, will -furnish a striking proof of the importance which they attach to these -propitiatory offerings. But a few weeks since, a party of Mandans -returned from the Mouth of the Yellow Stone, two hundred miles above, -with information that a party of Blackfeet were visiting that place on -business with the American Fur Company; and that they had with them -a white buffalo robe for sale. This was looked upon as a subject of -great importance by the chiefs, and one worthy of public consideration. -A white buffalo robe is a great curiosity, even in the country of -buffaloes, and will always command an almost incredible price, from its -extreme scarcity; and then, from its being the most costly article of -traffic in these regions, it is usually converted into a _sacrifice_, -being offered to the Great Spirit, as the most acceptable gift that can -be procured. Amongst the vast herds of buffaloes which graze on these -boundless prairies, there is not one in an hundred thousand, perhaps, -that is white; and when such an one is obtained, it is considered great -_medicine_ or mystery. - -On the receipt of the intelligence above-mentioned, the chiefs convened -in council, and deliberated on the expediency of procuring the white -robe from the Blackfeet; and also of appropriating the requisite means, -and devising the proper mode of procedure for effecting the purchase. -At the close of their deliberations, eight men were fitted out on eight -of their best horses, who took from the Fur Company’s store, on the -credit of the chiefs, goods exceeding even the value of their eight -horses; and they started for the Mouth of the Yellow Stone, where -they arrived in due time, and made the purchase, by leaving the eight -horses and all the goods which they carried; returning on foot to their -own village, bringing home with them the white robe, which was looked -upon by all eyes of the villagers as a thing that was vastly curious, -and containing (as they express it) something of the Great Spirit. -This wonderful anomaly laid several days in the chief’s lodge, until -public curiosity was gratified; and then it was taken by the doctors or -high-priests, and with a great deal of form and mystery consecrated, -and raised on the top of a long pole over the _medicine-lodge_; where -it now stands in a group with the others, and will stand as an offering -to the Great Spirit, until it decays and falls to the ground. - -This Letter, as I promised in its commencement, being devoted to some -of the customs peculiar to the Mandans, and all of which will be new -to the world, I shall close, after recording in it an account of a -laughable farce, which was enacted in this village when I was on my -journey up the river, and had stopped on the way to spend a day or two -in the Mandan village. - -Readers, did you ever hear of “_Rain Makers_?” If not, sit still, and -read on; but laugh not—keep cool and sober, or else you may laugh in -the _beginning_, and cry at the _end_ of my story. Well, I introduce -to you a new character—not a _doctor_ or a _high-priest_, yet a -_medicine-man_, and one of the highest and most respectable order, a -“_Rain Maker_!” Such dignitaries live in the Mandan nation, aye, and -“_rain stoppers_” too; and even those also amongst their _conjurati_, -who, like Joshua of old, have even essayed to stop the sun in his -course; but from the inefficiency of their medicine or mystery, have -long since descended into insignificance. - -Well, the story begins thus:—The Mandans, as I have said in a former -Letter, raise a great deal of corn; and sometimes a most disastrous -drought will be visited on the land, destructive to their promised -harvest. Such was the case when I arrived at the Mandan village -on the steam-boat, Yellow-Stone. Rain had not fallen for many a day, -and the dear little girls and the ugly old squaws, altogether (all of -whom had fields of corn), were groaning and crying to their lords, and -imploring them to intercede for rain, that their little respective -patches, which were now turning pale and yellow, might not be withered, -and they be deprived of the pleasure of their customary annual -festivity, and the joyful occasion of the “roasting ears,” and the -“green corn dance.” - -[Illustration: 58] - -[Illustration: 59] - -The chiefs and doctors sympathized with the plaints of the women, and -recommended patience. Great deliberation, they said, was necessary in -these cases; and though they resolved on making the attempt to produce -rain for the benefit of the corn; yet they very wisely resolved that -to begin too soon might ensure their entire defeat in the endeavour; -and that the longer they put it off, the more certain they would -feel of ultimate success. So, after a few days of further delay, -when the importunities of the women had become clamorous, and even -mournful, and almost insupportable, the _medicine-men_ assembled in -the council-house, with all their mystery apparatus about them—with an -abundance of wild sage, and other aromatic herbs, with a fire prepared -to burn them, that their savoury odours might be sent forth to the -Great Spirit. The lodge was closed to all the villagers, except some -ten or fifteen young men, who were willing to hazard the dreadful -alternative of making it rain, or suffer the everlasting disgrace of -having made a fruitless essay. - -They, only, were allowed as witnesses to the _hocus pocus_ and -_conjuration_ devised by the doctors inside of the medicine-lodge; and -they were called up by lot, each one in his turn, to spend a day upon -the top of the lodge, to test the potency of his medicine; or, in other -words, to see how far his voice might be heard and obeyed amongst the -clouds of the heavens; whilst the doctors were burning incense in the -wigwam below, and with their songs and prayers to the Great Spirit for -success, were sending forth grateful fumes and odours to Him “who lives -in the sun and commands the thunders of Heaven.” Wah-kee (the shield) -was the first who ascended the wigwam at sunrise; and he stood all day, -and looked foolish, as he was counting over and over his string of -mystery-beads—the whole village were assembled around him, and praying -for his success. Not a cloud appeared—the day was calm and hot; and at -the setting of the sun, he descended from the lodge and went home—“his -_medicine_ was not good,” nor can he ever be a _medicine-man_. - -Om-pah (the elk) was the next; he ascended the lodge at sunrise the -next morning. His body was entirely naked, being covered with yellow -clay. On his left arm he carried a beautiful shield, and a long lance -in his right; and on his head the skin of a raven, the bird that soars -amidst the clouds, and above the lightning’s glare—he flourished his -shield and brandished his lance, and raised his voice, but in vain; for -at sunset the ground was dry and the sky was clear; the squaws were -crying, and their corn was withering at its roots. - -War-rah-pa (the beaver) was the next; he also spent his breath in vain -upon the empty air, and came down at night—and Wak-a-dah-ha-hee (the -white buffalo’s hair) took the stand the next morning. He is a small, -but beautifully proportioned young man. He was dressed in a tunic and -leggings of the skins of the mountain-sheep, splendidly garnished -with quills of the porcupine, and fringed with locks of hair taken -by his own hand from the heads of his enemies. On his arm he carried -his shield, made of the buffalo’s hide—its boss was the head of the -war-eagle—and its front was ornamented with “red chains of lightning.” -In his left hand he clenched his sinewy bow and one single arrow. The -villagers were all gathered about him; when he threw up a feather to -decide on the course of the wind, and he commenced thus:—“My friends! -people of the pheasants! you see me here a sacrifice—I shall this -day relieve you from great distress, and bring joy amongst you; or I -shall descend from this lodge when the sun goes down, and live amongs -the dogs and old women all my days. My friends! you saw which way the -feather flew, and I hold my shield this day in the direction where the -wind comes—the lightning on my shield will draw a great cloud, and -this arrow, which is selected from my quiver, and which is feathered -with the quill of the white swan, will make a hole in it. My friends! -this hole in the lodge at my feet, shows me the medicine-men, who -are seated in the lodge below me and crying to the Great Spirit; and -through it comes and passes into my nose delightful odours, which -you see rising in the smoke to the Great Spirit above, who rides in -the clouds and commands the winds! Three days they have sat here, my -friends, and nothing has been done to relieve your distress. On the -first day was Wah-kee (the shield), he could do nothing; he counted his -beads and came down—his medicine was not good—his name was bad, and -it kept off the rain. The next was Om-pah (the elk); on his head the -raven was seen, who flies _above_ the storm, and he failed. War-rah-pa -(the beaver) was the next, my friends; the beaver lives _under_ the -_water_, and he never wants it to rain. My friends! I see you are in -great distress, and nothing has yet been done; this shield belonged to -my father the White Buffalo; and the lightning you see on it is red; it -was taken from a black cloud, and that cloud will come over us to-day. -I am the white buffalo’s hair—and I am the son of my father.” - -In this manner flourished and manœuvred Wak-a-dah-ha-hee (the white -buffalo’s hair), alternately addressing the audience and the heaven—and -holding converse with the winds and the “_je-bi_” (spirits) that are -floating about in them—stamping his foot over the heads of the _magi_, -who were involved in mysteries beneath him, and invoking the spirits of -darkness and light to send rain, to gladden the hearts of the Mandans. - -It happened on this memorable day about noon, that the steam-boat -Yellow Stone, on her first trip up the Missouri River, approached and -landed at the Mandan Village, as I have described in a former epistle. -I was lucky enough to be a passenger on this boat, and helped to fire -a salute of twenty guns of twelve pounds calibre, when we first came -in sight of the village, some three or four miles below. These guns -introduced a _new sound_ into this strange country, which the Mandans -at first supposed to be thunder; and the young man upon the lodge, who -turned it to good account, was gathering fame in rounds of applause, -which were repeated and echoed through the whole village; all eyes -were centred upon him—chiefs envied him—mothers’ hearts were beating -high whilst they were decorating and leading up their fair daughters -to offer him in marriage, on his signal success. The medicine-men had -left the lodge, and came out to bestow upon him the envied title of -“_medicine-man_,” or “_doctor_,” which he had so deservedly won—wreaths -were prepared to decorate his brows, and eagle’s plumes and calumets -were in readiness for him; his friends were all rejoiced—his enemies -wore on their faces a silent gloom and hatred; and his old sweethearts, -who had formerly cast him off, gazed intensely upon him, as they glowed -with the burning fever of repentance. - -During all this excitement, Wak-a-dah-ha-hee kept his position, -assuming the most commanding and threatening attitudes; brandishing his -shield in the direction of the thunder (+plate+ 58), although there -was not a cloud to be seen, until he (poor fellow), being elevated -above the rest of the village, espied, to his inexpressible amazement, -the steam-boat ploughing its way up the windings of the river below; -puffing her steam from her pipes, and sending forth the thunder from -a twelve-pounder on her deck! * * * The White Buffalo’s -Hair stood motionless and turned pale, he looked awhile, and turned to -the chief and to the multitude, and addressed them with a trembling -lip—“My friends, we will get no rain!—there are, you see, no clouds; -but my medicine is great—I have brought a _thunder boat_! look and see -it! the thunder you hear is out of her mouth, and the lightning which -you see is on the waters!” - -At this intelligence, the whole village flew to the tops of their -wigwams, or to the bank of the river, from whence the steamer was in -full view, and ploughing along, to their utter dismay and confusion. - -In this promiscuous throng of chiefs, doctors, women, children and -dogs, was mingled Wak-a-dah-ha-hee (the white buffalo’s hair), having -descended from his high place to mingle with the frightened throng. - -Dismayed at the approach of so strange and unaccountable an object, the -Mandans stood their ground but a few moments; when, by an order of the -chiefs, all hands were ensconced within the piquets of their village, -and all the warriors armed for desperate defence. A few moments brought -the boat in front of the village, and all was still and quiet as death; -not a Mandan was to be seen upon the banks. The steamer was moored, and -three or four of the chiefs soon after, walked boldly down the bank and -on to her deck, with a spear in one hand and the calumet or pipe of -peace in the other. The moment they stepped on board they met (to their -great surprise and joy) their old friend, Major Sanford, their agent, -which circumstance put an instant end to all their fears. The villagers -were soon apprized of the fact, and the whole race of the beautiful and -friendly Mandans was paraded on the bank of the river, in front of the -steamer. - -The “rain maker,” whose apprehensions of a public calamity brought -upon the nation by his extraordinary _medicine_, had, for the better -security of his person from apprehended vengeance, secreted himself in -some secure place, and was the last to come forward, and the last to -be convinced that this visitation was a friendly one from the white -people; and that his _medicine_ had not in the least been instrumental -in bringing it about. This information, though received by him with -much caution and suspicion, at length gave him great relief, and -quieted his mind as to his danger. Yet still in his breast there was a -rankling thorn, though he escaped the dreaded vengeance which he had a -few moments before apprehended as at hand; as he had the mortification -and disgrace of having failed in his mysterious operations. He set -up, however (during the day, in his conversation about the strange -arrival), his _medicines_, as the cause of its approach; asserting -everywhere and to everybody, that he knew of its coming, and that he -had by his magic brought the occurrence about. This plea, however, did -not get him much audience; and in fact, everything else was pretty -much swallowed up in the guttural talk, and bustle, and gossip about -the mysteries of the “thunder-boat;” and so passed the day, until just -at the approach of evening, when the “White Buffalo’s Hair” (more -watchful of such matters on this occasion than most others) observed -that a black cloud had been jutting up in the horizon, and was almost -directly over the village! In an instant his shield was on his arm, and -his bow in his hand, and he again upon the lodge! stiffened and braced -to the last sinew, he stood, with his face and his shield presented to -the cloud, and his bow drawn. He drew the eyes of the whole village -upon him as he vaunted forth his super-human powers, and at the same -time commanding the cloud to come nearer, that he might draw down -its contents upon the heads and the corn-fields of the Mandans! In -this wise he stood, waving his shield over his head, stamping his -foot and frowning as he drew his bow and threatened the heavens, -commanding it to rain—his bow was bent, and the arrow drawn to its -head, was sent to the cloud, and he exclaimed, “My friends, it is done! -Wak-a-dah-ha-hee’s arrow has entered that black cloud, and the Mandans -will be wet with the water of the skies!” His predictions were true;—in -a few moments the cloud was over the village, and the rain fell in -torrents. He stood for some time wielding his weapons and presenting -his shield to the sky, while he boasted of his power and the efficacy -of his _medicine_, to those who had been about him, but were now driven -to the shelter of their wigwams. He, at length, finished his vaunts and -his threats, and descended from his high place (in which he had been -perfectly drenched), prepared to receive the honours and the homage -that were due to one so potent in his mysteries; and to receive the -style and title of “_medicine-man_.” This is one of a hundred different -modes in which a man in Indian countries acquires the honourable -appellation. - -This man had “made it rain,” and of course was to receive more than -usual honours, as he had done much more than ordinary men could do. All -eyes were upon him, and all were ready to admit that he was skilled -in the magic art; and must be so nearly allied to the Great or Evil -Spirit, that he must needs be a man of great and powerful influence in -the nation, and well entitled to the style of doctor or _medicine-man_. - -Readers, there are two facts relative to these strange transactions, -which are infallibly true, and should needs be made known. The first -is, that when the Mandans undertake to make it rain, _they never fail -to succeed_, for their ceremonies never stop until rain begins to fall. -The second is equally true, and is this:—that he who has once “_made -it rain_,” never attempts it again; his medicine is undoubted—and on -future occasions of the kind, he stands aloof, who has once done it in -presence of the whole village, giving an opportunity to other young men -who are ambitious to signalize themselves in the same way. - -During the memorable night of which I have just spoken, the steam-boat -remained by the side of the Mandan village, and the rain that had -commenced falling continued to pour down its torrents until midnight; -black thunder roared, and livid lightning flashed until the heavens -appeared to be lit up with one unceasing and appalling glare. In -this frightful moment of consternation, a flash of lightning buried -itself in one of the earth-covered lodges of the Mandans, and killed a -beautiful girl. Here was food and fuel fresh for their superstitions; -and a night of vast tumult and excitement ensued. The dreams of the -new-made medicine-man were troubled, and he had dreadful apprehensions -for the coming day—for he knew that he was subject to the irrevocable -decree of the chiefs and doctors, who canvass every strange and -unaccountable event, with close and superstitious scrutiny, and let -their vengeance fall without mercy upon its immediate cause. - -He looked upon his well-earned fame as likely to be withheld from him; -and also considered that his life might perhaps be demanded as the -forfeit for this girl’s death, which would certainly be charged upon -him. He looked upon himself as culpable, and supposed the accident -to have been occasioned by his criminal desertion of his post, when -the steam-boat was approaching the village. Morning came, and he soon -learned from some of his friends, the opinions of the wise men; and -also the nature of the tribunal that was preparing for him; he sent to -the prairie for his three horses, which were brought in, and he mounted -the _medicine-lodge_, around which, in a few moments, the villagers -were all assembled. “My friends! (said he) I see you all around me, and -I am before you; my medicine, you see, is great—it is _too great_—I -am young, and I was too fast—I knew not when to stop. The wigwam of -Mah-sish is laid low, and many are the eyes that weep for Ko-ka (the -antelope;) Wak-a-dah-ha-hee gives three horses to gladden the hearts of -those who weep for Ko-ka; his medicine was great—his arrow pierced the -black cloud, and the lightning came, and the _thunder-boat_ also! who -says the medicine of Wak-a-dah-ha-hee is not strong?” - -At the end of this sentence an unanimous shout of approbation ran -through the crowd, and the “Hair of the White Buffalo” descended -amongst them, where he was greeted by shakes of the hand; and amongst -whom he now lives and thrives under the familiar and honourable -appellation of the “+Big Double Medicine+.” - - - - - LETTER—No. 20. - - MANDAN VILLAGE, _UPPER MISSOURI_. - - -This day has been one of unusual mirth and amusement amongst the -Mandans, and whether on account of some annual celebration or not, I -am as yet unable to say, though I think such is the case; for these -people have many days which, like this, are devoted to festivities and -amusements. - -Their lives, however, are lives of idleness and ease, and almost all -their days and hours are spent in innocent amusements. Amongst a people -who have no office hours to attend to—no professions to study, and of -whom but very little time is required in the chase, to supply their -families with food, it would be strange if they did not practice many -games and amusements, and also become exceedingly expert in them. - -I have this day been a spectator of games and plays until I am fatigued -with looking on; and also by lending a hand, which I have done; but -with so little success as only to attract general observation, and -as generally to excite the criticisms and laughter of the squaws and -little children. - -I have seen a fair exhibition of their archery this day, in a favourite -amusement which they call the “_game of the arrow_” (see +plate+ 60), -where the young men who are the most distinguished in this exercise, -assemble on the prairie at a little distance from the village, and -having paid, each one, his “entrance-fee,” such as a shield, a robe, -a pipe, or other article, step forward in turn, shooting their arrows -into the air, endeavouring to see who can get the greatest number -flying in the air at one time, thrown from the same bow. For this, the -number of eight or ten arrows are clenched in the left hand with the -bow, and the first one which is thrown is elevated to such a degree -as will enable it to remain the longest time possible in the air, and -while it is flying, the others are discharged as rapidly as possible; -and he who succeeds in getting the greatest number up at once, is -“best,” and takes the goods staked. - -In looking on at this amusement, the spectator is surprised; not at -the great distance to which the arrows are actually sent; but at -the quickness of fixing them on the string, and discharging them in -succession; which is no doubt, the result of great practice, and -enables the most expert of them to get as many as eight arrows up -before the first one reaches the ground. - -For the successful use of the bow, as it is used through all this -region of country on horseback, and that invariably at full speed, the -great object of practice is to enable the bowman to draw the bow with -suddenness and instant effect; and also to repeat the shots in the most -rapid manner. As their game is killed from their horses’ backs while -at the swiftest rate—and their enemies fought in the same way; and as -the horse is the swiftest animal of the prairie, and always able to -bring his rider alongside, within a few paces of his victim; it will -easily be seen that the Indian has little use in throwing his arrow -more than a few paces; when he leans quite low on his horse’s side, and -drives it with astonishing force, capable of producing instant death -to the buffalo, or any other animal in the country. The bows which are -generally in use in these regions I have described in a former Letter, -and the effects produced by them at the distance of a few paces is -almost beyond belief, considering their length, which is not often over -three,—and sometimes not exceeding two and a half feet. It can easily -be seen, from what has been said, that the Indian has little use or -object in throwing the arrow to any great distance. And as it is very -seldom that they can be seen shooting at a target, I doubt very much -whether their skill in such practice would compare with that attained -to in many parts of the civilized world; but with the same weapon, -and dashing forward at fullest speed on the wild horse, without the -use of the rein, when the shot is required to be made with the most -instantaneous effect, I scarcely think it possible that any people can -be found more skilled, and capable of producing more deadly effects -with the bow. - -The horses which the Indians ride in this country are invariably the -wild horses, which are found in great numbers on the prairies; and -have, unquestionably, strayed from the Mexican borders, into which they -were introduced by the Spanish invaders of that country; and now range -and subsist themselves, in winter and summer, over the vast plains of -prairie that stretch from the Mexican frontiers to Lake Winnipeg on -the North, a distance of 3000 miles. These horses are all of small -stature, of the pony order; but a very hardy and tough animal, being -able to perform for the Indians a continual and essential service. -They are taken with the _laso_, which is a long halter or thong, made -of rawhide, of some fifteen or twenty yards in length, and which the -Indians throw with great dexterity; with a noose at one end of it, -which drops over the head of the animal they wish to catch, whilst -running at full speed—when the Indian dismounts from his own horse, and -holding to the end of the laso, choaks the animal down, and afterwards -tames and converts him to his own use. - -Scarcely a man in these regions is to be found, who is not the owner of -one or more of these horses; and in many instances of eight, ten, or -even twenty, which he values as his own personal property. - -[Illustration: 60] - -[Illustration: 61] - -The Indians are hard and cruel masters; and, added to their cruelties -is the sin that is familiar in the Christian world, of sporting with -the limbs, and the lives of these noble animals. _Horse-racing_ here, -as in all more enlightened communities, is one of the most exciting -amusements, and one of the most extravagant modes of gambling. - -I have been this day a spectator to scenes of this kind, which have -been enacted in abundance, on a course which they have, just back of -their village; and although I never had the least taste for this cruel -amusement in my own country, yet, I must say, I have been not a little -amused and pleased with the thrilling effect which these exciting -scenes have produced amongst so wild and picturesque a group. - -I have made a sketch of the ground and the group, as near as I could -(+plate+ 61); shewing the manner of “starting” and “coming out,” which -vary a little from the customs of the _knowing_ world; but in other -respects, I believe, a horse-race is the same all the world over. - -Besides these, many have been the amusements of this day, to which I -have been an eye-witness; and since writing the above, I have learned -the cause of this unusual expression of hilarity and mirth; which was -no more nor less than the safe return of a small war-party, who had -been so long out without any tidings having been received of them—that -they had long since been looked upon as sacrificed to the fates of -war and lost. This party was made up of the most distinguished and -desperate young men of the tribe, who had sallied out against the -Riccarees, and taken the most solemn oath amongst themselves never -to return without achieving a victory. They had wandered long and -faithfully about the country, following the trails of their enemy; when -they were attacked by a numerous party, and lost several of their men -and all their horses. In this condition, to evade the scrutiny of their -enemy, who were closely investing the natural route to their village; -they took a circuitous range of the country, to enable them to return -with their lives, to their village. - -In this plight, it seems, I had dropped my little canoe alongside of -them, while descending from the Mouth of Yellow Stone to this place, -not many weeks since; where they had bivouacked or halted, to smoke -and consult on the best and safest mode of procedure. At the time of -meeting them, not knowing anything of their language, they were unable -to communicate their condition to me, and more probably were afraid -to do so even if they could have done it, from apprehension that we -might have given some account of them to their enemies. I rested my -canoe an hour or so with them, during which time they treated us with -an indifferent reserve, yet respectfully; and we passed on our way, -without further information of them or their plans than the sketch that -I there made (+plate+ 63), and which I shall preserve and value as one -of the most pleasing groups I ever have had the pleasure to see. Seated -on their buffalo robes, which were spread upon the grass, with their -respective weapons laying about them, and lighting their pipes at a -little fire which was kindled in the centre—the chief or leader of the -party, with his arms stacked behind him, and his long head-dress of -war-eagles’ quills and ermine falling down over his back, whilst he sat -in a contemplative and almost desponding mood, was surely one of the -most striking and beautiful illustrations of a natural hero that I ever -looked upon. - -These gallant fellows got safely home to their village, and the -numerous expressions of joy for their return, which I have this day -witnessed, have much fatigued me that I write brief, and close my -Letter here. - -[Illustration: 63] - - - - - LETTER—No. 21. - - MANDAN VILLAGE, _UPPER MISSOURI_. - - -In a former Letter I gave some account of Mah-to-toh-pa (the four -bears), second chief of the Mandans, whom I said I had painted at -full length, in a splendid costume. I therein said, also, that “this -extraordinary man, though second in office, is undoubtedly the first -and most popular man in the nation. Free, generous, elegant, and -gentlemanly in his deportment—handsome, brave and valiant; wearing a -robe on his back, with the history of all his battles painted on it, -which would fill a book of themselves if they were properly enlarged -and translated.” - -I gave you also, in another epistle, an account of the manner in -which he invited me to a feast in his hospitable wigwam, at the same -time presenting me a beautifully garnished robe; and I promised to -say more of him on a future occasion. My readers will therefore -pardon me for devoting a Letter or two at this time, to a sketch of -this extraordinary man, which I will give in as brief a manner as -possible, by describing the costume in which I painted his portrait; -and afterwards reciting the most remarkable incidents of his life, -as I had them from the Traders and the Indian agents, and afterwards -corroborated by his own words, translated to me as he spoke, whilst I -was writing them down. - -The dress of Mah-to-toh-pa then, the greater part of which I have -represented in his full-length portrait, and which I shall now -describe, was purchased of him after I had painted his picture; and -every article of it can be seen in my Indian Gallery by the side of -the portrait, provided I succeed in getting them home to the civilized -world without injury. - -Mah-to-toh-pa had agreed to stand before me for his portrait at an -early hour of the next morning, and on that day I sat with my palette -of colours prepared, and waited till twelve o’clock, before he could -leave his toilette with feelings of satisfaction as to the propriety of -his looks and the arrangement of his equipments; and at that time it -was announced, that “Mah-to-toh-pa was coming in full dress!” I looked -out of the door of the wigwam, and saw him approaching with a firm and -elastic step, accompanied by a great crowd of women and children, who -were gazing on him with admiration, and escorting him to my room. No -tragedian ever trod the stage, nor gladiator ever entered the Roman -Forum, with more grace and manly dignity than did Mah-to-toh-pa enter -the wigwam, where I was in readiness to receive him. He took his -attitude before me (+plate+ 64), and with the sternness of a Brutus -and the stillness of a statue, he stood until the darkness of night -broke upon the solitary stillness. His dress, which was a very splendid -one, was complete in all its parts, and consisted of a shirt or tunic, -leggings, moccasins, head-dress, necklace, shield, bow and quiver, -lance, tobacco-sack, and pipe; robe, belt, and knife; medicine-bag, -tomahawk, and war-club, or _po-ko-mo-kon_. - -The shirt, of which I have spoken, was made of two skins of the -mountain-sheep, beautifully dressed, and sewed together by seams which -rested upon the arms; one skin hanging in front, upon the breast, and -the other falling down upon the back; the head being passed between -them, and they falling over and resting on the shoulders. Across each -shoulder, and somewhat in the form of an epaulette, was a beautiful -band; and down each arm from the neck to the hand was a similar one, -of two inches in width (and crossing the other at right angles on the -shoulder) beautifully embroidered with porcupine quills worked on the -dress, and covering the seams. To the lower edge of these bands the -whole way, at intervals of half an inch, were attached long locks of -black hair, which he had taken with his own hand from the heads of -his enemies whom he had slain in battle, and which he thus wore as a -trophy, and also as an ornament to his dress. The front and back of -the shirt were curiously garnished in several parts with porcupine -quills and paintings of the battles he had fought, and also with -representations of the victims that had fallen by his hand. The bottom -of the dress was bound or hemmed with ermine skins, and tassels of -ermines’ tails were suspended from the arms and the shoulders. - -The _Leggings_, which were made of deer skins, beautifully dressed, -and fitting tight to the leg, extended from the feet to the hips, and -were fastened to a belt which was passed around the waist. These, like -the shirt, had a similar band, worked with porcupine quills of richest -dyes, passing down the seam on the outer part of the leg, and fringed -also the whole length of the leg, with the scalp-locks taken from his -enemies’ heads. - -The _Moccasins_ were of buckskin, and covered in almost every part with -the beautiful embroidery of porcupines’ quills. - -The _Head-dress_, which was superb and truly magnificent, consisted -of a crest of war-eagles’ quills, gracefully falling back from the -forehead over the back part of the head, and extending quite down to -his feet; set the whole way in a profusion of ermine, and surmounted -on the top of the head, with the horns of the buffalo, shaved thin and -highly polished. - -The _Necklace_ was made of fifty huge claws or nails of the grizzly -bear, ingeniously arranged on the skin of an otter, and worn, like the -scalp-locks, as a trophy—as an evidence unquestionable, that he had -contended with and overcome that desperate enemy in open combat. - -His _Shield_ was made of the hide of the buffalo’s neck, and hardened -with the glue that was taken from its hoofs; its boss was the skin of -a pole-cat, and its edges were fringed with rows of eagles’ quills and -hoofs of the antelope. - -His _Bow_ was of bone, and as white and beautiful as ivory; over its -back was laid, and firmly attached to it, a coating of deers’ -sinews, which gave it its elasticity, and of course death to all that -stood inimically before it. Its string was three stranded and twisted -of sinews, which many a time had twanged and sent the whizzing death to -animal and to human victims. - -[Illustration: 64] - -The _Quiver_ was made of a panther’s skin and hung upon his back, -charged with its deadly arrows; some were poisoned and some were not; -they were feathered with hawks’ and eagles’ quills; some were clean and -innocent, and pure, and others were stained all over, with animal and -human blood that was dried upon them. Their blades or points were of -flints, and some of steel; and altogether were a deadly magazine. - -The _Lance_ or spear was held in his left hand; its blade was two-edged -and of polished steel, and the blood of several human victims was seen -dried upon it, one over the other; its shaft was of the toughest ash, -and ornamented at intervals with tufts of war-eagles’ quills. - -His _Tobacco-sack_ was made of the skin of an otter, and tastefully -garnished with quills of the porcupine; in it was carried his _k’nick -k’neck_, (the bark of the red willow, which is smoked as a substitute -for tobacco), it contained also his flint and steel, and spunk for -lighting—— - -His _Pipe_, which was ingeniously carved out of the red steatite (or -pipe-stone), the stem of which was three feet long and two inches -wide, made from the stalk of the young ash; about half its length was -wound with delicate braids of the porcupine’s quills, so ingeniously -wrought as to represent figures of men and animals upon it. It was -also ornamented with the skins and beaks of wood-peckers’ heads, and -the hair of the white buffalo’s tail. The lower half of the stem was -painted red, and on its edges it bore the notches he had recorded for -the snows (or years) of his life. - -His _Robe_ was made of the skin of a young buffalo bull, with the fur -on one side, and the other finely and delicately dressed; with all the -battles of his life emblazoned on it by his own hand. - -His _Belt_, which was of a substantial piece of buckskin, was firmly -girded around his waist; and in it were worn his tomahawk and -scalping-knife. - -His _Medicine-bag_ was the skin of a beaver, curiously ornamented -with hawks’ bills and ermine. It was held in his right hand, and his -_po-ko-mo-kon_ (or war-club) which was made of a round stone, tied up -in a piece of rawhide, and attached to the end of a stick, somewhat in -the form of a sling, was laid with others of his weapons at his feet. - -Such was the dress of Mah-to-toh-pa when he entered my wigwam to stand -for his picture; but such I have not entirely represented it in his -portrait; having rejected such trappings and ornaments as interfered -with the grace and simplicity of the figure. He was beautifully and -extravagantly dressed; and in this he was not alone, for hundreds of -others are equally elegant. In plumes, and arms, and ornaments, he is -not singular; but in laurels and wreaths he stands unparalleled. His -breast has been bared and scarred in defence of his country, and his -brows crowned with honours that elevate him conspicuous above all of -his nation. There is no man amongst the Mandans so generally loved, -nor any one who wears a robe so justly famed and honourable as that of -Mah-to-toh-pa. - -I said his robe was of the skin of a young buffalo bull, and that the -battles of his life were emblazoned on it; and on a former occasion, -that he presented me a beautiful robe, containing all the battles -of his life, which he had spent two weeks’ time in copying from his -original one, which he wore on his shoulders. - -This robe, with his tracings on it, is the chart of his military life; -and when explained, will tell more of Mah-to-toh-pa. - -Some days after this robe was presented, he called upon me with Mr. -Kipp, the trader and interpreter for the Mandans, and gave me of each -battle there pourtrayed the following history, which was interpreted -by Mr. Kipp, from his own lips, and written down by me, as we three -sat upon the robe. Mr. Kipp, who is a gentleman of respectability and -truth; and who has lived with these people ten years, assured me, that -nearly every one of these narrations were of events that had happened -whilst he had lived with them, and had been familiarly known to him; -and that every word that he asserted was true. - -And again, reader, in this country where, of all countries I ever -was in, men are the most jealous of rank and of standing; and in a -community so small also, that every man’s deeds of honour and chivalry -are familiarly known to all; it would not be reputable, or even safe -to life, for a warrior to wear upon his back the representations of -battles he never had fought; professing to have done what every child -in the village would know he never had done. - -So then I take the records of battles on the robe of Mah-to-toh-pa -to be matter of historical fact; and I proceed to give them as I -wrote them down from his own lips. Twelve battle-scenes are there -represented, where he has contended with his enemy, and in which he has -taken fourteen of their scalps. The groups are drawn according to his -own rude ideas of the arts; and I proceed to describe them in turn, as -they were explained to me. - - - ROBE OF MAH-TO-TOH-PA (+Plate+ 65). - -1. Mah-to-toh-pa kills a Sioux chief—the three heads represent the -three Riccarees, whom the Sioux chief had previously killed. The Sioux -chief is seen with war-paint black on his face. Mah-to-toh-pa is seen -with the scalp of the Sioux in one hand, and his knife in the other, -with his bow and quiver lying behind him.[3] - -2. A Shienne chief, who sent word to Mah-to-toh-pa that he wished to -fight him—was killed by Mah-to-toh-pa with a lance, in presence of a -large party of Mandans and Shiennes. Mah-to-toh-pa is here known -by his lance with eagles’ quills on it. - -[Illustration: 65] - -[Illustration] - -[Illustration] - -3. A Shienne killed by Mah-to-toh-pa after Mah-to-toh-pa had been left -by his party, badly wounded and bleeding; the twenty-five or thirty -foot-tracks around, represent the number of Shiennes, who were present -when the battle took place; and the bullets from their guns represented -as flying all around the head of Mah-to-toh-pa. - -4. Shienne chief with war-eagle head-dress, and a beautiful shield, -ornamented with eagles’ quills, killed by Mah-to-toh-pa. In this -battle the wife of the Shienne rushed forward in a desperate manner to -his assistance; but arriving too late, fell a victim. In this battle -Mah-to-toh-pa obtained two scalps. - -5. Mah-to-toh-pa, with a party of Riccarees, fired at by a party of -Sioux; the Riccarees fled—Mah-to-toh-pa dismounted and drove his horse -back, facing the enemy alone and killing one of them. Mah-to-toh-pa is -here represented with a beautiful head-dress of war-eagles’ quills, -and one on his horse’s head of equal beauty; his shield is on his arm, -and the party of Sioux is represented in front of him by the number of -horse tracks. - -6. The brother of Mah-to-toh-pa killed by a Riccaree, who shot him with -an arrow, and then running a lance through his body, left it there. -Mah-to-toh-pa was the first to find his brother’s body with the lance -in it: he drew the lance from the body, kept it four years with the -blood dried on its blade, and then, according to his oath, killed the -same Riccaree with the same lance; the dead body of his brother is here -seen with the arrow and lance remaining in it, and the tracks of the -Riccaree’s horses in front. - -The following was, perhaps, one of the most extraordinary exploits -of this remarkable man’s life, and is well attested by Mr. Kipp, and -several white men, who were living in the Mandan village at the time of -its occurrence. In a skirmish, near the Mandan village, when they were -set upon by their enemies, the Riccarees, the brother of Mah-to-toh-pa -was missing for several days, when Mah-to-toh-pa found the body -shockingly mangled, and a handsome spear left piercing the body through -the heart. The spear was by him brought into the Mandan village, where -it was recognized by many as a famous weapon belonging to a noted brave -of the Riccarees, by the name of Won-ga-tap. This spear was brandished -through the Mandan village by Mah-to-toh-pa (with the blood of his -brother dried on its blade), crying most piteously, and swearing that -he would some day revenge the death of his brother with the same weapon. - -It is almost an incredible fact, that he kept this spear with great -care in his wigwam for the space of four years, in the fruitless -expectation of an opportunity to use it upon the breast of its owner; -when his indignant soul, impatient of further delay, burst forth in the -most uncontroullable frenzy and fury; he again brandished it through -the village, and said, that the blood of his brother’s heart which was -seen on its blade was yet fresh, and called loudly for revenge. “Let -every Mandan (said he) be silent, and let no one sound the name of -Mah-to-toh-pa—let no one ask for him, nor where he has gone, until you -hear him sound the war-cry in front of the village, when he will enter -it and shew you the blood of Won-ga-tap. The blade of this lance shall -drink the heart’s blood of Won-ga-tap, or Mah-to-toh-pa mingles his -shadow with that of his brother.” - -With this he sallied forth from the village, and over the plains, -with the lance in his hand; his direction was towards the Riccaree -village, and all eyes were upon him, though none dared to speak till he -disappeared over the distant grassy bluffs. He travelled the distance -of two hundred miles entirely alone, with a little parched corn in -his pouch, making his marches by night, and laying secreted by days, -until he reached the Riccaree village; where (being acquainted with -its shapes and its habits, and knowing the position of the wigwam of -his doomed enemy) he loitered about in disguise, mingling himself in -the obscure throng; and at last, silently and alone, observed through -the rents of the wigwam, the last motions and movements of his victim, -as he retired to bed with his wife: he saw him light his last pipe and -smoke it “to its end”—he saw the last whiff, and saw the last curl of -blue smoke that faintly steeped from its bowl—he saw the village awhile -in darkness and silence, and the embers that were covered in the middle -of the wigwam gone nearly out, and the last flickering light which had -been gently playing over them; when he walked softly, but not slyly, -into the wigwam and seated himself by the fire, over which was hanging -a large pot, with a quantity of cooked meat remaining in it; and by -the side of the fire, the pipe and tobacco-pouch which had just been -used; and knowing that the twilight of the wigwam was not sufficient to -disclose the features of his face to his enemy, he very deliberately -turned to the pot and completely satiated the desperate appetite, which -he had got in a journey of six or seven days, with little or nothing -to eat; and then, as deliberately, charged and lighted the pipe, and -sent (no doubt, in every whiff that he drew through its stem) a prayer -to the Great Spirit for a moment longer for the consummation of his -design. Whilst eating and smoking, the wife of his victim, while laying -in bed, several times enquired of her husband, what man it was who was -eating in their lodge? to which, he as many times replied, “It’s no -matter; let him eat, for he is probably hungry.” - -Mah-to-toh-pa knew full well that his appearance would cause no other -reply than this, from the dignitary of the nation; for, from an -invariable custom amongst these Northern Indians, any one who is hungry -is allowed to walk into any man’s lodge and eat. Whilst smoking his -last gentle and tremulous whiffs on the pipe, Mah-to-toh-pa (leaning -back, and turning gradually on his side, to get a better view of the -position of his enemy, and to see a little more distinctly the shapes -of things) stirred the embers with his toes (readers, I had every -word of this from his own lips, and every attitude and gesture acted -out with his own limbs), until he saw his way was clear; at which -moment, with his lance in his hands, he rose and drove it through the -body of his enemy, and snatching the scalp from his head, he darted -from the lodge—and quick as lightning, with the lance in one hand, -and the scalp in the other, made his way to the prairie! The village -was in an uproar, but he was off, and no one knew the enemy who had -struck the blow. Mah-to-toh-pa ran all night, and lay close during the -days; thanking the Great Spirit for strengthening his heart and his -arm to this noble revenge; and prayed fervently for a continuance of -his aid and protection till he should get back to his own village. His -prayers were heard; and on the sixth morning, at sunrise, Mah-to-toh-pa -descended the bluffs, and entered the village amidst deafening shouts -of applause, while he brandished and shewed to his people the blade of -his lance, with the blood of his victim dried upon it, over that of his -brother; and the scalp of Won-ga-tap suspended from its handle. - -[Illustration] - -Such was the feat represented by Mah-to-toh-pa on his robe—and the -lance, of which I have just spoken, is seen in the hand of his -portrait, which will stand in my Gallery, and of which I have thus -formerly spoken:—“The lance or spear of Mah-to-toh-pa, when he stood -for his portrait, was held in his left hand; its blade was two-edged, -and of polished steel, and the blood of several human victims was -seen dried upon its surface, one over the other; its shaft was of the -toughest ash, and ornamented at intervals with tufts of war-eagle’s -quills.” - -In the portrait, of which I am speaking, there will be seen an eagle’s -quill balanced on the hilt of the lance, severed from its original -position, and loose from the weapon. When I painted his portrait, -he brought that quill to my wigwam in his left hand, and carefully -balancing it on the lance, as seen in the painting; he desired me to be -very exact with it, to have it appear as separate from, and unconnected -with, the lance; and to represent a spot of blood which was visible -upon it. I indulged him in his request, and then got from him the -following explanation:—“That quill (said he) is great _medicine_! it -belongs to the Great Spirit, and not to me—when I was running out of -the lodge of Won-ga-tap, I looked back and saw that quill hanging to -the wound in his side; I ran back, and pulling it out, brought it home -in my left hand, and I have kept it for the Great Spirit to this day!” - -“Why do you not then tie it on to the lance again, where it came off?” - -“Hush-sh (said he), if the Great Spirit had wished it to be tied on in -that place, it never would have come off; he has been kind to me, and I -will not offend him.” - -7. A Riccaree killed by Mah-to-toh-pa in revenge of the death of a -white man killed by a Riccaree in the Fur Traders’ Fort, a short time -previous. - -8. Mah-to-toh-pa, or four bears, kills a Shienne chief, who challenged -him to single combat, in presence of the two war-parties; they fought -on horseback with guns, until Mah-to-toh-pa’s powder-horn was shot -away; they then fought with bows and arrows, until their quivers were -emptied, when they dismounted and fought single-handed. The Shienne -drew his knife, and Mah-to-toh-pa had left his; they struggled for the -knife, which Mah-to-toh-pa wrested from the Shienne, and killed him -with it; in the struggle, the blade of the knife was several times -drawn through the hand of Mah-to-toh-pa, and the blood is seen running -from the wound. - -This extraordinary occurrence also, was one which admits of, and -deserves a more elaborate description, which I will here give as it -was translated from his own lips, while he sat upon the robe, pointing -to his painting of it; and at the same time brandishing the identical -knife which he drew from his belt, as he was shewing how the fatal blow -was given; and exhibiting the wounds inflicted in his hand, as the -blade of the knife was several times drawn through it before he wrested -it from his antagonist. - -A party of about 150 Shienne warriors had made an assault upon the -Mandan village at an early hour in the morning, and driven off a -considerable number of horses, and taken one scalp. Mah-to-toh-pa, -who was then a young man, but famed as one of the most valiant of the -Mandans, took the lead of a party of fifty warriors, all he could at -that time muster, and went in pursuit of the enemy; about noon of the -second day, they came in sight of the Shiennes; and the Mandans seeing -their enemy much more numerous than they had expected, were generally -disposed to turn about and return without attacking them. They started -to go back, when Mah-to-toh-pa galloped out in front upon the prairie, -and plunged his lance into the ground; the blade was driven into the -earth to its hilt—he made another circuit around, and in that circuit -tore from his breast his reddened sash, which he hung upon its handle -as a flag, calling out to the Mandans, “What! have we come to this? -we have dogged our enemy two days, and now when we have found them, -are we to turn about and go back like cowards? Mah-to-toh-pa’s lance, -which is red with the blood of brave men, has led you to the sight of -your enemy, and you have followed it; it now stands firm in the ground, -where the earth will drink the blood of Mah-to-toh-pa! you may all go -back, and Mah-to-toh-pa will fight them alone!” - -During this manœuvre, the Shiennes, who had discovered the Mandans -behind them, had turned about and were gradually approaching, in order -to give them battle; the chief of the Shienne war-party seeing and -understanding the difficulty, and admiring the gallant conduct of -Mah-to-toh-pa, galloped his horse forward within hailing distance, in -front of the Mandans, and called out to know “who he was who had stuck -down his lance and defied the whole enemy alone?” - -“I am Mah-to-toh-pa, second in command of the brave and valiant -Mandans.” - -“I have heard often of Mah-to-toh-pa, he is a great warrior—dares -Mah-to-toh-pa to come forward and fight this battle with me alone, and -our warriors will look on?” - -“Is he a chief who speaks to Mah-to-toh-pa?” - -[Illustration: 66] - -“My scalps you see hanging to my horse’s bits, and here is my lance -with the ermine skins and the war-eagle’s tail!” - -“You have said enough.” - -The Shienne chief made a circuit or two at full gallop on a beautiful -white horse, when he struck his lance into the ground, and left it -standing by the side of the lance of Mah-to-toh-pa, both of which were -waving together their little red flags, tokens of blood and defiance. - -The two parties then drew nearer, on a beautiful prairie, and the -two full-plumed chiefs, at full speed, drove furiously upon each -other! both firing their guns at the same moment. They passed each -other a little distance and wheeled, when Mah-to-toh-pa drew off his -powder-horn, and by holding it up, shewed his adversary that the -bullet had shattered it to pieces and destroyed his ammunition; he -then threw it from him, and his gun also—drew his bow from his quiver, -and an arrow, and his shield upon his left arm! The Shienne instantly -did the same; _his_ horn was thrown off, and his gun was thrown into -the air—his shield was balanced on his arm—his bow drawn, and quick -as lightning, they were both on the wing for a deadly combat! Like -two soaring eagles in the open air, they made their circuits around, -and the twangs of their sinewy bows were heard, and the war-whoop, as -they dashed by each other, parrying off the whizzing arrows with their -shields! Some lodged in their legs and others in their arms; but both -protected their _bodies_ with their bucklers of bull’s hide. Deadly and -many were the shafts that fled from their murderous bows. At length the -horse of Mah-to-toh-pa fell to the ground with an arrow in his heart; -his rider sprang upon his feet prepared to renew the combat; but the -Shienne, seeing his adversary dismounted, sprang from his horse, and -driving him back, presented the face of his shield towards his enemy, -inviting him to come on!—a few shots more were exchanged thus, when the -Shienne, having discharged all his arrows, held up his empty quiver and -dashing it furiously to the ground, with his bow and his shield; drew -and brandished his naked knife! - -“Yes!” said Mah-to-toh-pa, as he threw _his_ shield and quiver to the -earth, and was rushing up—_he_ grasped for his knife, but his belt -had it not; he had left it at home! his bow was in his hand, with -which he parried his antagonist’s blow and felled him to the ground! A -desperate struggle now ensued for the knife—the blade of it was several -times drawn through the right hand of Mah-to-toh-pa, inflicting the -most frightful wounds, while he was severely wounded in several parts -of the body. He at length succeeded however, in wresting it from his -adversary’s hand, and plunged it to his heart. - -By this time the two parties had drawn up in close view of each other, -and at the close of the battle, Mah-to-toh-pa held up, and claimed in -deadly silence, the knife and scalp of the noble Shienne chief.[4] - -9. Several hundred Minatarees and Mandans attacked by a party of -Assinneboins—all fled but Mah-to-toh-pa, who stood his ground, -fired, and killed one of the enemy, putting the rest of them to -flight, and driving off sixty horses! He is here seen with his lance -and shield—foot-tracks of his enemy in front, and his own party’s -horse-tracks behind him, and a shower of bullets flying around his -head; here he got the name of “_the four bears_,” as the Assinneboins -said he rushed on like four bears. - -10. Mah-to-toh-pa gets from his horse and kills two Ojibbeway women, -and takes their scalps; done by the side of an Ojibbeway village, where -they went to the river for water. He is here seen with his lance in -one hand and his knife in the other—an eagle’s plume head-dress on his -horse, and his shield left on his horse’s back. I incurred his ill-will -for awhile by asking him, whether it was manly to boast of taking -the scalps of women? and his pride prevented him from giving me any -explanation or apology. The interpreter, however, explained to me that -he had secreted himself in the most daring manner, in full sight of the -Ojibbeway village, seeking to revenge a murder, where he remained six -days without sustenance, and then killed the two women in full view of -the tribe, and made his escape, which entitled him to the credit of a -victory, though his victims were women. - -11. A large party of Assinneboins entrenched near the Mandan -village attacked by the Mandans and Minatarees, who were driven -back—Mah-to-toh-pa rushes into the entrenchment alone—an Indian fires -at him and burns his face with the muzzle of his gun, which burst—the -Indian retreats, leaving his exploded gun, and Mah-to-toh-pa shoots -him through the shoulders as he runs, and kills him with his tomahawk; -the gun of the Assinneboin is seen falling to the ground, and in front -of him the heads of the Assinneboins in the entrenchment; the horse of -Mah-to-toh-pa is seen behind him. - -12. Mah-to-toh-pa between his enemy the Sioux, and his own people, with -an arrow shot through him, after standing the fire of the Sioux for a -long time alone. In this battle he took no scalps, yet his valour was -so extraordinary that the chiefs and braves awarded him the honour of a -victory. - -This feat is seen in the centre of the robe—head-dress of war-eagles’ -quills on his own and his horse’s head—the tracks of his enemies’ -horses are seen in front of him, and bullets flying both ways all -around him. With his whip in his hand, he is seen urging his horse -forward, and an arrow is seen flying, and bloody, as it has passed -through his body. For this wound, and the several others mentioned -above, he bears the honourable scars on his body, which he generally -keeps covered with red paint. - -Such are the battles traced upon the robe of Mah-to-toh-pa or four -bears, interpreted by J. Kipp from the words of the hero while sitting -upon the robe, explaining each battle as represented. - - [3] The reader will see in +plate+ 65, an accurate drawing of this - curious robe, which now hangs in the +Indian Gallery+, and on the - following pages, each group numbered, and delineated on a larger - scale, which are _fac-similes_ of the drawings on the robe. - - - [4] This celebrated weapon with the blood of several victims - dried upon its blade, now hangs in the +Indian Gallery+, with - satisfactory certificates of its identity and its remarkable - history, and an exact drawing of it and its scabbard can be seen in - +plate+ 99, _a_. - - - - - LETTER—No. 22. - - MANDAN VILLAGE, _UPPER MISSOURI_. - - -Oh! “_horribile visu—et mirabile dictu!_” Thank God, it is over, that I -have seen it, and am able to tell it to the world. - -The _annual religious ceremony_, of four days, of which I have so often -spoken, and which I have so long been wishing to see, has at last been -enacted in this village; and I have, fortunately, been able to see and -to understand it in most of its bearings, which was more than I had -reason to expect; for no white man, in all probability, has ever been -before admitted to the _medicine-lodge_ during these most remarkable -and appalling scenes. - -Well and truly has it been said, that the Mandans are a strange and -peculiar people; and most correctly had I been informed, that this -was an important and interesting scene, by those who had, on former -occasions, witnessed such parts of it as are transacted out of doors, -and in front of the _medicine-lodge_. - -Since the date of my last Letter, I was lucky enough to have painted -the _medicine-man_, who was high-priest on this grand occasion, or -conductor of the ceremonies, who had me regularly installed doctor or -“_medicine_;” and who, on the morning when these grand refinements -in mysteries commenced, took me by the arm, and led me into the -_medicine-lodge_, where the Fur Trader, Mr. Kipp, and his two clerks -accompanied me in close attendance for four days; all of us going to -our own quarters at sun-down, and returning again at sun-rise the next -morning. - -I took my sketch-book with me, and have made many and faithful drawings -of what we saw, and full notes of everything as translated to me by -the interpreter; and since the close of that horrid and frightful -scene, which was a week ago or more, I have been closely ensconced -in an earth-covered wigwam, with a fine sky-light over my head, with -my palette and brushes, endeavouring faithfully to put the whole -of what we saw upon canvass, which my companions all agree to be -critically correct, and of the fidelity of which they have attached -their certificates to the backs of the paintings. I have made four -paintings of these strange scenes, containing several hundred figures, -representing the transactions of each day; and if I live to get them -home, they will be found to be exceedingly curious and interesting. - -I shudder at the relation, or even at the thought of these barbarous -and cruel scenes, and am almost ready to shrink from the task of -reciting them after I have so long promised some account of them. -I entered the _medicine-house_ of these scenes, as I would have -entered a church, and expected to see something extraordinary and -strange, but yet in the form of worship or devotion; but alas! little -did I expect to see the interior of their holy temple turned into a -_slaughter-house_, and its floor strewed with the blood of its fanatic -devotees. Little did I think that I was entering a house of God, where -His blinded worshippers were to pollute its sacred interior with their -blood, and propitiatory suffering and tortures—surpassing, if possible, -the cruelty of the rack or the inquisition; but such the scene has -been, and as such I will endeavour to describe it. - -The “_Mandan religious ceremony_” then, as I believe it is very justly -denominated, is an annual transaction, held in their _medicine-lodge_ -once a year, as a great religious anniversary, and for several distinct -objects, as I shall in a few minutes describe; during and after which, -they look with implicit reliance for the justification and approval of -the Great Spirit. - -All of the Indian tribes, as I have before observed, are religious—are -worshipful—and many of them go to almost incredible lengths (as will -be seen in the present instance, and many others I may recite) in -worshipping the Great Spirit; denying and humbling themselves before -Him for the same purpose, and in the same hope as we do, perhaps in a -more rational and acceptable way. - -The tribes, so far as I have visited them, all distinctly believe in -the existence of a Great (or Good) Spirit, an Evil (or Bad) Spirit, -and also in a future existence and future accountability, according -to their virtues and vices in this world. So far the North American -Indians would seem to be one family, and such an unbroken theory -amongst them; yet with regard to the manner and form, and time and -place of that accountability—to the constructions of virtues and vices, -and the modes of appeasing and propitiating the Good and Evil Spirits, -they are found with all the changes and variety which fortuitous -circumstances, and fictions, and fables have wrought upon them. - -If from their superstitions and their ignorance, there are oftentimes -obscurities and mysteries thrown over and around their system, yet -these affect not the theory itself, which is everywhere essentially -the same—and which, if it be not correct, has this much to command -the admiration of the enlightened world, that they worship with great -sincerity, and all according to one creed. - -The Mandans believe in the existence of a Great (or Good) Spirit, and -also of an Evil Spirit, who they say existed long before the Good -Spirit, and is far superior in power. They all believe also in a -future state of existence, and a future administration of rewards and -punishments, and (so do all other tribes that I have yet visited) they -believe those punishments are not eternal, but commensurate with their -sins. - -These people living in a climate where they suffer from cold in the -severity of their winters, have very naturally reversed our ideas of -Heaven and Hell. The latter they describe to be a country very far -to the north, of barren and hideous aspect, and covered with eternal -snows and ice. The torments of this freezing place they describe as -most excruciating; whilst Heaven they suppose to be in a warmer and -delightful latitude, where nothing is felt but the keenest enjoyment, -and where the country abounds in buffaloes and other luxuries of life. -The Great or Good Spirit they believe dwells in the former place for -the purpose of there meeting those who have offended him; increasing -the agony of their sufferings, by being himself present, administering -the penalties. The Bad or Evil Spirit they at the same time suppose to -reside in Paradise, still tempting the happy; and those who have gone -to the regions of punishment they believe to be tortured for a time -proportioned to the amount of their transgressions, and that they are -then to be transferred to the land of the happy, where they are again -liable to the temptations of the Evil Spirit, and answerable again at a -future period for their new offences. - -Such is the religious creed of the Mandans, and for the purpose of -appeasing the Good and Evil Spirits, and to secure their entrance into -those “fields Elysian,” or beautiful hunting grounds, do the young -men subject themselves to the horrid and sickening cruelties to be -described in the following pages. - -There are other three distinct objects (yet to be named) for which -these religious ceremonies are held, which are as follow:— - -_First_, they are held annually as a celebration of the event of -the subsiding of the Flood, which they call _Mee-nee-ro-ka-ha-sha_, -(sinking down or settling of the waters.) - -_Secondly_, for the purpose of dancing what they call, -_Bel-lohck-na-pic_ (the bull-dance); to the strict observance of which -they attribute the coming of buffaloes to supply them with food during -the season; and - -_Thirdly_ and lastly, for the purpose of conducting all the young men -of the tribe, as they annually arrive to the age of manhood, through -an ordeal of privation and torture, which, while it is supposed -to harden their muscles and prepare them for extreme endurance, -enables the chiefs who are spectators to the scene, to decide upon -their comparative bodily strength and ability to endure the extreme -privations and sufferings that often fall to the lots of Indian -warriors; and that they may decide who is the most hardy and best able -to lead a war-party in case of extreme exigency. - -This part of the ceremony, as I have just witnessed it, is truly -shocking to behold, and will almost stagger the belief of the world -when they read of it. The scene is too terrible and too revolting to -be seen or to be told, were it not an essential part of a whole, which -will be new to the civilized world, and therefore worth their knowing. - -The bull-dance, and many other parts of these ceremonies are -exceedingly grotesque and amusing, and that part of them which has a -relation to the Deluge is harmless and full of interest. - -In the centre of the Mandan village is an open, circular area of 150 -feet diameter, kept always clear, as a public ground, for the display -of all their public feasts, parades, &c. and around it are their -wigwams placed as near to each other as they can well stand, their -doors facing the centre of this public area. - -In the middle of this ground, which is trodden like a hard pavement, -is a curb (somewhat like a large hogshead standing on its end) made -of planks (and bound with hoops), some eight or nine feet high, which -they religiously preserve and protect from year to year, free from -mark or scratch, and which they call the “big canoe”—it is undoubtedly -a symbolic representation of a part of their traditional history of -the Flood; which it is very evident, from this and numerous other -features of this grand ceremony, they have in some way or other -received, and are here endeavouring to perpetuate by vividly impressing -it on the minds of the whole nation. This object of superstition, -from its position, as the very centre of the village is the rallying -point of the whole nation. To it their devotions are paid on various -occasions of feasts and religious exercises during the year; and in -this extraordinary scene it was often the nucleus of their mysteries -and cruelties, as I shall shortly describe them, and becomes an object -worth bearing in mind, and worthy of being understood. - -This exciting and appalling scene, then, which is familiarly (and no -doubt correctly) called the “Mandan religious ceremony,” commences, -not on a particular day of the year, (for these people keep no record -of days or weeks), but at a particular season, which is designated by -the full expansion of the willow leaves under the bank of the river; -for according to their tradition, “the twig that the bird brought home -was a willow bough, and had full-grown leaves on it,” and the bird to -which they allude, is the mourning or turtle-dove, which they took -great pains to point out to me, as it is often to be seen feeding on -the sides of their earth-covered lodges, and which, being, as they call -it, a _medicine-bird_, is not to be destroyed or harmed by any one, and -even their dogs are instructed not to do it injury. - -On the morning on which this strange transaction commenced, I was -sitting at breakfast in the house of the Trader, Mr. Kipp, when at -sun-rise, we were suddenly startled by the shrieking and screaming -of the women, and barking and howling of dogs, as if an enemy were -actually storming their village. - -“Now we have it!” (exclaimed _mine host_, as he sprang from the table,) -the grand ceremony has commenced!—“drop your knife and fork, Monsr. and -get your sketch-book as soon as possible, that you may lose nothing, -for the very moment of _commencing_ is as curious as anything else of -this strange affair.” I seized my sketch-book, and all hands of us -were in an instant in front of the medicine-lodge, ready to see and -to hear all that was to take place. Groups of women and children were -gathered on the tops of their earth-covered wigwams, and all were -screaming, and dogs were howling, and all eyes directed to the prairies -in the West, where was beheld at a mile distant, a solitary individual -descending a prairie bluff, and making his way in a direct line towards -the village! - -The whole community joined in the general expression of great alarm, -as if they were in danger of instant destruction; bows were strung and -thrumed to test their elasticity—their horses were caught upon the -prairie and run into the village—warriors were blackening their faces, -and dogs were muzzled, and every preparation made, as if for instant -combat. - -During this deafening din and confusion within the piquets of the -village of the Mandans, the figure discovered on the prairie continued -to approach with a dignified step and in a right line towards the -village; all eyes were upon him, and he at length made his appearance -(without opposition) within the piquets, and proceeded towards the -centre of the village, where all the chiefs and braves stood ready to -receive him, which they did in a cordial manner, by shaking hands with -him, recognizing him as an old acquaintance, and pronouncing his name -_Nu-mohk-muck-a-nah_ (the first or only man). The body of this strange -personage, which was chiefly naked, was painted with white clay, so as -to resemble at a little distance, a white man; he wore a robe of four -white wolf skins falling back over his shoulders; on his head he had a -splendid head-dress made of two ravens’ skins, and in his left hand he -cautiously carried a large pipe, which he seemed to watch and guard as -something of great importance. After passing the chiefs and braves as -described, he approached the _medicine_ or mystery lodge, which he had -the means of opening, and which had been religiously closed during the -year except for the performance of these religious rites. - -Having opened and entered it, he called in four men whom he appointed -to clean it out, and put it in readiness for the ceremonies, by -sweeping it and strewing a profusion of green willow-boughs over its -floor, and with them decorating its sides. Wild sage also, and many -other aromatic herbs they gathered from the prairies, and scattered -over its floor; and over these were arranged a curious group of buffalo -and human skulls, and other articles, which were to be used during this -strange and unaccountable transaction. - -During the whole of this day, and while these preparations were -making in the _medicine-lodge_, Nu-mohk-muck-a-nah (the first or only -man) travelled through the village, stopping in front of every man’s -lodge, and crying until the owner of the lodge came out, and asked -who he was, and what was the matter? to which he replied by relating -the sad catastrophe which had happened on the earth’s surface by the -overflowing of the waters, saying that “he was the only person saved -from the universal calamity; that he landed his big canoe on a high -mountain in the west, where he now resides; that he had come to open -the _medicine-lodge_, which must needs receive a present of some -edged-tool from the owner of every wigwam, that it may be sacrificed -to the water;” for he says, “if this is not done, there will be another -flood, and no one will be saved, as it was with such tools that the big -canoe was made.” - -Having visited every lodge or wigwam in the village, during the day, -and having received such a present at each, as a hatchet, a knife, &c. -(which is undoubtedly always prepared and ready for the occasion), he -returned at evening and deposited them in the _medicine-lodge_, where -they remained until the afternoon of the last day of the ceremony, -when, as the final or closing scene, they were thrown into the river -in a deep place, from a bank thirty feet high, and in presence of the -whole village; from whence they can never be recovered, and where they -were, undoubtedly, _sacrificed_ to the Spirit of the Water. - -During the first night of this strange character in the village, no -one could tell where he slept; and every person, both old and young, -and dogs, and all living things were kept within doors, and dead -silence reigned every where. On the next morning at sunrise, however, -he made his appearance again, and entered the _medicine-lodge_; and -at his heels (in “_Indian file_,” _i. e._ single file, one following -in another’s tracks) all the young men who were candidates for the -self-tortures which were to be inflicted, and for the honours that were -to be bestowed by the chiefs on those who could most manfully endure -them. There were on this occasion about fifty young men who entered -the lists, and as they went into the sacred lodge, each one’s body was -chiefly naked, and covered with clay of different colours; some were -red, others were yellow, and some were covered with white clay, giving -them the appearance of white men. Each one of them carried in his right -hand his _medicine-bag_—on his left arm, his shield of the bull’s -hide—in his left hand, his bow and arrows, with his quiver slung on his -back. - -When all had entered the lodge, they placed themselves in reclining -postures around its sides, and each one had suspended over his head his -respective weapons and _medicine_, presenting altogether, one of the -most wild and picturesque scenes imaginable. - -Nu-mohk-muck-a-nah (the first or only man) was in the midst of them, -and having lit and smoked his medicine-pipe for their success; and -having addressed them in a short speech, stimulating and encouraging -them to trust to the Great Spirit for His protection during the severe -ordeal they were about to pass through; he called into the lodge -an old medicine or mystery-man, whose body was painted yellow, and -whom he appointed master of ceremonies during this occasion, whom -they denominated in their language _O-kee-pah Ka-se-kah_ (keeper or -conductor of the ceremonies). He was appointed, and the authority -passed by the presentation of the medicine-pipe, on which they consider -hangs all the power of holding and conducting all these rites. - -After this delegated authority had thus passed over to the -medicine-man; Nu-mohk-muck-a-nah shook hands with him, and bade him -good bye, saying “that he was going back to the mountains in the west, -from whence he should assuredly return in just a year from that time, -to open the lodge again.” He then went out of the lodge, and passing -through the village, took formal leave of the chiefs in the same -manner, and soon disappeared over the bluffs from whence he came. No -more was seen of this surprising character during the occasion; but I -shall have something yet to say of him and his strange office before I -get through the Letter. - -To return to the lodge,—the medicine or mystery-man just appointed, -and who had received his injunctions from Nu-mohk-muck-a-nah, was left -sole conductor and keeper; and according to those injunctions, it was -his duty to lie by a small fire in the centre of the lodge, with his -medicine-pipe in his hand, crying to the Great Spirit incessantly, -watching the young men, and preventing entirely their escape from the -lodge, and all communication whatever with people outside, for the -space of four days and nights, during which time they were not allowed -to _eat_, to _drink_, or to _sleep_, preparatory to the excruciating -self-tortures which they were to endure on the fourth day. - -I mentioned that I had made four paintings of these strange scenes, -and the first one exhibits the interior of the medicine-lodge at -this moment; with the young men all reclining around its sides, and -the conductor or mystery-man lying by the fire, crying to the Great -Spirit (+plate+ 66). It was just at this juncture that I was ushered -into this sacred temple of their worship, with my companions, which -was, undoubtedly, the first time that their devotions had ever been -trespassed upon by the presence of pale faces; and in this instance had -been brought about in the following strange and unexpected manner. - -I had most luckily for myself, painted a full-length portrait of this -great magician or high-priest, but a day previous to the commencement -of the ceremonies (in which I had represented him in the performance of -some of his mysteries), with which he had been so exceedingly pleased -as well as astonished (as “he could see its eyes move”), that I must -needs be, in his opinion, deeply skilled in magic and mysteries, and -well-entitled to a respectable rank in the craft, to which I had been -at once elevated by the unanimous voice of the doctors, and regularly -initiated, and styled _Te-ho-pee-nee-wash-ee-waska-pooska_, the _white -medicine_ (or Spirit) _painter_. - -With this very honourable degree which had just been conferred upon me, -I was standing in front of the medicine-lodge early in the morning, -with my companions by my side, endeavouring to get a peep, if possible, -into its sacred interior; when this _master of ceremonies_, guarding -and conducting its secrets, as I before described, came out of the door -and taking me with a firm _professional_ affection by the arm, led me -into this _sanctum sanctorum_, which was strictly guarded from, even -a peep or a gaze from the vulgar, by a vestibule of eight or ten feet -in length, guarded with a double screen or door, and two or three dark -and frowning centinels with spears or war-clubs in their hands. I gave -the wink to my companions as I was passing in, and the potency of my -_medicine_ was such as to gain them a quiet admission, and all of us -were comfortably placed on elevated seats, which our conductor soon -prepared for us. - -We were then in full view of everything that transpired in the lodge, -having before us the scene exactly, which is represented in the first -of the four pictures. To this seat we returned every morning at -sunrise, and remained until sun-down for four days, the whole time -which these strange scenes occupied. - -In addition to the preparations and arrangements of the interior of -this sanctuary, as above described, there was a curious, though a very -strict arrangement of buffalo and human skulls placed on the floor of -the lodge, and between them (which were divided into two parcels), -and in front of the reclining group of young candidates, was a small -and very delicate scaffold, elevated about five feet from the ground, -made of four posts or crotches, not larger than a gun-rod, and placed -some four or five feet apart, supporting four equally delicate rods, -resting in the crotches; thus forming the frame of the scaffold, which -was completed by a number of still smaller and more delicate sticks, -transversely resting upon them. On the centre of this little frame -rested some small object, which I could not exactly understand from -the distance of twenty or thirty feet which intervened between it and -my eye. I started several times from my seat to approach it, but all -eyes were instantly upon me, and every mouth in the assembly sent forth -a hush—sh—! which brought me back to my seat again; and I at length -quieted my stifled curiosity as well as I could, upon learning the -fact, that so sacred was that object, and so important its secrets or -mysteries, that not _I_ alone, but even the young men, who were passing -the ordeal, and all the village, save the conductor of the mysteries, -were stopped from approaching it, or knowing what it was. - -This little mystery-thing, whatever it was, had the appearance from -where I sat, of a small tortoise or frog lying on its back, with -its head and legs quite extended, and wound and tasselled off with -exceedingly delicate red and blue, and yellow ribbons or tassels, and -other bright coloured ornaments; and seemed, from the devotions paid -to it, to be the very nucleus of their mysteries—the _sanctissimus -sanctorum_, from which seemed to emanate all the sanctity of their -proceedings, and to which, all seemed to be paying the highest -devotional respect. - -This strange, yet important _essence_ of their mysteries, I made every -enquiry about; but got no further information of, than what I could -learn by my eyes, at the distance at which I saw it, and from the -silent respect which I saw paid to it. I tried with the doctors, and -all of the _fraternity_ answered me, that that was “_great medicine_,” -assuring me that it “could not be told.” So I quieted my curiosity -as well as I could, by the full conviction that I had a _degree_ or -two yet to take before I could fathom all the arcana of Indian -superstitions; and that this little, seemingly wonderful, relic of -antiquity, symbol of some grand event, or “secret too valuable to be -told,” might have been at last nothing but a silly bunch of strings -and toys, to which they pay some great peculiar regard; giving thereby -to some favourite Spirit or essence an ideal existence, and which, -when called upon to describe, they refuse to do so, calling it “_Great -Medicine_,” for the very reason that there is nothing in it to reveal -or describe. - -[Illustration: 67] - -Immediately under the little frame or scaffold described, and on the -floor of the lodge was placed a knife, and by the side of it a bundle -of splints or skewers, which were kept in readiness for the infliction -of the cruelties directly to be explained. There were seen also, in -this stage of the affair, a number of cords of rawhide hanging down -from the top of the lodge, and passing through its roof, with which -the young men were to be suspended by the splints passed through their -flesh, and drawn up by men placed on the top of the lodge for the -purpose, as will be described in a few moments. - -There were also four articles of great veneration and importance -lying on the floor of the lodge, which were sacks, containing in -each some three or four gallons of water. These also were objects of -superstitious regard, and made with great labour and much ingenuity; -each one of them being constructed of the skin of the buffalo’s neck, -and most elaborately sewed together in the form of a large tortoise -lying on its back, with a bunch of eagle’s quills appended to it as a -tail; and each of them having a stick, shaped like a drum-stick, lying -on them, with which, in a subsequent stage of these ceremonies, as will -be seen, they are beaten upon by several of their mystery-men, as a -part of the music for their strange dances and mysteries. By the side -of these sacks which they call _Eeh-teeh-ka_, are two other articles of -equal importance, which they call _Eeh-na-dee_ (rattles), in the form -of a gourd-shell made also of dried skins, and used at the same time -as the others, in the music (or rather _noise_ and _din_) for their -dances, &c. - -These four sacks of water have the appearance of very great -antiquity; and by enquiring of my very ingenious friend and patron, -the _medicine-man_, after the ceremonies were over, he very gravely -told me, that “those four tortoises contained the waters from the -four quarters of the world—that these waters had been contained -therein ever since the settling down of the waters!” I did not think -it best to advance any argument against so ridiculous a theory, and -therefore could not even enquire or learn, at what period they had been -instituted, or how often, or on what occasions, the water in them had -been changed or replenished. - -I made several propositions, through my friend Mr. Kipp, the trader -and interpreter, to purchase one of these strange things by offering -them a very liberal price; to which I received in answer that these, -and all the very numerous articles used in these ceremonies, being a -_society property_ were _medicine_, and could not be sold for any -consideration; so I abandoned all thoughts of obtaining anything, -except what I have done by the _medicine_ operation of my pencil, which -was applied to everything, and even upon that they looked with decided -distrust and apprehension, as a sort of theft or sacrilege. - -Such then was the group, and such the appearance of the interior of the -medicine-lodge during the three first, and part of the fourth day also, -of the Mandan religious ceremonies. The medicine-man with a group about -him, of young aspirants who were under his sole controul, as was every -article and implement to be used, and the sanctity of this solitary and -gloomy looking place, which could not be trespassed upon by any man’s -presence without his most sovereign permission. - -During the three first days of this solemn conclave, there were many -very curious forms and amusements enacted in the open area in the -middle of the village, and in front of the medicine-lodge, by other -members of the community, one of which formed a material part or -link of these strange ceremonials. This very curious and exceedingly -grotesque part of their performance, which they denominated _Bel-lohck -nah-pick_ (the bull-dance) of which I have before spoken, as one of -the avowed objects for which they held this annual fête; and to the -strictest observance of which they attribute the coming of buffaloes to -supply them with food during the season—is repeated four times during -the first day, eight times on the second day, twelve times on the third -day, and sixteen times on the fourth day; and always around the curb, -or “_big canoe_,” of which I have before spoken. - -This subject I have selected for my second picture, and the principal -actors in it were eight men, with the entire skins of buffaloes thrown -over their backs, with the horns and hoofs and tails remaining on; -their bodies in a horizontal position, enabling them to imitate the -actions of the buffalo, whilst they were looking out of its eyes as -through a mask (+plate+ 67). - -The bodies of these men were chiefly naked and all painted in the most -extraordinary manner, with the nicest adherence to exact similarity; -their limbs, bodies and faces, being in every part covered, either -with black, red, or white paint. Each one of these strange characters -had also a lock of buffalo’s hair tied around his ancles—in his right -hand a rattle, and a slender white rod or staff, six feet long, in the -other; and carried on his back, a bunch of green willow boughs about -the usual size of a bundle of straw. These eight men, being divided -into four pairs, took their positions on the four different sides of -the curb or big canoe, representing thereby the four cardinal points; -and between each group of them, with the back turned to the big canoe, -was another figure, engaged in the same dance, keeping step with them, -with a similar staff or wand in one hand and a rattle in the other, and -(being four in number) answering again to the four cardinal points. The -bodies of these four young men were chiefly naked, with no other dress -upon them than a beautiful kelt (or quartz-quaw), around the waist, -made of eagles quills and ermine, and very splendid head-dresses -made of the same materials. Two of these figures were painted entirely -black with pounded charcoal and grease, whom they called the “firmament -or night,” and the numerous white spots which were dotted all over -their bodies, they called “stars.” The other two were painted from -head to foot as red as vermilion could make them; these they said -represented the day, and the white streaks which were painted up and -down over their bodies, were “ghosts which the morning rays were -chasing away.” - -[Illustration: 68] - -These twelve are the only persons actually engaged in this strange -dance, which is each time repeated in the same form, without the -slightest variation. There are, however, a great number of characters -engaged in giving the whole effect and wildness to this strange and -laughable scene, each one acting well his part, and whose offices, -strange and inexplicable as they are, I will endeavour to point out -and explain as well as I can, from what I saw, elucidated by their own -descriptions. - -This most remarkable scene, then, which is witnessed more or less often -on each day, takes place in presence of the whole nation, who are -generally gathered around, on the tops of the wigwams or otherwise, -as spectators, whilst the young men are reclining and fasting in the -lodge as above described. On the first day, this “_bull-dance_” is -given _once_ to each of the cardinal points, and the medicine-man -smokes his pipe in those directions. On the second day, _twice_ to -each; _three times_ to each on the third day, and _four times_ to each -on the fourth. As a signal for the dancers and other characters (as -well as the public) to assemble, the old man, master of ceremonies, -with the medicine-pipe in hand, dances out of the lodge, singing (or -rather crying) forth a most pitiful lament, until he approaches the big -canoe, against which he leans, with the pipe in his hand, and continues -to cry. At this instant, four very aged and patriarchal looking men, -whose bodies are painted red, and who have been guarding the four sides -of the lodge, enter it and bring out the four sacks of water, which -they place near the big canoe, where they seat themselves by the side -of them and commence thumping on them with the mallets or drumsticks -which have been lying on them; and another brandishes and shakes the -_eeh-na-dees_ or rattles, and all unite to them their voices, raised -to the highest pitch possible, as the music for the _bull-dance_, -which is then commenced and continued for fifteen minutes or more in -perfect time, and without cessation or intermission. When the music and -dancing stop, which are always perfectly simultaneous, the whole nation -raise the huzza! and a deafening shout of approbation; the master of -ceremonies dances back to the medicine-lodge, and the old men return to -their former place; the sacks of water, and all rest as before, until -by the same method, they are again called into a similar action. - -The supernumeraries or other characters who play their parts in this -grand spectacle, are numerous and well worth description. By the -side of the big canoe are seen two men with the skins of grizzly -bears thrown over them, using the skins as a mask, over their heads. -These ravenous animals are continually growling and threatening to -devour everything before them and interfering with the forms of their -religious ceremony. To appease them, the women are continually bringing -and placing before them dishes of meat, which are as often snatched up -and carried to the prairie, by two men whose bodies are painted black -and their heads white, whom they call bald eagles, who are darting by -them and grasping their food from before them as they pass. These are -again chased upon the plains by a hundred or more small boys, who are -naked, with their bodies painted yellow and their heads white, whom -they call _Cabris_ or antelopes; who at length get the food away from -them and devour it; thereby inculcating (perhaps) the beautiful moral, -that by the dispensations of Providence, his bountiful gifts will fall -at last to the hands of the innocent. - -During the intervals between these dances, all these characters, except -those from the medicine-lodge, retire to a wigwam close by, which they -use on the occasion also as a sacred place, being occupied exclusively -by them while they are at rest, and also for the purpose of painting -and ornamenting their bodies for the occasion. - -During each and every one of these dances, the old men who beat upon -the sacks and sing, are earnestly chanting forth their supplications -to the Great Spirit, for the continuation of his influence in sending -them buffaloes to supply them with food during the year; they are -administering courage and fortitude to the young men in the lodge, -by telling them, that “the Great Spirit has opened his ears in their -behalf—that the very atmosphere all about them is peace—that their -women and children can hold the mouth of the grizzly bear—that they -have invoked from day to day O-kee-hee-de (the Evil Spirit)—that they -are still challenging him to come, and yet he has not dared to make his -appearance!” - -But alas! in the last of these dances, on the fourth day, in the midst -of all their mirth and joy, and about noon, and in the height of all -these exultations, an instant scream burst forth from the tops of the -lodges!—men, women, dogs and all, seemed actually to howl and shudder -with alarm, as they fixed their glaring eye-balls upon the prairie -bluff, about a mile in the west, down the side of which a man was seen -descending at full speed towards the village! This strange character -darted about in a zig-zag course in all directions on the prairie, -like a boy in pursuit of a butterfly, until he approached the piquets -of the village, when it was discovered that his body was entirely -naked, and painted as black as a negro, with pounded charcoal and -bear’s grease; his body was therefore everywhere of a shining black, -except occasionally white rings of an inch or more in diameter, which -were marked here and there all over him; and frightful indentures of -white around his mouth, resembling canine teeth. Added to his hideous -appearance, he gave the most frightful shrieks and screams as he -dashed through the village and entered the terrified group, which was -composed (in that quarter) chiefly of females, who had assembled to -witness the amusements which were transpiring around the “big canoe.” - -This unearthly looking creature carried in his two hands a wand or -staff of eight or nine feet in length, with a red ball at the end of -it, which he continually slid on the ground a-head of him as he ran. -All eyes in the village, save those of the persons engaged in the -dance, were centred upon him, and he made a desperate rush towards -the women, who screamed for protection as they were endeavouring to -retreat; and falling in groups upon each other as they were struggling -to get out of his reach. In this moment of general terror and alarm -there was an instant check! and all for a few moments were as silent as -death. - -The old master of ceremonies, who had run from his position at the -big canoe, had met this monster of fiends, and having thrust the -_medicine-pipe_ before him, held him still and immoveable under its -charm! This check gave the females an opportunity to get out of his -reach, and when they were free from their danger, though all hearts -beat yet with the instant excitement, their alarm soon cooled down -into the most exorbitant laughter and shouts of applause at his sudden -defeat, and the awkward and ridiculous posture in which he was stopped -and held. The old man was braced stiff by his side, with his eye-balls -glaring him in the face, whilst the medicine-pipe held in its mystic -chains his _Satanic_ Majesty, annulling all the powers of his magical -wand, and also depriving him of the powers of locomotion! Surely no -two human beings ever presented a more striking group than these two -individuals did for a few moments, with their eye-balls set in direst -mutual hatred upon each other; both struggling for the supremacy, -relying on the potency of their medicine or mystery. The one held in -check, with his body painted black, representing (or rather assuming -to be) his sable majesty, O-kee-hee-de (the Evil Spirit), frowning -everlasting vengeance on the other, who sternly gazed him back with a -look of exultation and contempt, as he held him in check and disarmed -under the charm of his sacred mystery-pipe. - -When the superior powers of the medicine-pipe (on which hang all these -annual mysteries) had been thus fully tested and acknowledged, and -the women had had requisite time to withdraw from the reach of this -fiendish monster, the pipe was very gradually withdrawn from before -him, and he seemed delighted to recover the use of his limbs again, -and power of changing his position from the exceedingly unpleasant and -really ridiculous one he appeared in, and was compelled to maintain, -a few moments before; rendered more superlatively ridiculous and -laughable, from the further information, which I am constrained to -give, of the plight in which this demon of terror and vulgarity made -his _entrée_ into the midst of the Mandan village, and to the centre -and nucleus of their first and greatest religious ceremony. - -Then, to proceed: I said that this strange personage’s body was -naked—was painted jet black with charcoal and bear’s grease, with a -wand in his hands of eight feet in length with a red ball at the end -of it, which he was rubbing about on the ground in front of him as he -ran. In addition to this he had—_ung gee ah waheea notch,t oheks teha, -ung gee an ung hutch tow a tow ah ches menny. Ung gee ah to to wun nee, -ahkst to wan ee eigh’ s ta w._ - -In this plight, in which I have not dared fully to represent him in -the picture, he pursued the groups of females, spreading dismay and -alarm wherever he went, and consequently producing the awkward and -exceedingly laughable predicament in which he was placed by the sudden -check from the medicine-pipe, as I have above stated, when all eyes -were intently fixed upon him, and all joined in rounds of applause for -the success of the magic spell that was placed upon him; all voices -were raised in shouts of satisfaction at his defeat, and all eyes -gazed upon him; of chiefs and of warriors—matrons and even of their -tender-aged and timid daughters, whose education had taught them to -receive the _moral_ of these scenes without the shock of impropriety, -that would have startled a more fastidious and consequently -sensual-thinking people. - -After repeated attempts thus made, and thus defeated in several parts -of the crowd, this blackened monster was retreating over the ground -where the buffalo-dance was going on, and having (apparently, par -accident) swaggered against one of the men placed under the skin of a -buffalo and engaged in the “bull dance,” he started back, and placing -himself in the attitude of a buffalo,—_hi ung ee a wahkstia, chee a -nahk s tammee ung s towa; ee ung ee aht gwaht ee o nunghths tcha ho a, -tummee oxt no ah, ughstono ah hi en en ah nahxt gwi aht gahtch gun ne. -Gwee en on doatcht chee en aht gunne how how en ahxst tchu!_ - -After this he paid his visits to three others of the eight, in -succession, receiving as before the deafening shouts of approbation -which pealed from every mouth in the multitude, who were all praying to -the Great Spirit to send them buffaloes to supply them with food during -the season, and who attribute the coming of buffaloes for this purpose -entirely to the strict and critical observance of this ridiculous and -disgusting part of the ceremonies. - -During the half hour or so that he had been jostled about amongst man -and beasts, to the great amusement and satisfaction of the lookers-on, -he seemed to have become exceedingly exhausted, and anxiously looking -out for some feasible mode of escape. - -In this awkward predicament he became the laughing-stock and butt for -the women, who being no longer afraid of him, were gathering in groups -around, to tease and tantalize him; and in the midst of this dilemma, -which soon became a very sad one—one of the women, who stole up behind -him with both hands full of yellow dirt—dashed it into his face and -eyes, and all over him, and his body being covered with grease, took -instantly a different hue. He seemed heart-broken at this signal -disgrace, and commenced crying most vehemently, when, _a l’instant_, -another caught his _wand_ from his hand, and broke it across her knee. -It was snatched for by others, who broke it still into bits, and then -threw them at him. His power was now gone—his bodily strength was -exhausted, and he made a bolt for the prairie—he dashed through the -crowd, and made his way through the piquets on the back part of the -village, where were placed for the purpose, an hundred or more women -and girls, who escorted him as he ran on the prairie for half a mile -or more, beating him with sticks, and stones, and dirt, and kicks, and -cuffs, until he was at length seen escaping from their clutches, and -making the best of his retreat over the prairie bluffs, from whence he -first appeared. - -At the moment of this signal victory, and when all eyes lost sight of -him as he disappeared over the bluffs, the whole village united their -voices in shouts of satisfaction. The bull-dance then stopped, and -preparations were instantly made for the commencement of the cruelties -which were to take place within the lodge, leaving us to draw, from -what had just transpired, the following beautiful moral:— - -That in the midst of their religious ceremonies, the Evil Spirit -(O-kee-hee-de) made his entrée for the purpose of doing mischief, and -of disturbing their worship—that he was held in check, and defeated -by the superior influence and virtue of the _medicine-pipe_, and at -last, driven in disgrace out of the village, by the very part of the -community whom he came to abuse. - -At the close of this exciting scene, preparations were made, as above -stated, by the return of the master of ceremonies and musicians to the -medicine-lodge, where also were admitted at the same time a number -of men, who were to be instruments of the cruelties to be inflicted; -and also the chief and doctors of the tribe, who were to look on, and -bear witness to, and decide upon, the comparative degree of fortitude, -with which the young men sustain themselves in this most extreme and -excruciating ordeal. The chiefs having seated themselves on one side -of the lodge, dressed out in their robes and splendid head-dresses—the -band of music seated and arranged themselves in another part; and the -old master of ceremonies having placed himself in front of a small -fire in the centre of the lodge, with his “big pipe” in his hands, -and having commenced smoking to the Great Spirit, with all possible -vehemence for the success of these aspirants, presented the subject for -the third picture, which they call “_pohk-hong_,” the cutting scene -(+plate+ 68). Around the sides of the lodge are seen, still reclining, -as I have before mentioned, a part of the group, whilst others of them -have passed the ordeal of self-tortures, and have been removed out of -the lodge; and others still are seen in the very act of submitting -to them, which were inflicted in the following manner:—After having -removed the _sanctissimus sanctorum_, or little scaffold, of which I -before spoke, and having removed also the buffalo and human skulls -from the floor, and attached them to the posts of the lodge; and two -men having taken their positions near the middle of the lodge, for the -purpose of inflicting the tortures—the one with the scalping-knife, and -the other with the bunch of splints (which I have before mentioned) -in his hand; one at a time of the young fellows, already emaciated -with fasting, and thirsting, and waking, for nearly four days and -nights, advanced from the side of the lodge, and placed himself on his -hands and feet, or otherwise, as best suited for the performance of -the operation, where he submitted to the cruelties in the following -manner:—An inch or more of the flesh on each shoulder, or each breast -was taken up between the thumb and finger by the man who held the -knife in his right hand; and the knife, which had been ground sharp on -both edges, and then hacked and notched with the blade of another, to -make it produce as much pain as possible, was forced through the flesh -below the fingers, and being withdrawn, was followed with a splint or -skewer, from the other, who held a bunch of such in his left hand, and -was ready to force them through the wound. There were then two cords -lowered down from the top of the lodge (by men who were placed on the -lodge outside, for the purpose), which were fastened to these splints -or skewers, and they instantly began to haul him up; he was thus raised -until his body was suspended from the ground where he rested, until -the knife and a splint were passed through the flesh or integuments in -a similar manner on each arm below the shoulder (over the _brachialis -externus_), below the elbow (over the _extensor carpi radialis_), on -the thighs (over the _vastus externus_), and below the knees (over the -_peroneus_). - -In some instances they remained in a reclining position on the ground -until this painful operation was finished, which was performed, in all -instances, exactly on the same parts of the body and limbs; and which, -in its progress, occupied some five or six minutes. - -Each one was then instantly raised with the cords, until the weight of -his body was suspended by them, and then, while the blood was streaming -down their limbs, the bystanders hung upon the splints each man’s -appropriate shield, bow and quiver, &c.; and in many instances, the -skull of a buffalo with the horns on it, was attached to each lower arm -and each lower leg, for the purpose, probably, of preventing by their -great weight, the struggling, which might otherwise have taken place to -their disadvantage whilst they were hung up. - -When these things were all adjusted, each one was raised higher by the -cords, until these weights all swung clear from the ground, leaving -his feet, in most cases, some six or eight feet above the ground. In -this plight they at once became appalling and frightful to look at—the -flesh, to support the weight of their bodies, with the additional -weights which were attached to them, was raised six or eight inches by -the skewers; and their heads sunk forward on the breasts, or thrown -backwards, in a much more frightful condition, according to the way in -which they were hung up. - -[Illustration: 69] - -The unflinching fortitude, with which every one of them bore this part -of the torture surpassed credulity; each one as the knife was passed -through his flesh sustained an unchangeable countenance; and several of -them, seeing me making sketches, beckoned me to look at their faces, -which I watched through all this horrid operation, without being able -to detect anything but the pleasantest smiles as they looked me in -the eye, while I could hear the knife rip through the flesh, and feel -enough of it myself, to start involuntary and uncontroullable tears -over my cheeks. - -When raised to the condition above described, and completely suspended -by the cords, the sanguinary hands, through which he had just passed, -turned back to perform a similar operation on another who was -ready, and each one in his turn passed into the charge of others, -who instantly introduced him to a new and improved stage of their -refinements in cruelty. - -Surrounded by imps and demons as they appear, a dozen or more, who seem -to be concerting and devising means for his exquisite agony, gather -around him, when one of the number advances towards him in a sneering -manner, and commences turning him around with a pole which he brings -in his hand for the purpose. This is done in a gentle manner at first; -but gradually increased, when the brave fellow, whose proud spirit -can controul its agony no longer, burst out in the most lamentable -and heart-rending cries that the human voice is capable of producing, -crying forth a prayer to the Great Spirit to support and protect him -in this dreadful trial; and continually repeating his confidence -in his protection. In this condition he is continued to be turned, -faster and faster—and there is no hope of escape from it, nor chance -for the slightest relief, until by fainting, his voice falters, and -his struggling ceases, and he hangs, apparently, a still and lifeless -corpse! When he is, by turning, gradually brought to this condition, -which is generally done within ten or fifteen minutes, there is a close -scrutiny passed upon him among his tormentors, who are checking and -holding each other back as long as the least struggling or tremour can -be discovered, lest he should be removed before he is (as they term it) -“entirely dead.” - -When brought to this alarming and most frightful condition, and the -turning has gradually ceased, as his voice and his strength have given -out, leaving him to hang entirely still, and apparently lifeless; when -his tongue is distended from his mouth, and his _medicine-bag_, which -he has affectionately and superstitiously clung to with his left hand, -has dropped to the ground; the signal is given to the men on top of the -lodge, by gently striking the cord with the pole below, when they very -gradually and carefully lower him to the ground. - -In this helpless condition he lies, like a loathsome corpse to look -at, though in the keeping (as they call it) of the Great Spirit, whom -he trusts will protect him, and enable him to get up and walk away. -As soon as he is lowered to the ground thus, one of the bystanders -advances, and pulls out the two splints or pins from the breasts and -shoulders, thereby disengaging him from the cords by which he has been -hung up; but leaving all the others with their weights, &c. hanging to -his flesh. - -In this condition he lies for six or eight minutes, until he gets -strength to rise and move himself, for no one is allowed to assist or -offer him aid, as he is here enjoying the most valued privilege which a -Mandan can boast of, that of “trusting his life to the keeping of the -Great Spirit,” in this time of extreme peril. - -As soon as he is seen to get strength enough to rise on his hands and -feet, and drag his body around the lodge, he crawls with the weights -still hanging to his body, to another part of the lodge, where there is -another Indian sitting with a hatchet in his hand, and a dried buffalo -skull before him; and here, in the most earnest and humble manner, by -holding up the little finger of his left hand to the Great Spirit, he -expresses to Him, in a speech of a few words, his willingness to give -it as a sacrifice; when he lays it on the dried buffalo skull, where -the other chops it off near the hand, with a blow of the hatchet! - -Nearly all of the young men whom I saw passing this horrid ordeal, -gave in the above manner, the little finger of the left hand; and I -saw also several, who immediately afterwards (and apparently with very -little concern or emotion), with a similar speech, extended in the same -way, the _fore_-finger of the same hand, and that too was struck off; -leaving on the left hand only the two middle fingers and the thumb; -all which they deem absolutely essential for holding the bow, the only -weapon for the left hand. - -One would think that this mutilation had thus been carried quite far -enough; but I have since examined several of the head chiefs and -dignitaries of the tribe, who have also given, in this manner, the -little finger of the right hand, which is considered by them to be a -much greater sacrifice than both of the others; and I have found also -a number of their most famous men, who furnish me incontestible proof, -by five or six corresponding scars on each arm, and each breast, and -each leg, that they had so many times in their lives submitted to this -almost incredible operation, which seems to be optional with them; -and the oftener they volunteer to go through it, the more famous they -become in the estimation of their tribe. - -No bandages are applied to the fingers which have been amputated, nor -any arteries taken up; nor is any attention whatever, paid to them or -the other wounds; but they are left (as they say) “for the Great Spirit -to cure, who will surely take good care of them.” It is a remarkable -fact (which I learned from a close inspection of their wounds from day -to day) that the bleeding is but very slight and soon ceases, probably -from the fact of their extreme exhaustion and debility, caused by want -of sustenance and sleep, which checks the natural circulation, and -admirably at the same time prepares them to meet the severity of these -tortures without the same degree of sensibility and pain, which, under -other circumstances, might result in inflammation and death. - -During the whole of the time of this cruel part of these most -extraordinary inflictions, the chiefs and dignitaries of the tribe are -looking on, to decide who are the hardiest and “stoutest hearted”—who -can hang the longest by his flesh before he faints, and who will be -soonest up, after he has been down; that they may know whom to appoint -to lead a war-party, or place at the most honourable and desperate -post. The four old men are incessantly beating upon the sacks of water -and singing the whole time, with their voices strained to the highest -key, vaunting forth, for the encouragement of the young men, the power -and efficacy of the _medicine-pipe_, which has disarmed the monster -O-kee-hee-de (or Evil Spirit), and driven him from the village, and -will be sure to protect them and watch over them through their present -severe trial. - -As soon as six or eight had passed the ordeal as above described, -they were led out of the lodge, with their weights hanging to their -flesh, and dragging on the ground, to undergo another, and a still -more appalling mode of suffering in the centre of the village, and in -presence of the whole nation, in the manner as follows:— - -The signal for the commencement of this part of the cruelties was -given by the old master of ceremonies, who again ran out as in -the buffalo-dance, and leaning against the big canoe, with his -_medicine-pipe_ in his hand, began to cry. This was done several times -in the afternoon, as often as there were six or eight who had passed -the ordeal just described within the lodge, who were then taken out in -the open area, in the presence of the whole village, with the buffalo -skulls and other weights attached to their flesh, and dragging on the -ground! There were then in readiness, and prepared for the purpose, -about twenty young men, selected of equal height and equal age; with -their bodies chiefly naked, with beautiful (and similar) head-dresses -of war-eagles’ quills, on their heads, and a wreath made of willow -boughs held in the hands between them, connecting them in a chain or -circle in which they ran around the big canoe, with all possible speed, -raising their voices in screams and yelps to the highest pitch that was -possible, and keeping the curb or _big canoe_ in the centre, as their -nucleus. - -Then were led forward the young men who were further to suffer, and -being placed at equal distances apart, and outside of the ring just -described, each one was taken in charge of two athletic young men, -fresh and strong, who stepped up to him, one on each side, and by -wrapping a broad leather strap around his wrists, without tying it, -grasped it firm underneath the hand, and stood prepared for what they -call _Eh-ke-nah-ka-nah-pick_ (the last race, +plate+ 69). This, the -spectator looking on would suppose was most correctly named, for he -would think it was the last race they could possibly run in this world. - -In this condition they stand, pale and ghastly, from abstinence and -loss of blood, until all are prepared, and the word is given, when -all start and run around, outside of the other ring; and each poor -fellow, with his weights dragging on the ground, and his furious -conductors by his side, who hurry him forward by the wrists, struggles -in the desperate emulation to run longer without “dying” (as they -call it) than his comrades, who are fainting around him and sinking -down, like himself, where their bodies are dragged with all possible -speed, and often with their faces in the dirt. In the commencement of -this dance or race they all start at a moderate pace, and their speed -being gradually increased, the pain becomes so excruciating that their -languid and exhausted frames give out, and they are dragged by their -wrists until they are disengaged from the weights that were attached -to their flesh, and this must be done by such violent force as to -tear the flesh out with the splint, which (as they say) can never be -pulled out endwise, without greatly offending the Great Spirit and -defeating the object for which they have thus far suffered. The splints -or skewers which are put through the breast and the shoulders, take -up a part of the pectoral or trapezius muscle, which is necessary for -the support of the great weight of their bodies, and which, as I have -before mentioned, are withdrawn as soon as he is lowered down—but all -the others, on the legs and arms, seem to be very ingeniously passed -through the flesh and integuments without taking up the muscle, and -even these, to be broken out, require so strong and so violent a force -that most of the poor fellows fainted under the operation, and when -they were freed from the last of the buffalo skulls and other weights, -(which was often done by some of the bystanders throwing the weight of -their bodies on to them as they were dragging on the ground) they were -in every instance dropped by the persons who dragged them, and their -bodies were left, appearing like nothing but a mangled and a loathsome -corpse! At this strange and frightful juncture, the two men who had -dragged them, fled through the crowd and away upon the prairie, as if -they were guilty of some enormous crime, and were fleeing from summary -vengeance. - -Each poor fellow, having thus patiently and manfully endured the -privations and tortures devised for him, and (in this last struggle -with the most appalling effort) torn himself loose from them and his -tormentors, he lies the second time, in the “keeping (as he terms it) -of the Great Spirit,” to whom he issues his repeated prayers, and -entrusts his life: and in whom he reposes the most implicit confidence -for his preservation and recovery. As an evidence of this, and of the -high value which these youths set upon this privilege, there is no -person, not a relation or a chief of the tribe, who is allowed, or who -would dare, to step forward to offer an aiding hand, even to save his -life; for not only the rigid customs of the nation, and the pride of -the individual who has entrusted his life to the keeping of the Great -Spirit, would sternly reject such a tender; but their superstition, -which is the strongest of all arguments in an Indian community, would -alone, hold all the tribe in fear and dread of interfering, when -they consider they have so good a reason to believe that the Great -Spirit has undertaken the special care and protection of his devoted -worshippers. - -In this “last race,” which was the struggle that finally closed their -sufferings, each one was dragged until he fainted, and was thus left, -looking more like the dead than the living: and thus each one laid, -until, by the aid of the Great Spirit, he was in a few minutes seen -gradually rising, and at last reeling and staggering, like a drunken -man, through the crowd (which made way for him) to his wigwam, where -his friends and relatives stood ready to take him into hand and restore -him. - -In this frightful scene, as in the buffalo-dance, the whole nation was -assembled as spectators, and all raised the most piercing and violent -yells and screams they could possibly produce, to drown the cries of -the suffering ones, that no heart could even be touched with sympathy -for them. I have mentioned before, that six or eight of the young men -were brought from the medicine-lodge at a time, and when they were -thus passed through this shocking ordeal, the medicine-men and the -chiefs returned to the interior, where as many more were soon prepared, -and underwent a similar treatment; and after that another batch, and -another, and so on, until the whole number, some forty-five or fifty -had run in this sickening circle, and, by leaving their weights, had -opened the flesh for honourable scars. I said _all_, but there was one -poor fellow though (and I shudder to tell it), who was dragged around -and around the circle, with the skull of an elk hanging to the flesh -on one of his legs,—several had jumped upon it, but to no effect, for -the splint was under the sinew, which could not be broken. The dragging -became every instant more and more furious, and the apprehensions for -the poor fellow’s life, apparent by the piteous howl which was set up -for him by the multitude around; and at last the medicine-man ran, with -his medicine-pipe in his hand, and held them in check, when the body -was dropped, and left upon the ground, with the skull yet hanging to -it. The boy, who was an extremely interesting and fine-looking youth, -soon recovered his senses and his strength, looking deliberately at -his torn and bleeding limbs; and also with the most pleasant smile of -defiance, upon the misfortune which had now fallen to his peculiar lot, -crawled through the crowd (instead of walking, which they are never -again at liberty to do until the flesh is torn out, and the article -left) to the prairie, and over which, for the distance of half a mile, -to a sequestered spot, without any attendant, where he laid three days -and three nights, yet longer, without food, and praying to the Great -Spirit, until suppuration took place in the wound, and by the decaying -of the flesh the weight was dropped, and the splint also, which he dare -not extricate in another way. At the end of this, he crawled back to -the village on his hands and knees, being too much emaciated to walk, -and begged for something to eat, which was at once given him, and he -was soon restored to health. - -These extreme and difficult cases often occur, and I learn that in such -instances the youth has it at his option to get rid of the weight that -is thus left upon him, in such way as he may choose, and some of those -modes are far more extraordinary than the one which I have just named. -Several of the Traders, who have been for a number of years in the -habit of seeing this part of the ceremony, have told me that two years -since, when they were looking on, there was one whose flesh on the arms -was so strong that the weights could not be left, and he dragged them -with his body to the river by the side of the village, where he set a -stake fast in the ground on the top of the bank, and fastening cords -to it, he let himself half-way down a perpendicular wall of rock, of -twenty-five or thirty feet, where the weight of his body was suspended -by the two cords attached to the flesh of his arms. In this awful -condition he hung for several days, equi-distant from the top of the -rock and the deep water below, into which he at last dropped and saved -himself by swimming ashore! - -I need record no more of these shocking and disgusting instances, -of which I have already given enough to convince the world of the -correctness of the established fact of the Indian’s superior stoicism -and power of endurance, although some recent writers have, from motives -of envy, from ignorance, or something else, taken great pains to cut -the poor Indian short in everything, and in _this_, even as if it were -a virtue. - -I am ready to accord to them in this particular, the palm; the credit -of outdoing anything and everybody, and of enduring more than civilized -man ever aspired to or ever thought of. My heart has sickened also -with disgust for so abominable and ignorant a custom, and still I -stand ready with all my heart, to excuse and forgive them for adhering -so strictly to an ancient celebration, founded in superstitions and -mysteries, of which they know not the origin, and constituting a -material part and feature in the code and forms of their religion. - -Reader, I will return with you a moment to the medicine-lodge, which is -just to be closed, and then we will indulge in some general reflections -upon what has passed, and in what, and for what purposes this strange -batch of mysteries has been instituted and perpetuated. - -After these young men, who had for the last four days occupied the -medicine-lodge, had been operated on, in the manner above described, -and taken out of it, the old medicine-man, master of ceremonies, -returned, (still crying to the Great Spirit) sole tenant of that sacred -place, and brought out the “edged tools,” which I before said had been -collected at the door of every man’s wigwam, to be given as a sacrifice -to the water, and leaving the lodge securely fastened, he approached -the bank of the river, when all the medicine-men attended him, and all -the nation were spectators; and in their presence he threw them from a -high bank into very deep water, from which they cannot be recovered, -and where they are, correctly speaking, made a sacrifice to the water. -This part of the affair took place just exactly at sun-down, and closed -the scene, being the end or finale of the _Mandan religious ceremony_. - -[Illustration: 70] - -[Illustration: 71] - -_The reader will forgive me for here inserting the Certificates which - I have just received from Mr. Kipp, of the city of New York, and two - others, who were with me; which I offer for the satisfaction of the - world, who read the above account._ - -“_We hereby certify, that we witnessed, in company with Mr. Catlin, in -the Mandan Village, the ceremonies represented in the four paintings, -and described in his Notes, to which this Certificate refers; and that -he has therein faithfully represented those scenes as we saw them -transacted without any addition or exaggeration._ - - “+J. Kipp+, _Agent Amer. Fur Company_. - +L. Crawford+, _Clerk_. - “_Mandan Village, July 20, 1833._ +Abraham Bogard+.” - -The strange country that I am in—its excitements—its accidents and -wild incidents which startle me at almost every moment, prevent me -from any very elaborate disquisition upon the above remarkable events -at present; and even had I all the time and leisure of a country -gentleman, and all the additional information which I am daily -procuring, and daily expect to procure hereafter in explanation of -these unaccountable mysteries, yet do I fear that there would be -that inexplicable difficulty that hangs over most of the customs and -traditions of these simple people, who have no history to save facts -and systems from falling into the most absurd and disjointed fable and -ignorant fiction. - -What few plausible inferences I have as yet been able to draw from the -above strange and peculiar transactions I will set forth, but with -some diffidence, hoping and trusting that by further intimacy and -familiarity with these people I may yet arrive at more satisfactory and -important results. - -That these people should have a tradition of the Flood is by no means -surprising; as I have learned from every tribe I have visited, that -they all have some high mountain in their vicinity, where they insist -upon it the big canoe landed; but that these people should hold an -annual celebration of the event, and the season of that decided by such -circumstances as the full leaf of the willow, and the medicine-lodge -opened by such a man as Nu-mohk-muck-a-nah (who appears to be a white -man), and making his appearance “from the high-mountains in the West;” -and some other circumstances, is surely a very remarkable thing, and -requires some extraordinary attention. - -This Nu-mohk-muck-a-nah (first or only man) is undoubtedly some mystery -or medicine-man of the tribe, who has gone out on the prairie on the -evening previous, and having dressed and painted himself for the -occasion, comes into the village in the morning, endeavouring to keep -up the semblance of reality; for their tradition says, that at a very -ancient period such a man did actually come from the West—that his -body was of the white colour, as this man’s body is represented—that -he wore a robe of four white wolf skins—his head-dress was made of two -raven’s skins—and in his left hand was a huge pipe. He said, “he was at -one time the only man—he told them of the destruction of every thing on -the earth’s surface by water—that he stopped in his _big canoe_ on a -high mountain in the West, where he landed and was saved.” - -“That the Mandans, and all other people were bound to make yearly -sacrifices of some edged-tools to the water, for of such things the -big canoe was made. That he instructed the Mandans how to build -their medicine-lodge, and taught them also the forms of these annual -ceremonies; and told them that as long as they made these sacrifices, -and performed their rites to the full letter, they might be assured of -the fact, that they would be the favourite people of the Almighty, and -would always have enough to eat and drink; and that so soon as they -should depart in one tittle from these forms, they might be assured, -that their race would decrease, and finally run out; and that they -might date their nation’s calamity to that omission or neglect.” - -These people have, no doubt, been long living under the dread of such -an injunction, and in the fear of departing from it; and while they are -living in total ignorance of its origin, the world must remain equally -ignorant of much of its meaning, as they needs must be of all Indian -customs resting on ancient traditions, which soon run into fables, -having lost all their system, by which they might have been construed. - -This strange and unaccountable custom, is undoubtedly peculiar to the -Mandans; although, amongst the Minatarees, and some others of the -neighbouring tribes, they have seasons of abstinence and self-torture, -somewhat similar, but bearing no other resemblance to this than a mere -feeble effort or form of imitation. - -It would seem from their tradition of the willow branch, and the dove, -that these people must have had some proximity to some part of the -civilized world; or that missionaries or others have been formerly -among them, inculcating the Christian religion and the Mosaic account -of the Flood; which is, in this and some other respects, decidedly -different from the theory which most natural people have distinctly -established of that event. - -There are other strong, and almost decisive proofs in my opinion, in -support of the assertion, which are to be drawn from the diversity -of colour in their hair and complexions, as I have before described, -as well as from their tradition just related, of the “_first or only -man_,” whose body was white, and who came from the West, telling them -of the destruction of the earth by water, and instructing them in the -forms of these mysteries; and, in addition to the above, I will add -the two following very curious stories, which I had from several of -their old and dignified chiefs, and which are, no doubt, standing and -credited traditions of the tribe. - -“The Mandans (people of the pheasants) were the first people created -in the world, and they originally lived inside of the earth; they -raised many vines, and one of them had grown up through a hole in -the earth, over head, and one of their young men climbed up it until -he came out on the top of the ground, on the bank of the river, where -the Mandan village stands. He looked around, and admired the beautiful -country and prairies about him—saw many buffaloes—killed one with his -bow and arrows, and found that its meat was good to eat. He returned, -and related what he had seen; when a number of others went up the vine -with him, and witnessed the same things. Amongst those who went up, -were two very pretty young women, who were favourites of the chiefs, -because they were virgins; and amongst those who were trying to get up, -was a very large and fat woman, who was ordered by the chiefs not to go -up, but whose curiosity led her to try it as soon as she got a secret -opportunity, when there was no one present. When she got part of the -way up, the vine broke under the great weight of her body, and let her -down. She was very much hurt by the fall, but did not die. The Mandans -were very sorry about this; and she was disgraced for being the cause -of a very great calamity, which she had brought upon them, and which -could never be averted; for no more could ever ascend, nor could those -descend who had got up; but they built the Mandan village, where it -formerly stood, a great ways below on the river; and the remainder of -the people live under ground to this day.” - -The above tradition is told with great gravity by their chiefs and -doctors or mystery-men; and the latter profess to hear their friends -talk through the earth at certain times and places, and even consult -them for their opinions and advice on many important occasions. - -The next tradition runs thus:— - -“At a very ancient period, O-kee-hee-de (the Evil Spirit, the black -fellow mentioned in the religious ceremonies) came to the Mandan -village with Nu-mohk-muck-a-nah (the first or only man) from the West, -and sat down by a woman who had but one eye, and was hoeing corn. Her -daughter, who was very pretty came up to her, and the Evil Spirit -desired her to go and bring some water; but wished that before she -started, she would come to him and eat some buffalo meat. He told her -to take a piece out of his side, which she did and ate it, which proved -to be buffalo-fat. She then went for the water, which she brought, and -met them in the village where they had walked, and they both drank of -it—nothing more was done. - -“The friends of the girl soon after endeavoured to disgrace her, by -telling her that she was _enciente_, which she did not deny. She -declared her innocence at the same time, and boldly defied any man -in the village to come forward and accuse her. This raised a great -excitement in the village, and as no one could stand forth to accuse -her, she was looked upon as _great medicine_. She soon after went off -secretly to the upper Mandan village, where the child was born. - -“Great search was made for her before she was found; as it was -expected that the child would also be great _medicine_ or mystery, -and of great importance to the existence and welfare of the tribe. -They were induced to this belief from the very strange manner of its -conception and birth, and were soon confirmed in it from the wonderful -things which it did at an early age. They say, that amongst other -miracles which he performed, when the Mandans were like to starve, he -gave them four buffalo bulls, which filled the whole village—leaving as -much meat as there was before they had eaten; saying that these four -bulls would supply them for ever. Nu-mohk-muck-a-nah (the first or only -man) was bent on the destruction of the child, and after making many -fruitless searches for it, found it hidden in a dark place, and put it -to death by throwing it into the river. - -“When O-kee-hee-de (the Evil Spirit) heard of the death of this child, -he sought for Nu-mohk-muck-a-nah with intent to kill him. He traced -him a long distance, and at length found him at _Heart River_, about -seventy miles below the village, with the big medicine-pipe in his -hand, the charm or mystery of which protects him from all of his -enemies. They soon agreed, however, to become friends, smoked the big -pipe together, and returned to the Mandan village. The Evil Spirit was -satisfied; and Nu-mohk-muck-a-nah told the Mandans never to pass Heart -River to live, for it was the centre of the world, and to live beyond -it would be destruction to them; and he named it _Nat-com-pa-sa-hah_ -(heart or centre of the world).” - -Such are a few of the principal traditions of these people, which I -have thought proper to give in this place, and I have given them in -their own way, with all the imperfections and absurd inconsistencies -which should be expected to characterize the history of all ignorant -and superstitious people who live in a state of simple and untaught -nature, with no other means of perpetuating historical events, than by -oral traditions. - -I advance these vague stories then, as I have done, and shall do in -other instances, not in support of any theory, but merely as I have -heard them related by the Indians; and preserved them, as I have -everything else that I could meet in the Indian habits and character, -for the information of the world, who may get more time to theorize -than I have at present; and who may consider better than I can, how far -such traditions should be taken as evidence of the facts, that these -people have for a long period preserved and perpetuated an imperfect -knowledge of the Deluge—of the appearance and death of a Saviour—and of -the transgressions of mother Eve. - -I am not yet able to learn from these people whether they have any -distinct theory of the creation; as they seem to date nothing further -back than their own existence as a people; saying (as I have before -mentioned), that they were the first people created; involving the -glaring absurdities that they were the only people on earth before -the Flood, and the only one saved was a white man; or that they were -created inside of the earth, as their tradition says; and that they did -not make their appearance on its outer surface until after the Deluge. -When an Indian story is told, it is like all other gifts, “to be taken -for what it is worth,” and for any seeming inconsistency in their -traditions there is no remedy; for as far as I have tried to reconcile -them by reasoning with, or questioning them, I have been entirely -defeated; and more than that, have generally incurred their distrust -and ill-will. One of the Mandan doctors told me very gravely a few days -since, that the earth was a large tortoise, that it carried the dirt on -its back—that a tribe of people, who are now dead, and whose faces were -white, used to dig down very deep in this ground to catch _badgers_; -and that one day they stuck a knife through the tortoise-shell, and it -sunk down so that the water ran over its back, and drowned all but one -man. And on the next day while I was painting his portrait, he told me -there were _four tortoises_,—one in the North—one in the East—one in -the South, and one in the West; that each one of these rained ten days, -and the water covered over the earth. - -These ignorant and conflicting accounts, and both from the same man, -give as good a demonstration, perhaps, of what I have above mentioned, -as to the inefficiency of Indian traditions as anything I could at -present mention. They might, perhaps, have been in this instance -however the creeds of different sects, or of different priests amongst -them, who often advance diametrically opposite theories and traditions -relative to history and mythology. - -And however ignorant and ridiculous they may seem, they are yet worthy -of a little further consideration, as relating to a number of curious -circumstances connected with the unaccountable religious ceremonies -which I have just described. - -The Mandan chiefs and doctors, in all their feasts, where the pipe -is lit and about to be passed around, deliberately propitiate the -good-will and favour of the Great Spirit, by extending the stem of -the pipe _upwards_ before they smoke it themselves; and also as -deliberately and as strictly offering the stem to the four _cardinal -points_ in succession, and then drawing a whiff through it, passing it -around amongst the group. - -The _annual religious ceremony_ invariably lasts _four_ days, and -the other following circumstances attending these strange forms, and -seeming to have some allusion to the _four_ cardinal points, or the -“four tortoises,” seem to me to be worthy of further notice. _Four_ -men are selected by Nu-mohk-muck-a-nah (as I have before said), to -cleanse out and prepare the medicine-lodge for the occasion—one he -calls from the _north_ part of the village—one from the _east_—one from -the _south_, and one from the _west_. The _four_ sacks of water, in -form of large tortoises, resting on the floor of the lodge and before -described, would seem to be typical of the same thing; and also the -_four_ buffalo, and the _four_ human skulls resting on the floor of the -same lodge—the _four_ couples of dancers in the “bull-dance,” as before -described, and also the _four_ intervening dancers in the same dance, -and also described - -The bull-dance in front of the medicine-lodge, repeated on the _four_ -days, is danced _four_ times on the first day, _eight_ times on the -second, _twelve_ times on the third, and _sixteen_ times on the -_fourth_; (adding _four_ dances on each of the _four_ days,) which -added together make _forty_, the exact number of days that it rained -upon the earth, according to the Mosaic account, to produce the Deluge. -There are _four_ sacrifices of black and blue cloths erected over the -door of the medicine-lodge—the visits of O-kee-hee-de (or Evil Spirit) -were paid to _four_ of the buffaloes in the buffalo-dance, as above -described; and in every instance, the young men who underwent the -tortures before explained, had _four_ splints or skewers run through -the flesh on their legs—_four_ through the arms and _four_ through the -body. - -Such is a brief account of these strange scenes which I have just been -witnessing, and such my brief history of the Mandans. I might write -much more on them, giving yet a volume on their stories and traditions; -but it would be a volume of fables, and scarce worth recording. A -nation of Indians in their primitive condition, where there are no -historians, have but a temporary historical existence, for the reasons -above advanced, and their history, what can be certainly learned of it, -may be written in a very small compass. - -I have dwelt longer on the history and customs of these people than I -have or shall on any other tribe, in all probability, and that from the -fact that I have found them a very peculiar people, as will have been -seen by my notes. - -From these very numerous and striking peculiarities in their personal -appearance—their customs—traditions and language, I have been led -conclusively to believe that they are a people of decidedly a different -origin from that of any other tribe in these regions. - -From these reasons, as well as from the fact that they are a small and -feeble tribe, against whom the powerful tribe of Sioux are waging a -deadly war with the prospect of their extermination; and who with their -limited numbers, are not likely to hold out long in their struggle for -existence, I have taken more pains to pourtray their whole character, -than my limited means will allow me to bestow upon other tribes. - -From the ignorant and barbarous and disgusting customs just recited, -the world would naturally infer, that these people must be the most -cruel and inhuman beings in the world—yet, such is not the case, and it -becomes my duty to say it; a better, more honest, hospitable and kind -people, as a community, are not to be found in the world. No set of men -that ever I associated with have better hearts than the Mandans, and -none are quicker to embrace and welcome a white man than they are—none -will press him closer to his bosom, that the pulsation of his heart may -be felt, than a Mandan; and no man in any country will keep his word -and guard his honour more closely. - -The shocking and disgusting custom that I have just described, sickens -the heart and even the stomach of a traveller in the country, and he -weeps for their ignorance—he pities them with all his heart for their -blindness, and laments that the light of civilization, of agriculture -and religion cannot be extended to them, and that their hearts which -are good enough, could not be turned to embrace something more rational -and conducive to their true happiness. - -Many would doubtless ask, whether such a barbarous custom could be -eradicated from these people? and whether their thoughts and tastes, -being turned to agriculture and religion, could be made to abandon the -dark and random channel in which they are drudging, and made to flow in -the light and life of civilization? - -To this query I answer _yes_. Although this is a custom of long -standing, being a part of their religion; and probably valued as one -of their dearest rights; and notwithstanding the difficulty of making -inroads upon the religion of a people in whose country there is no -severence of opinions, and consequently no division into different -sects, with different creeds to shake their faith; I still believe, and -I _know_, that by a judicious and persevering effort, this abominable -custom, and others, might be extinguished, and the beautiful green -fields about the Mandan village might be turned into productive -gardens, and the waving green bluffs that are spread in the surrounding -distance, might be spotted with lowing kine, instead of the sneaking -wolves and the hobbled war-horses that are now stalking about them. - -All ignorant and superstitious people, it is a well-known fact, are -the most fixed and stubborn in their religious opinions, and perhaps -the most difficult to divert from their established belief, from the -very fact that they are the most difficult to reason with. Here is -an ignorant race of human beings, who have from time immemorial been -in the habit of worshipping in their own way, and of enjoying their -religious opinions without ever having heard any one to question their -correctness; and in those opinions they are quiet and satisfied, and -it requires a patient, gradual, and untiring effort to convince such -a people that they are wrong, and to work the desired change in their -belief, and consequently in their actions. - -It is decidedly my opinion, however, that such a thing _can_ be done, -and I do not believe there is a race of wild people on earth where the -experiment could be more successfully made than amongst the kind and -hospitable Mandans, nor any place where the Missionary labours of pious -and industrious men would be more sure to succeed, or more certain to -be rewarded in the world to come. - -I deem such a trial of patience and perseverance with these people of -great importance, and well worth the experiment. One which I shall hope -soon to see accomplished, and which, if properly conducted, I am sure -will result in success. Severed as they are from the contaminating and -counteracting vices which oppose and thwart most of the best efforts -of the Missionaries along the frontier, and free from the almost fatal -prejudices which they have there to contend with; they present a -better field for the labours of such benevolent teachers than they -have yet worked in, and a far better chance than they have yet had of -proving to the world that the poor Indian is not a brute—that he is -a human and humane being, that he is capable of improvement—and that -his mind is a beautiful blank on which anything can be written if the -proper means be taken. - -The Mandans being but a small tribe, of two thousand only, and living -all in two villages, in sight of each other, and occupying these -permanently, without roaming about like other neighbouring tribes, -offer undoubtedly, the best opportunity for such an experiment of any -tribe in the country. The land about their villages is of the best -quality for ploughing and grazing, and the water just such as would -be desired. Their villages are fortified with piquets or stockades, -which protect them from the assaults of their enemies at home; and -the introduction of agriculture (which would supply them with the -necessaries and luxuries of life, without the necessity of continually -exposing their lives to their more numerous enemies on the plains, when -they are seeking in the chase the means of their subsistence) would -save them from the continual wastes of life, to which, in their wars -and the chase they are continually exposed, and which are calculated -soon to result in their extinction. - -I deem it not folly nor idle to say that these people _can be saved_, -nor officious to suggest to some of the very many excellent and -pious men, who are almost throwing away the best energies of their -lives along the debased frontier, that if they would introduce the -ploughshare and their prayers amongst these people, who are so far -separated from the taints and contaminating vices of the frontier, they -would soon see their most ardent desires accomplished and be able to -solve to the world the perplexing enigma, by presenting a nation of -savages, civilized and christianized (and consequently _saved_), in the -heart of the American wilderness. - - - - - LETTER—No. 23. - - MINATAREE VILLAGE, _UPPER MISSOURI_. - - -Soon after witnessing the curious scenes described in the former -Letters, I changed my position to the place from whence I am now -writing—to the village of the Minatarees, which is also located on -the west bank of the Missouri river, and only eight miles above the -Mandans. On my way down the river in my canoe, I passed this village -without attending to their earnest and clamorous invitations for me to -come ashore, and it will thus be seen that I am retrograding a little, -to see all that is to be seen in this singular country. - -I have been residing here some weeks, and am able already to say of -these people as follows:— - -The Minatarees (people of the willows) are a small tribe of about 1500 -souls, residing in three villages of earth-covered lodges, on the -banks of Knife river; a small stream, so called, meandering through -a beautiful and extensive prairie, and uniting its waters with the -Missouri. - -This small community is undoubtedly a part of the tribe of Crows, of -whom I have already spoken, living at the base of the Rocky Mountains, -who have at some remote period, either in their war or hunting -excursions, been run off by their enemy, and their retreat having been -prevented, have thrown themselves upon the hospitality of the Mandans, -to whom they have looked for protection, and under whose wing they are -now living in a sort of confederacy, ready to intermarry and also to -join, as they often have done, in the common defence of their country. - -In language and personal appearance, as well as in many of their -customs, they are types of the Crows; yet having adopted and so long -lived under its influence, the system of the Mandans, they are much -like them in many respects, and continually assimilating to the modes -of their patrons and protectors. Amongst their vague and various -traditions they have evidently some disjointed authority for the manner -in which they came here; but no account of the time. They say, that -they came poor—without wigwams or horses—were nearly all women, as -their warriors had been killed off in their flight; that the Mandans -would not take them into their village, nor let them come nearer than -where they are now living, and there assisted them to build their -villages. From these circumstances their wigwams have been constructed -exactly in the same manner as those of the Mandans, which I have -already described, and entirely distinct from any custom to be seen in -the Crow tribe. - -Notwithstanding the long familiarity in which they have lived with the -Mandans, and the complete adoption of most of their customs, yet it is -almost an unaccountable fact, that there is scarcely a man in the tribe -who can speak half a dozen words of the Mandan language; although on -the other hand, the Mandans are most of them able to converse in the -Minataree tongue; leaving us to conclude, either that the Minatarees -are a very inert and stupid people, or that the Mandan language (which -is most probably the case) being different from any other language in -the country, is an exceedingly difficult one to learn. - -The principal village of the Minatarees which is built upon the bank -of the Knife river (+plate+ 70), contains forty or fifty earth-covered -wigwams, from forty to fifty feet in diameter, and being elevated, -overlooks the other two which are on lower ground and almost lost -amidst their numerous corn fields and other profuse vegetation which -cover the earth with their luxuriant growth. - -The scenery along the banks of this little river, from village to -village, is quite peculiar and curious; rendered extremely so by the -continual wild and garrulous groups of men, women, and children, who -are wending their way along its winding shores, or dashing and plunging -through its blue waves, enjoying the luxury of swimming, of which both -sexes seem to be passionately fond. Others are paddling about in their -tub-like canoes, made of the skins of buffaloes; and every now and -then, are to be seen their sudatories, or vapour-baths (+plate+ 71), -where steam is raised by throwing water on to heated stones; and the -patient jumps from his sweating-house and leaps into the river in the -highest state of perspiration, as I have more fully described whilst -speaking of the bathing of the Mandans. - -The chief sachem of this tribe is a very ancient and patriarchal -looking man, by the name of Eeh-tohk-pah-shee-pee-shah (the black -moccasin), and counts, undoubtedly, more than an hundred _snows_. I -have been for some days an inmate of his hospitable lodge, where he -sits tottering with age, and silently reigns sole monarch of his little -community around him, who are continually dropping in to cheer his -sinking energies, and render him their homage. His voice and his sight -are nearly gone; but the gestures of his hands are yet energetic and -youthful, and freely speak the language of his kind heart. - -I have been treated in the kindest manner by this old chief; and have -painted his portrait (+plate+ 72) as he was seated on the floor of his -wigwam, smoking his pipe, whilst he was recounting over to me some of -the extraordinary feats of his life, with a beautiful Crow robe wrapped -around him, and his hair wound up in a conical form upon his head, and -fastened with a small wooden pin, to keep it in its place. - -This man has many distinct recollections of Lewis and Clarke, who were -the first explorers of this country, and who crossed the Rocky -Mountains thirty years ago. It will be seen by reference to their very -interesting history of their tour, that they were treated with great -kindness by this man; and that they in consequence constituted him -chief of the tribe, with the consent of his people; and he has remained -their chief ever since. He enquired very earnestly for “Red Hair” and -“Long Knife” (as he had ever since termed Lewis and Clarke), from the -fact, that one had red hair (an unexampled thing in his country), and -the other wore a broad sword which gained for him the appellation of -“Long Knife.” - -[Illustration: 72] - -[Illustration: 73] - -[Illustration: 74] - -I have told him that “Long Knife” has been many years dead; and that -“Red Hair” is yet living in St. Louis, and no doubt, would be glad to -hear of him; at which he seemed much pleased, and has signified to me -that he will make me bearer of some peculiar dispatches to him.[5] - -The name by which these people are generally called (Grosventres) is -one given them by the French Traders, and has probably been applied to -them with some degree of propriety or fitness, as contradistinguished -from the Mandans, amongst whom these Traders were living; and who -are a small race of Indians, being generally at or below the average -stature of man; whilst the Minatarees are generally tall and heavily -built. There is no tribe in the western wilds, perhaps, who are better -entitled to the style of warlike, than the Minatarees; for they, unlike -the Mandans, are continually carrying war into their enemies’ country; -oftentimes drawing the poor Mandans into unnecessary broils, and -suffering so much themselves in their desperate war-excursions, that I -find the proportion of women to the number of men as two or three to -one, through the tribe. - -The son of Black Moccasin, whose name is Ee-a-chin-che-a (the red -thunder), and who is reputed one of the most desperate warriors of his -tribe, I have also painted at full length, in his war-dress (+plate+ -73), with his bow in his hand, his quiver slung, and his shield upon -his arm. In this plight, _sans_ head-dress, _sans_ robe, and _sans_ -everything that might be an useless incumbrance—with the body chiefly -naked, and profusely bedaubed with red and black paint, so as to form -an almost perfect disguise, the Indian warriors invariably sally forth -to war; save the chief, who always plumes himself, and leads on his -little band, tendering himself to his enemies a conspicuous mark, with -all his ornaments and trophies upon him; that his enemies, if they get -him, may get a prize worth the fighting for. - -Besides chiefs and warriors to be admired in this little tribe, there -are many beautiful and voluptuous looking women, who are continually -crowding in throngs, and gazing upon a stranger; and possibly shedding -more bewitching smiles from a sort of necessity, growing out of the -great disparity in numbers between them and the rougher sex, to which I -have before alluded. - -From the very numerous groups of these that have from day to day -constantly pressed upon me, overlooking the operations of my brush; -I have been unable to get more than one who would consent to have -her portrait painted, owing to some fear or dread of harm that might -eventually ensue in consequence; or from a natural coyness or timidity, -which is surpassing all description amongst these wild tribes, when in -presence of strangers. - -The one whom I have painted (+plate+ 74) is a descendant from the old -chief; and though not the most beautiful, is yet a fair sample of -them, and dressed in a beautiful costume of the mountain-sheep skin, -handsomely garnished with porcupine quills and beads. This girl was -almost _compelled_ to stand for her picture by her relatives who urged -her on, whilst she modestly declined, offering as her excuse that “she -was not pretty enough, and that her picture would be laughed at.” -This was either ignorance or excessive art on her part; for she was -certainly more than comely, and the beauty of her name, Seet-se-be-a -(the midday sun) is quite enough to make up for a deficiency, if there -were any, in the beauty of her face. - -I mentioned that I found these people raising abundance of corn or -maize; and I have happened to visit them in the season of their -festivities, which annually take place when the ears of corn are of the -proper size for eating. The green corn is considered a great luxury by -all those tribes who cultivate it; and is ready for eating as soon as -the ear is of full size, and the kernels are expanded to their full -growth, but are yet soft and pulpy. In this green state of the corn, -it is boiled and dealt out in great profusion to the whole tribe, who -feast and surfeit upon it whilst it lasts; rendering thanks to the -_Great Spirit_ for the return of this joyful season, which they do -by making sacrifices, by dancing, and singing songs or thanksgiving. -This joyful occasion is one valued alike, and conducted in a similar -manner, by most of the tribes who raise the corn, however remote they -may be from each other. It lasts but for a week or ten days; being -limited to the longest term that the corn remains in this tender and -palatable state; during which time all hunting, and all war-excursions, -and all other avocations, are positively dispensed with; and all join -in the most excessive indulgence of gluttony and conviviality that can -possibly be conceived. The fields of corn are generally pretty well -stripped during this excess; and the poor improvident Indian thanks the -Great Spirit for the indulgence he has had, and is satisfied to ripen -merely the few ears that are necessary for his next year’s planting, -without reproaching himself for his wanton lavishness, which has laid -waste his fine fields, and robbed him of the golden harvest, which -might have gladdened his heart, with those of his wife and little -children, through the cold and dreariness of winter. - -The most remarkable feature of these joyous occasion is the _green -corn-dance_, which is always given as preparatory to the feast, and -by most of the tribes in the following manner:— - -[Illustration: 75] - -At the usual season, and the time when from outward appearance of the -stalks and ears of the corn, it is supposed to be nearly ready for -use, several of the old women who are the owners of fields or patches -of corn (for such are the proprietors and cultivators of all crops in -Indian countries, the men never turning their hands to such degrading -occupations) are delegated by the medicine-men to look at the corn -fields every morning at sun-rise, and bring into the council-house, -where the kettle is ready, several ears of corn, the husks of which the -women are not allowed to break open or even to peep through. The women -then are from day to day discharged and the doctors left to decide, -until from repeated examinations they come to the decision that it -will do; when they dispatch _runners_ or _criers_, announcing to every -part of the village or tribe that the Great Spirit has been kind to -them, and they must all meet on the next day to return thanks for his -goodness. That all must empty their stomachs, and prepare for the feast -that is approaching. - -On the day appointed by the doctors, the villagers are all assembled, -and in the midst of the group a kettle is hung over a fire and filled -with the green corn, which is well boiled, to be given to the Great -Spirit, as a sacrifice necessary to be made before any one can indulge -the cravings of his appetite. Whilst this first kettleful is boiling, -four medicine-men, with a stalk of the corn in one hand and a rattle -(she-she-quoi) in the other, with their bodies painted with white clay, -dance around the kettle, chanting a song of thanksgiving to the Great -Spirit to whom the offering is to be made (+plate+ 75). At the same -time a number of warriors are dancing around in a more extended circle, -with stalks of the corn in their hands, and joining also in the song of -thanksgiving, whilst the villagers are all assembled and looking on. -During this scene there is an arrangement of wooden bowls laid upon the -ground, in which the feast is to be dealt out, each one having in it a -spoon made of the buffalo or mountain-sheep’s horn. - -In this wise the dance continues until the doctors decide that the corn -is sufficiently boiled; it then stops for a few moments, and again -assumes a different form and a different song, whilst the doctors are -placing the ears on a little scaffold of sticks, which they erect -immediately over the fire where it is entirely consumed, as they join -again in the dance around it. - -The fire is then removed, and with it the ashes, which together are -buried in the ground, and _new fire_ is originated on the same spot -where the old one was, by friction, which is done by a desperate and -painful exertion by three men seated on the ground, facing each other -and violently drilling the end of a stick into a hard block of wood by -rolling it between the hands, each one catching it in turn from the -others without allowing the motion to stop until smoke, and at last a -spark of fire is seen and caught in a piece of spunk, when there is -great rejoicing in the crowd. With this a fire is kindled, and the -kettleful of corn again boiled for the feast, at which the chiefs, -doctors, and warriors are seated; and after this an unlimited licence -is given to the whole tribe, who surfeit upon it and indulge in all -their favourite amusements and excesses, until the fields of corn are -exhausted, or its ears have become too hard for their comfortable -mastication. - -Such are the general features of the green corn festivity and dance -amongst most of the tribes; and amongst some there are many additional -forms and ceremonies gone through, preparatory to the indulgence in the -feast. - -Some of the southern tribes concoct a most bitter and nauseating -draught, which they call _asceola_ (the black drink), which they drink -to excess for several days previous to the feast; ejecting everything -from their stomachs and intestines, enabling them after this excessive -and painful purgation, to commence with the green corn upon an empty -and keen stomach. - -[Illustration: 76] - - [5] About a year after writing the above, and whilst I was in St. - Louis, I had the pleasure of presenting the compliments of this old - veteran to General Clarke; and also of shewing to him the portrait, - which he instantly recognized amongst hundreds of others; saying, - that “they had considered the Black Moccasin quite an old man when - they appointed him chief thirty-two years ago.” - - - - - LETTER—No. 24. - - MINATAREE VILLAGE, _UPPER MISSOURI_. - - -Epistles from such a strange place as this, where I have no desk to -write from, or mail to send them by, are hastily scribbled off in my -note-book, as I can steal a little time from the gaze of the wild group -that is continually about me; and instead of _sending_ them, _keeping_ -them to bring with me when I make my retreat from the country. - -The only place where I can satisfactorily make these entries is in -the shade of some sequestered tree, to which I occasionally resort, -or more often from my bed (from which I am now writing), enclosed by -a sort of curtains made of the skins of elks or buffaloes, completely -encompassing me, where I am reclining on a sacking-bottom, made of the -buffalo’s hide; making my entries and notes of the incidents of the -past day, amidst the roar and unintelligible din of savage conviviality -that is going on under the same roof, and under my own eye, whenever I -feel disposed to apply it to a small aperture which brings at once the -whole interior and all its inmates within my view. - -There are at this time some distinguished guests, besides _myself_, in -the lodge of the Black Moccasin; two chiefs or leaders of a party of -Crows, who arrived here a few days since, on a visit to their ancient -friends and relatives. The consequence has been, that feasting and -carousing have been the “order of the day” here for some time; and I -have luckily been a welcome participator in their entertainments. A -distinguished chief of the Minatarees, with several others in company, -has been for some months past on a visit to the Crows and returned, -attended by some remarkably fine-looking fellows, all mounted on fine -horses. I have said something of these fine specimens of the human race -heretofore; and as I have been fastening more of them to the canvass -within the few days past, I must use this occasion to add what follows:— - -I think I have said that no part of the human race could present a -more picturesque and thrilling appearance on horseback than a party -of Crows rigged out in all their plumes and trappings—galloping about -and yelping, in what they call a war-parade, _i. e._ in a sort of -tournament or sham-fight, passing rapidly through the evolutions of -battle, and vaunting forth the wonderful character of their military -exploits. This is an amusement, of which they are excessively fond; and -great preparations are invariably made for these occasional shows. - -No tribe of Indians on the Continent are better able to produce a -pleasing and thrilling effect in these scenes, nor any more vain, -and consequently better prepared to draw pleasure and satisfaction -from them, than the Crows. They may be justly said to be the most -beautifully clad of all the Indians in these regions, and bringing -from the base of the Rocky Mountains a fine and spirited breed of the -wild horses, have been able to create a great sensation amongst the -Minatarees, who have been paying them all attention and all honours for -some days past. - -From amongst these showy fellows who have been entertaining us and -pleasing themselves with their extraordinary feats of horsemanship, -I have selected one of the most conspicuous, and transferred him and -his horse, with arms and trappings, as faithfully as I could to the -canvass, for the information of the world, who will learn vastly -more from lines and colours than they could from oral or written -delineations. - -I have painted him as he sat for me, balanced on his leaping wild horse -(+plate+ 76) with his shield and quiver slung on his back, and his long -lance decorated with the eagle’s quills, trailed in his right hand. -His shirt and his leggings, and moccasins, were of the mountain-goat -skins, beautifully dressed; and their seams everywhere fringed with a -profusion of scalp-locks taken from the heads of his enemies slain in -battle. His long hair, which reached almost to the ground whilst he was -standing on his feet, was now lifted in the air, and floating in black -waves over the hips of his leaping charger. On his head, and over his -shining black locks, he wore a magnificent crest or head-dress, made of -the quills of the war-eagle and ermine skins; and on his horse’s head -also was another of equal beauty and precisely the same in pattern and -material. Added to these ornaments there were yet many others which -contributed to his picturesque appearance, and amongst them a beautiful -netting of various colours, that completely covered and almost obscured -the horse’s head and neck, and extended over its back and its hips, -terminating in a most extravagant and magnificent crupper, embossed and -fringed with rows of beautiful shells and porcupine quills of various -colours. - -With all these picturesque ornaments and trappings upon and about -him, with a noble figure, and the bold stamp of a wild _gentleman_ -on his face, added to the rage and spirit of his wild horse, in time -with whose leaps he issued his startling (though smothered) yelps, as -he gracefully leaned to and fro, leaving his plumes and his plumage, -his long locks and his fringes, to float in the wind, he galloped -about; and felt exceeding pleasure in displaying the extraordinary -skill which a lifetime of practice and experiment had furnished him -in the beautiful art of riding and managing his horse, as well as in -displaying to advantage his weapons and ornaments of dress, by giving -them the grace of motion, as they were brandished in the air and -floating in the wind. - -[Illustration: 77] - -[Illustration: 78] - -[Illustration: 79] - -I have also secured the portraits of Ee-he-a-duck-chee-a (he who ties -his hair before, +plate+ 78), and Pa-ris-ka-roo-pa (the two Crows, -+plate+ 77); fine and fair specimens of this tribe, in both of which -are exhibited the extraordinary instances of the natural hair reaching -to the ground, peculiarities belonging almost exclusively to this -tribe, and of which I have in a former Letter given some account. In -presenting such instances as these, I offer them, (and the reader will -take them of course) as extraordinary and rare occurrences amongst -the tribe, who generally fall short of these in this peculiarity, and -also in elegance of dress and ornament; although many others from -their numbers might be selected of equal extravagance. The Crows are -generally handsome, and comfortably clad; every man in the nation oils -his hair with a profusion of bear’s grease, and promotes its growth to -the utmost of his ability; and the greater part of them cultivate it -down on to the calf of the leg, whilst a few are able to make it sweep -the ground. - -In a former Letter I gave some account of the form of the head peculiar -to this tribe which may well be recorded as a national characteristic, -and worthy of further attention, which I shall give it on a future -occasion. This striking peculiarity is quite conspicuous in the two -portraits of which I have just spoken, exhibiting fairly, as they -are both in profile, the _semi-lunar_ outline of the face of which I -have before spoken, and which strongly characterizes them as distinct -from any relationship or resemblance to, the Blackfeet, Shiennes, -Knisteneaux, Mandans, or other tribes now existing in these regions. -The peculiar character of which I am speaking, like all other national -characteristics, is of course met by many exceptions in the tribe, -though the greater part of the men are thus strongly marked with -a bold and prominent anti-angular nose, with a clear and rounded -arch, and a low and receding forehead; the frontal bone oftentimes -appearing to have been compressed by some effort of art, in a certain -degree approaching to the horrid distortion thus produced amongst the -Flatheads beyond the Rocky Mountains. I learned however from repeated -inquiries, that no such custom is practiced amongst them, but their -heads, such as they are, are the results of a natural growth, and -therefore may well be offered as the basis of a national or tribal -_character_. - -I recollect to have seen in several publications on the antiquities of -Mexico, many rude drawings made by the ancient Mexicans, of which the -singular profiles of these people forcibly remind me, almost bringing -me to the conclusion that these people may be the descendants of the -race who have bequeathed those curious and inexplicable remains to the -world, and whose scattered remnants, from dire and unknown necessities -of those dark and veiled ages that have gone by, have been jostled and -thrown along through the hideous and almost impenetrable labyrinths -of the Rocky Mountains to the place of their destination where they -now live. I am stopped, however, from advancing such as a _theory_, -and much prefer to leave it to other hands, who may more easily get -over difficulties which I should be afraid to encounter in the very -outset, from the very important questions raised in my mind, as to the -correctness of those rude and ignorant outlines, in truly establishing -the looks and character of a people. Amongst a people so ignorant and -so little advanced in the arts as the ancient Mexicans were, from whose -tracings those very numerous drawings are copied, I think it would be -assuming a great deal too much for satisfactory argument, to claim -that such records were to set up to the world the looks and character -of a people who have sunk into oblivion, when the heads of horses and -other animals, drawn by the same hands, are so rude and so much out of -drawing as scarcely to be distinguished, one from the other. I feel -as if such rude outlines should be received with great caution and -distrust, in establishing the character of a people; and for a fair -illustration of the objection I am raising, I would refer the reader to -a number of _fac-simile_ drawings which I have copied from some of the -paintings of the Mandans (on the three plates following +plate+ 65), -where most of the figures have the forehead and nose answering exactly -to these Mexican outlines, and strikingly resembling the _living -Crows_, also, when they have certainly borrowed nothing from either, -nor have they any living outlines like them in their own tribe to have -copied from. - -Since writing the above I have passed through many vicissitudes, and -witnessed many curious scenes worthy of relating, some of which I will -scribble now, and leave the rest for a more leisure occasion. I have -witnessed many of the valued games and amusements of this tribe, and -made sketches of them; and also have painted a number of portraits of -distinguished warriors and braves which will be found in my collection. - -I have just been exceedingly amused with a formal and grave meeting -which was called around me, formed by a number of young men, and even -chiefs and doctors of the tribe, who, having heard that I was _great -medicine_, and a great chief, took it upon themselves to suppose that -I might (or perhaps must) be, a man of influence amongst the “pale -faces,” and capable of rendering them some relief in a case of very -great grievance, under which they represented that they were suffering. -Several most profound speeches were made to me, setting forth these -grievances, somewhat in the following manner:—They represented, that -about five or six years ago, an unknown, small animal—not far differing -in size from a ground squirrel, but with a long, round tail, shewed -himself slily about one of the chief’s wigwams, peeping out from under -the pots and kettles, and other such things; which they looked upon -as great _medicine_—and no one dared to kill it; but hundreds came to -watch and look at it. On one of these occasions, one of the spectators -saw this strange animal catching and devouring a small “deer mouse,” -of which little and very destructive animals their lodges contained -many. It was then at once determined that this had been an act of the -Great Spirit, as a means of putting a stop to the spoliations committed -by these little sappers, who were cutting their clothing, and other -manufactures to pieces in a lamentable manner. Councils had been called -and solemn decrees issued for the countenance and protection of this -welcome visitor and its progeny, which were soon ascertained to be -rapidly increasing, and calculated soon to rid them of these thousands -of little depredators. It was soon, however, learned from one of the -Fur Traders, that this distinguished object of their superstition -(which my man Ba’tiste familiarly calls “_Monsr. Ratapon_”) had, a -short time before, landed himself from one of their keel boats, which -had ascended the Missouri river for the distance of 1800 miles; and had -taken up its residence, without introduction or invitation, in one of -their earth-covered wigwams. - -This information, for a while, curtailed the extraordinary respect they -had for some time been paying to it; but its continual war upon these -little mice, which it was using for its food, in the absence of all -other nutriment, continued to command their respect, in spite of the -manner in which it had been introduced; being unwilling to believe that -it had come from that source, even, without the agency in some way of -the Great Spirit. - -Having been thus introduced and nurtured, and their numbers having been -so wonderfully increased in the few last years, that every wigwam was -infested with them,—that their _caches_, where they bury their corn -and other provisions, were robbed and sacked; and the very pavements -under their wigwams were so vaulted and sapped, that they were actually -falling to the ground; they were now looked upon as a most disastrous -nuisance, and a public calamity, to which it was the object of this -meeting to call my attention, evidently in hopes that I might be able -to designate some successful mode of relieving them from this real -misfortune. I got rid of them at last, by assuring them of my deep -regret for their situation, which was, to be sure, a very unpleasant -one; and told them, that there was really a great deal of _medicine_ -in the thing, and that I should therefore be quite unwilling to have -anything to do with it. Ba’tiste and Bogard, who are yet my daily and -almost hourly companions, took to themselves a great deal of fun and -amusement at the end of this interview, by suggesting many remedies -for the evil, and enjoying many hearty laughs; after which, Ba’tiste, -Bogard and I, took our hats; and I took my sketch-book in hand, and -we started on a visit to the upper town of the Minatarees, which is -half a mile or more distant, and on the other bank of the Knife River, -which we crossed in the following manner:—The old chief, having learned -that we were to cross the river, gave direction to one of the women -of his numerous household, who took upon her head a skin-canoe (more -familiarly called in this country, a bull-boat), made in the form of a -large tub, of a buffalo’s skin, stretched on a frame of willow boughs, -which she carried to the water’s edge; and placing it in the water, -made signs for us three to get into it. When we were in, and seated -flat on its bottom, with scarce room in any way to adjust our legs -and our feet (as we sat necessarily facing each other), she stepped -before the boat, and pulling it along, waded towards the deeper water, -with her back towards us, carefully with the other hand attending to -her dress, which seemed to be but a light slip, and floating upon the -surface until the water was above her waist, when it was instantly -turned off, over her head, and thrown ashore; and she boldly plunged -forward, swimming and drawing the boat with one hand, which she did -with apparent ease. In this manner we were conveyed to the middle of -the stream, where we were soon surrounded by a dozen or more beautiful -girls, from twelve to fifteen and eighteen years of age, who were at -that time bathing on the opposite shore. - -They all swam in a bold and graceful manner, and as confidently as so -many otters or beavers; and gathering around us, with their long black -hair floating about on the water, whilst their faces were glowing with -jokes and fun, which they were cracking about us, and which we could -not understand. - -In the midst of this delightful little aquatic group, we three sat in -our little skin-bound tub (like the “three wise men of Gotham, who -went to sea in a bowl,” &c.), floating along down the current, losing -sight, and all thoughts, of the shore, which was equi-distant from us -on either side; whilst we were amusing ourselves with the playfulness -of these dear little creatures who were floating about under the -clear blue water, catching their hands on to the sides of our boat; -occasionally raising one-half of their bodies out of the water, and -sinking again, like so many mermaids. - -In the midst of this bewildering and tantalizing entertainment, in -which poor Ba’tiste and Bogard, as well as myself, were all taking -infinite pleasure, and which we supposed was all intended for our -especial amusement; we found ourselves suddenly in the delightful -dilemma of floating down the current in the middle of the river; and -of being turned round and round to the excessive amusement of the -villagers, who were laughing at us from the shore, as well as these -little tyros, whose delicate hands were besetting our tub on all -sides; and for an escape from whom, or for fending off, we had neither -an oar, or anything else, that we could wield in self-defence, or -for self-preservation. In this awkward predicament, our feelings of -excessive admiration were immediately changed, to those of exceeding -vexation, as we now learned that they had peremptorily discharged -from her occupation our fair conductress, who had undertaken to ferry -us safely across the river; and had also very ingeniously laid their -plans, of which we had been ignorant until the present moment, to -extort from us in this way, some little evidences of our liberality, -which, in fact, it was impossible to refuse them, after so liberal and -bewitching an exhibition on their part, as well as from the imperative -obligation which the awkwardness of our situation had laid us under. I -had some awls in my pockets, which I presented to them, and also a few -strings of beautiful beads, which I placed over their delicate necks -as they raised them out of the water by the side of our boat; after -which they all joined in conducting our craft to the shore, by swimming -by the sides of, and behind it, pushing it along in the direction where -they designed to land it, until the water became so shallow, that their -feet were upon the bottom, when they waded along with great coyness, -dragging us towards the shore, as long as their bodies, in a crouching -position, could possibly be half concealed under the water, when they -gave our boat the last push for the shore, and raising a loud and -exulting laugh, plunged back again into the river; leaving us the only -alternative of sitting still where we were, or of stepping out into -the water at half leg deep, and of wading to the shore, which we at -once did, and soon escaped from the view of our little tormentors, and -the numerous lookers-on, on our way to the upper village, which I have -before mentioned. - -Here I was very politely treated by the _Yellow Moccasin_, quite an old -man, and who seemed to be chief of this band or family, constituting -their little community of thirty or forty lodges, averaging, perhaps, -twenty persons to each. I was feasted in this man’s lodge—and -afterwards invited to accompany him and several others to a beautiful -prairie, a mile or so above the village, where the young men and young -women of this town, and many from the village below, had assembled for -their amusements; the chief of which seemed to be that of racing their -horses. In the midst of these scenes, after I had been for some time -a looker-on, and had felt some considerable degree of sympathy for a -fine-looking young fellow, whose horse had been twice beaten on the -course, and whose losses had been considerable; for which, his sister, -a very modest and pretty girl, was most piteously howling and crying. -I selected and brought forward an ordinary-looking pony, that was -evidently too fat and too sleek to run against his fine-limbed little -horse that had disappointed his high hopes; and I began to comment -extravagantly upon its muscle, &c., when I discovered him evidently -cheering up with the hope of getting me and my pony on to the turf with -him; for which he soon made me a proposition; and I, having lauded the -limbs of my little nag too much to “back out,” agreed to run a short -race with him of half a mile, for three yards of scarlet cloth, a -knife, and half a dozen strings of beads, which I was willing to stake -against a handsome pair of leggings, which he was wearing at the time. -The greatest imaginable excitement was now raised amongst the crowd by -this arrangement; to see a white man preparing to run with an Indian -jockey, and that with a scrub of a pony, in whose powers of running no -Indian had the least confidence. Yet, there was no one in the crowd, -who dared to take up the several other little bets I was willing to -tender (merely for their amusement, and for their final exultation); -owing, undoubtedly, to the bold and confident manner in which I had -ventured on the merits of this little horse, which the tribe had all -overlooked; and needs must have some _medicine_ about it. - -So far was this panic carried, that even my champion was ready to -withdraw; but his friends encouraged him at length, and we galloped -our horses off to the other end of the course, where we were to start; -and where we were accompanied by a number of horsemen, who were to -witness the “set off.” Some considerable delay here took place, from a -_condition_, which was then named to me, and which I had not observed -before, that in all the races of this day, every rider was to run -entirely denuded, and ride a naked horse! Here I was completely balked, -and having no one by me to interpret a word, I was quite at a loss to -decide what was best to do. I found however, that remonstrance was of -little avail; and as I had volunteered in this thing to gratify and -flatter them, I thought it best not positively to displease them in -this; so I laid off my clothes, and straddled the naked back of my -round and glossy little pony, by the side of my competitor, who was -also mounted and stripped to the skin, and panting with a restless -anxiety for the start. - -Reader! did you ever imagine that in the _middle of a man’s life_ -there could be a thought or a feeling so _new_ to him, as to throw him -instantly back to infancy; with a new world and a new genius before -him—started afresh, to navigate and breathe the elements of naked and -untasted liberty, which clothe him in their cool and silken robes that -float about him; and wafting their life-inspiring folds to his inmost -lungs? If you never have been inspired with such a feeling, and have -been in the habit of believing that you have thought of, and imagined a -little of every thing, try for a moment, to disrobe your mind and your -body, and help me through feelings to which I cannot give utterance. -Imagine yourselves as I was, with my trembling little horse underneath -me, and the cool atmosphere that was floating about, and ready, more -closely and familiarly to embrace me, as it did, at the next moment, -when we “were off,” and struggling for the goal and the prize. - -Though my little Pegasus seemed to dart through the clouds, and I to -be wafted on the wings of Mercury, yet my red adversary was leaving -me too far behind for further competition; and I wheeled to the left, -making a circuit on the prairie, and came in at the starting point, -much to the satisfaction and exultation of the jockeys; but greatly -to the murmuring disappointment of the women and children, who had -assembled in a dense throng to witness the “coming out” of the “white -medicine-man.” I clothed myself instantly, and came back, acknowledging -my defeat, and the superior skill of my competitor, as well as the -wonderful muscle of his little charger, which pleased him much; and -his sisters’ lamentations were soon turned to joy, by the receipt of a -beautiful scarlet robe, and a profusion of vari-coloured beads, which -were speedily paraded on her copper-coloured neck. - -After I had seen enough of these amusements, I succeeded with some -difficulty, in pulling Ba’tiste and Bogard from amongst the groups of -women and girls, where they seemed to be successfully ingratiating -themselves; and we trudged back to the little village of earth-covered -lodges, which were hemmed in, and almost obscured from the eye, by -the fields of corn and luxuriant growth of wild sun-flowers, and other -vegetable productions of the soil, whose spontaneous growth had reared -their heads in such profusion, as to appear all but like a dense and -formidable forest. - -We loitered about this little village awhile, looking into most of its -lodges, and tracing its winding avenues, after which we recrossed the -river and wended our way back again to head-quarters, from whence we -started in the morning, and where I am now writing. This day’s ramble -shewed to us all the inhabitants of this little tribe, except a portion -of their warriors who are out on a war excursion against the Riccarees; -and I have been exceedingly pleased with their general behaviour and -looks, as well as with their numerous games and amusements, in many of -which I have given them great pleasure by taking a part. - -The Minatarees, as I have before said, are a bold, daring, and warlike -tribe; quite different in these respects from their neighbours the -Mandans, carrying war continually in their enemies’ country, thereby -exposing their lives and diminishing the number of their warriors -to that degree that I find two or three women to a man, through the -tribe. They are bold and fearless in the chase also, and in their eager -pursuits of the bison, or buffaloes, their feats are such as to excite -the astonishment and admiration of all who behold them. Of these scenes -I have witnessed many since I came into this country, and amongst -them all, nothing have I seen to compare with one to which I was an -eye-witness a few mornings since, and well worthy of being described. - -The Minatarees, as well as the Mandans, had suffered for some months -past for want of meat, and had indulged in the most alarming fears, -that the herds of buffaloes were emigrating so far off from them, -that there was great danger of their actual starvation, when it was -suddenly announced through the village one morning at an early hour, -that a herd of buffaloes was in sight, when an hundred or more young -men mounted their horses with weapons in hand and steered their course -to the prairies. The chief informed me that one of his horses was in -readiness for me at the door of his wigwam, and that I had better go -and see the curious affair. I accepted his polite offer, and mounting -the steed, galloped off with the hunters to the prairies, where we -soon descried at a distance, a fine herd of buffaloes grazing, when -a halt and a council were ordered, and the mode of attack was agreed -upon. I had armed myself with my pencil and my sketch-book only, and -consequently took my position generally in the rear, where I could see -and appreciate every manœuvre. - -The plan of attack, which in this country is familiarly called a -“_surround_,” was explicitly agreed upon, and the hunters who were all -mounted on their “buffalo horses” and armed with bows and arrows or -long lances, divided into two columns, taking opposite directions, and -drew themselves gradually around the herd at a mile or more distance -from them; thus forming a circle of horsemen at equal distances -apart, who gradually closed in upon them with a moderate pace, at a -signal given. The unsuspecting herd at length “got the wind” of the -approaching enemy and fled in a mass in the greatest confusion. To -the point where they were aiming to cross the line, the horsemen were -seen at full speed, gathering and forming in a column, brandishing -their weapons and yelling in the most frightful manner, by which means -they turned the black and rushing mass which moved off in an opposite -direction where they were again met and foiled in a similar manner, -and wheeled back in utter confusion; by which time the horsemen had -closed in from all directions, forming a continuous line around them, -whilst the poor affrighted animals were eddying about in a crowded and -confused mass, hooking and climbing upon each ether; when the work of -death commenced. I had rode up in the rear and occupied an elevated -position at a few rods distance, from which I could (like the general -of a battle field) survey from my horse’s back, the nature and the -progress of the grand mêlée; but (unlike him) without the power of -issuing a command or in any way directing its issue. - -In this grand turmoil (+plate+ 79), a cloud of dust was soon raised, -which in parts obscured the throng where the hunters were galloping -their horses around and driving the whizzing arrows or their long -lances to the hearts of these noble animals; which in many instances, -becoming infuriated with deadly wounds in their sides, erected their -shaggy manes over their bloodshot eyes and furiously plunged forwards -at the sides of their assailants’ horses, sometimes goring them to -death at a lunge, and putting their dismounted riders to flight for -their lives; sometimes their dense crowd was opened, and the blinded -horsemen, too intent on their prey amidst the cloud of dust, were -hemmed and wedged in amidst the crowding beasts, over whose backs -they were obliged to leap for security, leaving their horses to the -fate that might await them in the results of this wild and desperate -war. Many were the bulls that turned upon their assailants and met -them with desperate resistance; and many were the warriors who were -dismounted, and saved themselves by the superior muscles of their legs; -some who were closely pursued by the bulls, wheeled suddenly around and -snatching the part of a buffalo robe from around their waists, threw it -over the horns and the eyes of the infuriated beast, and darting by its -side drove the arrow or the lance to its heart. Others suddenly dashed -off upon the prairies by the side of the affrighted animals which had -escaped from the throng, and closely escorting them for a few rods, -brought down their hearts blood in streams, and their huge carcasses -upon the green and enamelled turf. - -In this way this grand hunt soon resolved itself into a desperate -battle; and in the space of fifteen minutes, resulted in the total -destruction of the whole herd, which in all their strength and fury -were doomed, like every beast and living thing else, to fall before the -destroying hands of mighty man. - -[Illustration: 80] - -I had sat in trembling silence upon my horse, and witnessed this -extraordinary scene, which allowed not one of these animals to escape -out of my sight. Many plunged off upon the prairie for a distance, but -were overtaken and killed; and although I could not distinctly estimate -the number that were slain, yet I am sure that some hundreds of these -noble animals fell in this grand mêlée. - -The scene after the battle was over was novel and curious in the -extreme; the hunters were moving about amongst the dead and dying -animals, leading their horses by their halters, and claiming their -victims by their private marks upon their arrows, which they were -drawing from the wounds in the animals’ sides. - -Amongst the poor affrighted creatures that had occasionally dashed -through the ranks of their enemy, and sought safety in flight upon the -prairie (and in some instances, had undoubtedly gained it), I saw them -stand awhile, looking back, when they turned, and, as if bent on their -own destruction, retraced their steps, and mingled themselves and their -deaths with those of the dying throng. Others had fled to a distance on -the prairies and for want of company, of friends or of foes, had stood -and gazed on till the battle-scene was over; seemingly taking pains to -stay, and hold their lives in readiness for their destroyers, until -the general destruction was over, when they fell easy victims to their -weapons—making the slaughter complete. - -After this scene, and after arrows had been claimed and recovered, a -general council was held, when all hands were seated on the ground, and -a few pipes smoked; after which, all mounted their horses and rode back -to the village. - -A deputation of several of the warriors was sent to the chief, who -explained to him what had been their success; and the same intelligence -was soon communicated by little squads to every family in the village; -and preparations were at once made for securing the meat. For this -purpose, some hundreds of women and children, to whose lots fall all -the drudgeries of Indian life, started out upon the trail, which -led them to the battle-field, where they spent the day in skinning -the animals, and cutting up the meat, which was mostly brought into -the villages on their backs, as they tugged and sweated under their -enormous and cruel loads. - -I rode out to see this curious scene; and I regret exceedingly that I -kept no memorandum of it in my sketch-book. Amidst the throng of women -and children, that had been assembled, and all of whom seemed busily at -work, were many superannuated and disabled nags, which they had brought -out to assist in carrying in the meat; and at least, one thousand -semi-loup dogs, and whelps, whose keen appetites and sagacity had -brought them out, to claim their shares of this abundant and sumptuous -supply. - -I staid and inspected this curious group for an hour or more, -during which time, I was almost continually amused by the clamorous -contentions that arose, and generally ended, in desperate combats; -both amongst the dogs and women, who seemed alike tenacious of their -local and recently acquired rights; and disposed to settle their claims -by “tooth and nail”—by manual and brute force. - -When I had seen enough of this I rode to the top of a beautiful prairie -bluff, a mile or two from the scene, where I was exceedingly amused by -overlooking the route that laid between this and the village, which -was over the undulating green fields for several miles, that laid -beneath me; over which there seemed a continual string of women, dogs -and horses, for the rest of the day, passing and repassing as they -were busily bearing home their heavy burthens to their village, and in -their miniature appearance, which the distance gave them, not unlike -to a busy community of ants as they are sometimes seen, sacking and -transporting the treasures of a cupboard, or the sweets of a sugar -bowl. - - - - - LETTER—No. 25. - - LITTLE MANDAN VILLAGE, _UPPER MISSOURI_. - - -In speaking of the Mandans, in a former Letter, I mentioned that they -were living in two villages, which are about two miles apart. Of their -principal village I have given a minute account, which precludes the -necessity of my saying much of their smaller town, to which I descended -a few days since, from the Minatarees; and where I find their modes -and customs, precisely the same as I have heretofore described. This -village contains sixty or eighty lodges, built in the same manner as -those which I have already mentioned, and I have just learned that -they have been keeping the annual ceremony here, precisely in the same -manner as that which I witnessed in the lower or larger town, and have -explained. - -I have been treated with the same hospitality here that was extended -to me in the other village; and have painted the portraits of several -distinguished persons, which has astonished and pleased them very much. -The operation of my brush always gains me many enthusiastic friends -wherever I go amongst these wild folks; and in this village I have been -unusually honoured and even _afflicted_, by the friendly importunities -of one of these reverencing parasites, who (amongst various other -offices of hospitality and kindness which he has been bent upon -extending to me), has insisted on, and for several nights been indulged -in, the honour as he would term it, of offering his body for my -pillow, which _I_ have not had the heart to reject, and of course _he_ -has not lacked the vanity to boast of, as an act of signal kindness -and hospitality on his part, towards a _great_ and _a distinguished -stranger_! - -I have been for several days suffering somewhat with an influenza, -which has induced me to leave my bed, on the side of the lodge, and -sleep on the floor, wrapped in a buffalo robe, with my feet to the -fire in the centre of the room, to which place the genuine politeness -of my constant and watchful friend has as regularly drawn him, where -his irresistible importunities have brought me, night after night, to -the only alternative of using his bedaubed and bear-greased body for a -pillow. - -Being unwilling to deny the poor fellow the satisfaction he seemed to -be drawing from this singular freak, I took some pains to inquire into -his character; and learned that he was a Riccaree brave, by the name of -Pah-too-ca-ra (he who strikes), who is here with several others of his -tribe, on a friendly visit (though in a hostile village), and living -as they are, unprotected, except by the mercy of their enemies. I -think it probable, therefore, that he is ingeniously endeavouring thus -to ingratiate himself in my affections, and consequently to insure my -guardianship and influence for his protection. Be this as it may, he is -rendering me many kind services, and I have in return traced him on my -canvass for immortality (+plate+ 83). - -By the side of him (+plate+ 84), I have painted a beautiful little girl -of the same tribe, whose name is Pshan-shaw (the sweet-scented grass), -giving a very pretty specimen of the dress and fashion of the women -in this tribe. The inner garment, which is like a slip or a frock, is -entire in one piece, and beautifully ornamented with embroidery and -beads, with a row of elks’ teeth passing across the breast, and a robe -of the young buffalo’s skin, tastefully and elaborately embroidered, -gracefully thrown over her shoulders, and hanging down to the ground -behind her. - -+Plate+ 82 gives a portrait of one of the chiefs of this tribe by the -name of Stan-au-pat (the bloody hand), and (+plate+ 81) of Kah-beck-a -(the twin), a good-looking matron, who was painted a few weeks since in -the principal Mandan village. - -The dresses in both of these portraits are very beautiful, and I have -procured them, as well as the one before spoken of, for my collection. - -+Plate+ 80, gives a view of the Riccaree village, which is beautifully -situated on the west bank of the river, 200 miles below the Mandans; -and built very much in the same manner; being constituted of 150 -earth-covered lodges, which are in part surrounded by an imperfect and -open barrier of piquets set firmly in the ground, and of ten or twelve -feet in height. - -This village is built upon an open prairie, and the gracefully -undulating hills that rise in distance behind it are everywhere covered -with a verdant green turf, without a tree or a bush anywhere to be -seen. This view was taken from the deck of the steamer when I was on my -way up the river; and probably it was well that I took it then, for so -hostile and deadly are the feelings of these people towards the _pale -faces_, at this time, that it may be deemed most prudent for me to pass -them on my way down the river, without stopping to make them a visit. -They certainly are harbouring the most resentful feelings at this time -towards the Traders, and others passing on the river; and no doubt, -that there is great danger of the lives of any white men, who unluckily -fall into their hands. They have recently sworn death and destruction -to every white man, who comes in their way; and there is no doubt, that -they are ready to execute their threats. - -When Lewis and Clarke first visited these people thirty years since, -it will be found by a reference to their history, that the Riccarees -received and treated them with great kindness and hospitality; but -owing to the system of trade, and the manner in which it has been -conducted in this country, they have been inflicted with real or -imaginary abuses, of which they are themselves, and the Fur Traders, -the best judges; and for which they are now harbouring the most -inveterate feelings towards the whole civilized race. - -[Illustration: 81] - -[Illustration: 82] - -[Illustration: 83] - -[Illustration: 84] - -[Illustration: 85] - -The Riccarees are unquestionably a part of the tribe of Pawnees, living -on the Platte River, some hundreds of miles below this, inasmuch -as their language is nearly or quite the same; and their personal -appearance and customs as similar as could be reasonably expected -amongst a people so long since separated from their parent tribe, and -continually subjected to innovations from the neighbouring tribes -around them; amongst whom, in their erratic wanderings in search of a -location, they have been jostled about in the character, alternately, -of friends and of foes. - -I shall resume my voyage down the river in a few days in my canoe; and -I may, perhaps, stop and pay these people a visit, and consequently, be -able to say more of them; or, I may be _hauled in_, to the shore, and -my boat plundered, and my “_scalp danced_,” as they have dealt quite -recently with the _last trader_, who has dared for several years past, -to continue his residence with them, after they had laid fatal hands on -each one of his comrades before him, and divided and shared their goods. - -Of the Mandans, who are about me in this little village, I need say -nothing, except that they are in every respect, the same as those -I have described in the lower village—and in fact, I believe this -little town is rather a _summer residence_ for a few of the noted -families, than anything else; as I am told that none of their wigwams -are tenanted through the winter. I shall leave them in the morning, -and take up my residence a few days longer with my hospitable friends -Mr. Kipp, Mah-to-toh-pa, &c. in the large village; and then with my -canvass and easel, and paint-pots in my canoe; with Ba’tiste and Bogard -to paddle, and my own oar to steer, wend my way again on the mighty -Missouri towards my native land, bidding everlasting farewell to the -kind and hospitable Mandans. - -In taking this final leave of them, which will be done with some -decided feelings of regret, and in receding from their country, I shall -look back and reflect upon them and their curious and peculiar modes -with no small degree of pleasure, as well as surprise; inasmuch as -their hospitality and friendly treatment have fully corroborated my -fixed belief that the North American Indian in his primitive state is -a high-minded, hospitable and honourable being—and their singular and -peculiar customs have raised an irresistible belief in my mind that -they have had a different origin, or are of a different compound of -character from any other tribe that I have yet seen, or that can be -probably seen in North America. - -In coming to such a conclusion as this, the mind is at once filled with -a flood of enquiries as to the source from which they have sprung, -and eagerly seeking for the evidence which is to lead it to the most -probable and correct conclusion. Amongst these evidences of which there -are many, and forcible ones to be met with amongst these people, and -many of which I have named in my former epistles, the most striking -ones are those which go, I think, decidedly to suggest the existence -of looks and of customs amongst them, bearing incontestible proofs of -an amalgam of civilized and savage; and that in the absence of all -proof of any recent proximity of a civilized stock that could in any -way have been engrafted upon them. - -These facts then, with the host of their peculiarities which stare -a traveller in the face, lead the mind back in search of some more -remote and rational cause for such striking singularities; and in this -dilemma, I have been almost disposed (not to advance it as a _theory_, -but) to enquire whether here may not be found, yet existing, the -remains of the _Welsh colony_—the followers of Madoc; who history tells -us, if I recollect right, started with ten ships, to colonize a country -which he had discovered in the Western Ocean; whose expedition I think -has been pretty clearly traced to the mouth of the Mississippi, or the -coast of Florida, and whose fate further than this seems sealed in -unsearchable mystery. - -I am travelling in this country as I have before said, not to advance -or to prove _theories_, but to see all that I am able to see, and to -tell it in the simplest and most intelligible manner I can to the -world, for their own conclusions, or for theories I may feel disposed -to advance, and be better able to defend after I get out of this -singular country; where all the powers of ones faculties are required, -and much better employed I consider, in helping him along and in -gathering materials, than in stopping to draw too nice and delicate -conclusions by the way. - -If my indefinite recollections of the fate of that colony, however, -as recorded in history be correct, I see no harm in suggesting the -inquiry, whether they did not sail up the Mississippi river in their -ten ships, or such number of them as might have arrived safe in its -mouth; and having advanced up the Ohio from its junction, (as they -naturally would, it being the widest and most gentle current) to a -rich and fertile country, planted themselves as agriculturalists on -its rich banks, where they lived and flourished, and increased in -numbers, until they were attacked, and at last besieged by the numerous -hordes of savages who were jealous of their growing condition; and as -a protection against their assaults, built those numerous _civilized_ -fortifications, the ruins of which are now to be seen on the Ohio -and the Muskingum, in which they were at last all destroyed, except -some few families who had intermarried with the Indians, and whose -offspring, being half-breeds, were in such a manner allied to them -that their lives were spared; and forming themselves into a small -and separate community, took up their residence on the banks of the -Missouri; on which, for the want of a permanent location, being on -the lands of their more powerful enemies, were obliged repeatedly to -remove; and continuing their course up the river, have in time migrated -to the place where they are now living, and consequently found with the -numerous and almost unaccountable peculiarities of which I have before -spoken, so inconsonant with the general character of the North American -Indians; with complexions of every shade; with hair of all the colours -in civilized society, and many with hazel, with grey, and with blue -eyes. - -The above is a suggestion of a _moment_; and I wish the reader to bear -it in mind, that if I ever advance such as a _theory_, it will be -after I have collected other proofs, which I shall take great pains -to do; after I have taken a vocabulary of their language, and also -in my transit down the river in my canoe, I may be able from my own -examinations of the ground, to ascertain whether the shores of the -Missouri bear evidences of their former locations; or whether amongst -the tribes who inhabit the country below, there remain any satisfactory -traditions of their residences in, and transit through their countries. - -I close here my book (and probably for some time, my remarks), on the -friendly and hospitable Mandans. - - +Note+—Several years having elapsed since the above account of the - Mandans was written, I open the book to convey to the reader the - melancholy intelligence of the _destruction_ of this interesting - tribe, which happened a short time after I left their country; and - the manner and causes of their misfortune I have explained in the - Appendix to the Second Volume of this Work; as well as some further - considerations of the subject just above-named, relative to their - early history, and the probable fate of the followers of _Madoc_, - to which I respectfully refer the reader before he goes further in - the body of the Work. See Appendix A. - - - - - LETTER—No. 26. - - MOUTH OF TETON RIVER, _UPPER MISSOURI_. - - -Since writing the above Letter I have descended the Missouri, a -distance of six or seven hundred miles, in my little bark, with -Ba’tiste and Bogard, my old “_compagnons du voyage_,” and have much -to say of what we three did and what we saw on our way, which will be -given anon. - -I am now in the heart of the country belonging to the numerous tribe -of Sioux or Dohcotas, and have Indian faces and Indian customs in -abundance around me. This tribe is one of the most numerous in North -America, and also one of the most vigorous and warlike tribes to be -found, numbering some forty or fifty thousand, and able undoubtedly -to muster, if the tribe could be moved simultaneously, at least eight -or ten thousand warriors, well mounted and well armed. This tribe -take vast numbers of the wild horses on the plains towards the Rocky -Mountains, and many of them have been supplied with guns; but the -greater part of them hunt with their bows and arrows and long lances, -killing their game from their horses’ backs while at full speed. - -The name Sioux (pronounced _see-oo_) by which they are familiarly -called, is one that has been given to them by the French traders, the -meaning of which I never have learned; their own name being, in their -language, Dah-co-ta. The personal appearance of these people is very -fine and prepossessing, their persons tall and straight, and their -movements elastic and graceful. Their stature is considerably above -that of the Mandans and Riccarees, or Blackfeet; but about equal to -that of the Crows, Assinneboins and Minatarees, furnishing at least one -half of their warriors of six feet or more in height. - -I am here living with, and enjoying the hospitality of a gentleman by -the name of _Laidlaw_, a Scotchman, who is attached to the American -Fur Company, and who, in company with Mr. M‘Kenzie (of whom I have -before spoken) and Lamont, has the whole agency of the Fur Company’s -transactions in the regions of the Upper Missouri and the Rocky -Mountains. - -This gentleman has a finely-built Fort here, of two or three hundred -feet square, enclosing eight or ten of their factories, houses and -stores, in the midst of which he occupies spacious and comfortable -apartments, which are well supplied with the comforts and luxuries of -life and neatly and respectably conducted by a fine looking, modest, -and dignified Sioux woman, the kind and affectionate mother of his -little flock of pretty and interesting children. - -[Illustration: 86] - -This Fort is undoubtedly one of the most important and productive -of the American Fur Company’s posts, being in the centre of the -great Sioux country, drawing from all quarters an immense and almost -incredible number of buffalo robes, which are carried to the New York -and other Eastern markets, and sold at a great profit. This post -is thirteen hundred miles above St. Louis, on the west bank of the -Missouri, on a beautiful plain near the mouth of the Teton river which -empties into the Missouri from the West, and the Fort has received -the name of Fort Pierre, in compliment to Monsr. Pierre Chouteau, who -is one of the partners in the Fur Company, residing in St. Louis; and -to whose politeness I am indebted, as I have before mentioned, for my -passage in the Company’s steamer, on her first voyage to the Yellow -Stone; and whose urbane and gentlemanly society, I have before said, I -had during my passage. - -The country about this Fort is almost entirely prairie, producing along -the banks of the river and streams only, slight skirtings of timber. -No site could have been selected more pleasing or more advantageous -than this; the Fort is in the centre of one of the Missouri’s most -beautiful plains, and hemmed in by a series of gracefully undulating, -grass-covered hills, on all sides; rising like a series of terraces, to -the summit level of the prairies, some three or four hundred feet in -elevation, which then stretches off in an apparently boundless ocean of -gracefully swelling waves and fields of green. On my way up the river -I made a painting of this lovely spot, taken from the summit of the -bluffs, a mile or two distant (+plate+ 85), shewing an encampment of -Sioux, of six hundred tents or skin lodges, around the Fort, where they -had concentrated to make their spring trade; exchanging their furs and -peltries for articles and luxuries of civilized manufactures. - -The great family of Sioux who occupy so vast a tract of country, -extending from the banks of the Mississippi river to the base of -the Rocky Mountains, are everywhere a migratory or roaming tribe, -divided into forty-two bands or families, each having a chief who -all acknowledge a superior or head chief, to whom they all are held -subordinate. This subordination, however, I should rather record as -their _former_ and _native_ regulation, of which there exists no -doubt, than an _existing_ one, since the numerous innovations made -amongst these people by the Fur Traders, as well as by the proximity -of civilization along a great deal of their frontier, which soon upset -and change many native regulations, and particularly those relating to -their government and religion. - -There is one principal and familiar division of this tribe into what -are called the _Mississippi_ and _Missouri_ Sioux. Those bordering -on the banks of the Mississippi, concentrating at Prairie du Chien -and Fort Snelling, for the purposes of trade, &c., are called the -Mississippi Sioux. These are somewhat advanced towards civilization, -and familiar with white people, with whom they have held intercourse -for many years, and are consequently excessive whiskey drinkers, though -constituting but a meagre proportion, and at the same time, but a very -unfair and imperfect sample of the great mass of this tribe who inhabit -the shores of the Missouri, and fearlessly roam on the vast plains -intervening between it and the Rocky Mountains, and are still living -entirely in their primitive condition. - -There is no tribe on the Continent, perhaps, of finer looking men than -the Sioux; and few tribes who are better and more comfortably clad, and -supplied with the necessaries of life. There are no parts of the great -plains of America which are more abundantly stocked with buffaloes and -wild horses, nor any people more bold in destroying the one for food, -and appropriating the other to their use. There has gone abroad, from -the many histories which have been written of these people, an opinion -which is too current in the world, that the Indian is necessarily a -poor, drunken, murderous wretch; which account is certainly unjust -as regards the savage, and doing less than justice to the world for -whom such histories have been prepared. I have travelled several years -already amongst these people and I have not had my scalp taken, nor a -blow struck me; nor had occasion to raise my hand against an Indian; -nor has my property been stolen, as yet to my knowledge, to the value -of a shilling; and that in a country where no man is punishable by -law for the crime of stealing; still some of them steal, and murder -too; and if white men did not do the same, and that in defiance of -the laws of God and man, I might take satisfaction in stigmatizing -the Indian character as thievish and murderous. That the Indians in -their _native state_ are “_drunken_,” is false; for they are the only -temperance people, literally speaking, that ever I saw in my travels, -or ever expect to see. If the civilized world are startled at this, -it is the _fact_ that they must battle with, not with me; for these -people manufacture no spirituous liquor themselves, and know nothing -of it until it is brought into their country and tendered to them by -Christians. That these people are “_naked_” is equally untrue, and -as easily disproved; for I am sure that with the paintings I have -made amongst the Mandans and Crows, and other tribes; and with their -beautiful costumes which I have procured and shall bring home, I shall -be able to establish the fact that many of these people dress, not only -with clothes comfortable for any latitude, but that they also dress -with some considerable taste and elegance. Nor am I quite sure that -they are entitled to the name of “_poor_,” who live in a boundless -country of green fields, with good horses to ride; where they are -all joint tenants of the soil, together; where the Great Spirit has -supplied them with an abundance of food to eat—where they are all -indulging in the pleasures and amusements of a lifetime of idleness -and ease, with no business hours to attend to, or professions to -learn—where they have no notes in bank or other debts to pay—no taxes, -no tithes, no rents, nor beggars to touch and tax the sympathy of their -souls at every step they go. Such might be poverty in the Christian -world, but is sure to be a blessing where the pride and insolence of -comparative wealth are unknown. - -[Illustration: 87] - -[Illustration: 88] - -I mentioned that this is the nucleus or place of concentration of the -numerous tribe of the Sioux, who often congregate here in great masses -to make their trades with the American Fur Company; and that on my way -up the river, some months since, I found here encamped, six hundred -families of Sioux, living in tents covered with buffalo hides. Amongst -these there were twenty or more of the different bands, each one with -their chief at their head, over whom was a _superior chief_ and leader, -a middle-aged man, of middling stature, with a noble countenance, and a -figure almost equalling the Apollo, and I painted his portrait (+plate+ -86). The name of this chief is Ha-wan-je-tah (the one horn) of the -Mee-ne-cow-e-gee band, who has risen rapidly to the highest honours -in the tribe, from his own extraordinary merits, even at so early an -age. He told me that he took the name of “One Horn” (or shell) from a -simple small shell that was hanging on his neck, which descended to -him from his father, and which, he said, he valued more than anything -he possessed; affording a striking instance of the living affection -which these people often cherish for the dead, inasmuch as he chose -to carry this name through life in preference to many others and more -honourable ones he had a right to have taken, from different battles -and exploits of his extraordinary life. He treated me with great -kindness and attention, considering himself highly complimented by the -signal and unprecedented honour I had conferred upon him by painting -his portrait, and that before I had invited any other. His costume was -a very handsome one, and will have a place in my +Indian Gallery+ by -the side of his picture. It is made of elk skins beautifully dressed, -and fringed with a profusion of porcupine quills and scalp-locks; and -his hair, which is very long and profuse, divided into two parts, and -lifted up and crossed, over the top of his head, with a simple tie, -giving it somewhat the appearance of a Turkish turban. - -This extraordinary man, before he was raised to the dignity of chief, -was the renowned of his tribe for his athletic achievements. In the -chase he was foremost; he could run down a buffalo, which he often had -done, on his own legs, and drive his arrow to the heart. He was the -fleetest in the tribe; and in the races he had run, he had always taken -the prize. - -It was proverbial in his tribe, that Ha-wan-je-tah’s bow never was -drawn in vain, and his wigwam was abundantly furnished with scalps that -he had taken from his enemies’ heads in battle. - -Having descended the river thus far, then, and having hauled out -my canoe, and taken up my quarters for awhile with mine hospitable -host, Mr. Laidlaw, as I have before said; and having introduced my -readers to the country and the people, and more particularly to the -chief dignitary of the Sioux; and having promised in the beginning of -this Letter also, that I should give them some amusing and curious -information that we picked up, and incidents that we met with, on -our voyage from the Mandans to this place; I have again to beg that -they will pardon me for withholding from them yet awhile longer, the -incidents of that curious and most important part of my Tour, the -absence of which, at this time, seems to make a “hole in the ballad,” -though I promise my readers they are written, and will appear in the -book in a proper and appropriate place. - -Taking it for granted then, that I will be indulged in this freak, I am -taking the liberty of presuming on my readers’ patience in proposing -another, which is to offer them here an extract from my Notes, which -were made on my journey of 1300 miles from St. Louis to this place, -where I stopped, as I have said, amongst several thousands of Sioux; -where I remained for some time, and painted my numerous portraits of -their chiefs, &c.; one of whom was the head and leader of the Sioux, -whom I have already introduced. On the long and tedious route that lies -between St. Louis and this place, I passed the Sacs and Ioways—the -Konzas—the Omahaws, and the Otoes (making notes on them all, which are -reserved for another place), and landed at the Puncahs, a small tribe -residing in one village, on the west bank of the river, 300 miles below -this, and 1000 from St. Louis. - -The Puncahs are all contained in seventy-five or eighty lodges, made of -buffalo skins, in the form of tents; the frames for which are poles of -fifteen or twenty feet in length, with the butt ends standing on the -ground, and the small ends meeting at the top, forming a cone, which -sheds off the rain and wind with perfect success. This small remnant -of a tribe are not more than four or five hundred in numbers; and I -should think, at least, two-thirds of those are women. This disparity -in numbers having been produced by the continual losses which their -men suffer, who are penetrating the buffalo country for meat, for -which they are now obliged to travel a great way (as the buffaloes -have recently left their country), exposing their lives to their more -numerous enemies about them. - -The chief of this tribe, whose name is Shoo-de-ga-cha (smoke), I -painted at full length (+plate+ 87), and his wife also, a young and -very pretty woman (+plate+ 88), whose name is Hee-la’h-dee (the -pure fountain); her neck and arms were curiously tattooed, which is -a very frequent mode of ornamenting the body amongst this and some -other tribes, which is done by pricking into the skin, gunpowder and -vermilion. - -The chief, who was wrapped in a buffalo robe, is a noble specimen of -native dignity and philosophy. I conversed much with him; and from his -dignified manners, as well as from the soundness of his reasoning, I -became fully convinced that he deserved to be the sachem of a more -numerous and prosperous tribe. He related to me with great coolness -and frankness, the poverty and distress of his nation; and with the -method of a philosopher, predicted the certain and rapid extinction of -his tribe, which he had not the power to avert. Poor, noble chief; who -was equal to, and worthy of a greater empire! He sat upon the deck of -the steamer, overlooking the little cluster of his wigwams mingled -amongst the trees; and, like Caius Marius, weeping over the ruins -of Carthage, shed tears as he was descanting on the poverty of his -ill-fated little community, which he told me “had once been powerful -and happy; that the buffaloes which the Great Spirit had given them -for food, and which formerly spread all over their green prairies, had -all been killed or driven out by the approach of white men, who wanted -their skins; that their country was now entirely destitute of game, -and even of roots for their food, as it was one continued prairie; -and that his young men penetrating the countries of their enemies -for buffaloes, which they were obliged to do, were cut to pieces and -destroyed in great numbers. That his people had foolishly become fond -of _fire-water_ (whiskey), and had given away everything in their -country for it—that it had destroyed many of his warriors, and soon -would destroy the rest—that his tribe was too small, and his warriors -too few to go to war with the tribes around them; that they were met -and killed by the Sioux on the North, by the Pawnees on the West; and -by the Osages and Konzas on the South; and still more alarmed from the -constant advance of the pale faces—their enemies from the East, with -whiskey and small-pox, which already had destroyed four-fifths of his -tribe, and soon would impoverish, and at last destroy the remainder of -them.” - -[Illustration: 89] - -[Illustration: 90] - -In this way did this shrewd philosopher lament over the unlucky destiny -of his tribe; and I pitied him with all my heart. I have no doubt of -the correctness of his representations; and I believe there is no tribe -on the frontier more in want, nor any more deserving of the sympathy -and charity of the government and Christian societies of the civilized -world. - -The son of this chief, a youth of eighteen years, and whose portrait I -painted (+plate+ 90), distinguished himself in a singular manner the -day before our steamer reached their village, by taking to him _four -wives in one day_! This extraordinary and unprecedented freak of his, -was just the thing to make him the greatest sort of _medicine_ in the -eyes of his people; and probably he may date much of his success and -greatness through life, to this bold and original step, which suddenly -raised him into notice and importance. - -The old chief Shoo-de-ga-cha, of whom I have spoken above, considering -his son to have arrived to the age of maturity, fitted him out for -house-keeping, by giving him a handsome wigwam to live in, and nine -horses, with many other valuable presents; when the boy, whose name -is Hongs-kay-de (the great chief), soon laid his plans for the proud -and pleasant epoch in his life, and consummated them in the following -ingenious and amusing manner. - -Wishing to connect himself with, and consequently to secure the -countenance of some of the most influential men in the tribe, he had -held an interview with one of the most distinguished; and easily -(being the son of a chief), made an arrangement for the hand of his -daughter, which he was to receive on a certain day, and at a certain -hour, for which he was to give two horses, a gun, and several pounds -of tobacco. This was enjoined on the father as a profound secret, and -as a condition of the espousal. In like manner he soon made similar -arrangements with three other leading men of the tribe, each of whom -had a young and beautiful daughter, of marriageable age. To each of -the fathers he had promised two horses, and other presents similar -to those stipulated for in the first instance, and all under the -same injunctions of secrecy, until the hour approached, when he had -announced to the whole tribe that he was to be married. At the time -appointed, they all assembled, and all were in ignorance of the fair -hand that was to be placed in his on this occasion. He had got some -of his young friends who were prepared to assist him, to lead up -the eight horses. He took two of them by the halters, and the other -presents agreed upon in his other hand, and advancing to the first of -the parents, whose daughter was standing by the side of him, saying -to him, “you promised me the hand of your daughter on this day, for -which I was to give you two horses.” The father assented with a “ugh!” -receiving the presents, and giving his child; when some confusion -ensued from the simultaneous remonstrances, which were suddenly made by -the other three parents, who had brought their daughters forward, and -were shocked at this sudden disappointment, as well as by the mutual -declarations they were making, of similar contracts that each one had -entered into with him! As soon as they could be pacified, and silence -was restored, he exultingly replied, “You have all acknowledged in -public your promises with me, which I shall expect you to fulfil. I am -here to perform all the engagements which I have made, and I expect -you all to do the same”—No more was said. He led up the two horses for -each, and delivered the other presents; leading off to his wigwam his -four brides—taking two in each hand, and commenced at once upon his new -mode of life; reserving only one of his horses for his own daily use. - -I visited the wigwam of this young installed _medicine-man_ several -times, and saw his four modest little wives seated around the fire, -where all seemed to harmonize very well; and for aught I could -discover, were entering very happily on the duties and pleasures of -married life. I selected one of them for her portrait, and painted it -(+plate+ 89), Mong-shong-shaw (the bending willow), in a very pretty -dress of deer skins, and covered with a young buffalo’s robe, which was -handsomely ornamented, and worn with much grace and pleasing effect. - -Mr. Chouteau of the Fur Company, and Major Sanford, the agent for the -Upper Missouri Indians, were with me at this time; and both of these -gentlemen, highly pleased with so ingenious and _innocent_ a freak, -felt disposed to be liberal, and sent them many presents from the -steamer. - -The ages of these young brides were probably all between twelve and -fifteen years, the season of life in which most of the girls in this -wild country contract marriage. - -[Illustration: 91] - -It is a surprising fact, that women mature in these regions at that -early age, and there have been some instances where marriage has taken -place, even at eleven; and the juvenile mother has been blest with her -first offspring at the age of twelve! - -These facts are calculated to create surprise and almost incredulity -in the mind of the reader, but there are circumstances for his -consideration yet to be known, which will in a manner account for these -extraordinary facts. - -There is not a doubt but there is a more early approach to maturity -amongst the females of this country than in civilized communities, -owing either to a natural and constitutional difference, or to the -exposed and active life they lead. Yet there is another and more -general cause of early marriages (and consequently apparent maturity), -which arises out of the modes and forms of the country, where most -of the marriages are contracted with the parents, hurried on by the -impatience of the applicant, and prematurely accepted and consummated -on the part of the parents, who are often impatient to be in receipt -of the presents they are to receive as the price of their daughters. -There is also the facility of dissolving the marriage contract in this -country, which does away with one of the most serious difficulties -which lies in the way in the civilized world, and calculated greatly -to retard its consummation, which is not an equal objection in Indian -communities. Education and accomplishments, again, in the fashionable -world, and also a time and a season to flourish and show them off, -necessarily engross that part of a young lady’s life, when the poor -Indian girl, who finds herself weaned from the familiar embrace of her -parents, with her mind and her body maturing, and her thoughts and her -passions straying away in the world for some theme or some pleasure -to cling to, easily follows their juvenile and ardent dictates, -prematurely entering on that system of life, consisting in reciprocal -dependence and protection. - -In the instance above described, the young man was in no way censured -by his people, but most loudly applauded; for in this country polygamy -is allowed; and in this tribe, where there are two or three times the -number of women that there are of men, such an arrangement answers a -good purpose, whereby so many of the females are provided for and taken -care of; and particularly so, and to the great satisfaction of the -tribe, as well as of the parties and families concerned, when so many -fall to the lot of a chief, or the son of a chief, into whose wigwam it -is considered an honour to be adopted, and where they are the most sure -of protection. - - - - - LETTER—No. 27. - - MOUTH OF TETON RIVER, _UPPER MISSOURI_. - - -When we were about to start on our way up the river from the village -of the Puncahs, we found that they were packing up all their goods and -preparing to start for the prairies, farther to the West, in pursuit -of buffaloes, to dry meat for their winter’s supplies. They took down -their wigwams of skins to carry with them, and all were flat to the -ground and everything packing up ready for the start. My attention -was directed by Major Sanford, the Indian Agent, to one of the most -miserable and helpless looking objects that I ever had seen in my life, -a very aged and emaciated man of the tribe, who he told me was to be -_exposed_. - -The tribe were going where hunger and dire necessity compelled them -to go, and this pitiable object, who had once been a chief, and a man -of distinction in his tribe, who was now too old to travel, being -reduced to mere skin and bones, was to be left to starve, or meet -with such death as might fall to his lot, and his bones to be picked -by the wolves! I lingered around this poor old forsaken patriarch for -hours before we started, to indulge the tears of sympathy which were -flowing for the sake of this poor benighted and decrepit old man, -whose worn-out limbs were no longer able to support him; their kind -and faithful offices having long since been performed, and his body -and his mind doomed to linger into the withering agony of decay, and -gradual solitary death. I wept, and it was a pleasure to weep, for the -painful looks, and the dreary prospects of this old veteran, whose -eyes were dimmed, whose venerable locks were whitened by an hundred -years, whose limbs were almost naked, and trembling as he sat by a -small fire which his friends had left him, with a few sticks of wood -within his reach and a buffalo’s skin stretched upon some crotches over -his head. Such was to be his only dwelling, and such the chances for -his life, with only a few half-picked bones that were laid within his -reach, and a dish of water, without weapons or means of any kind to -replenish them, or strength to move his body from its fatal locality. -In this sad plight I mournfully contemplated this miserable remnant -of existence, who had unluckily outlived the fates and accidents of -wars to die alone, at death’s leisure. His friends and his children -had all left him, and were preparing in a little time to be on the -march. He had told them to leave him, “he was old,” he said, “and too -feeble to march.” “My children,” said he, “our nation is poor, and -it is necessary that you should all go to the country where you can -get meat,—my eyes are dimmed and my strength is no more; my days are -nearly all numbered, and I am a burthen to my children—I cannot go, and -I wish to die. Keep your hearts stout, and think not of me; I am no -longer good for anything.” In this way they had finished the ceremony -of _exposing_ him, and taken their final leave of him. I advanced to -the old man, and was undoubtedly the last human being who held converse -with him. I sat by the side of him, and though he could not distinctly -see me, he shook me heartily by the hand and smiled, evidently aware -that I was a white man, and that I sympathized with his inevitable -misfortune. I shook hands again with him, and left him, steering my -course towards the steamer which was a mile or more from me, and ready -to resume her voyage up the Missouri.[6] - -This cruel custom of exposing their aged people, belongs, I think, to -all the tribes who roam about the prairies, making severe marches, -when such decrepit persons are totally unable to go, unable to ride or -to walk,—when they have no means of carrying them. It often becomes -absolutely necessary in such cases that they should be left; and they -uniformly insist upon it, saying as this old man did, that they are -old and of no further use—that they left their fathers in the same -manner—that they wish to die, and their children must not mourn for -them. - -From the Puncah village, our steamer made regular progress from day -to day towards the mouth of the Teton, from where I am now writing; -passing the whole way a country of green fields, that come sloping down -to the river on either side, forming the loveliest scenes in the world. - -From day to day we advanced, opening our eyes to something new and -more beautiful every hour that we progressed, until at last our boat -was aground; and a day’s work of sounding told us at last, that there -was no possibility of advancing further, until there should be a rise -in the river, to enable the boat to get over the bar. After laying in -the middle of the river about a week, in this unpromising dilemma, Mr. -Chouteau started off twenty men on foot, to cross the plains for a -distance of 200 miles to Laidlaw’s Fort, at the mouth of Teton river. -To this expedition, I immediately attached myself; and having heard -that a numerous party of Sioux were there encamped, and waiting to see -the steamer, I packed on the backs, and in the hands of several of the -men, such articles for painting, as I might want; canvass, paints, and -brushes, with my sketch-book slung on my back, and my rifle in my hand, -and I started off with them. - -We took leave of our friends on the boat, and mounting the green -bluffs, steered our course from day to day over a level prairie, -without a tree or a bush in sight, to relieve the painful monotony, -filling our canteens at the occasional little streams that we passed, -kindling our fires with dried buffalo dung, which we collected on the -prairie, and stretching our tired limbs on the level turf whenever we -were overtaken by night. - -We were six or seven days in performing this march; and it gave me a -good opportunity of testing the muscles of my legs, with a number of -half-breeds and Frenchmen, whose lives are mostly spent in this way, -leading a novice, a cruel, and almost killing journey. Every rod of our -way was over a continuous prairie, with a verdant green turf of wild -grass of six or eight inches in height; and most of the way enamelled -with wild flowers, and filled with a profusion of strawberries. - -For two or three of the first days, the scenery was monotonous, and -became exceedingly painful from the fact, that we were (to use a -phrase of the country) “out of sight of land,” _i. e._ out of sight -of anything rising above the horizon, which was a perfect straight -line around us, like that of the blue and boundless ocean. The -pedestrian over such a discouraging sea of green, without a landmark -before or behind him; without a beacon to lead him on, or define his -progress, feels weak and overcome when night falls; and he stretches -his exhausted limbs, apparently on the same spot where he has slept -the night before, with the same prospect before and behind him; the -same grass, and the same wild flowers beneath and about him; the same -canopy over his head, and the same cheerless sea of green to start -upon in the morning. It is difficult to describe the simple beauty -and serenity of these scenes of solitude, or the feelings of feeble -man, whose limbs are toiling to carry him through them—without a hill -or tree to mark his progress, and convince him that he is not, like a -squirrel in his cage, after all his toil, standing still. One commences -on peregrinations like these, with a light heart, and a nimble foot, -and spirits as buoyant as the very air that floats along by the side of -him; but his spirit soon tires, and he lags on the way that is rendered -more tedious and intolerable by the tantalizing _mirage_ that opens -before him beautiful lakes, and lawns, and copses; or by the _looming_ -of the prairie ahead of him, that seems to rise in a parapet, and -decked with its varied flowers, phantom-like, flies and moves along -before him. - -I got on for a couple of days in tolerable condition, and with some -considerable applause; but my half-bred, companions took the lead at -length, and left me with several other novices far behind, which gave -me additional pangs; and I at length felt like giving up the journey, -and throwing myself upon the ground in hopeless despair. I was not -alone in my misery, however, but was cheered and encouraged by looking -back and beholding several of our party half a mile or more in the rear -of me, jogging along, and suffering more agony in their new experiment -than I was suffering myself. Their loitering and my murmurs, at length, -brought our leaders to a halt, and we held a sort of council, in which -I explained that the pain in my feet was so intolerable, that I felt as -if I could go no further; when one of our half-breed leaders stepped -up to me, and addressing me in French, told me that I must “_turn my -toes in_” as the Indians do, and that I could then go on very well. We -halted a half-hour, and took a little refreshment, whilst the little -Frenchman was teaching his lesson to the rest of my fellow-novices, -when we took up our march again; and I soon found upon trial, that by -turning my toes in, my feet went more easily through the grass; and by -turning the weight of my body more equally on the toes (enabling each -one to support its proportionable part of the load, instead of throwing -it all on to the joints of the big toes, which is done when the toes -are turned out); I soon got relief, and made my onward progress very -well. I rigidly adhered to this mode, and found no difficulty on the -third and fourth days, of taking the lead of the whole party, which I -constantly led until our journey was completed.[7] - -On this journey we saw immense herds of buffaloes; and although we had -no horses to _run_ them, we successfully _approached_ them on foot, -and supplied ourselves abundantly with fresh meat. After travelling -for several days, we came in sight of a high range of blue hills in -distance on our left, which rose to the height of several hundred -feet above the level of the prairies. These hills were a conspicuous -landmark at last, and some relief to us. I was told by our guide, that -they were called the Bijou Hills, from a Fur Trader of that name, who -had had his trading-house at the foot of them on the banks of the -Missouri river, where he was at last destroyed by the Sioux Indians. - -Not many miles back of this range of hills, we came in contact with an -immense saline, or “salt meadow,” as they are termed in this country, -which turned us out of our path, and compelled us to travel several -miles out of our way, to get by it; we came suddenly upon a great -depression of the prairie, which extended for several miles, and as -we stood upon its green banks, which were gracefully sloping down, we -could overlook some hundreds of acres of the prairie which were covered -with an incrustation of salt, that appeared the same as if the ground -was everywhere covered with snow. - -These scenes, I am told are frequently to be met with in these regions, -and certainly present the most singular and startling effect, by the -sudden and unexpected contrast between their snow-white appearance, -and the green fields that hem them in on all sides. Through each of -these meadows there is a meandering small stream which arises from -salt springs, throwing out in the spring of the year great quantities -of water, which flood over these meadows to the depth of three or four -feet; and during the heat of summer, being exposed to the rays of -the sun, entirely evaporates, leaving the incrustation of _muriate_ -on the surface, to the depth of one or two inches. These places are -the constant resort of buffaloes, which congregate in thousands about -them, to lick up the salt; and on approaching the banks of this place -we stood amazed at the almost incredible numbers of these animals, -which were in sight on the opposite banks, at the distance of a mile or -two from us, where they were lying in countless numbers, on the level -prairie above, and stretching down by hundreds, to lick at the salt, -forming in distance, large masses of black, most pleasingly to contrast -with the snow white, and the vivid green, which I have before mentioned. - -After several days toil in the manner above-mentioned, all the way -over soft and green fields, and amused with many pleasing incidents -and accidents of the chase, we arrived, pretty well jaded, at Fort -Pierre, mouth of Teton River, from whence I am now writing; where for -the first time I was introduced to Mr. M‘Kenzie (of whom I have before -spoken), to Mr. Laidlaw, mine host, and Mr. Halsey, a chief clerk in -the establishment; and after, to the head chief and dignitaries of the -great Sioux nation, who were here encamped about the Fort, in six or -seven hundred skin lodges, and waiting for the arrival of the steamer, -which they had heard, was on its way up the river, and which they had -great curiosity to see. - -After resting a few days, and recovering from the fatigues of my -journey, having taken a fair survey of the Sioux village, and explained -my views to the Indians, as well as to the gentlemen whom I have -above named; I commenced my operations with the brush, and first of -all painted the portrait of the head-chief of the Sioux (the one -horn), whom I have before spoken of. This truly noble fellow sat for -his portrait, and it was finished before any one of the tribe knew -anything of it; several of the chiefs and doctors were allowed to see -it, and at last it was talked of through the village; and of course, -the greater part of their numbers were at once gathered around me. -Nothing short of hanging it out of doors on the side of my wigwam, -would in any way answer them; and here I had the peculiar satisfaction -of beholding, through a small hole I had made in my wigwam, the high -admiration and respect they all felt for their chief, as well as -the very great estimation in which they held me as a painter and a -magician, conferring upon me at once the very distinguished appellation -of Ee-cha-zoo-kah-ga-wa-kon (the medicine painter). - -After the exhibition of this chief’s picture, there was much excitement -in the village about it; the doctors generally took a decided and noisy -stand against the operations of my brush; haranguing the populace, and -predicting bad luck, and premature death, to all who submitted to so -strange and unaccountable an operation! My business for some days was -entirely at a stand for want of sitters; for the doctors were opposing -me with all their force; and the women and children were crying, with -their hands over their mouths, making the most pitiful and doleful -laments, which I never can explain to my readers; but for some just -account of which, I must refer them to my friends M‘Kenzie and Halsey, -who overlooked with infinite amusement, these curious scenes and are -able, no doubt, to give them with truth and effect to the world. - -In this sad and perplexing dilemma, this noble chief stepped forward, -and addressing himself to the chiefs and the doctors, to the braves and -to the women and children, he told them to be quiet, and to treat me -with friendship; that I had been travelling a great way to see them, -and smoke with them; that I was great _medicine_, to be sure; that I -was a great chief, and that I was the friend of Mr. Laidlaw and Mr. -M‘Kenzie, who had prevailed upon him to sit for his picture, and fully -assured him that there was no harm in it. His speech had the desired -effect, and I was shaken hands with by hundreds of their worthies, many -of whom were soon dressed and ornamented, prepared to sit for their -portraits.[8] - -The first who then stepped forward for his portrait was Ee-ah-sa-pa -(the Black Rock) chief of the Nee-caw-wee-gee band (+plate+ 91), a tall -and fine looking man, of six feet or more in stature; in a splendid -dress, with his lance in his hand; with his pictured robe thrown -gracefully over his shoulders, and his head-dress made of war-eagles’ -quills and ermine skins, falling in a beautiful crest over his back, -quite down to his feet, and surmounted on the top with a pair of horns -denoting him (as I have explained in former instances) head leader or -war-chief of his band. - -This man has been a constant and faithful friend of Mr. M‘Kenzie and -others of the Fur Traders, who held him in high estimation, both as an -honourable and valiant man, and an estimable companion. - -The next who sat to me was Tchan-dee, tobacco (+plate+ 92), a desperate -warrior, and represented to me by the traders, as one of the most -respectable and famous chiefs of the tribe. After him sat Toh-ki-ee-to, -the stone with horns (+plate+ 93), chief of the Yanc-ton band, and -reputed the principal and most eloquent _orator_ of the nation. The -neck, and breast, and shoulders of this man, were curiously tattooed, -by pricking in gunpowder and vermilion, which in this extraordinary -instance, was put on in such elaborate profusion as to appear at a -little distance like a beautifully embroidered dress. In his hand he -held a handsome pipe, the stem of which was several feet long, and all -the way wound with ornamented braids of the porcupine quills. Around -his body was wrapped a valued robe, made of the skin of the grizzly -bear, and on his neck several strings of _wampum_, an ornament seldom -seen amongst the Indians in the Far West and the North.[9] I was -much amused with the excessive vanity and egotism of this notorious -man, who, whilst sitting for his picture, took occasion to have the -interpreter constantly explaining to me the wonderful effects which his -oratory had at different times produced on the minds of the chiefs and -people of his tribe. - -[Illustration: 92 93] - -[Illustration: 94 95] - -[Illustration: 96] - -[Illustration: 97] - -He told me, that it was a very easy thing for him to set all the women -of the tribe to crying: and that all the chiefs listened profoundly to -his voice before they went to war; and at last, summed up by saying, -that he was “the greatest orator in the Sioux nation,” by which he -undoubtedly meant the greatest in the _world_. - -Besides these _distingués_ of this great and powerful tribe, I -painted in regular succession, according to their rank and standing, -Wan-ee-ton, chief of the _Susseton band_; Tah-zee-kah-da-cha (the torn -belly), a brave of the _Yancton band_; Ka-pes-ka-day (the shell), a -brave of the _O-gla-la band_; Wuk-mi-ser (corn), a warrior of the -_Nee-cow-ee-gee band_; Cha-tee-wah-nee-chee (no heart), chief of the -_Wah-nee-watch-to-nee-nah band_; Mah-to-ra-rish-nee-eeh-ee-rah (the -grizzly bear that runs without regard), a brave of the _Onc-pa-pa -band_; Mah-to-chee-ga (the little bear), a distinguished brave; -Shon-ka (the dog), chief of the _Ca-za-zhee-ta_ (bad arrow points) -_band_; Tah-teck-a-da-hair (the steep wind), a brave of the same -band; Hah-ha-ra-pah (the elk’s head), chief of the _Ee-ta-sip-shov -band_; Mah-to-een-nah-pa (the white bear that goes out), chief of the -_Blackfoot Sioux band_; Shon-ga-ton-ga-chesh-en-day (the horse dung), -chief of a band, a great conjuror and magician. - -The portraits of all the above dignitaries can be always seen, as large -as life, in my very numerous Collection, provided I get them safe -home; and also the portraits of two very pretty Sioux women (+plate+ -94), Wi-looh-tah-eeh-tchah-ta-mah-nee (the red thing that touches -in marching), and (+plate+ 95), Tchon-su-mons-ka (the sand bar). The -first of these women (+plate+ 94), is the daughter of the famous chief -called Black Rock, of whom I have spoken, and whose portrait has been -given (+plate+ 91). She is an unmarried girl, and much esteemed by the -whole tribe, for her modesty, as well as beauty. She was beautifully -dressed in skins, ornamented profusely with brass buttons and beads. -Her hair was plaited, her ears supported a great profusion of curious -beads—and over her other dress she wore a handsomely garnished buffalo -robe. - -So highly was the Black Rock esteemed (as I have before mentioned), and -his beautiful daughter admired and respected by the Traders, that Mr. -M‘Kenzie employed me to make him copies of their two portraits, which -he has hung up in Mr. Laidlaw’s trading-house, as valued ornaments and -keepsakes.[10] - -The second of these women (+plate+ 95) was very richly dressed, the -upper part of her garment being almost literally covered with brass -buttons; and her hair, which was inimitably beautiful and soft, and -glossy as silk, fell over her shoulders in great profusion, and in -beautiful waves, produced by the condition in which it is generally -kept in braids, giving to it, when combed out, a waving form, adding -much to its native appearance, which is invariably straight and -graceless. - -This woman is at present the wife of a white man by the name of -Chardon, a Frenchman, who has been many years in the employment of the -American Fur Company, in the character of a Trader and Interpreter; -and who by his bold and daring nature, has not only carried dread and -consternation amongst the Indian tribes wherever he has gone; but -has commanded much respect, and rendered essential service to the -Company in the prosecution of their dangerous and critical dealings -with the Indian tribes. I have said something of this extraordinary -man heretofore, and shall take future occasion to say more of him. -For the present, suffice it to say, that although from his continual -intercourse with the different tribes for twenty-five or thirty years, -where he had always been put forward in the front of danger—sent -as a sacrifice, or _forlorn hope_; still his cut and hacked limbs -have withstood all the blows that have been aimed at them; and his -unfaltering courage leads him to “beard the lion in his den,” whilst -his liberal heart, as it always has, deals out to his friends (and even -to strangers, if friends are not by) all the dear earnings which are -continually bought with severest toil, and at the hazard of his life. - -I acknowledge myself a debtor to this good hearted fellow for much -kindness and attention to me whilst in the Indian country, and also for -a superb dress and robe, which had been manufactured and worn by his -wife, and which he insisted on adding to my +Indian Gallery+ since her -death, where it will long remain to be examined.[11] - - [6] When passing by the site of the Puncah village a few months - after this, in my canoe, I went ashore with my men, and found the - poles and the buffalo skin, standing as they were left, over the - old man’s head. The firebrands were lying nearly as I had left - them, and I found at a few yards distant the skull, and others of - his bones, which had been picked and cleaned by the wolves; which - is probably all that any human being can ever know of his final and - melancholy fate. - - - [7] On this march we were all travelling in moccasins, which being - made without any soles, according to the Indian custom, had but - little support for the foot underneath; and consequently, soon - subjected us to excruciating pain, whilst walking according to the - civilized mode, with the toes turned out. From this very painful - experience I learned to my complete satisfaction, that man in a - state of nature who walks on his naked feet, _must_ walk with his - toes turned in, that each may perform the duties assigned to it in - proportion to its size and strength; and that civilized man _can_ - walk with his toes turned out if he chooses, if he will use a stiff - sole under his feet, and will be content at last to put up with an - acquired deformity of the big toe joint which too many know to be a - frequent and painful occurrence. - - - [8] Several years after I painted the portrait of this - extraordinary man, and whilst I was delivering my Lectures in the - City of New York, I first received intelligence of his death, - in the following singular manner:—I was on the platform in my - Lecture-room, in the Stuyvesant Institute, with an audience of - twelve or fourteen hundred persons, in the midst of whom were - seated a delegation of thirty or forty Sioux Indians under the - charge of Major Pilcher, their agent; and I was successfully - passing before their eyes the portraits of a number of Sioux - chiefs, and making my remarks upon them. The Sioux instantly - recognized each one as it was exhibited, which they instantly - hailed by a sharp and startling yelp. But when the portrait of this - chief was placed before them, instead of the usual recognition, - each one placed his hand over his mouth, and gave a “hush—sh—” and - hung down their heads, their usual expressions of grief in case of - a death. From this sudden emotion, I knew instantly, that the chief - must be dead, and so expressed my belief to the audience. I stopped - my Lecture a few moments to converse with Major Pilcher who was by - my side, and who gave me the following extraordinary account of his - death, which I immediately related to the audience; and which being - translated to the Sioux Indians, their chief arose and addressed - himself to the audience, saying that the account was true, and that - Ha-wan-je-tah was killed but a few days before they left home. - - The account which Major Pilcher gave was nearly as follows:— - - “But a few weeks before I left the Sioux country with the - delegation, Ha-wan-je-tah (the one horn) had in some way been the - accidental cause of the death of his only son, a very fine youth; - and so great was the anguish of his mind at times, that he became - frantic and insane. In one of these moods he mounted his favourite - war-horse with his bow and his arrows in his hand, and dashed off - at full speed upon the prairies, repeating the most solemn oath, - ‘that he would slay the first living thing that fell in his way, be - it man or beast, or friend or foe.’ - - “No one dared to follow him, and after he had been absent an hour - or two, his horse came back to the village with two arrows in its - body, and covered with blood! Fears of the most serious kind were - now entertained for the fate of the chief, and a party of warriors - immediately mounted their horses, and retraced the animal’s tracks - to the place of the tragedy, where they found the body of their - chief horribly mangled and gored by a buffalo bull, whose carcass - was stretched by the side of him. - - “A close examination of the ground was then made by the Indians, - who ascertained by the tracks, that their unfortunate chief, under - his unlucky resolve, had met a buffalo bull in the season when - they are very stubborn, and unwilling to run from any one; and - had incensed the animal by shooting a number of arrows into him, - which had brought him into furious combat. The chief had then - dismounted, and turned his horse loose, having given it a couple of - arrows from his bow, which sent it home at full speed, and then had - thrown away his bow and quiver, encountering the infuriated animal - with his knife alone, and the desperate battle resulted as I have - before-mentioned, in the death of both. Many of the bones of the - chief were broken, as he was gored and stamped to death, and his - huge antagonist had laid his body by the side of him, weltering in - blood from an hundred wounds made by the chief’s long and two-edged - knife.” - - So died this elegant and high-minded nobleman of the wilderness, - whom I confidently had hoped to meet and admire again at some - future period of my life. (_Vide_ +plate+ 86). - - - [9] _Wampum_ is the Indian name of ornaments manufactured by the - Indians from vari-coloured shells, which they get on the shores of - the fresh water streams, and file or cut into bits of half an inch, - or an inch in length, and perforate (giving to them the shape of - pieces of broken pipe stems), which they string on deers’ sinews, - and wear on their necks in profusion; or weave them ingeniously - into war-belts for the waist. - - Amongst the numerous tribes who have formerly inhabited the - Atlantic Coast, and that part of the country which now constitutes - the principal part of the United States, wampum has been invariably - manufactured, and highly valued as a circulating medium (instead of - coins, of which the Indians have no knowledge); so many strings, or - so many hands-breadth, being the fixed value of a horse, a gun, a - robe, &c. - - In treaties, the wampum belt has been passed as the pledge of - friendship, and from time immemorial sent to hostile tribes, as the - messenger of peace; or paid by so many fathoms length, as tribute - to conquering enemies, and Indian kings. - - It is a remarkable fact, and worthy of observation in this place, - that after I passed the Mississippi, I saw but very little wampum - used; and on ascending the Missouri, I do not recollect to have - seen it worn at all by the Upper Missouri Indians, although the - same materials for its manufacture are found in abundance through - those regions. I met with but very few strings of it amongst the - Missouri Sioux, and nothing of it amongst the tribes north and - west of them. Below the Sioux, and along the whole of our Western - frontier, the different tribes are found loaded and beautifully - ornamented with it, which they can now afford to do, for they - consider it of little value, as the Fur Traders have ingeniously - introduced a spurious imitation of it, manufactured by steam or - otherwise, of porcelain or some composition closely resembling it, - with which they have flooded the whole Indian country, and sold at - so reduced a price, as to cheapen, and consequently destroy, the - value and meaning of the original wampum, a string of which can now - but very rarely be found in any part of the country. - - - [10] Several years after I left the Sioux country, I saw Messrs. - Chardon and Piquot, two of the Traders from that country, who - recently had left it, and told me in St. Louis, whilst looking at - the portrait of this girl, that while staying in Mr. Laidlaw’s - Fort, the chief, Black Rock, entered the room suddenly where the - portrait of his daughter was hanging on the wall, and pointing to - it with a heavy heart, told Mr. Laidlaw, that whilst his band was - out on the prairies, where they had been for several months “making - meat,” his daughter had died, and was there buried. “My heart is - glad again,” said he, “when I see her here alive; and I want the - one the medicine-man made of her, which is now before me, that I - can see her, and talk to her. My band are all in mourning for her, - and at the gate of your Fort, which I have just passed, are ten - horses for you, and Ee-ah-sa-pa’s wigwam, which you know is the - best one in the Sioux nation. I wish you to take down my daughter - and give her to me.” Mr. Laidlaw, seeing the _unusually_ liberal - price that this nobleman was willing to pay for a portrait, and - the true grief that he expressed for the loss of his child, had - not the heart to abuse such noble feeling; and taking the painting - from the wall, placed it into his hands; telling him that it of - right belonged to him, and that his horses and wigwam he must take - back and keep them, to mend, as far as possible, his liberal heart, - which was broken by the loss of his only daughter. - - - [11] Several years since writing the above, I made a visit with - my wife, to the venerable parent of Mr. Chardon, who lives in her - snug and neat mansion, near the City of Philadelphia, where we were - treated with genuine politeness and hospitality. His mother and two - sisters, who are highly respectable, had many anxious questions - to ask about him; and had at the same time, living with them, a - fine-looking half-breed boy, about ten years old, the son of Monsr. - Chardon and his Indian wife, whom I have above spoken of. This fine - boy who had received the name of Bolivar, had been brought from the - Indian country by the father, and left here for his education, with - which they were taking great pains. - - - - - LETTER—No. 28. - - MOUTH OF TETON RIVER, _UPPER MISSOURI_. - - -Whilst painting the portraits of the chiefs and braves of the Sioux, -as described in my last epistle, my painting-room was the continual -rendezvous of the worthies of the tribe; and I, the “lion of the day,” -and my art, the _summum_ and _ne plus ultra_ of mysteries, which -engaged the whole conversation of chiefs and sachems, as well as of -women and children. I mentioned that I have been obliged to paint them -according to rank, as they looked upon the operation as a very great -honour, which I, as “a great chief and medicine-man,” was conferring on -all who sat to me. Fortunate it was for me, however, that the honour -was not a sufficient inducement for all to overcome their fears, which -often stood in the way of their consenting to be painted; for if all -had been willing to undergo the operation, I should have progressed -but a very little way in the “_rank and file_” of their worthies; and -should have had to leave many discontented, and (as they would think) -neglected. About one in five or eight was willing to be painted, and -the rest thought they would be much more sure of “sleeping quiet in -their graves” after they were dead, if their pictures were not made. By -this lucky difficulty I got great relief, and easily got through with -those who were willing, and at the same time decided by the chiefs to -be worthy, of so signal an honour. - -After I had done with the chiefs and braves, and proposed to paint a -few of the women, I at once got myself into a serious perplexity, being -heartily laughed at by the whole tribe, both by men and by women, for -my exceeding and (to them) unaccountable condescension in seriously -proposing to paint a woman; conferring on her the same honour that -I had done the chiefs and braves. Those whom I had honoured, were -laughed at by hundreds of the jealous, who had been decided unworthy -the distinction, and were now amusing themselves with the _very -enviable honour_ which the _great white medicine-man_ had conferred, -_especially_ on _them_, and was now to confer equally upon the _squaws_! - -The first reply that I received from those whom I had painted, was, -that if I was to paint women and children, the sooner I destroyed -_their_ pictures, the better; for I had represented to them that I -wanted their pictures to exhibit to white chiefs, to shew who were -the most distinguished and worthy of the Sioux; and their women had -never taken scalps, nor did anything better than make fires and dress -skins. I was quite awkward in this dilemma, in explaining to them -that I wanted the portraits of the women to hang _under_ those of -their husbands, merely to shew how their women _looked_, and how they -_dressed_, without saying any more of them. After some considerable -delay of my operations, and much deliberation on the subject, through -the village, I succeeded in getting a number of women’s portraits, of -which the two above introduced are a couple. - -The vanity of these men, after they had agreed to be painted was beyond -all description, and far surpassing that which is oftentimes immodest -enough in civilized society, where the sitter generally leaves the -picture, when it is done to speak for, and to take care of, itself; -while an Indian often lays down, from morning till night, in front of -his portrait, admiring his own beautiful face, and faithfully guarding -it from day to day, to save it from accident or harm. - -This _watching_ or _guarding_ their portraits, I have observed during -all of my travels amongst them as a very curious thing; and in many -instances, where my colours were not dry, and subjected to so many -accidents, from the crowds who were gathering about them, I have found -this peculiar guardianship of essential service to me—relieving my mind -oftentimes from a great deal of anxiety. - -I was for a long time at a loss for the true cause of so singular -a peculiarity, but at last learned that it was owing to their -superstitious notion, that there may be life to a certain extent in the -picture; and that if harm or violence be done to it, it may in some -mysterious way, affect their health or do them other injury. - -After I had been several weeks busily at work with my brush in this -village, and pretty well used to the modes of life in these regions—and -also familiarly acquainted with all the officers and clerks of the -Establishment, it was announced one day, that the steamer which we had -left, was coming in the river below, where all eyes were anxiously -turned, and all ears were listening; when, at length, we discovered the -puffing of her steam; and, at last, heard the thundering of her cannon, -which were firing from her deck. - -The excitement and dismay caused amongst 6000 of these wild people, -when the steamer came up in front of their village, was amusing in the -extreme. The steamer was moored at the shore, however; and when Mr. -Chouteau and Major Sanford, their old friend and agent, walked ashore, -it seemed to restore their confidence and courage; and the whole -village gathered in front of the boat, without showing much further -amazement, or even curiosity about it. - -The steamer rested a week or two at this place before she started on -her voyage for the head-waters of the Missouri; during which time, -there was much hilarity and mirth indulged in amongst the Indians, as -well as with the hands employed in the service of the Fur Company. The -appearance of a steamer in this wild country was deemed a wonderful -occurrence, and the time of her presence here, looked upon, and used -as a holiday. Some sharp encounters amongst the trappers, who come -in here from the mountains, loaded with packs of furs, with sinews -hardened by long exposure, and seemingly impatient for a _fight_, which -is soon given them by some bullying fisticuff-fellow, who steps forward -and settles the matter in a ring, which is made and strictly preserved -for _fair play_, until hard raps, and bloody noses, and blind eyes -“_settle the hash_,” and satisfy his trappership to lay in bed a week -or two, and then graduate, a sober and a civil man. - -Amongst the Indians we have had numerous sights and -amusements to entertain and some to shock us. Shows of -dances—ball-plays—horse-racing—foot-racing, and wrestling in abundance. -Feasting—fasting, and prayers we have also had; and penance and -tortures, and almost every thing short of self-immolation. - -Some few days after the steamer had arrived, it was announced that -a grand feast was to be given to the _great white chiefs_, who were -visitors amongst them; and preparations were made accordingly for it. -The two chiefs, Ha-wan-je-tah and Tchan-dee, of whom I have before -spoken, brought their two tents together, forming the two into a -semi-circle (+plate+ 96), enclosing a space sufficiently large to -accommodate 150 men; and sat down with that number of the principal -chiefs and warriors of the Sioux nation; with Mr. Chouteau, Major -Sanford, the Indian agent, Mr. M‘Kenzie, and myself, whom they had -invited in due time, and placed on elevated seats in the centre of the -crescent; while the rest of the company all sat upon the ground, and -mostly cross-legged, preparatory to the feast being dealt out. - -In the centre of the semi-circle was erected a flag-staff, on which -was waving a white flag, and to which also was tied the calumet, both -expressive of their friendly feelings towards us. Near the foot of the -flag-staff were placed in a row on the ground, six or eight kettles, -with iron covers on them, shutting them tight, in which were prepared -the viands for our _voluptuous_ feast. Near the kettles, and on the -ground also, bottomside upwards, were a number of wooden bowls, in -which the meat was to be served out. And in front, two or three men, -who were there placed as waiters, to light the pipes for smoking, and -also to deal out the food. - -In these positions things stood, and all sat, with thousands climbing -and crowding around, for a peep at the grand pageant; when at length, -Ha-wan-je-tah (the one horn), head chief of the nation, rose in front -of the Indian agent, in a very handsome costume, and addressed him -thus:—“My father, I am glad to see you here to-day—my heart is always -glad to see my father when he comes—our Great Father, who sends him -here is very rich, and we are poor. Our friend Mr. M‘Kenzie, who -is here, we are also glad to see; we know him well, and we shall -be sorry when he is gone. Our friend who is on your right-hand we -all know is very rich; and we have heard that he owns the great -_medicine-canoe_; he is a good man, and a friend to the red men. Our -friend the _White Medicine_, who sits with you, we did not know—he -came amongst us a stranger, and he has made me very well—all the women -know it, and think it very good; he has done many curious things, and -we have all been pleased with him—he has made us much amusement—and we -know he is great medicine. - -[Illustration: 98] - -“My father, I hope you will have pity on us, we are very poor—we offer -you to-day, not the best that we have got; for we have a plenty of good -buffalo hump and marrow—but we give you our hearts in this feast—we -have killed our faithful dogs to feed you—and the Great Spirit will -seal our friendship. I have no more to say.” - -After these words he took off his beautiful war-eagle head-dress—his -shirt and leggings—his necklace of grizzly bears’ claws and his -moccasins; and tying them together, laid them gracefully down at the -feet of the agent as a present; and laying a handsome pipe on top of -them, he walked around into an adjoining lodge, where he got a buffalo -robe to cover his shoulders, and returned to the feast, taking his seat -which he had before occupied. - -Major Sanford then rose and made a short speech in reply, thanking -him for the valuable present which he had made him, and for the very -polite and impressive manner in which it had been done; and sent to the -steamer for a quantity of tobacco and other presents, which were given -to him in return. After this, and after several others of the chiefs -had addressed him in a similar manner; and, like the first, disrobed -themselves, and thrown their beautiful costumes at his feet, one of the -three men in front deliberately lit a handsome pipe, and brought it to -Ha-wan-je-tah to smoke. He took it, and after presenting the stem to -the North—to the South—to the East, and the West—and then to the Sun -that was over his head, and pronounced the words “How—how—how!” drew -a whiff or two of smoke through it, and holding the bowl of it in one -hand, and its stem in the other, he then held it to each of our mouths, -as we successively smoked it; after which it was passed around through -the whole group, who all smoked through it, or as far as its contents -lasted, when another of the three waiters was ready with a second, and -at length a third one, in the same way, which lasted through the hands -of the whole number of guests. This smoking was conducted with the -strictest adherence to exact and established form, and the feast the -whole way, to the most positive silence. After the pipe is charged, and -is being lit, until the time that the chief has drawn the smoke through -it, it is considered an evil omen for any one to speak; and if any one -break silence in that time, even in a whisper, the pipe is instantly -dropped by the chief, and their superstition is such, that they would -not dare to use it on this occasion; but another one is called for -and used in its stead. If there is no accident of the kind during the -smoking, the waiters then proceed to distribute the meat, which is soon -devoured in the feast. - -In his case the lids were raised from the kettles, which were all -filled with dogs’ meat alone. It being well-cooked, and made into a -sort of a stew, sent forth a very savoury and pleasing smell, promising -to be an acceptable and palatable food. Each of us civilized guests had -a large wooden bowl placed before us, with a huge quantity of dogs’ -flesh floating in a profusion of soup, or rich gravy, with a large -spoon resting in the dish, made of the buffalo’s horn. In this most -difficult and painful dilemma we sat; all of us knowing the solemnity -and good feeling in which it was given, and the absolute necessity of -falling to, and devouring a little of it. We all tasted it a few times, -and resigned our dishes, which were quite willingly taken, and passed -around with others, to every part of the group, who all ate heartily of -the _delicious viands_, which were soon dipped out of the kettles, and -entirely devoured; after which each one arose as he felt disposed, and -walked off without uttering a word. In this way the feast ended, and -all retired silently, and gradually, until the ground was left vacant -to the charge of the waiters or officers, who seemed to have charge of -it during the whole occasion. - -This feast was unquestionably given to us, as the most undoubted -evidence they could give us of their friendship; and we, who knew -the spirit and feeling in which it was given, could not but treat it -respectfully, and receive it as a very high and marked compliment. - -Since I witnessed it on this occasion, I have been honoured with -numerous entertainments of the kind amongst the other tribes, which I -have visited towards the sources of the Missouri, and all conducted in -the same solemn and impressive manner; from which I feel authorized to -pronounce the _dog-feast_ a truly religious ceremony, wherein the poor -Indian sees fit to sacrifice his faithful companion to bear testimony -to the sacredness of his vows of friendship, and invite his friend to -partake of its flesh, to remind him forcibly of the reality of the -sacrifice, and the solemnity of his professions. - -The dog, amongst all Indian tribes, is more esteemed and more valued -than amongst any part of the civilized world; the Indian who has more -time to devote to his company, and whose untutored mind more nearly -assimilates to that of his faithful servant, keeps him closer company, -and draws him nearer to his heart; they hunt together, and are equal -sharers in the chase—their bed is one; and on the rocks, and on their -coats of arms they carve his image as the symbol of fidelity. Yet, with -all of these he will end his affection with this faithful follower, and -with tears in his eyes, offer him as a sacrifice to seal the pledge he -has made to man; because a feast of venison, or of buffalo meat, is -what is due to every one who enters an Indian’s wigwam; and of course, -conveys but a passive or neutral evidence, that generally goes for -nothing. - -I have sat at many of these feasts, and never could but appreciate -the moral and solemnity of them. I have seen the master take from the -bowl the head of his victim, and descant on its former affection and -fidelity with tears in his eyes. And I have seen guests at the same -time by the side of me, jesting and sneering at the poor Indian’s folly -and stupidity; and I have said in my heart, that they never deserved a -name so good or so honourable as that of the poor animal whose bones -they were picking. - -At the feast which I have been above describing, each of us tasted a -little of the meat, and passed the dishes on to the Indians, who soon -demolished everything they contained. We all agreed that the meat was -well cooked, and seemed to be a well-flavoured and palatable food; and -no doubt, could have been eaten with a good relish, if we had been -hungry, and ignorant of the nature of the food we were eating. - -The flesh of these dogs, though apparently relished by the Indians, -is, undoubtedly, inferior to the venison and buffalo’s meat, of which -feasts are constantly made where friends are invited, as they are in -civilized society, to a pleasant and convivial party; from which fact -alone, it would seem clear, that they have some extraordinary motive, -at all events, for feasting on the flesh of that useful and faithful -animal; even when, as in the instance I have been describing, their -village is well supplied with fresh and dried meat of the buffalo. The -dog-feast is given, I believe, by all tribes in North America; and -by them all, I think, this faithful animal, as well as the horse, is -sacrificed in several different ways, to appease offended Spirits or -Deities, whom it is considered necessary that they should conciliate in -this way; and when done, is invariably done by giving the best in the -herd or the kennel. - - - - - LETTER—No. 29. - - MOUTH OF TETON RIVER, _UPPER MISSOURI_. - - -Another curious and disgusting scene I witnessed in the after part of -the day on which we were honoured with the dog feast. In this I took no -part, but was sufficiently near to it, when standing some rods off, and -witnessing the cruel operation. I was called upon by one of the clerks -in the Establishment to ride up a mile or so, near the banks of the -Teton River, in a little plain at the base of the bluffs, where were -grouped some fifteen or twenty lodges of the Ting-ta-to-ah band, to see -a man (as they said) “_looking at the sun_!” We found him naked, except -his breech-cloth, with splints or skewers run through the flesh on both -breasts, leaning back and hanging with the weight of his body to the -top of a pole which was fastened in the ground, and to the upper end -of which he was fastened by a cord which was tied to the splints. In -this position he was leaning back, with nearly the whole weight of his -body hanging to the pole, the top of which was bent forward, allowing -his body to sink about half-way to the ground (+plate+ 97). His feet -were still upon the ground, supporting a small part of his weight; and -he held in his left hand his favourite bow, and in his right, with a -desperate grip, his medicine-bag. In this condition, with the blood -trickling down over his body, which was covered with white and yellow -clay, and amidst a great crowd who were looking on, sympathizing with -and encouraging him, he was hanging and “looking at the sun,” without -paying the least attention to any one about him. In the group that was -reclining around him, were several mystery-men beating their drums -and shaking their rattles, and singing as loud as they could yell, to -encourage him and strengthen his heart to stand and look at the sun, -from its rising in the morning ’till its setting at night; at which -time, if his heart and his strength have not failed him, he is “cut -down,” receives the liberal donation of presents (which have been -thrown into a pile before him during the day), and also the name and -the style of a doctor, or _medicine-man_, which lasts him, and ensures -him respect, through life. - -This most extraordinary and cruel custom I never heard of amongst any -other tribe, and never saw an instance of it before or after the one I -have just named. It is a sort of worship, or penance, of great cruelty; -disgusting and painful to behold, with only one palliating circumstance -about it, which is, that it is a voluntary torture and of very rare -occurrence. The poor and ignorant, misguided and superstitious man who -undertakes it, puts his everlasting reputation at stake upon the issue; -for when he takes his stand, he expects to face the sun and gradually -turn his body in listless silence, till he sees it go down at night; -and if he faints and falls, of which there is imminent danger, he loses -his reputation as a brave or mystery-man, and suffers a signal disgrace -in the estimation of the tribe, like all men who have the presumption -to set themselves up for braves or mystery-men, and fail justly to -sustain the character. - -The Sioux seem to have many modes of worshipping the Great or Good -Spirit, and also of conciliating the Evil Spirit: they have numerous -fasts and feasts, and many modes of sacrificing, but yet they seem -to pay less strict attention to them than the Mandans do, which may -perhaps be owing in a great measure to the wandering and predatory -modes of life which they pursue, rendering it difficult to adhere so -rigidly to the strict form and letter of their customs. - -There had been, a few days before I arrived at this place, a great -medicine operation held on the prairie, a mile or so back of the Fort, -and which, of course, I was not lucky enough to see. The poles were -still standing, and the whole transaction was described to me by my -friend Mr. Halsey, one of the clerks in the Establishment. From the -account given of it, it seems to bear some slight resemblance to that -of the _Mandan religious ceremony_, but no nearer to it than a feeble -effort by so ignorant and superstitious a people, to copy a custom -which they most probably have had no opportunity to see themselves, but -have endeavoured to imitate from hearsay. They had an awning of immense -size erected on the prairie which is yet standing, made of willow -bushes supported by posts, with poles and willow boughs laid over; -under the centre of which there was a pole set firmly in the ground, -from which many of the young men had suspended their bodies by splints -run through the flesh in different parts, the numerous scars of which -were yet seen bleeding afresh from day to day, amongst the crowds that -were about me. - -During my stay amongst the Sioux, as I was considered by them to -be great _medicine_, I received many pipes and other little things -from them as presents, given to me in token of respect for me, and -as assurances of their friendship; and I, being desirous to collect -and bring from their country every variety of their manufactures, of -their costumes, their weapons, their pipes, and their mystery-things, -purchased a great many others, for which, as I was “medicine” and a -“great white chief!” I was necessarily obliged to pay very _liberal_ -prices. - -Of the various costumes (of this, as well as of other tribes), that I -have collected, there will be seen fair and faithful representations in -the numerous portraits; and of their war-clubs, pipes, &c. I have set -forth in the following illustrations, a few of the most interesting of -the very great numbers of those things which I have collected in this -and other tribes which I have visited. - -The luxury of smoking is known to all the North American Indians, -in their primitive state, and that before they have any knowledge -of tobacco; which is only introduced amongst them by civilized -adventurers, who teach them the use and luxury of whiskey at the same -time. - -In their native state they are excessive smokers, and many of them (I -would almost venture the assertion), would seem to be smoking one-half -of their lives. There may be two good reasons for this, the first -of which is, that the idle and leisure life that the Indian leads, -(who has no trade or business to follow—no office hours to attend -to, or profession to learn), induces him to look for occupation and -amusement in so innocent a luxury, which again further tempts him -to its excessive use, from its feeble and harmless effects on the -system. There are many weeds and leaves, and barks of trees, which are -narcotics, and of spontaneous growth in their countries, which the -Indians dry and pulverize, and carry in pouches and smoke to great -excess—and which in several of the languages, when thus prepared, is -called _k’nick k’neck_. - -As smoking is a luxury so highly valued by the Indians, they have -bestowed much pains, and not a little ingenuity, to the construction -of their pipes. Of these I have procured a collection of several -hundreds, and in +plate+ 98, have given fac-simile outlines of a number -of the most curious. The bowls of these are generally made of the red -steatite, or “pipe-stone” (as it is more familiarly called in this -country), and many of them designed and carved with much taste and -skill, with figures and groups in _alto relievo_, standing or reclining -upon them. - -The red stone of which these pipe bowls are made, is, in my estimation, -a great curiosity; inasmuch as I am sure it is a variety of steatite -(if it be steatite), differing from that of any known European -locality, and also from any locality known in America, other than the -one from which all these pipes come; and which are all traceable I have -found to one source; and that source as yet unvisited except by the -red man who describes it, everywhere, as a place of vast importance to -the Indians—as given to them by the Great Spirit, for their pipes, and -strictly forbidden to be used for anything else. - -The source from whence all these pipes come, is, undoubtedly, somewhere -between this place and the Mississippi River; and as the Indians all -speak of it as a great _medicine_-place, I shall certainly lay my -course to it, ere long, and be able to give the world some account of -it and its mysteries. - -The Indians shape out the bowls of these pipes from the solid stone, -which is not quite as hard as marble, with nothing but a knife. The -stone which is of a cherry red, admits of a beautiful polish, and the -Indian makes the hole in the bowl of the pipe, by drilling into it a -hard stick, shaped to the desired size, with a quantity of sharp sand -and water kept constantly in the hole, subjecting him therefore to a -very great labour and the necessity of much patience. - -[Illustration: 99] - -The shafts or stems of these pipes, as will be seen in +plate+ 98, are -from two to four feet long, sometimes round, but most generally flat; -of an inch or two in breadth, and wound half their length or more with -braids of porcupines’ quills; and often ornamented with the beaks and -tufts from the wood-pecker’s head, with ermine skins and long red hair, -dyed from white horse hair or the white buffalo’s tail. - -The stems of these pipes will be found to be carved in many ingenious -forms, and in all cases they are perforated through the centre, quite -staggering the wits of the enlightened world to _guess how_ the -holes have been _bored_ through them; until it is simply and briefly -explained, that the stems are uniformly made of the stalk of the young -ash, which generally grows straight, and has a small pith through the -centre, which is easily burned out with a hot wire or a piece of hard -wood, by a much slower process. - -In +plate+ 98, the pipes marked _b_ are ordinary pipes, made and used -for the _luxury_ only of smoking; and for this purpose, every Indian -designs and constructs his own pipe. The _calumet_, or pipe of peace -(+plate+ 98 _a_), ornamented with the war-eagle’s quills, is a sacred -pipe, and never allowed to be used on any other occasion than that of -_peace-making_; when the chief brings it into treaty, and unfolding the -many bandages which are carefully kept around it—has it ready to be -mutually smoked by the chiefs, after the terms of the treaty are agreed -upon, as the means of _solemnizing_ or _signing_, by an illiterate -people, who cannot draw up an instrument, and sign their names to it, -as it is done in the civilized world. - -The mode of solemnizing is by passing the sacred stem to each chief, -who draws one breath of smoke only through it, thereby passing the most -inviolable pledge that they can possibly give, for the keeping of the -peace. This sacred pipe is then carefully folded up, and stowed away in -the chief’s lodge, until a similar occasion calls it out to be used in -a similar manner. - -There is no custom more uniformly in constant use amongst the poor -Indians than that of smoking, nor any other more highly valued. His -pipe is his constant companion through life—his messenger of peace; -he pledges his friends through its stem and its bowl—and when its -care-drowning fumes cease to flow, it takes a place with him in his -solitary grave, with his tomahawk and war-club, companions to his long -fancied, “mild and beautiful hunting-grounds.” - -The weapons of these people, like their pipes, are numerous, and mostly -manufactured by themselves. In a former place (+plate+ 18) I have -described a part of these, such as the bows and arrows, lances, &c., -and they have yet many others, specimens of which I have collected -from every tribe; and a number of which I have grouped together in -+plate+ 99; consisting of knives, war-clubs, and tomahawks. I have -here introduced the most general and established forms that are in -use amongst the different tribes, which are all strictly copied -from amongst the great variety of these articles to be found in my -Collection. - -The scalping-knives _a_ and _b_, and tomahawks _e_ _e_ _e_ _e_ are -of civilized manufacture, made expressly for Indian use, and carried -into the Indian country by thousands and tens of thousands, and sold -at an enormous price. The scabbards of the knives and handles for -the tomahawks, the Indians construct themselves, according to their -own taste, and oftentimes ornament them very handsomely. In his rude -and unapproached condition, the Indian is a stranger to such weapons -as these—he works not in the metals; and his untutored mind has not -been ingenious enough to design or execute anything so _savage_ or -destructive as these civilized _refinements on Indian barbarity_. In -his native simplicity he shapes out his rude hatchet from a piece of -stone, as in letter _f_, heads his arrows and spears with flints; and -his knife is a sharpened bone, or the edge of a broken silex. The -war-club _c_ is also another civilized refinement, with a blade of -steel, of eight or ten inches in length, and set in a club, studded -around and ornamented with some hundreds of brass nails. - -Their primitive clubs _d_ are curiously carved in wood, and fashioned -out with some considerable picturesque form and grace; are admirably -fitted to the hand, and calculated to deal a deadly blow with the spike -of iron or bone which is imbedded in the ball or bulb at the end. - -Two of the tomahawks that I have named, marked _e_, are what are -denominated “pipe-tomahawks,” as the heads of them are formed into -bowls like a pipe, in which their tobacco is put, and they smoke -through the handle. These are the most valued of an Indian’s weapons, -inasmuch as they are a matter of luxury, and useful for cutting his -fire-wood, &c. in time of peace; and deadly weapons in time of war, -which they use in the hand, or throw with unerring and deadly aim. - -The scalping-knife _b_ in a beautiful scabbard, which is carried under -the belt, is the form of knife most generally used in all parts of -the Indian country, where knives have been introduced. It is a common -and cheap butcher knife with one edge, manufactured at Sheffield, in -England, perhaps, for sixpence; and sold to the poor Indian in these -wild regions for a horse. If I should live to get home, and should ever -cross the Atlantic with my Collection, a curious enigma would be solved -for the English people, who may enquire for a scalping-knife, when they -find that every one in my Collection (and hear also, that nearly every -one that is to be seen in the Indian country, to the Rocky Mountains -and the Pacific Ocean) bears on its blade the impress of G.R., which -they will doubtless understand. - -The huge two-edged knife, with its scabbard of a part of the skin of a -grizzly bear’s head, letter _a_, is one belonging to the famous chief -of the Mandans, of whom I have before said much. The manufacture of -this knife is undoubtedly American; and its shape differs altogether -from those which are in general use.[12] - -[Illustration: 100] - -The above weapons, as well as the bow and lance, of which I have before -spoken, are all carried and used on horseback with great effect. The -Indians in this country of green fields, all _ride_ for their enemies, -and also for their game, which is almost invariably killed whilst -their horses are at full-speed. They are all cruel masters for their -horses; and in war or the chase goad them on with a heavy and cruel -whip (+plate+ 99 _g_), the handle of which is generally made of a large -prong of the elk’s horn or of wood, and the lashes of rawhide are very -heavy; being braided, or twisted, or cut into wide straps. These are -invariably attached to the wrist of the right arm by a tough thong, so -that they can be taken up and used at any moment, and dropped the next, -without being lost. - -During the time that I was engaged in painting my portraits, I was -occasionally inducing the young men to give me their dances, a great -variety of which they gave me by being slightly paid; which I was glad -to do, in order to enable me to study their character and expression -thoroughly, which I am sure I have done; and I shall take pleasure in -shewing them to the world when I get back. The dancing is generally -done by the young men, and considered undignified for the chiefs or -doctors to join in. Yet so great was my _medicine_, that chiefs and -medicine-men turned out and agreed to compliment me with a dance -(+plate+ 100). I looked on with great satisfaction; having been assured -by the Interpreters and Traders, that this was the highest honour they -had ever known them to pay to any stranger amongst them. - -In this dance, which I have called “the dance of the chiefs,” for want -of a more significant title, was given by fifteen or twenty chiefs and -doctors; many of whom were very old and venerable men. All of them came -out in their head-dresses of war-eagle quills, with a spear or staff in -the left hand, and a rattle in the right. It was given in the midst of -the Sioux village, in front of the head chief’s lodge; and beside the -medicine-man who beat on the drum, and sang for the dance, there were -four young women standing in a row, and chanting a sort of chorus for -the dancers; forming one of the very few instances that I ever have -met, where the women are allowed to take any part in the dancing, or -other game or amusement, with the men. - -This dance was a very spirited thing, and pleased me much, as well as -all the village, who were assembled around to witness what most of them -never before had seen, their aged and venerable chiefs united in giving -a dance. - -As I have introduced the _scalping-knife_ above, it may be well for -me to give some further account in this place of the custom and the -mode of taking the scalp; a custom practiced by all the North American -Indians, which is done when an enemy is killed in battle, by grasping -the left hand into the hair on the crown of the head, and passing the -knife around it through the skin, tearing off a piece of the skin with -the hair, as large as the palm of the hand, or larger, which is dried, -and often curiously ornamented and preserved, and highly valued as a -trophy. The scalping is an operation not calculated of itself to take -life, as it only removes the skin, without injuring the bone of the -head; and necessarily, to be a genuine scalp, must contain and show the -crown or centre of the head; that part of the skin which lies directly -over what the phrenologists call “self-esteem,” where the hair divides -and radiates from the centre; of which they all profess to be strict -judges, and able to decide whether an effort has been made to produce -two or more scalps from one head. Besides taking the scalp, the victor -generally, if he has time to do it without endangering his own scalp, -cuts off and brings home the rest of the hair, which his wife will -divide into a great many small locks, and with them fringe off the -seams of his shirt and his leggings, as will have been seen in many of -the illustrations; which also are worn as trophies and ornaments to the -dress, and then are familiarly called “_scalp-locks_.” Of these there -are many dresses in my Collection, which exhibit a continuous row from -the top of each shoulder, down the arms to the wrists, and down the -seams of the leggings, from the hips to the feet, rendering them a very -costly article to buy from the Indian who is not sure that his success -in his military exploits will ever enable him to replace them. - -The scalp, then, is a patch of the skin taken from the head of an enemy -killed in battle, and preserved and highly appreciated as the record of -a death produced by the hand of the individual who possesses it; and -may oftentimes during his life, be of great service to a man living -in a community where there is no historian to enrol the names of the -famous—to record the heroic deeds of the brave, who have gained their -laurels in mortal combat with their enemies; where it is as lawful -and as glorious to slay an enemy in battle, as it is in Christian -communities, and where the poor Indian is bound to keep the record -himself, or be liable to lose it and the honour, for no one in the -tribe will keep it for him. As the scalp is taken then as the evidence -of a death, it will easily be seen, that the Indian has no business or -inclination to take it from the head of the living; which I venture to -say is never done in North America, unless it be, as it sometimes has -happened, where a man falls in the heat of battle, stunned with the -blow of a weapon or a gunshot, and the Indian, rushing over his body, -snatches off his scalp, supposing him dead, who afterwards rises from -the field of battle, and easily recovers from this superficial wound -of the knife, wearing a bald spot on his head during the remainder -of his life, of which we have frequent occurrences on our Western -frontiers. The scalp must be from the head of _an enemy_ also, or it -subjects its possessor to disgrace and infamy who carries it. There -may be many instances where an Indian is justified in the estimation -of his tribe in taking the life of one of his own people; and their -laws are such, as oftentimes make it his imperative duty; and yet no -circumstances, however aggravating, will justify him or release him -from the disgrace of taking the scalp. - -[Illustration: 101] - -There is no custom practised by the Indians, for which they are -more universally condemned, than that of taking the scalp; and, at -the same time, I think there is some excuse for them, inasmuch as -it is a general custom of the country, and founded, like many other -apparently absurd and ridiculous customs of these people, in one of -the necessities of Indian life, which necessities we are free from in -the civilized world, and which customs, of course, we need not and do -not practice. From an ancient custom, “time out of mind,” the warriors -of these tribes have been in the habit of going to war, expecting to -take the scalps of their enemies whom they may slay in battle, and all -eyes of the tribe are upon them, making it their duty to do it; so from -custom it is every man’s right, and his duty also, to continue and keep -up a regulation of his society, which it is not in his power as an -individual, to abolish or correct, if he saw fit to do it. - -One of the principal denunciations against the custom of taking the -scalp, is on account of its alleged _cruelty_, which it certainly has -not; as the cruelty would be in the _killing_, and not in the act of -cutting the skin from a man’s head after he is dead. To say the most of -it, it is a disgusting custom, and I wish I could be quite sure that -the civilized and Christian world (who kill hundreds, to where the poor -Indians kill one), do not often treat their _enemies dead_, in equally -as indecent and disgusting a manner, as the Indian does by taking the -scalp. - -If the reader thinks that I am taking too much pains to defend the -Indians for this, and others of their seemingly abominable customs, -he will bear it in mind, that I have lived with these people, until I -have learned the necessities of Indian life in which these customs are -founded; and also, that I have met with so many acts of kindness and -hospitality at the hands of the poor Indian, that I feel bound, when I -can do it, to render what excuse I can for a people, who are dying with -broken hearts, and never can speak in the civilized world in their own -defence. - -And even yet, reader, if your education, and your reading of Indian -cruelties and Indian barbarities—of scalps, and scalping-knives, and -scalping, should have ossified a corner of your heart against these -unfortunate people, and would shut out their advocate, I will annoy -you no longer on this subject, but withdraw, and leave you to cherish -the very beautiful, humane and parental moral that was carried out by -the United States and British Governments during the last, and the -revolutionary wars, when they mutually employed thousands of their -“_Red children_,” to aid and to bleed, in fighting their battles, and -paid them, according to contract, so many pounds, shillings and pence -or so many dollars and cents for every “_scalp_” of a “red” or a “blue -coat” they could bring in! - -In +plate+ 101, there will be seen the principal modes in which the -scalps are prepared, and several of the uses to which they are put. -The most usual way of preparing and dressing the scalp is that of -stretching it on a little hoop at the end of a stick two or three feet -long (letter _a_), for the purpose of “dancing it,” as they term it; -which will be described in the _scalp-dance_, in a few moments. There -are many again, which are small, and not “dressed;” sometimes not -larger than a crown piece (letter _c_), and hung to different parts of -the dress. In public shows and parades, they are often suspended from -the bridle bits or halter when they are paraded and carried as trophies -(letter _b_). Sometimes they are cut out, as it were into a string, -the hair forming a beautiful fringe to line the handle of a war-club -(letter _e_). Sometimes they are hung at the _end_ of a club (_letter -d_), and at other times, by the order of the chief, are hung out, over -the wigwams, suspended from a pole, which is called the “_scalp-pole_.” -This is often done by the chief of a village, in a pleasant day, by his -erecting over his wigwam a pole with all the scalps that he had taken, -arranged upon it (letter _f_); at the sight of which all the chiefs and -warriors of the tribe, who had taken scalps, “follow suit;” enabling -every member of the community to stroll about the village on that day -and “count scalps,” learning thereby the standing of every warrior, -which is decided in a great degree by the number of scalps they have -taken in battles with their enemies. Letters _g_, _g_, shew the usual -manner of taking the scalp, and (letter _h_), exhibits the head of a -man who had been scalped and recovered from the wound. - -So much for scalps and scalping, of which I shall yet say more, unless -I should unluckily _lose one_ before I get out of the country. - -[Illustration: 101½] - - [12] This celebrated knife is now in my +Indian Museum+, and - there is no doubt, from its authentic history, that it has been - several times plunged to the hearts of his enemies by the hand - of Mah-to-toh-pa, who wielded it. Several years after I left - that country, and one year after the destruction of the Mandans, - I received the following letter from Mr. M‘Kenzie, accompanying - the knife and other things sent to me by him from that country: - +Extract+—“The poor Mandans are gone, and amongst them your old - friend, Mah-to-toh-pa. I have been able to send you but a very few - things, as the Riccarees immediately took possession of everything - they had. Amongst the articles I have been able to procure, I send - you the war-knife of Mah-to-toh-pa, which is now looked upon as the - greatest _medicine_ in this country; and as you will recollect it, - it will be highly appreciated by you.” - - - - - LETTER—No. 30. - - MOUTH OF TETON RIVER, _UPPER MISSOURI_. - - -In the last letter I gave an account of many of the weapons and -other manufactures of these wild folks; and as this has been a day -of _packing_ and _casing_ a great many of these things, which I have -obtained of the Indians, to add to my _Musée Indienne_, I will name a -few more, which I have just been handling over; some description of -which may be necessary for the reader in endeavouring to appreciate -some of their strange customs and amusements, which I am soon to -unfold. In +plate+ 101½, letters _a_ and _b_, will be seen the _quiver_ -made of the fawn’s skin, and the Sioux _shield_ made of the skin of -the buffalo’s neck, hardened with the glue extracted from the hoofs -and joints of the same animal. The process of “_smoking the shield_” -is a very curious, as well as an important one, in their estimation. -For this purpose a young man about to construct him a shield, digs a -hole of two feet in depth, in the ground, and as large in diameter -as he designs to make his shield. In this he builds a fire, and over -it, a few inches higher than the ground, he stretches the raw hide -horizontally over the fire, with little pegs driven through holes made -near the edges of the skin. This skin is at first, twice as large as -the size of the required shield; but having got his particular and -best friends (who are invited on the occasion,) into a ring, to dance -and sing around it, and solicit the Great Spirit to instil into it the -power to protect him harmless against his enemies, he spreads over -it the glue, which is rubbed and dried in, as the skin is heated; -and a second busily drives other and other pegs, inside of those in -the ground, as they are gradually giving way and being pulled up -by the contraction of the skin. By this curious process, which is -most dexterously done, the skin is kept tight whilst it contracts to -one-half of its size, taking up the glue and increasing in thickness -until it is rendered as thick and hard as required (and his friends -have pleaded long enough to make it arrow, and almost ball proof), when -the dance ceases, and the fire is put out. When it is cooled and cut -into the shape that he desires, it is often painted with his _medicine_ -or _totem_ upon it, the figure of an eagle, an owl, a buffalo or other -animal, as the case may be, which he trusts will guard and protect him -from harm; it is then fringed with eagles’ quills, or other ornaments -he may have chosen, and _slung_ with a broad leather strap that crosses -his breast. These shields are carried by all the warriors in these -regions, for their protection in battles, which are almost invariably -fought from their horses’ backs. - -Of _pipes_, and the custom of smoking, I have already spoken; and I -then said, that the Indians use several substitutes for tobacco, which -they call _K’nick K’neck_. For the carrying of this delicious weed or -bark, and preserving its flavour, the women construct very curious -pouches of otter, or beaver, or other skins (letters _c_, _c_, _c_,), -which are ingeniously ornamented with porcupine quills and beads, and -generally carried hanging across the left arm, containing a quantity of -the precious _narcotic_, with flint and steel, and spunk, for lighting -the pipe. - -The _musical instruments_ used amongst these people are few, and -exceedingly rude and imperfect, consisting chiefly of rattles, drums, -whistles, and lutes, all of which are used in the different tribes. - -In +plate+ 101½ (letters _d_, _d_,) will be seen the _rattles_ (or -She-she-quois) most generally used, made of rawhide, which becomes -very hard when dry, and charged with pebbles or something of the -kind, which produce a shrill noise to mark the time in their dances -and songs. Their _drums_ (letters _e_, _e_,) are made in a very rude -manner, oftentimes with a mere piece of rawhide stretched over a hoop, -very much in the shape of a tambourin; and at other times are made in -the form of a keg, with a head of rawhide at each end; on these they -beat with a drum-stick, which oftentimes itself is a rattle, the bulb -or head of it being made of rawhide and filled with pebbles. In other -instances the stick has, at its end, a little hoop wound and covered -with buckskin, to soften the sound; with which they beat on the drum -with great violence, as the chief and _heel-inspiring_ sound for all -their dances, and also as an accompaniment for their numerous and -never-ending songs of amusement, of thanksgiving, and _medicine_ or -_metai_. The _mystery whistle_, (letter _f_,) is another instrument of -their invention, and very ingeniously made, the sound being produced -on a principle entirely different from that of any wind instrument -known in civilized inventions; and the notes produced on it, by the -sleight or trick of an Indian boy, in so simple and successful a -manner, as to baffle entirely all civilized ingenuity, even when it -is seen to be played. An Indian boy would stand and blow his notes on -this repeatedly, for hundreds of white men who might be lookers-on, not -one of whom could make the least noise on it, even by practising with -it for hours. When I first saw this curious exhibition, I was charmed -with the peculiar sweetness of its harmonic sounds, and completely -perplexed, (as hundreds of white men have no doubt been before me, to -the great amusement and satisfaction of the women and children,) as to -the mode in which the sound was produced, even though it was repeatedly -played immediately before my eyes, and handed to me for my vain and -amusing endeavours. The sounds of this little simple toy are liquid and -sweet beyond description; and, though here only given in harmonics, -I am inclined to think, might, by some ingenious musician or musical -instrument-maker, be modulated and converted into something very -pleasing. - -The _War-whistle_ (letter _h_,) is a well known and valued little -instrument, of six or nine inches in length, invariably made of -the bone of the deer or turkey’s leg, and generally ornamented with -porcupine quills of different colours which are wound around it. A -chief or leader carries this to battle with him, suspended generally -from his neck, and worn under his dress. This little instrument has -but two notes, which are produced by blowing in the ends of it. The -note produced in one end, being much more shrill than the other, gives -the signal for battle, whilst the other sounds a retreat; a thing that -is distinctly heard and understood by every man, even in the heat and -noise of battle, where all are barking and yelling as loud as possible, -and of course unable to hear the commands of their leader. - -[Illustration: 102] - -There is yet another wind instrument which I have added to my -Collection, and from its appearance would seem to have been borrowed, -in part, from the civilized world (letter _g_). This is what is often -on the frontier called a “_deer-skin flute_,” a “Winnebago courting -flute,” a “tsal-eet-quash-to,” &c.; it is perforated with holes for the -fingers, sometimes for six, at others for four, and in some instances -for three only, having only so many notes with their octaves. These -notes are very irregularly graduated, showing clearly that they have -very little taste or ear for melody. These instruments are blown in the -end, and the sound produced much on the principle of a whistle. - -In the vicinity of the Upper Mississippi, I often and familiarly heard -this instrument, called the Winnebago courting flute; and was credibly -informed by traders and others in those regions, that the young men -of that tribe meet with signal success, oftentimes, in wooing their -sweethearts with its simple notes, which they blow for hours together, -and from day to day, from the bank of some stream—some favourite rock -or log on which they are seated, near to the wigwam which contains the -object of their tender passion; until her soul is touched, and she -responds by some welcome signal, that she is ready to repay the young -_Orpheus_ for his pains, with the gift of her hand and her heart. How -true these representations may have been made, I cannot say, but there -certainly must have been some ground for the present cognomen by which -it is known in that country. - -From these rude and exceedingly defective instruments, it will at once -be seen, that music has made but little progress with these people; and -the same fact will be still more clearly proved, to those who have an -opportunity to hear their vocal exhibitions, which are daily and almost -hourly serenading the ears of the traveller through their country. - -Dancing is one of the principal and most frequent amusements of all -the tribes of Indians in America; and, in all of these, both vocal and -instrumental music are introduced. These dances consist in about four -different steps, which constitute all the different varieties: but the -figures and forms of these scenes are very numerous, and produced by -the most violent jumps and contortions, accompanied with the song and -beats of the drum, which are given in exact time with their motions. -It has been said by some travellers, that the Indian has neither -harmony or melody in his music, but I am unwilling to subscribe to such -an assertion; although I grant, that for the most part of their vocal -exercises, there is a total absence of what the musical world would -call melody; their songs being made up chiefly of a sort of violent -chaunt of harsh and jarring gutturals, of yelps and barks, and screams, -which are given out in perfect time, not only with “method (but with -harmony) in their madness.” There are times too, as every traveller -of the Indian country will attest, if he will recall them to his -recollection, when the Indian lays down by his fire-side with his drum -in his hand, which he lightly and almost imperceptibly touches over, as -he accompanies it with his stifled voice of dulcet sounds that might -come from the most tender and delicate female. - -These quiet and tender songs are very different from those which are -sung at their dances, in full chorus and violent gesticulation; and -many of them seem to be quite rich in plaintive expression and melody, -though barren of change and variety. - -_Dancing_, I have before said, is one of the principal and most valued -amusements of the Indians, and much more frequently practised by them -than by any civilized society; inasmuch as it enters into their forms -of worship, and is often their mode of appealing to the Great Spirit—of -paying their usual devotions to their _medicine_—and of honouring and -entertaining strangers of distinction in their country. - -Instead of the “giddy maze” of the quadrille or the country dance, -enlivened by the cheering smiles and graces of silkened beauty, the -Indian performs his rounds with jumps, and starts, and yells, much to -the satisfaction of his own exclusive self, and infinite amusement -of the gentler sex, who are always lookers on, but seldom allowed so -great a pleasure, or so signal an honour, as that of joining with -their lords in this or any other entertainment. Whilst staying with -these people on my way up the river, I was repeatedly honoured with -the dance, and I as often hired them to give them, or went to overlook -where they were performing them at their own pleasure, in pursuance -of their peculiar customs, or for their own amusement, that I might -study and correctly herald them to future ages. I saw so many of their -different varieties of dances amongst the Sioux, that I should almost -be disposed to denominate them the “_dancing Indians_.” It would -actually seem as if they had dances for every thing. And in so large a -village, there was scarcely an hour in any day or night, but what the -beat of the drum could somewhere be heard. These dances are almost as -various and different in their character as they are numerous—some of -them so exceedingly grotesque and laughable, as to keep the bystanders -in an irresistible roar of laughter—others are calculated to excite his -pity, and forcibly appeal to his sympathies, whilst others disgust, -and yet others terrify and alarm him with their frightful threats and -contortions. - -All the world have heard of the “_bear-dance_,” though I doubt whether -more than a very small proportion have ever seen it; here it is (+plate+ -102). The Sioux, like all the others of these western tribes, are -fond of bear’s meat, and must have good stores of the “bear’s-grease” -laid in, to oil their long and glossy locks, as well as the surface of -their bodies. And they all like the fine pleasure of a bear hunt, and -also a participation in the bear dance, which is given several days -in succession, previous to their starting out, and in which they all -join in a song to the _Bear Spirit_; which they think holds somewhere -an invisible existence, and must be consulted and conciliated before -they can enter upon their excursion with any prospect of success. For -this grotesque and amusing scene, one of the chief medicine-men, placed -over his body the entire skin of a bear, with a war-eagle’s quill on -his head, taking the lead in the dance, and looking through the skin -which formed a masque that hung over his face. Many others in the dance -wore masques on their faces, made of the skin from the bear’s head; and -all, with the motions of their hands, closely imitated the movements -of that animal; some representing its motion in running, and others -the peculiar attitude and hanging of the paws, when it is sitting up -on its hind feet, and looking out for the approach of an enemy. This -grotesque and amusing masquerade oftentimes is continued at intervals, -for several days previous to the starting of a party on the bear hunt, -who would scarcely count upon a tolerable prospect of success, without -a strict adherence to this most important and indispensible form! - -[Illustration: 103] - -Dancing is done here too, as it is oftentimes done in the enlightened -world, to get favours—to buy the world’s goods; and in both countries -danced with about equal merit, except that the Indian has surpassed -us in honesty by christening it in his own country, the “_beggar’s -dance_.” This spirited dance (+plate+ 103), was given, not by a set -of _beggars_ though, literally speaking, but by the first and most -independent young men in the tribe, beautifully dressed, (_i. e._ not -dressed at all, except with their breech clouts or _kelts_, made of -eagles’ and ravens’ quills,) with their lances, and pipes, and rattles -in their hands, and a medicine-man beating the drum, and joining in the -song at the highest key of his voice. In this dance every one sings as -loud as he can halloo; uniting his voice with the others, in an appeal -to the Great Spirit, to open the hearts of the bystanders to give to -the poor, and not to themselves; assuring them that the Great Spirit -will be kind to those who are kind to the helpless and poor. - -Of _scalps_, and of the modes and objects of scalping, I have before -spoken; and I therein stated, “that most of the scalps were stretched -on little hoops for the purpose of being used in the scalp-dance, of -which I shall say more at a future time.” - -The _Scalp-dance_ (+plate+ 104) is given as a celebration of a victory; -and amongst this tribe, as I learned whilst residing with them, danced -in the night, by the light of their torches, and just before retiring -to bed. When a war party returns from a war excursion, bringing home -with them the scalps of their enemies, they generally “dance them” for -fifteen nights in succession, vaunting forth the most extravagant -boasts of their wonderful prowess in war, whilst they brandish their -war weapons in their hands. A number of young women are selected to -aid (though they do not actually join in the dance), by stepping into -the centre of the ring, and holding up the scalps that have been -recently taken, whilst the warriors dance (or rather _jump_), around -in a circle, brandishing their weapons, and barking and yelping in -the most frightful manner, all jumping on both feet at a time, with a -simultaneous stamp, and blow, and thrust of their weapons; with which -it would seem as if they were actually cutting and carving each other -to pieces. During these frantic leaps, and yelps, and thrusts, every -man distorts his face to the utmost of his muscles, darting about his -glaring eye-balls and snapping his teeth, as if he were in the heat -(and actually breathing through his inflated nostrils the very hissing -death) of battle! No description that can be written, could ever convey -more than a feeble outline of the frightful effects of these scenes -enacted in the dead and darkness of night, under the glaring light of -their blazing flambeaux; nor could all the years allotted to mortal -man, in the least obliterate or deface the vivid impress that one scene -of this kind would leave upon his memory. - -The precise object for which the scalp is taken, is one which is -definitely understood, and has already been explained; but the motive -(or motives) for which this strict ceremony is so scrupulously held -by all the American tribes, over the scalp of an enemy, is a subject, -as yet not satisfactorily settled in my mind. There is no doubt, but -one great object in these exhibitions is public exultation; yet there -are several conclusive evidences, that there are other and essential -motives for thus formally and strictly displaying the scalp. Amongst -some of the tribes, it is the custom to bury the scalps after they -have gone through this series of public exhibitions; which may in a -measure have been held for the purpose of giving them notoriety, and -of awarding public credit to the persons who obtained them, and now, -from a custom of the tribe, are obliged to part with them. The great -respect which seems to be paid to them whilst they use them, as well as -the pitying and mournful song which they howl to the _manes_ of their -unfortunate victims; as well as the precise care and solemnity with -which they afterwards bury the scalps, sufficiently convince me that -they have a superstitious dread of the spirits of their slain enemies, -and many conciliatory offices to perform, to ensure their own peace; -one of which is the ceremony above described. - -[Illustration: 104] - - - - - LETTER—No. 31. - - MOUTH OF TETON RIVER, _UPPER MISSOURI_. - - -In former Letters I have given some account of the _Bisons_, or (as -they are more familiarly denominated in this country) _Buffaloes_, -which inhabit these regions in numerous herds; and of which I must say -yet a little more. - -These noble animals of the ox species, and which have been so well -described in our books on Natural History, are a subject of curious -interest and great importance in this vast wilderness; rendered -peculiarly so at this time, like the history of the poor savage; and -from the same consideration, that they are rapidly wasting away at the -approach of civilized man—and like him and his character, in a very few -years, to live only in books or on canvass. - -The word buffalo is undoubtedly most incorrectly applied to these -animals, and I can scarcely tell why they have been so called; for -they bear just about as much resemblance to the Eastern buffalo, as -they do to a zebra or to a common ox. How nearly they may approach to -the bison of Europe, which I never have had an opportunity to see, and -which, I am inclined to think, is now nearly extinct, I am unable to -say; yet if I were to judge from the numerous engravings I have seen -of those animals, and descriptions I have read of them, I should be -inclined to think, there was yet a wide difference between the bison -of the American prairies, and those in the North of Europe and Asia. -The American bison, or (as I shall hereafter call it) buffalo, is -the largest of the ruminating animals that is now living in America; -and seems to have been spread over the plains of this vast country, -by the Great Spirit, for the use and subsistence of the red men, who -live almost exclusively on their flesh, and clothe themselves with -their skins. The reader, by referring back to +plates+ 7 and 8, in the -beginning of this Work, will see faithful traces of the male and female -of this huge animal, in their proud and free state of nature, grazing -on the plains of the country to which they appropriately belong. Their -colour is a dark brown, but changing very much as the season varies -from warm to cold; their hair or fur, from its great length in the -winter and spring, and exposure to the weather, turning quite light, -and almost to a jet black, when the winter coat is shed off, and a new -growth is shooting out. - -The buffalo bull often grows to the enormous weight of 2000 pounds, and -shakes a long and shaggy black mane, that falls in great profusion and -_confusion_, over his head and shoulders; and oftentimes falling down -quite to the ground. The horns are short, but very large, and have but -one turn, _i. e._ they are a simple arch, without the least approach to -a spiral form, like those of the common ox, or of the goat species. - -The female is much smaller than the male, and always distinguishable -by the peculiar shape of the horns, which are much smaller and more -crooked, turning their points more in towards the centre of the -forehead. - -One of the most remarkable characteristics of the buffalo, is the -peculiar formation and expression of the eye, the ball of which is -very large and white, and the iris jet black. The lids of the eye seem -always to be strained quite open, and the ball rolling forward and -down; so that a considerable part of the iris is hidden behind the -lower lid, while the pure white of the eyeball glares out over it in an -arch, in the shape of a moon at the end of its first quarter. - -These animals are, truly speaking, gregarious, but not migratory—they -graze in immense and almost incredible numbers at times, and roam about -and over vast tracts of country, from East to West, and from West to -East, as often as from North to South; which has often been supposed -they naturally and habitually did to accommodate themselves to the -temperature of the climate in the different latitudes. The limits -within which they are found in America, are from the 30th to the 55th -degrees of North latitude; and their extent from East to West, which is -from the border of our extreme Western frontier limits, to the Western -verge of the Rocky Mountains, is defined by quite different causes, -than those which the degrees of temperature have prescribed to them -on the North and the South. Within these 25 degrees of latitude, the -buffaloes seem to flourish, and get their living without the necessity -of evading the rigour of the climate, for which Nature seems most -wisely to have prepared them by the greater or less profusion of fur, -with which she has clothed them. - -It is very evident that, as high North as Lake Winnepeg, seven or eight -hundred miles North of this, the buffalo subsists itself through the -severest winters; getting its food chiefly by browsing amongst the -timber, and by pawing through the snow, for a bite at the grass, which -in those regions is frozen up very suddenly in the beginning of the -winter, with all its juices in it, and consequently furnishes very -nutritious and efficient food; and often, if not generally, supporting -the animal in better flesh during these difficult seasons of their -lives, than they are found to be in, in the 30th degree of latitude, -upon the borders of Mexico, where the severity of winter is not known, -but during a long and tedious autumn, the herbage, under the influence -of a burning sun, is gradually dried away to a mere husk, and its -nutriment gone, leaving these poor creatures, even in the dead of -winter, to bask in the warmth of a genial sun, without the benefit of a -green or juicy thing to bite at. - -The place from which I am now writing, may be said to be the very heart -or nucleus of the buffalo country, about equi-distant between the two -extremes; and of course, the most congenial temperature for them to -flourish in. The finest animals that graze on the prairies are to be -found in this latitude; and I am sure I never could send from a better -source, some further account of the death and destruction that is dealt -among these noble animals, and hurrying on their final extinction. - -The Sioux are a bold and desperate set of horsemen, and great hunters; -and in the heart of their country is one of the most extensive -assortments of goods, of whiskey, and other saleable commodities, as -well as a party of the most indefatigable men, who are constantly -calling for every robe that can be stripped from these animals’ backs. - -These are the causes which lead so directly to their rapid destruction; -and which open to the view of the traveller so freshly, so vividly, and -so familiarly, the scenes of archery—of lancing, and of death-dealing, -that belong peculiarly to this wild and shorn country. - -The almost countless herds of these animals that are sometimes met with -on these prairies, have been often spoken of by other writers, and may -yet be seen by any traveller who will take the pains to visit these -regions. The “_running season_,” which is in August and September, -is the time when they congregate into such masses in some places, as -literally to blacken the prairies for miles together. It is no uncommon -thing at this season, at these gatherings, to see several thousands -in a mass, eddying and wheeling about under a cloud of dust, which -is raised by the bulls as they are pawing in the dirt, or engaged in -desperate combats, as they constantly are, plunging and butting at each -other in the most furious manner (+plate+ 105). In these scenes, the -males are continually following the females, and the whole mass are in -constant motion; and all bellowing (or “roaring”) in deep and hollow -sounds; which, mingled altogether, appear, at the distance of a mile or -two, like the sound of distant thunder. - -During the season whilst they are congregated together in these dense -and confused masses, the remainder of the country around for many -miles, becomes entirely vacated; and the traveller may spend many a -toilsome day, and many a hungry night, without being cheered by the -sight of one; where, if he retraces his steps a few weeks after, he -will find them dispersed, and grazing quietly in little families and -flocks, and equally stocking the whole country. Of these quiet little -herds, a fair representation will be seen in +plate+ 106, where some -are grazing, others at play, or lying down, and others indulging in -their “wallows.” “A bull in his wallow” is a frequent saying in this -country; and has a very significant meaning with those who have ever -seen a buffalo bull performing _ablution_, or rather endeavouring to -cool his heated sides, by tumbling about in a mud puddle. - -In the heat of summer, these huge animals, which, no doubt, suffer very -much with the great profusion of their long and shaggy hair or fur, -often graze on the low grounds in the prairies, where there is a little -stagnant water lying amongst the grass, and the ground underneath -being saturated with it, is soft, into which the enormous bull, lowered -down upon one knee, will plunge his horns, and at last his head, -driving up the earth, and soon making an excavation in the ground, into -which the water filters from amongst the grass, forming for him in a -few moments, a cool and comfortable bath, into which he plunges like a -hog in his mire. - -In this _delectable_ laver, he throws himself flat upon his side, and -forcing himself violently around, with his horns and his huge hump -on his shoulders presented to the sides, he ploughs up the ground by -his rotary motion, sinking himself deeper and deeper in the ground, -continually enlarging his pool, in which he at length becomes nearly -immersed; and the water and mud about him mixed into a complete mortar, -which changes his colour, and drips in streams from every part of him -as he rises up upon his feet, a hideous monster of mud and ugliness, -too frightful and too eccentric to be described! - -It is generally the leader of the herd that takes upon him to make -this excavation; and if not (but another one opens the ground), the -leader (who is conqueror) marches forward, and driving the other from -it plunges himself into it; and having cooled his sides, and changed -his colour to a walking mass of mud and mortar; he stands in the pool -until inclination induces him to step out, and give place to the next -in command, who stands ready; and another, and another, who advance -forward in their turns, to enjoy the luxury of the wallow; until the -whole band (sometimes an hundred or more) will pass through it in turn; -each one throwing his body around in a similar manner; and each one -adding a little to the dimensions of the pool, while he carries away in -his hair an equal share of the clay, which dries to a grey or whitish -colour, and gradually falls off. By this operation, which is done, -perhaps, in the space of half an hour, a circular excavation of fifteen -or twenty feet in diameter, and two feet in depth, is completed, and -left for the water to run into, which soon fills it to the level of the -ground. - -To these sinks, the waters lying on the surface of the prairies, are -continually draining, and in them lodging their vegetable deposits; -which, after a lapse of years, fill them up to the surface with a rich -soil, which throws up an unusual growth of grass and herbage; forming -conspicuous circles which arrest the eye of the traveller, and are -calculated to excite his surprise for ages to come. - -Many travellers who have penetrated not quite far enough into the -Western country to see the habits of these animals, and the manner -in which these _mysterious_ circles are made; but who have seen the -prairies strewed with their bleached bones, and have beheld these -strange circles, which often occur in groups, and of different -sizes—have come home with beautiful and ingenious theories (which _must -needs be made_), for the origin of these singular and unaccountable -appearances, which, for want of a rational theory, have generally -been attributed to _fairy feet_, and gained the appellation of “_fairy -circles_.” - -[Illustration: 105] - -[Illustration: 106] - -Many travellers, again, have supposed that these rings were produced -by the dances of the Indians, which are oftentimes (and in fact -most generally) performed in a circle; yet a moment’s consideration -disproves such a probability, inasmuch as the Indians always select the -ground for their dancing near the sites of their villages, and that -always on a dry and hard foundation; when these “fairy circles” are -uniformly found to be on low and wet ground. - -As my visit to these parts of the “_Great Far West_” has brought me -into the heart of the buffalo country, where I have had abundant -opportunities of seeing this noble animal in all its phases—its habits -of life, and every mode of its death; I shall take the liberty of being -yet a little more particular, and of rendering some further accounts of -scenes which I have witnessed in following out my sporting propensities -in these singular regions. - -The chief hunting amusement of the Indians in these parts consists in -the chase of the buffalo, which is almost invariably done on horseback, -with bow and lance. In this exercise, which is highly prized by them, -as one of their most valued amusements, as well as for the principal -mode of procuring meat for their subsistence, they become exceedingly -expert; and are able to slay these huge animals with apparent ease. - -The Indians in these parts are all mounted on small, but serviceable -horses, which are caught by them on the prairies, where they are often -running wild in numerous bands. The Indian, then, mounted on his little -wild horse, which has been through some years of training, dashes off -at full speed amongst the herds of buffaloes, elks, or even antelopes, -and deals his deadly arrows to their hearts from his horse’s back. The -horse is the fleetest animal of the prairie, and easily brings his -rider alongside of his game, which falls a certain prey to his deadly -shafts, at the distance of a few paces. - -In the chase of the buffalo, or other animal, the Indian generally -“strips” himself and his horse, by throwing off his shield and quiver, -and every part of his dress, which might be an encumbrance to him in -running; grasping his bow in his left hand, with five or six arrows -drawn from his quiver, and ready for instant use. In his right hand (or -attached to the wrist) is a heavy whip, which he uses without mercy, -and forces his horse alongside of his game at the swiftest speed. - -These horses are so trained, that the Indian has little use for the -rein, which hangs on the neck, whilst the horse approaches the animal -on the right side (+plate+ 107), giving his rider the chance to throw -his arrow to the left; which he does at the instant when the horse -is passing—bringing him opposite to the heart, which receives the -deadly weapon “to the feather.” When pursuing a large herd, the Indian -generally rides close in the rear, until he selects the animal he -wishes to kill, which he separates from the throng as soon as he can, -by dashing his horse between it and the herd, and forcing it off by -itself; where he can approach it without the danger of being trampled -to death, to which he is often liable by too closely escorting the -multitude. - -In +plate+ 107, I have fairly represented the mode of _approaching_, -at the instant the arrow is to be thrown; and the striking disparity -between the size of a huge bull of 2000 pounds weight, and the Indian -horse, which, it will be borne in mind, is but a pony. - -No bridle whatever is used in this country by the Indians, as they have -no knowledge of a bit. A short halter, however, which answers in place -of a bridle, is in general use; of which they usually form a noose -around the under jaw of the horse, by which they get great power over -the animal; and which they use generally to _stop_ rather than _guide_ -the horse. This halter is called by the French Traders in the country, -_l’arrêt_, the stop, and has great power in arresting the speed of a -horse; though it is extremely dangerous to use too freely as a guide, -interfering too much with the freedom of his limbs, for the certainty -of his feet and security of his rider. - -When the Indian then has directed the course of his steed to the animal -which he has selected, the training of the horse is such, that it knows -the object of its rider’s selection, and exerts every muscle to give it -close company; while the halter lies loose and untouched upon its neck, -and the rider leans quite forward, and off from the side of his horse, -with his bow drawn, and ready for the deadly shot, which is given -at the instant he is opposite to the animal’s body. The horse being -instinctively afraid of the animal (though he generally brings his -rider within the reach of the end of his bow), keeps his eye strained -upon the furious enemy he is so closely encountering; and the moment -he has approached to the nearest distance required, and has passed the -animal, whether the shot is given or not, he gradually sheers off, to -prevent coming on to the horns of the infuriated beast, which often -are instantly turned, and presented for the fatal reception of its -too familiar attendant. These frightful collisions often take place, -notwithstanding the sagacity of the horse, and the caution of its -rider; for in these extraordinary (and inexpressible) exhilarations of -chase, which seem to drown the prudence alike, of instinct and reason, -both horse and rider often seem rushing on to destruction, as if it -were mere pastime and amusement.[13] - -I have always counted myself a prudent man, yet I have often _waked_ -(as it were) out of the delirium of the chase (into which I had fallen, -as into an agitated sleep, and through which I had passed as through -a delightful dream), where to have died would have been but to have -remained, riding on, without a struggle or a pang. - -In some of these, too, I have arisen from the prairie, covered with -dirt and blood, having severed company with gun and horse, the one -lying some twenty or thirty feet from me with a broken stalk, and the -other coolly brousing on the grass at half a mile distance, without -man, and without other beast remaining in sight. - -[Illustration: 107] - -[Illustration: 108] - -For the novice in these scenes there is much danger of his limbs and -his life, and he finds it a hard and a desperate struggle that brings -him in at _the death_ of these huge monsters, except where it has been -produced by hands that have acquired more sleight and tact than his own. - -With the Indian, who has made this the every day sport and amusement of -his life, there is less difficulty and less danger; he rides without -“losing his breath,” and his unagitated hand deals _certainty_ in its -deadly blows. - -In +plate+ 108, I have represented a party of Indians in chase of a -herd some of whom are pursuing with lance and others with bows and -arrows. The group in the foreground shews the attitude at the instant -after the arrow has been thrown and driven to the heart; the Indian at -full speed, and the _laso_ dragging behind his horse’s heels. The laso -is a long thong of rawhide, of ten or fifteen yards in length, made of -several braids or twists, and used chiefly to catch the wild horse, -which is done by throwing over their necks a noose which is made at the -end of the _laso_, with which they are “choked down.” In running the -buffaloes, or in time of war, the _laso_ drags on the ground at the -horse’s feet, and sometimes several rods behind, so that if a man is -dismounted, which is often the case, by the tripping or stumbling of -the horse, he has the power of grasping to the laso, and by stubbornly -holding on to it, of stopping and securing his horse, on whose back he -is instantly replaced, and continuing on in the chase. - -In the dead of the winters, which are very long and severely cold in -this country, where horses cannot be brought into the chase with any -avail, the Indian runs upon the surface of the snow by the aid of his -snow shoes, which buoy him up, while the great weight of the buffaloes, -sinks them down to the middle of their sides, and completely stopping -their progress, ensures them certain and easy victims to the bow or -lance of their pursuers, as in +plate+ 109. The snow in these regions -often lies during the winter, to the depth of three and four feet, -being blown away from the tops and sides of the hills in many places, -which are left bare for the buffaloes to graze upon, whilst it is -drifted in the hollows and ravines to a very great depth, and rendered -almost entirely impassable to these huge animals, which, when closely -pursued by their enemies, endeavour to plunge through it, but are soon -wedged in and almost unable to move, where they fall an easy prey to -the Indian, who runs up lightly upon his snow shoes and drives his -lance to their hearts. The skins are then stripped off, to be sold to -the Fur Traders, and the carcasses left to be devoured by the wolves. -This is the season in which the greatest number of these animals are -destroyed for their robes—they are most easily killed at this time, and -their hair or fur being longer and more abundant, gives greater value -to the robe. - -The Indians generally kill and dry meat enough in the fall, when it -is fat and juicy, to last them through the winter; so that they have -little other object for this unlimited slaughter, amid the drifts -of snow, than that of procuring their robes for traffic with their -Traders. The snow shoes are made in a great many forms, of two and -three feet in length, and one foot or more in width, of a hoop or -hoops bent around for the frame, with a netting or web woven across -with strings of rawhide, on which the feet rest, and to which they are -fastened with straps somewhat like a skate.[14] With these the Indian -will glide over the snow with astonishing quickness, without sinking -down, or scarcely leaving his track where he has gone. - -The poor buffaloes have their enemy _man_, besetting and beseiging them -at all times of the year, and in all the modes that man in his superior -wisdom has been able to devise for their destruction. They struggle in -vain to evade his deadly shafts, when he dashes amongst them over the -plains on his wild horse—they plunge into the snow-drifts where they -yield themselves an easy prey to their destroyers, and they also stand -unwittingly and behold him, unsuspected under the skin of a white wolf, -insinuating himself and his fatal weapons into close company, when they -are peaceably grazing on the level prairies, and shot down before they -are aware of their danger (+plate+ 110). - -There are several varieties of the wolf species in this country, the -most formidable and most numerous of which are white, often sneaking -about in gangs or families of fifty or sixty in numbers, appearing in -distance, on the green prairies like nothing but a flock of sheep. -Many of these animals grow to a very great size, being I should think, -quite a match for the largest Newfoundland dog. At present, whilst the -buffaloes are so abundant, and these ferocious animals are glutted -with the buffalo’s flesh, they are harmless, and everywhere sneak away -from man’s presence; which I scarcely think will be the case after -the buffaloes are all gone, and they are left, as they must be, with -scarcely anything to eat. They always are seen following about in the -vicinity of herds of buffaloes and stand ready to pick the bones of -those that the hunters leave on the ground, or to overtake and devour -those that are wounded, which fall an easy prey to them. While the herd -of buffaloes are together, they seem to have little dread of the wolf, -and allow them to come in close company with them. The Indian then has -taken advantage of this fact, and often places himself under the skin -of this animal, and crawls for half a mile or more on his hands and -knees, until he approaches within a few rods of the unsuspecting group, -and easily shoots down the fattest of the throng. - -The buffalo is a very timid animal, and shuns the vicinity of man with -the keenest sagacity; yet, when overtaken, and harassed or wounded, -turns upon its assailants with the utmost fury, who have only to seek -safety in flight. In their desperate resistance the finest horses -are often destroyed; but the Indian, with his superior sagacity and -dexterity, generally finds some effective mode of escape, as in +plate+ -111. - -[Illustration: 109] - -[Illustration: 110] - -During the season of the year whilst the calves are young, the male -seems to stroll about by the side of the dam, as if for the purpose -of protecting the young, at which time it is exceedingly hazardous to -attack them, as they are sure to turn upon their pursuers, who have -often to fly to each others assistance (+plate+ 112). The buffalo calf, -during the first six months is red, and has so much the appearance of -a red calf in cultivated fields, that it could easily be mingled and -mistaken amongst them. In the fall, when it changes its hair it takes a -brown coat for the winter, which it always retains. In pursuing a large -herd of buffaloes at the season when their calves are but a few weeks -old, I have often been exceedingly amused with the curious manœuvres of -these shy little things. Amidst the thundering confusion of a throng of -several hundreds or several thousands of these animals, there will be -many of the calves that lose sight of their dams; and being left behind -by the throng, and the swift passing hunters, they endeavour to secrete -themselves, when they are exceedingly put to it on a level prairie, -where nought can be seen but the short grass of six or eight inches in -height, save an occasional bunch of wild sage, a few inches higher, to -which the poor affrighted things will run, and dropping on their knees, -will push their noses under it, and into the grass, where they will -stand for hours, with their eyes shut, imagining themselves securely -hid, whilst they are standing up quite straight upon their hind feet -and can easily be seen at several miles distance. It is a familiar -amusement for us accustomed to these scenes, to retreat back over the -ground where we have just escorted the herd, and approach these little -trembling things, which stubbornly maintain their positions, with their -noses pushed under the grass, and their eyes strained upon us, as we -dismount from our horses and are passing around them. From this fixed -position they are sure not to move, until hands are laid upon them, -and then for the shins of a novice, we can extend our sympathy; or if -he can preserve the skin on his bones from the furious buttings of its -head, we know how to congratulate him on his signal success and good -luck. In these desperate struggles, for a moment, the little thing -is conquered, and makes no further resistance. And I have often, in -concurrence with a known custom of the country, held my hands over the -eyes of the calf, and breathed a few strong breaths into its nostrils; -after which I have, with my hunting companions, rode several miles into -our encampment, with the little prisoner busily following the heels -of my horse the whole way, as closely and as affectionately as its -instinct would attach it to the company of its dam! - -This is one of the most extraordinary things that I have met with -in the habits of this wild country, and although I had often heard -of it, and felt unable exactly to believe it, I am now willing to -bear testimony to the fact, from the numerous instances which I have -witnessed since I came into the country. During the time that I resided -at this post, in the spring of the year, on my way up the river, I -assisted (in numerous hunts of the buffalo, with the Fur Company’s -men,) in bringing in, in the above manner, several of these little -prisoners, which sometimes followed for five or six miles close to -our horses’ heels, and even into the Fur Company’s Fort, and into the -stable where our horses were led. In this way, before I left for the -head waters of the Missouri, I think we had collected about a dozen, -which Mr. Laidlaw was successfully raising with the aid of a good milch -cow, and which were to be committed to the care of Mr. Chouteau to be -transported by the return of the steamer, to his extensive plantation -in the vicinity of St. Louis.[15] - -It is truly a melancholy contemplation for the traveller in this -country, to anticipate the period which is not far distant, when the -last of these noble animals, at the hands of white and red men, will -fall victims to their cruel and improvident rapacity; leaving these -beautiful green fields, a vast and idle waste, unstocked and unpeopled -for ages to come, until the bones of the one and the traditions of the -other will have vanished, and left scarce an intelligible trace behind. - -That the reader should not think me visionary in these contemplations, -or romancing in making such assertions, I will hand him the following -item of the extravagancies which are practiced in these regions, and -rapidly leading to the results which I have just named. - -When I first arrived at this place, on my way up the river, which was -in the month of May, in 1832, and had taken up my lodgings in the Fur -Company’s Fort, Mr. Laidlaw, of whom I have before spoken, and also his -chief clerk, Mr. Halsey, and many of their men, as well as the chiefs -of the Sioux, told me, that only a few days before I arrived, (when an -immense herd of buffaloes had showed themselves on the opposite side -of the river, almost blackening the plains for a great distance,) a -party of five or six hundred Sioux Indians on horseback, forded the -river about mid-day, and spending a few hours amongst them, recrossed -the river at sun-down and came into the Fort with _fourteen hundred -fresh buffalo tongues_, which were thrown down in a mass, and for which -they required but a few gallons of whiskey, which was soon demolished, -indulging them in a little, and harmless carouse. - -This profligate waste of the lives of these noble and useful animals, -when, from all that I could learn, not a skin or a pound of the -meat (except the tongues), was brought in, fully supports me in -the seemingly extravagant predictions that I have made as to -their extinction, which I am certain is near at hand. In the above -extravagant instance, at a season when their skins were without fur and -not worth taking off, and their camp was so well stocked with fresh and -dried meat, that they had no occasion for using the flesh, there is a -fair exhibition of the improvident character of the savage, and also of -his recklessness in catering for his appetite, so long as the present -inducements are held out to him in his country, for its gratification. - -[Illustration: 111] - -[Illustration: 112] - -In this singular country, where the poor Indians have no laws or -regulations of society, making it a vice or an impropriety to drink to -excess, they think it no harm to indulge in the delicious beverage, as -long as they are able to buy whiskey to drink. They look to white men -as wiser than themselves, and able to set them examples—they see none -of these in their country but sellers of whiskey, who are constantly -tendering it to them, and most of them setting the example by using it -themselves; and they easily acquire a taste, that to be catered for, -where whiskey is sold at sixteen dollars per gallon, soon impoverishes -them, and must soon strip the skin from the last buffalo’s back that -lives in their country, to “be dressed by their squaws” and vended to -the Traders for a pint of diluted alcohol. - -From the above remarks it will be seen, that not only the red men, -but red men and white, have aimed destruction at the race of these -animals; and with them, _beasts_ have turned hunters of buffaloes in -this country, slaying them, however, in less numbers, and for far more -laudable purpose than that of selling their skins. The white wolves, of -which I have spoken in a former epistle, follow the herds of buffaloes -as I have said, from one season to another, glutting themselves on the -carcasses of those that fall by the deadly shafts of their enemies, -or linger with disease or old age to be dispatched by these sneaking -cormorants, who are ready at all times kindly to relieve them from the -pangs of a lingering death. - -Whilst the herd is together, the wolves never attack them, as they -instantly gather for combined resistance, which they effectually make. -But when the herds are travelling, it often happens that an aged or -wounded one, lingers at a distance behind, and when fairly out of sight -of the herd, is set upon by these voracious hunters, which often gather -to the number of fifty or more, and are sure at last to torture him -to death, and use him up at a meal. The buffalo, however, is a huge -and furious animal, and when his retreat is cut off, makes desperate -and deadly resistance, contending to the last moment for the right of -life—and oftentimes deals death by wholesale, to his canine assailants, -which he is tossing into the air or stamping to death under his feet -(+plate+ 113). - -During my travels in these regions, I have several times come across -such a gang of these animals surrounding an old or a wounded bull, -where it would seem, from appearances, that they had been for several -days in attendance, and at intervals desperately engaged in the -effort to take his life. But a short time since, as one of my hunting -companions and myself were returning to our encampment with our horses -loaded with meat, we discovered at a distance, a huge bull, encircled -with a gang of white wolves; we rode up as near as we could without -driving them away, and being within pistol shot, we had a remarkably -good view, where I sat for a few moments and made a sketch in my -note-book (+plate+ 114); after which, we rode up and gave the signal -for them to disperse, which they instantly did, withdrawing themselves -to the distance of fifty or sixty rods, when we found, to our great -surprise, that the animal had made desperate resistance, until his -eyes were entirely eaten out of his head—the grizzle of his nose was -mostly gone—his tongue was half eaten off, and the skin and flesh of -his legs torn almost literally into strings. In this tattered and torn -condition, the poor old veteran stood bracing up in the midst of his -devourers, who had ceased hostilities for a few minutes, to enjoy a -sort of parley, recovering strength and preparing to resume the attack -in a few moments again. In this group, some were reclining, to gain -breath, whilst others were sneaking about and licking their chaps in -anxiety for a renewal of the attack; and others, less lucky, had been -crushed to death by the feet or the horns of the bull. I rode nearer -to the pitiable object as he stood bleeding and trembling before me, -and said to him, “Now is your time, old fellow, and you had better be -off.” Though blind and nearly destroyed, there seemed evidently to be -a recognition of a friend in me, as he straightened up, and, trembling -with excitement, dashed off at full speed upon the prairie, in a -straight line. We turned our horses and resumed our march, and when we -had advanced a mile or more, we looked back, and on our left, where we -saw again the ill-fated animal surrounded by his tormentors, to whose -insatiable voracity he unquestionably soon fell a victim. - -Thus much I wrote of the buffaloes, and of the accidents that befall -them, as well as of the fate that awaits them; and before I closed my -book, I strolled out one day to the shade of a plum-tree, where I laid -in the grass on a favourite bluff, and wrote thus:— - -“It is generally supposed, and familiarly said, that a man ‘_falls_’ -into a rêverie; but I seated myself in the shade a few minutes since, -resolved to _force_ myself into one; and for this purpose I laid open a -small pocket-map of North America, and excluding my thoughts from every -other object in the world, I soon succeeded in producing the desired -illusion. This little chart, over which I bent, was seen in all its -parts, as nothing but the green and vivid reality. I was lifted up upon -an imaginary pair of wings, which easily raised and held me floating -in the open air, from whence I could behold beneath me the Pacific -and the Atlantic Oceans—the great cities of the East, and the mighty -rivers. I could see the blue chain of the great lakes at the North—the -Rocky Mountains, and beneath them and near their base, the vast, and -almost boundless plains of grass, which were speckled with the bands of -grazing buffaloes! - -“The world turned gently around, and I examined its surface; continent -after continent passed under my eye, and yet amidst them all, I saw -not the vast and vivid green, that is spread like a carpet over the -Western wilds of my own country. I saw not elsewhere in the world, the -myriad herds of buffaloes—my eyes scanned in vain, for they were not. -And when I turned again to the wilds of my native land, I beheld them -all in motion! For the distance of several hundreds of miles from North -to South, they were wheeling about in vast columns and herds—some were -scattered, and ran with furious wildness—some lay dead, and others -were pawing the earth for a hiding-place—some were sinking down and -dying, gushing out their life’s blood in deep-drawn sighs—and others -were contending in furious battle for the life they possessed, and -the ground that they stood upon. They had long since assembled from -the thickets, and secret haunts of the deep forest, into the midst of -the treeless and bushless plains, as the place for their safety. I -could see in an hundred places, amid the wheeling bands, and on their -skirts and flanks, the leaping wild horse darting among them. I saw -not the arrows, nor heard the twang of the sinewy bows that sent them; -but I saw their victims fall!—on other steeds that rushed along their -sides I saw the glistening lances, which seemed to lay across them; -their blades were blazing in the sun, till dipped in blood, and then -I lost them! In other parts (and there were many), the vivid flash of -_fire-arms_ was seen—_their_ victims fell too, and over their dead -bodies hung suspended in air, little clouds of whitened smoke, from -under which the flying horsemen had darted forward to mingle again -with, and deal death to, the trampling throng. - -[Illustration: 113] - -[Illustration: 114] - -“So strange were men mixed (both red and white) with the countless -herds that wheeled and eddyed about, that all below seemed one vast -extended field of battle—whole armies, in some places, seemed to -blacken the earth’s surface;—in other parts, regiments, battalions, -wings, platoons, rank and file, and “_Indian-file_”—all were in motion; -and death and destruction seemed to be the watch-word amongst them. In -their turmoil, they sent up great clouds of dust, and with them came -the mingled din of groans and trampling hoofs, that seemed like the -rumbling of a dreadful cataract, or the roaring of distant thunder. -Alternate pity and admiration harrowed up in my bosom and my brain, -many a hidden thought; and amongst them a few of the beautiful notes -that were once sung, and exactly in point: ‘_Quadrupedante putrem -sonitu quatit ungula campum._’ Even such was the din amidst the -quadrupeds of these vast plains. And from the craggy cliffs of the -Rocky Mountains also were seen descending into the valley, the myriad -Tartars, who had not horses to ride, but before their well-drawn bows -the fattest of the herds were falling. Hundreds and thousands were -strewed upon the plains—they were flayed, and their reddened carcasses -left; and about them bands of wolves, and dogs, and buzzards were seen -devouring them. Contiguous, and in sight, were the distant and feeble -smokes of wigwams and villages, where the skins were dragged, and -dressed for white man’s luxury! where they were all sold for _whiskey_, -and the poor Indians laid drunk, and were crying. I cast my eyes into -the towns and cities of the East, and there I beheld buffalo robes -hanging at almost every door for traffic; and I saw also the curling -smokes of a thousand _Stills_—and I said, ‘Oh insatiable man, is thy -avarice such! wouldst thou tear the skin from the back of the last -animal of this noble race, _and rob thy fellow-man of his meat, and for -it give him poison_!’” * * * * * * * * * - -Many are the rudenesses and wilds in Nature’s works, which are destined -to fall before the deadly axe and desolating hands of cultivating man; -and so amongst her ranks of _living_, of beast and human, we often find -noble stamps, or beautiful colours, to which our admiration clings; -and even in the overwhelming march of civilized improvements and -refinements do we love to cherish their existence, and lend our efforts -to preserve them in their primitive rudeness. Such of Nature’s works -are always worthy of our preservation and protection; and the further -we become separated (and the face of the country) from that pristine -wildness and beauty, the more pleasure does the mind of enlightened man -feel in recurring to those scenes, when he can have them preserved for -his eyes and his mind to dwell upon. - -Of such “rudenesses and wilds,” Nature has no where presented more -beautiful and lovely scenes, than those of the vast prairies of the -West; and of _man_ and _beast_, no nobler specimens than those who -inhabit them—the _Indian_ and the _buffalo_—joint and original tenants -of the soil, and fugitives together from the approach of civilized -man; they have fled to the great plains of the West, and there, under -an equal doom, they have taken up their _last abode_, where their race -will expire, and their bones will bleach together. - -It may be that _power_ is _right_, and _voracity_ a _virtue_; and that -these people, and these noble animals, are _righteously_ doomed to an -issue that _will_ not be averted. It can be easily proved—we have a -civilized science that can easily do it, or anything else that may be -required to cover the iniquities of civilized man in catering for his -unholy appetites. It can be proved that the weak and ignorant have no -_rights_—that there can be no virtue in darkness—that God’s gifts have -no meaning or merit until they are appropriated by civilized man—by -him brought into the light, and converted to his use and luxury. We -have a mode of reasoning (I forget what it is called) by which all this -can be proved, and even more. The _word_ and the _system_ are entirely -of _civilized_ origin; and latitude is admirably given to them in -proportion to the increase of civilized wants, which often require a -_judge_ to overrule the laws of nature. I say that _we_ can prove such -things; but an _Indian_ cannot. It is a mode of reasoning unknown to -him in his nature’s simplicity, but admirably adapted to subserve the -interests of the enlightened world, who are always their own judges, -when dealing with the savage; and who, in the present refined age, have -many appetites that can only be lawfully indulged, by proving God’s -laws defective. - -It is not enough in this polished and extravagant age, that we get from -the Indian his lands, and the very clothes from his back, but the food -from their mouths must be stopped, to add a new and useless article to -the fashionable world’s luxuries. The ranks must be thinned, and the -race exterminated, of this noble animal, and the Indians of the great -plains left without the means of supporting life, that white men may -figure a few years longer, enveloped in buffalo robes—that they may -spread them, for their pleasure and elegance, over the backs of their -sleighs, and trail them ostentatiously amidst the busy throng, as -things of beauty and elegance that had been made for them! - -Reader! listen to the following calculations, and forget them not. -The buffaloes (the quadrupeds from whose backs your beautiful robes -were taken, and whose myriads were once spread over the whole country, -from the Rocky Mountains to the Atlantic Ocean) have recently fled -before the appalling appearance of civilized man, and taken up their -abode and pasturage amid the almost boundless prairies of the West. -An instinctive dread of their deadly foes, who made an easy prey of -them whilst grazing in the forest, has led them to seek the midst of -the vast and treeless plains of grass, as the spot where they would be -least exposed to the assaults of their enemies; and it is exclusively -in those desolate fields of silence (yet of beauty) that they are to -be found—and over these vast steppes, or prairies, have they fled, -like the Indian, towards the “setting sun;” until their bands have -been crowded together, and their limits confined to a narrow strip of -country on this side of the Rocky Mountains. - -This strip of country, which extends from the province of Mexico to -lake Winnepeg on the North, is almost one entire plain of grass, which -is, and ever must be, useless to cultivating man. It is here, and -here chiefly, that the buffaloes dwell; and with, and hovering about -them, live and flourish the tribes of Indians, whom God made for the -enjoyment of that fair land and its luxuries. - -It is a melancholy contemplation for one who has travelled as I have, -through these realms, and seen this noble animal in all its pride and -glory, to contemplate it so rapidly wasting from the world, drawing the -irresistible conclusion too, which one must do, that its species is -soon to be extinguished, and with it the peace and happiness (if not -the actual existence) of the tribes of Indians who are joint tenants -with them, in the occupancy of these vast and idle plains. - -And what a splendid contemplation too, when one (who has travelled -these realms, and can duly appreciate them) imagines them as they -_might_ in future be seen, (by some great protecting policy of -government) preserved in their pristine beauty and wildness, in a -_magnificent park_, where the world could see for ages to come, the -native Indian in his classic attire, galloping his wild horse, with -sinewy bow, and shield and lance, amid the fleeting herds of elks and -buffaloes. What a beautiful and thrilling specimen for America to -preserve and hold up to the view of her refined citizens and the world, -in future ages! A _nation’s Park_, containing man and beast, in all the -wild and freshness of their nature’s beauty! - -I would ask no other monument to my memory, nor any other enrolment of -my name amongst the famous dead, than the reputation of having been the -founder of such an institution. - -Such scenes might easily have been preserved, and still could be -cherished on the great plains of the West, without detriment to -the country or its borders; for the tracts of country on which the -buffaloes have assembled, are uniformly sterile, and of no available -use to cultivating man. - -It is on these plains, which are stocked with buffaloes, that the -finest specimens of the Indian race are to be seen. It is here, that -the savage is decorated in the richest costume. It is here, and here -only, that his wants are all satisfied, and even the _luxuries_ of -life are afforded him in abundance. And here also is he the proud and -honourable man (before he has had teachers or laws), above the imported -wants, which beget meanness and vice; stimulated by ideas of honour and -virtue, in which the God of Nature has certainly not curtailed him. - -There are, by a fair calculation, more than 300,000 Indians, who are -now subsisted on the flesh of the buffaloes, and by those animals -supplied with all the luxuries of life which they desire, as they -know of none others. The great variety of uses to which they convert -the body and other parts of that animal, are almost incredible to -the person who has not actually dwelt amongst these people, and -closely studied their modes and customs. Every part of their flesh is -converted into food, in one shape or another, and on it they entirely -subsist. The robes of the animals are worn by the Indians instead of -blankets—their skins when tanned, are used as coverings for their -lodges, and for their beds; undressed, they are used for constructing -canoes—for saddles, for bridles—l’arrêts, lasos, and thongs. The horns -are shaped into ladles and spoons—the brains are used for dressing the -skins—their bones are used for saddle trees—for war clubs, and scrapers -for graining the robes—and others are broken up for the marrow-fat -which is contained in them. Their sinews are used for strings and backs -to their bows—for thread to string their beads and sew their dresses. -The feet of the animals are boiled, with their hoofs, for the glue -they contain, for fastening their arrow points, and many other uses. -The hair from the head and shoulders, which is long, is twisted and -braided into halters, and the tail is used for a fly brush. In this -wise do these people convert and use the various parts of this useful -animal, and with all these luxuries of life about them, and their -numerous games, they are happy (God bless them) in the ignorance of the -disastrous fate that awaits them. - -Yet this interesting community, with its sports, its wildnesses, its -languages, and all its manners and customs, could be perpetuated, and -also the buffaloes, whose numbers would increase and supply them with -food for ages and centuries to come, if a system of non-intercourse -could be established and preserved. But such is not to be the case—the -buffalo’s doom is sealed, and with their extinction must assuredly sink -into real despair and starvation, the inhabitants of these vast plains, -which afford for the Indians, no other possible means of subsistence; -and they must at last fall a prey to wolves and buzzards, who will have -no other bones to pick. - -It seems hard and cruel, (does it not?) that we civilized people with -all the luxuries and comforts of the world about us, should be drawing -from the backs of these useful animals the skins for our luxury, -leaving their carcasses to be devoured by the wolves—that we should -draw from that country, some 150 or 200,000 of their robes annually, -the greater part of which are taken from animals that are killed -expressly for the robe, at a season when the meat is not cured and -preserved, and for each of which skins the Indian has received but a -pint of whiskey! - -Such is the fact, and that number or near it, are annually destroyed, -in addition to the number that is necessarily killed for the -subsistence of 300,000 Indians, who live entirely upon them. It may -be said, perhaps, that the Fur Trade of these great western realms, -which is now limited chiefly to the purchase of buffalo robes, is of -great and national importance, and should and must be encouraged. To -such a suggestion I would reply, by merely enquiring, (independently of -the poor Indians’ disasters,) how much more advantageously would such -a capital be employed, both for the weal of the country and for the -owners, if it were invested in machines for the manufacture of _woollen -robes_, of equal and superior value and beauty; thereby encouraging -the growers of wool, and the industrious manufacturer, rather than -cultivating a taste for the use of buffalo skins; which is just to be -acquired, and then, from necessity, to be dispensed with, when a few -years shall have destroyed the last of the animals producing them. - -It may be answered, perhaps, that the necessaries of life are given in -exchange for these robes; but what, I would ask, are the necessities -in Indian life, where they have buffaloes in abundance to live on? -The Indian’s necessities are entirely artificial—are all created; and -when the buffaloes shall have disappeared in his country, which will -be within _eight_ or _ten_ years, I would ask, who is to supply him -with the necessaries of life then? and I would ask, further, (and leave -the question to be answered ten years hence), when the skin shall have -been stripped from the back of the last animal, who is to resist the -ravages of 300,000 starving savages; and in their trains, 1,500,000 -wolves, whom direst necessity will have driven from their desolate and -gameless plains, to seek for the means of subsistence along our exposed -frontier? God has everywhere supplied man in a state of Nature, with -the necessaries of life, and before we destroy the game of his country, -or teach him new desires, he has no wants that are not satisfied. - -Amongst the tribes who have been impoverished and repeatedly removed, -the necessaries of life are extended with a better grace from the -hands of civilized man; 90,000 of such have already been removed, and -they draw from Government some 5 or 600,000 dollars annually in cash; -_which money passes immediately into the hands of white men_, and for -it the necessaries of life _may be_ abundantly furnished. But who, I -would ask, are to furnish the Indians who have been instructed in this -unnatural mode—living upon _such_ necessaries, and even luxuries of -life, extended to them by the hands of white men, when those annuities -are at an end, and the skin is stripped from the last of the animals -which God gave them for their subsistence? - -Reader, I will stop here, lest you might forget to answer these -important queries—these are questions which I know will puzzle the -world—and, perhaps it is not right that I should ask them. * * - * * * * * * * - - * * Thus much I wrote and painted at this place, whilst on my way up -the river: after which I embarked on the steamer for the Yellow Stone, -and the sources of the Missouri, through which interesting regions I -have made a successful Tour; and have returned, as will have been seen -by the foregoing narrations, in my canoe, to this place, from whence -I am to descend the river still further in a few days. If I ever get -time, I may give further Notes on this place, and of people and their -doings, which I met with here; but at present, I throw my note-book, -and canvass, and brushes into my canoe, which will be launched -to-morrow morning, and on its way towards St. Louis, with myself at -the steering-oar, as usual; and with Ba’tiste and Bogard to paddle, of -whom, I beg the readers’ pardon for having said nothing of late, though -they have been my constant companions. Our way is now over the foaming -and muddy waters of the Missouri, and amid snags and drift logs (for -there is a sweeping freshet on her waters), and many a day will pass -before other Letters will come from me; and possibly, the reader may -have to look to my biographer for the rest. Adieu. - - [13] The reader will be further instructed on this subject, by - referring back to +plate+ 9, in the beginning of the book. - - - [14] The readers will look forward to +plates+ 240 and 243, in the - Second Volume, for snow shoes. - - - [15] The fate of these poor little prisoners, I was informed on my - return to St. Louis a year afterwards, was a very disastrous one. - The steamer having a distance of 1600 miles to perform, and lying - a week or two on sand bars, in a country where milk could not be - procured, they all perished but one, which is now flourishing in - the extensive fields of this gentleman. - - - END OF VOL. I. - - - Transcriber’s Notes: - - - Text enclosed by underscores is in italics (_italics_). - - Text enclosed by equals is in antiqua (=antiqua=). - - Text enclosed by pluses is in small caps (+Small Caps+). - - Blank pages have been removed. - - Obvious typographical errors have been silently corrected. - - All illustrations are attributed to _G. Catlin_. - - There is no illustration 23. - - “Plate” numbers on pages with illustrations are excluded from the - text version as they seem to serve no purpose. Plate number - references in the text are for the image numbers. - -*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE MANNERS, -CUSTOMS, & CONDITION OF THE NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS, VOL. I (OF 2) *** - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law 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. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part -of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm -concept and trademark. 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