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J -^■* -••H, ^^ CATLIN'S insrr>i.A.3srs. BEING A DEEPLY INTERESTING AND TRULY CELEBRATED SERIES OF LETTERS AND NOTES ON THE MANNERS, CUSTOMS, AND CONDITION ' OF THE . , NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS. WRITTEN DUKINO EIGHT YEAItS' TRAVEL AMONGST THE WILDEST TBIUES OF INDIANS IN NORTH AMERICA. By QEO. CATLIN, Bsq. TWO VOLS. IN ONE. PROFUSELY ILLUSTRATED. PHILADELPHIA: ^ HUBBARD BROTHERS. ' . 1891. ■ ' C?-£.^ CONTENTS. LETTER No. I.— p. 17. 'Wyoming, biith-plMO of the Anthor, — His former ProfeiBion. — Fint oauie of hie Trareli to tbe Indian Country. — Delegation of Indiana in Philadelphi*. — First ■tart to the Far West, in 1832. — Design of forming a National Qalleij. — Nam> ben of Tribes visited, and number of Paintings and other things colleoted. — Probable extinction of the Indians. — Former and present numbers of. — The proper mode of approaching them, and estimating their character. LETTER No. II.— p. 33. Mouth of Yellow Stone. — Distance from St Louis. — Diffioolties of the Missouri.— Politeness of Mr. Chouteau and M%)or Sanford. — Fur Company's Fort— Indian Epicures. — Kew and true School for the Arts. — BeautiAil Models. LETTER No. III.— p. 38. Mouth of Ykllow Stonb. ' Character of Missouri River. — Beautiful prairie shores. — Picturesque day blnSs. — First appearance of a steamer at the Yellow Stone, and curious ooi^eotures of the Indian* about it — Fur Company's Establishment at the mouth of Yellow Stone.— M'Keniie— His table and politeness. — Indian tribes in this vicinity. LETTER No. IV.— p. 47. Mocth of Yellow Stonb. Upper Missouri Indians.— Qeneral Character. — Buffaloes — Description of. — Modes of killing them. — Buffalo-hunt — Chardon's Leap. — Wounded bnlL — ExtraordU nary feat of Mr. M'Keniie. — Return from the chase. LETTER No. V.— p. 59. Mouth of Yellow Stone. Author's painting-room, and characters in it — Blackfoot chief. — Other Blaokfoot ohiefk, and their costumes. — Blaokfoot woman and child. — Scalps, and objects for which taken — Red pipes, and pipe-stone quarry. — Blackfoot bows, shields, arrows and lanoes. — Several distinguished Blackfeet (7) i \ COXTENTS. LETTER No. VI.— p. 70. Mouth of Yellow Stonk. Medicine* or mysterieB— medicine-bag— origin of the word medicine.— Mode of forming the medicine-bog-Volue of the medicine-bag to the Indian, and mate- rials for their construction.— Blackfoot doctor or medicine-man— hii mods of curing the sick.— Different offices and importance of medicine-men. LETTER No. VIL— p. 81. Mouth of Yelloh Stonk. Crows ftnd Blackfoot.— General character and appearance.— Killing and drying meat— Crow lodge or wigwam.— Striking their tents and encampment moving.— Mode of dressing and smoking skins. — Crows.- Beauty of their dresses.— Horse stealing or capturing.— Reasons why they are called rogues and robbers of the first order, Ac. LETTER No. VIII.— p. 92. Mouth op Yellow Stonk Further remarks on the Crows.- Extraordinary length of hair.— Peculiarities of the Crow head, and several portraits.— Crow and Blackfeet women. — Their modes of dressing and painting. — Differences between the Crow and Blackfoot languages. — Different bands.— Different languages, and numbers of the Black- feet.— Knistenoaux.-Assinneboins and Ojibbeways. — Assinneboins a part of the Sioux.— Their mode of boiling meat.— Pipe-dance. — Wi-jun-jon (a chief) and wife. — His visit to Washington.- Dresses of women and children of the Assinneboins.— Knisteneaux (or Crees)— character and nnmbera, and aeveral portraits.— Ojibbeways— Chief and wife. LETTER No. IX.— p. 106. Mouth of Yellow Stonb. Contemplations of the Great Far West and its customs. — Old acquaintance.-* March and effects of civilization. — The " Far West." — The Author in March of it— Meeting with " Ba'tiste," a free trapper. LETTER No. X. — ^p. 117. Mandan Yillaoe, Upper Missourl A strange place. — Voyage ftom Mouth of Yellow Stone down the rirer to Man- dans. — Commencement — Leave M'Kenzie's Fort. — Assinneboins encamped on the river. — Wi-jun-jon lecturing on the customs of white people. — Mountain' sheep.- War-eagles.— Grizzly bears.— Clay blufb, " brick-kilns," volcanio re- mains.— Red pumice stone. — A wild stroll.— Mountaineer's sleep. — Orizily bear and cubs. — Courageous attack.— Canoe robbed. — Eating our nMala on a pile of drift-wood.- Encamping in the night— Yoluptuona scene of wild flowers, buffalo bush and berries.— Adventure after an elk. — War-party dtsoovered. — Magnifi- cent scenery in the " Grand Detour."— Stupendous clay blnffa. — Table land.— Antelope shooting. — " Grand Dome."— Pndrie dogs. — Village. — FruitleM endea- Tours to shoot them.— Pictured bluff and the Three Domes. — Arrival at the Mandan village. CONTENTS. LETTER No. XI.— p. 135. Mandan Villaok. Location.— Village. — Former locationi, fortification of their Tillage.— Deioription of Tillage and mode of conatructing their wigwams. — Deicription of interior- Beds— Weaponi— Family groupi. — Indian garrulity — Joltei — Firo-Bide fun and (tory-telling. — Causes of Indian taciturnity in civilized society. LETTER No. XII.— p. 146. Mandan Village. Biras-eye view of the Village. — The " big canoe." — Medicine>lodge. — A strange medley. — Mode of depositing the dead on scaffolds. — Respect to the dead. — Viaitiug the dead. — Feeding the dead. — Converse with the dead. — Bones of the dead. LETTER No. XIII.— p. 154. Mandan Villaob. The wolf-chief. — Head chief of the tribe. — Several portraits. — Personal appear- ance. — Peculiarities. — Complexion. — " Cheveux gris." — Hair of the men. — Hair of the women. — Bathing and swimming, — Mode of swimming. — Sudatories or vapor-baths. LETTER No. XIV.— p. 166. Mandan Villaob. Ooctnmes of the Mandans. — High value set upon them. — Two horses for a head> dress — Made of war-eagles' quills and trmine. — Head-dresses with horns. — A Jewish custom. LETTER No. XV.— p. 174. Mandan Vili^qb. Astonishment of the Mandans at the operation of the Author's brush. — The Author installed medicine or medioine-man. — Crowds around the Author. — Curiosity to see and to touch him. — Superstitious fears for those who were painted. — Objec- Uons raised to being painted. — ThI Author's operation* opposed by a Mandan doctor, or medicine-man, and how brought over. LETTER No. XVI.— p. 185. Mandan Villaob. An Indian beau or dandy. — A fruitless endeavor to paint one. — Mah-to-toh-pa (the four bears), second chief of the tribe. — The Author feasted in his wig- wam. — Viands of the feast. — Pemican and marrow-fltt. — Mandan pottery.— Robe presented. LETTER No. XVII.— p. 194. Mandan Villaob. Polygamy. — Reasons and excuses for it. — Marriages, how contracted. — vVives bought and sold. — Paternal and filial affection. — Virtue and modesty of women. —Early marriages. — Slavish lives and occupations of the Indian worn en.— Pomme blanche. — Dried meat. — Caches. — Modes of cooking, and times of eating. — Attitudes in eating. — Separation of males and females in eating.— The Indians moderate eaters. — Some exceptions. — Curing meat in the sun, with- out smoke or salt — The wild Indians eat no salt ^1 10 CONTJ&NTS. LETTER No. XVIII.— p. 206. Mandan Villaoi. Indian d»nclng.-" Buffalo dance."-Difcovery of buff(iloei.-Prepar«Uoni for th« ohaie— Stortr-A decoy— A retreat— Death and Malplng. LETTER No. XIX.— p. 214. Mandan Villaok. Bham fight and ebam ecalp dance of the Mandan boyi.— Uaroe of Tohung-kee.— Feaeting.— Fasting and aocrlflcing.— White buffalo robe — lU value.- Rain maken and rain etopperf.— Bain making.-" The thunder boat."— The big double medicine. LETTER No. XX.— p. 229. Mandan Villaob. Mandan archery.—" Game of the arrow."— Wild horiei.— Hone-rooing.— Foot war-party in counclL OBTTBR No. XXL— p. 234. Mandan Vii.i.aoe, Upper Missohri. Mah-to-toh-pa (the Four BearB)— Ilii costume and hli portrait.— The robe of Mah- to-toh-pa, with all the battles of his life painted on it. LEITER No. XXII.—p. 244. Mandan Villaob. Mandan religious ceremonies.— Mandan religious creed. — Three objeota of the ceremony. — Place of holding the ceremony.— Dig canoe. — Season of com- mencing—and manner.— Opening the modicine-lodge.— Saeriflces to the water.— Fasting scene for four days and nights. — Bel>lohck-nah>pick (the bull dance). — Pohk-bong (the cutting or torturing sc^e).— Eh-ke-nah-ka>nah-piok (the last race).— Extraordinary instances of cruelty in self-torture.— Saorifloing to the water.— Certificates of the Mandan ceremonies.— Inferences drawn flrom these horrible omelties, with traditions.— Tradition of 0-kee-hee-de (the Evil Spirit). — Mandans can be oiviliied. LETTER No. XXIII.— p. 289. Minatabkk Villaob. lioeation and numbers.-Origin.— Principal village.— Vapor bathi.— Old chief, Black Moccasin. — Two portraits, man and woman. — Green corn dance. LETTER No. XXIV.— p. 298. Minataheb Villaob. Orowt in the Minataree village — Crow chief on horseback, in ftill dress.— PeouUr arities of the Crows— Long hair— Semi-lnnar faces.— Rats in the Minataree village.— CroMing Knife River in " bull boat."— Swimming of Minataree girls.- Horse-racing.— A banter.— Riding a " naked horse."— Grand buffalo surround.— Cutting up and carrying in meat. CONTENTS. 11 LETTER No. XXY.— p. SIR. Littli Mandak Villaoi, Uppii MlSSOUBI. Ad Indian offering himielf for a plUow.— Portrtlti of RIootr«M.— RIoouM rlU litge.— Origin of the Mandani,— Weltb colony.— Expedition of Madoo. LETTER No. XXYL—p. 322. Mouth of Tkton Rivib. Sioux or Daii-oo-ta. — Fort Pierre. — Mtiiiuippl and Mlffouri Siuuz.— Ha-wan- je-tab (chief }.—Puncahi, Shoo-do-ga-clia (chief) and wife.— Four wItm taken ai, once.— Portrait of one of the wivei.— Early marriagei. — oaniei of. LETTER No. XXVII.— p. 335. Mouth or Tkton Rivbb. Oaitom of exposing the aged.— A tedioui march on foot.— Lerel pralriei.— " Out of tight of land."— Mirage. — Looming of the pralriei.— Turning the toei in. — Biijou hilU. — Salt meadows. — Arrive at Fort Pierre.- Oreat assemblage of flionx. —Paint the portrait of the chief. — Superstitious otjeotlons.— Opposed by the doctors. — Difficulty settled.— Death of Ha-wan-Je-tah (the chief ).— Mode of.— Portraits of other Sioux chiefs.— Wampum. — Beautintl Sioux women.— Daugh- ter of Black Rock. — Chardon, his Indian wife. LETTER No. XXVIII.— p. 346. Moutb of Titon Rivbr. Difficulty of painting Indian women. — Indian vanity.— Watobing their portrait!. — Arrival of the first steamer amongst the Sioux.— Dog-feast. LETTER No. XXIX.— p. 854. Mouth of Teton Rivkr. Voluntary torture, " looking at the sun."— Religious coremony.^Smoking " k'nlok- k'neck." —Pipes. — Calumets or pipes of peace.— Tomahawks andioalping-knives. Dance of the chiefs.- Scalps— Mode of taking, and object— Modes of carrying and using the scalps. LETTER No. XXX.— p. 367. Mouth of Teton River. Indian weapons and instruments of music. — Quiver and shield.- Smoking the shield. — Tobacco pouches-Drums— Rattles— Whistles— Lutes.— Bear dance.— Beggars' dance.— Scalp dance. LETTER No. XXXI.— p. 376. Mouth of Tcton Rivbb. Bisons (or buffaloes), description of.— Habits of —Bulls' fighting.- Buffalo wal- lows.— Fairy circles.— Running the buffaloes, and throwing the arrow.— Buffalo ehase.— Use of the laso.— Hunting under masque of white wolf skins.— Hones destroyed in buffalo hunUng.— Buffalo calf.— Mode of catching and bringing in.— Immense and wanton destruction of buff'aloes.— One thousand four hundred killed.— White wolves attacking buffaloes.— OontemplaUoni on the probable extinction of buffaloes and Indians. la CONTENTS l\ LETTER No. XXXII.— p. 403. Cantonment Leavenworth.— Shienncs.— Portraits of. — Floyd's Grare.— Back Bird's Grare.- Beautiful grassy bluffs.— Mandan remains.— Bollo Vue.—Squari hills.— Mouth of Platte.— Buffaloes crossing. LETTER No. XXXIIL— p. 423. Qroase shooting before the burning prairies.— Prairie bluffs buming.^Prairit meadows burning. LETTER No. XXXIV.— p. 434. loways.— Konzas.— Mode of shaving the head.— Pawnees.— Small-pox amongst Pawnees.— Major Dougherty's opinion of the Fur Trade.— Grand Pawnees.— Ottoes.— Omahas. LETTER No. XXXV.— p. 443. St Louis.— Loss of Indian curiosities, Ac — Qovomor Clarke. LETTER No. XXXVI.— p. 447. Pensaoola, Florida.— Verdido.—.'''.ne woodji of Florida.— Santa Rosa Island.— Prophecy.- Start for Camanch: o country. LETTER No. XXXVII.-p. 452. Transit up the Arkari^ ' .ivor. — Fort Gibson, Ist regiment United States' Dragooti» reviewed. — Equippin^; and starting of Dragoons for the Camanchee country. L 3TTER No. XXXVIII.— p. 459. Fort Gibson.-rOsages. — Portraits of Osages. — Former and present condition of.— > Start for Camanohees and Pawnee Plots. LETTER No. XXXIX.— p. 465. Mouth of the False Washita and Red River. — Beautiful praiiie country. — Arkansas grapes. — Plums. — Wild roses, currants, gooseberries, prickly pears, Ao. — Buffalo chaos. — Murder of Judge Martin and family. LETTER No. XL.— p. 471. Sickness at the Month of False Washita— one-bi !f the regiment start for tht Camonchees, under command of Col. Dodge.— Sickness of General Learen. worth, and causa of.— Another buffalo hunt. CONTENTS. 18 LETTER No. XLI.— p. 477 SrcAt Cftmanchee village, Texas.— A stampedo.— Meeting a Camanohee war partji and mode of approaching them. — They turn about and escort the Dragooni to their village. — Immense herds of buffaloes. — Buffaloes breaking through th* ranlis of the Dragoon regiment. — Wild horses— sagacity of— wild horsef at play.— Joe Chadwiolc and I "creating" a wild horse.— Talcing the wild borM with laso, and "breaking down." — Chain of the Roclcy Mountain. — ApproMh to the Camanohee village. — Immense number of Camanohee horses— prlOM of. — Capfe Duncan's purchase. LETTER No. XLII.— p. 493. Description of the Camanohee village, and view of. — Painting a family group.— Camanchees moving. — Wonderful feats of riding, — Portraits of Camanohee chiefs.— Estimates of the Camanchees. — Pawnee Plots, Eiowos, and Wicos. LETTER No. XLIII.— p. 502. The regiment advance towards the Pawnee village. — Description and view of the Pawnee village. — Council in the Pawnee village. — Recovery of the son of Judge Martin, and the presentation of the three Pawnee and Kiowa women to their own people. — Return of the regiment to the Camanohee village.— Pawnee Pioti, portraits of. — Eiowas. — Wioos, portraits of. LETTER No. XLIV.— p. 510. Camp Canadian. — Immense herds of bnffaIoeB.-.-areat slaughter of them.— Bitra- ordinary sickness of the command. — Suffering from impure wator.- Sloknosi of the men. — Horned frogs. — Curious adventure in catching them.— Death of Qeneral Leavenworth and Lieutenant M'Clure. LETTER No. XLV.— p. 517. Return to Fort Gibson. — Severe and fatal sickness at that place. — Death of Lira* tenant West. — Death of the Prussian Botanist and his servant. — Indian Couneil at Fort Gibson. — Outfits of trading-parties to the Camanchees — Probable eons*' quenoes of. — Curious minerals and fossil shells eollected and thrown away.— Mountain ridges of fossil shells, of iron and gypsum. — Saltpetre and salt LETTER No. XLVI.— p. 529. Alton, on the Mississippi.- Captain Wharton.- His sickness at Fort Gibson.— Tbo Author starting alone for St Louis, a distance of five hundred miles, aorois tbo prairies.— His outfit.- The Author and his hone "Charley "encamped on a level prairie.— Singular flreak and attachment of the Author's horse.— A boao- UAiI valley in the prairies.— An Indian's esiimation of a newspaper.— Rlqua'i village of Osages.- Meeting Captain Wharton at the Klokapoo prairie.— Dlffl. oulty of swimming rivers.- Crossing the Osage.- Boonviile on tho Mlssonri.— Author reaches Alton, and starts for Florida. '1 i- 14 CONTENTS. |l ! LETTEll No, XLVII.— p. 544. Trip to Florida and TexM, and bock to St. Louis.— Klckapooi, portnlta of.- Weaa, portraiu of.— I'ulowiiloinlei, porlraiu of.— KB«ka«ia», portraita of.— Peo- riai, portrait! of.— Plankcihawi.— Delawares.— Moheconnonhi, or Mobogani.— On«ldaf.—Tuiknrora*.—Sonecai.— Iroquois. LETTER No. XLVIIL— p. 560. Flatheadf, Nei P«rc(!(.— Vlalltead Million aorou tlie Rocky Mountaini to St. Louii.— Million of tlie Uoverondi Meiiri. Lee and Spalding beyond the Rooky Hountaini.— Cbinooki, portratU of.— Proceii of flattening the head— and cradle. -Flathead ikulli.— Similar ouitom of Choctawi.- Choctaw tradition.— Curloui manufaoturei of the Cbinooki.— Kllok«taoke.—Cbuhaylaa, and Na-aa Indiani.— Character and dlipotltlou of the Indlani oo the Columbia. LETTER No. XLIX.— p, 570. Shawanoi.— Shawnee prophet and hli traniactloni.— Cherokeei, portrait! of.~ Oreeki, portrait! of,— Chootawi, portrait* of.— Ball-play.— A dlitingulihed baU- player.— Eagle dance.- Tradition of the Deluge— Of a future state,- Origin of the Crawfiih band. LETTER No. L,— p. 690. Fort Snelllng, near the Fall of Hi. Anthony. — Description of the Upper MiuU- lippi. — View on the Upper Miisisiippi, and " Dubuque's Grare." — Fall of St Anthony.- Fort Snelllng.— A Sioux cradle, and modes of canying their xhlU dren. — Moaming cradle, same plate.— Sioux portraits. LETTER No, LI.— p, 599. Fourth of July at the Fall of St, Antho.;y, and amuiements. — Dog dance of the Sioux. — Ohippeway Tillage.— Ohippeways making the portage around the Fall of St Anthony.— Ohippeway bark canoei. — Mandan canoes of skins. — Sioux oanoei. — Sioux and Cblppeway snow-shoes. — Portraits of Ohippeways. — Snow- shoe dance. LETTER No. LII,— p. 608. The Author descending the Misilisippl in a bark canoe.— Shot at by Sioux In- dlans.— Lake Pepin and " Lover's Leap."— Pike's Tent, and Cap au'l'ali.— "Comloo Rocks."— Prairie du Chlen.— Ball-ploy of the women.— Wlnnebagooi, portrait! of.— Menomonies, portraits of.— Dubuque.— Lockwood's oave.—Camp del Moines, and vliit to Keokuk's village. LETTER No, LIIL— p. 623. The Author and bii bark canoe sunk In the Dcs Moine's Rapida.— The Author leA on Mascotin Island.— Death of Joe Chadwiok.— The "Weit," not tht-Far '^Mt"— Author'! eontemplatiou! on the probable Aitura condition of tho OrMt VaUey of the Mliiiiiippi. CONTENTS. 15 LETTER No. LIV.— p. 638. Odteau des Prairiei. — Mackinaw and Sault de St. Mary'i. — Catching white figh.— Canoe race. — Chippewayg, portraits of. — Voyage up the Fox Biyer. — ^Voyage down the Ouisooniin in baric oanoe. — Red Pipe Stone Quarry, on the CAteaa dee Prairiea. — Indian traditions relative to the Ked Pipe Stone. — The " Leajrfng Rock." — The Author and his companion stopped by the Sioux, on their way, and objections raised by the Sioux. — British medals amongst the Sioux. — Moni. La Fromboise, kind reception. — Encampment at the Pipe Stone Quarry. — ^Ba'tiite'a " Story of the Medicine Bag." — " Story of the Dog," prelude to, — Leaving the Mandans in oanoe. — Passing the Riooarees in the night — Encamping on the side of a olay-bluff, in a thunder-storm. LETTER No. LV.— p. 679. " Story of the Dog" told. — Story of Wi-jun-jon (the pigeon's egg head). — Further aoeouttt of the Red Pipe Stone Quarry, and the Author's approach to it — Bonl« ders of the Prairies. — Chemical analysis of the Red Pipe Stone. LETTER No. LVI.— p. 708. Autfa or's return from the COteau des Prairies. — " Laque du Cygn." — Sioux taldng Muskrats.— Qathering wild rice. — View on St Peter's rirer. — The Author aud his companion embark in a log oanoe at " Traverse de Sioux." — Arrive at FaU of St Anthony. — Lake Pepin. — Prairie dn Chien. — Cassvillo. — Rock Island. — Sao and Fox Indians, portraits of. — Ee-o-kuk on horseback. — Slave danoe. — << Smoking horses." — Begging- dance. — Sailing in canoes. — Discovery-dance. — Dance to the Berdash. — Dance to the medicine of the brave. — ^Treaty with Sa^ra and Foxes — Stipulations of. LETTER No. LVII.— p. 723. Fort Moultrie.— Seminolees. — Florida war. — Prisoners of war. — Osceola. — Cloud, King Philip. — Co-ee-ha-jo. — Creek Billy, Mickenopah. — Death of Osceola. LETTER No. LVIII.— p. 728. North-Westem Frontier — General remarks on. — General appearance and habit* of the North American Indians. — Jewish customs and Jewish resemblances.^ Probable origin of the Indians. — Languages. — Government — Cruelties of pun- ishments. — Indian queries on white man's modes. — Modes of war and peace. — Pipe of peace danoe. — Religion. — Picture writing, songs and totems. — Policy of removing the Indiana.— Trade and small-pox, the principal destroyers of the Indian tribes. — Murder of the Root Diggers and Riocaroes. — Concluding remarks. -V APPENDIX A. Account of the destruction of the Mandans. — Anther's reasons for believing them to have perpetuated the remains of the Welsh Colony established by IMm* Madoo. * 'VS *-^ 16 CONTENTS. A.PPENDIX B. Vocabulariei of leveral diflerent Indian languagea, showing tteir diMimilftrity. APPENDIX 0. Oompariion of the Ind.an'i original and teeondarp chanotM. CATLIN'8 LETTERS AND NOTES ON THS NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS. LETTER No. 1. As the following pages have been hastily compiled, al 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 tu make this page the b^inning of my book, dispensing with Preface, and 18 LETTERS AND NOTES ON THE 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 Wyoming, 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 " Lidian 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. NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS. 19 At the urgent request of my father, who was a practising lawyer, I was prevailed upon to abandon these favorite 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 Beeve 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 oommenced the art of painting in Philadelphia, without teacher or adviser. I there closely applied piy hand to the labors of the art for several years ; during which time my niind was con- tinually 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," sud- denly arrived in the city, arrayed and equipped in all their <3lassio 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 \ 10 LBTTEBS AND N0TB8 ON 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 iife-time of one man, and nothing short of the loss of my life, shall prevent me from visiting their country, and of becoming their hititorian. 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 •nd 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 1882, and penetrated the vast and pathless wilds which are familiarly denomi- Dated 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 portray with fidelity their native looks and history ; thus snatching from a hasty oblivion what could be saved for the benefit of posterity, irOBTH AMBRIGAN INDIANS. 21 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 familiar- ize 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 observa- tion ; 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 bring- ing 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 Bocky Mountains ; and a con- siderable part of the following Letters were written and published in the New York papevs, as early as the years 1832 and 1838; long before the Tours of Washington Irving, and several others, whose interesting narratives are before the world. 11 LETTERS AND NOTES ON THE I have, as yet, by no means visited all the tribes ; but 1 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 four hundred thousand souls. I have brought home safe, and in good order, three hundred and ten portraits in oil, all painted in their native dress, and in their own wigwams ; and also two hundred 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 three thousand 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 wig- wam down to the size of a quill or a rattle. So much of myae^axid of my ivorkSf 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 two hundred and fifty years — twelve millions of whose bodies have fattened the soil in the mean time; who have fallen victims to whisky, the small-pox, and the bayonet ; leaving at this ;: NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS. 28 time but a meagre proportion to live a shoH 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 by, become subjects of doubt and incredulity to the world for whom his book was preparing. Such an his- torian 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 pro- phecy 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-colored ; that their eyes and their hair are black, &o. ; that they are mostly uncivilized, and consequently unchristianized ; that they are nevertheless id 14 LETTKRS AND NOTES ON THE human beings,* with features, thoughts, reason, and sympa- thies like our own ; but few yet know how they Uve, how (hey dreUf how they wcrthip, what are their actions, their customs, their religion, their amusements, &o., 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 theae 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 vivid* ness of their coloring, 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 (i\ho 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-colored, 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 flourinhing people, enjoying all the comforts and luxuries of life which they knew of, and consequently cared for: — were sixteen miUiOns in numbers, and sent that number of daily prayers ffOBTU AMIRIOAK UfDIANS. W to the Almighty, and thanks for his goodness and proteo* tioD. 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 remain- der to the sword, the bayonet, and whisky; 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 com and with pemican." Of the two millions remaining alive at this time, about one million four hundred thousand are already the miserable living victims and dupes of the white man's cupidity, degraded, discouraged and lost in the bewildering maase that is pro- duced by the use of whisky and its concomitant vices ; and the remaining number are yet unrousad 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 deduc- tions 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 reoolleo- tion, or from the haggard deformities and distortions of disease and death), I offer to the world for their amuse- 26 LBTTIRS AND NOTES ON THB ; ment, 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 minutise 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 Eocky Modntains, 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 butch- eries 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 whisky — ^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 NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS. 27 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 — strugglirg in their nakedness with their simpla weapons, against guns and gunpowder — against whisky 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 when- ever 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 raeans 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 honorable and highly intellectual beings ; and others, both friends and foes to the red men, have spoken of them as an " anomaly in nature r LITTBBS AND NOTES ON THE r>:'i Ij I : '.It" :; (if li .) a 'hi i! i i m , r '' '■; In this place I have no time or inclination to reply to 80 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 niade 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 vol- umes with care, will be disposed to join me in the conclu- sion that the North American Indian, in his native state, is an honest, hospitable, faithful, brave, warlike, cruel, revengeful, relentless — yet honorable, 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 ap' predated. I am fUUy 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. NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS. 2» 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 honorable 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 vnld 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 adjec- tive ; and nearly the whole civilized world apply the word savage, as expressive of the most ferocious, cruel, and mur- derous 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 ^readed (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 80 LBTTEBS AND NOTES ON THE i ! \'J\ Amburgh shewed the world, that even these ferocious aud unreasoning animals wanted only the friendship ana close embrace of their master, to respect and to love him. As evidence of the hospitality of these ignorant and be- nighted people, and also of their honesty and honor, there will be found recorded many striking instances in the following pages. And also, as an oflfset 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 liave 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 favor 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 command- ments 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 mav seem, in the absence of all systems of jurisprudence, I have often beheld peace and happiness, and quiet, reigning NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS. 81 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 aflfection 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 afiairs 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 just- ness 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 calamily, short of the gra^e. 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 beautifiil 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 simpli- city 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 & basket of dead game, — ^harassed, chased, bleeding and dead ; with their plumage and colors 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 ftirther 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 82 LSTTEBS AND XOTES. journeyed through those remote realms) in searoh of infor- mation and rational amusement; in tracing out the true character of that *^ strange anorrxly** of man in the simple elements of his nature, undissolved or compounded into the myiteries of enlightened and fashionable life. -M ' i'l LETTER No. H. MOUTH OP YELLOW STONE, UPPER MISSOVBl, 1832. I ABBIVBD at this place yesterday in the steamc - " Yellow Btone," 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 en this turbid stream, have been by degrees overcome by the indefatigable zeal of Mr. Chouteau, a gen- tleman 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, three hundred feet square, with bastions armed with ordnance; and our approach to it, amid 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 S (88) I' \, ,1 »4 LBTTERS AND NOTES ON THK thrilling and picturenque appearance. A voyage so full of incident, and furnishing so many novel scenes of the ((icturesquo and romantic, as we have passed the numerous villages of the "astonished natives," saluting them with the pudlng of steam and the thunder of artillery, would afford Hubjeot for many epistles; and I cannot deny myself the pleasure of occasionally giving you some little sketches of Hoenes that I have witnessed, and am witnessing; and of the singular feelings that are excited in the breast of the stran- ger travelling through this interesting country. Interesting (us I have said) and luxurious, for this is truly the land of Epicures; we are invited by the savages to feasts of dogs^ meatf as the most honorable 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 Westeni World; and still more startled, when I tell you that I am here in the full enthu- siasm and practice of my art. That enthusiasm alone has brought me into this remote region, three thousand five hundred miles from my native soil ; the last two thousand 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 enjoy- ments of those conditions, on which alone I was induced to pursue the art as a profession ; and in anticipation of which alone, my admiration fur the art could ever have been kindled into a pure flame. I mean the free use of nature's undisguised models, with thp 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 con- tinual intercourse with the polite world ; yet have I this OODfloltttion, that in this country, I am entirely divested of those dangerous steps and allurements which beset an artiii in fashionable life; and have little to steal my thoughts away from the contemplation of the beautiful NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS. 85 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. I have for a long time been of opinion, that the wilder- ness 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 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 ro- mantic country ; of hundreds of these graceful youths, with- out 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, float- ing 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 colors and trappings, moving with most exquisite grace and manly ^ M LETTBRS AND NOTES ON THE M beauty, added to that bold defiance wbiob man carries oo hia front, who acknowledges no superior on earth, and who is amenable to no ?.awa except the laws of God and hdlor. 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, contem- plated 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 cu? toms changed, and therefore lost to the world ; and they a^ 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, phoenix-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 de- signed to visit every tribe of Indians on the Continent, if my life should be spared ; for the purpose of procuring por- traits of distinguished Indians, of both sexes in each tribe \)ainted 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 labors will doubtless be interesting to future ages; who will have little else left from which to judge of the original mhabitants 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 NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS. 37 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 af- forded 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 unex- plored 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. III. ' MOUTH OP YELLOW STONE, UPPER MISSOURI. Since the date of my former Letter, I have been so muoh 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 two thousand miles, from St. Louis to this plac9 ; 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 wlience I am now writing, to its junction with the Missis- sippi, a distance of two thousand miles, the Missouri, with its boiling, turbid waters, sweeps off, in one unceasing current; and in the whole distance there is scarcely ao (38) KORTH AMEBICAN Iin)IAXS. 89 «ddy or resting-place for a canoe. Owing to the contiriual falling in of its rich alluvial banks, its water is always turbid and opaque ; having, at all seasons of the year, the oolor of a cup of chocolate or coffee, witli sugar and cream ■tirred 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 color, a stranger would think, even in its lowest state, that there was a freshet upon it. For the distance of one thousand miles above St. Luuis, the shores of this river (and, in ^any 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. 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 be denominated the " River Styx," I will not undertake to decide ; but n >thing could be more appropriate or innocent than to call it the Biver^ Sticks. 40 LETTERS AND NOTES ON THE 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, howevei, are without timber, where the eye is delightfully relieved by wandering over the beautifiil 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 per- haps, 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 th& 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 oyer the thousand hills, and blufb, and dales, and ravines ; where NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS. 41 the astonished herds of bufl&iloes, of elks, and antelopes, and sneaking wolves, and mountain-goats, were to be seen hounding 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 fklls of the Missouri, a distance of two thousand six hundred 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 debris into the ocean. By the continual overflowing of the river, its de- posits have been lodged and left with a horizontal surface, spreading the deepest and richest alluvion over the {(urface 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 colon imaginable — some with their green sides gracefully slope down in the most lovely groups to the water's edge; whilst others, divested of their verdure, present themselyei in immense masses of day of different colors, 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 42 i;ettebs and notes on the changing the dimenHions, and varying the thousand sbapei 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 porticoes, and here and there a solitary column and crumbling pedestal, and even spires of clay which stand alone — and glistening in the distance, as the sun's rays are refracted back by the thousand «rystals of gypsum which are imbedded in the clay of which they are formed. 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 colors of these clay-built ruins ; shedding a glory over the solitude of this wild and pictured country, which no one can realize unless ho travels here and looks upon it. It is amidst these wild and quiet haunts that the moun- tain-shecp, 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 griiizly 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 two thousand 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 ! '■• XOBTH AMEBICJLN INDIANS. 48 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 com- pletely "astonish (and astound) the natives," it was the appearance of our steamer, puffing and blowing, and pad- dling and rushing by their villages which were on the banks of the river. These poor and ignorant people for the distance of two thousand 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 taw-mill^^ — and they had no name for it — so it was, like every thing else (with them,) which is mysterious and unac- countable, 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 suc- cession, 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 6f 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 — 44 LETTERS AND NOTES ON THB 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." 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 inci- dents 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 depot 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 Scotch- man; and seems to have charge of all the Fur Companies* business in this region, and from this to the Rooky Mountains. He lives in good and comfortable style inside »OKTH AMJBRICAN INDIANS. 45 of the Fort, which contains some eight or ten log-housea 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 luxurios of the country; with buffalo meat and tongues, with beavers' tails and marrow- fat; bat sans coffee, sans bread and butter, ^ood' 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 mtne host; and whose intellectual and polished society has added not a little to myi 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 enter taining conversatioD, 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 bottles of Port and Madeira, and a consider- able 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 con- oentrating 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, Assinne ■. 'iC i*. 46 LETTERS AND NOTES. boins 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 exoursions 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 Qjibbe> ways, the Assinneboins, Knisteneaux, Blackfeet, Grows, Shiennes, Grosventres, Mandans, and others ; of whom and their customs, their history, traditions, costumes, &c., I shall in due season, give you fiirther and minute accounts. LETTER— No. IV. MOUTH OP YELLOW STONE. Thb several tribes of Indians inhabiting the regions oi the Upper Missouri, and of whom I spoke in my last Letter, are undoubtedly the finest-looking, best equipped, and most beautifully costumed cf any on the Continent. They live in a country well-stocked with buffaloes and wild horses, which fiirnish them an excellent and easy living; their at- mosphere 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 (47) 48 LBTTER8 AND NOTES ON THE Mi •tate of nature, with the least knowledge of civilized society, would be found to bo 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 Blaokfcet stand first; and no one would be able to appreciate the riobnesi 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 thing 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 trap- pings, 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 num- bers on these beautiful prairies, afford them an abundance of meat; and so much is it prefSerred 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 flavor, 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 KOBTU AMERICAN INDIANS. 49 -converting the skins, horns, hoofe and bones, to the con- struction 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. The cow ie less in stature, and less ferocious; though not much less wild and frightful in her appearance. AlllBICAir BISON — FEHAU: IN THK DISTANCK The mode in which these Indians kill this noble animal is spirited and thrilling in the extretne ; 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 often«r 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 ftiU speed; and the reader may easily im- 50 LETTEB8 AVD NOTES OX THE ■ I m agine, that these scenes afford the most spirited and pictur- esque viewB 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. T mentioned the other day, that M'Kenzie's table from day to day groans under the weight of buflfalo tongues and beavers' tails, and other luxuries of this western land. He has within his Fort a spacious ice-house, in which he pre- serves 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 (net to hunt, but to "go for meat.") He leads the party, mounted on his favorite buffalo horse (t. e. the horse amongst his whole group which is best trained to run the buffalo,) trailing a light and short gun in hifj 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 morn- ing, 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, D^fonde arid TuUook (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. As we were mounted and ready to start, McKenzie 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 WOKTH AnERlOAir mDIANS. 51 Ihe bluflf ; and to be sure, as was said, there was in full view of ns a fine herd of some four or five hundred bufGEiloes, perfectly at rest, and in their own estimation (probably) perfectly secure. Some were grazing, and othen were lying down and sleeping ; we advanced within a mile or so of them in full view, and came to a halt. Mona. Chardon " tossed the feather" (a custom always observed, to try the course of the wind), and we commenced " strip- ping" as it is termed (t. 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 oif, and coats — and bullet-pouches; sleeves are rolled up, a handkerchief tied tightly around the head, and p.nother around the waist — cartridges are prepared and placed in the waist-coat pocket, or a half dozen bullets "throwed into the mouth," &c., &c., all of which takes up home 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 "strip- ping" and mounting, they exhibit the most restless im- patience; 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 I (and all nmi start, for no one could check the fury of those steeds at that moment of excitement,) and away all sailed, and 52 LETTERS AND NOTES ON TUB over the prairie flew, in a cloud of dust which was raisud by their trampling hoofs. McKenzie was foremost in the throng, and soou dashed off anaiidst the dust and was out of sight — he was after the fkttest and the fastest. I had dis covered a huge bull whose shoulders towered above the whole band, and I picked my way through the crowd to get alongside of 'iim. 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 wks on a bufl^lo's back or my horse — hit, and hooked, and joiJtled 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, Mous. 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 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 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 youl are you hurt Chardon?" " hi— hie hie hie ^hic hie I believe not. -no, -nic- -no- -no, Oh ! this is not much, Mons. Cataline — ^this is nothing new —but this is a hard piece of ground here — ^hic— oh 1 hie I" 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 it» eyes, and with a hie and a ugh — uohk I sprang NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS. 68 npon 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, andthe 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 1 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 exhiliration 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 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 ray own observations,) that he was reputed (and actually waa) the most distinguished of all the white men who have flourished in these regions, in the pursuit of the bufi&lo. m I i li!! 0! 66 LETTBRS AND NOTKS. Oq our return to the Fort, a bottle or two of wine wer« set forth upon the table, and around it a half dozen parched throats were soon moistened, and good cheer ensued. Ba'tiste, D^fonde, Chardon, &c., retired to their quarters, enlarging smoothly upon the events of our morning's work; which they were reciting to their wives and sweet-hearts ; when about this time the gate of the Fort was thrown open, and the proceusion of carts and paokhorses laden with buf- falo meat made its entree ; gladdening the hearts of a hun- dred women and children, and tickling the noses of as many hungry dogs and puppies, who were stealing in and smell- ing at the tail of the procession. The door of the ice-house was thrown open, the meat was discharged into it, aad 1 being &tigued, went asleep. > jr ■-. f LETTER No. V. MOUTH OP YELLOW STONE, UPPER MISSOXIRI. In my former epistle I told you there were enoamped about the Fort a host of "wild, incongruous spirits— ohie& and sachems — ^warriors, braves, and women and children of different tribes — of Crows and Blaokfeet — Ojibbeways — Assinneboins — and Grees 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 myiitmea of the highest order to these red sons of the prairie, and (67) c«/^ ■?7 68 LETTERS AND NOTES ON THE my room the earliest and latest place of concentration oi these wild and jealous spirits, who all meet here to be amused and pay me signal honors; 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. Whilst sitting for his picture he has been sur- rounded by his own braves and warriors, and also gazed at by his enemies, the Crows and the Knisteneaux, Assinne- boins and Ojibbeways: a number of distinguished per- sonages 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 com- bustible 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 bowr '''ill again be drawn on each other. The name of this dignitary, of whom I have just spoken, is Stu-mick-o-suoks (the buflfalo's back fat), i. e. the "hump'* or " fleece," the most delicious part of the buffalo's flesh. There is no tribe, perhaps, on the Continent, who dross 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 h\\ KOBTH AMEBTCAK INDL/UffS. 69 there is a distinctive mode in eaoli tribe, of stitohiag 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, 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 sus- pended 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 ; 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 turth like a tried warrior ; and I have painted him at full length with his bow and quiver slung. And his robe made of a racoon skin. The history of thie child is somewhat curious aad interesting ; his father it 60 LSTTKBS AND NOTES ON THB 1' I mi 81 ; 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 con- siderable 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 SOALPINO. ■* v 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 &om a point, and exactly over what the phrenologists call self-esteem. This patch then is kept and dried with great care, as proof posi' NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS. 61 tive of the death of an enemy, ev. ce of a man's claims as a warrior; and after having been formally "danced" as the saying is, (t. 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 interestiiig 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, beautiflilly garnished with porcupine quills, and the battles of his life very in- geniously, though rudely, portrayed in pictorial represen- tations. 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 porcupine quills of various colors; and the bowl of the pipe ingeniously carved by himself from a piece of red steatite of an interesting charac- ter, 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 as- suredly make it a point, during my Indian rambles, to visit 03 LBTTBRS AND NOTES ON THK the placo from whence it is brought. I have already got a number of most remarkable traditions and stories relating to the "sucrod quarry;" of pilgrimages performed there to procure the stone, and of curious transactions that have taken plaue on that ground. It seems, from all I can learn, that all the tribes in these regions, and also of the Missis- sippi 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 Boman and Grecian shield was curried, 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 weild their 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 enemies. 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 abun- dance 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 appf ently an insignificant weapon, though one of great : i 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. They have, no doubt, studied to get the requisite power in the NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS. 68 Biiiallest compass possible, as it is more easily and hMxdilj used on horseback than one of greater length. The gn*tar number of these bows are made of ash, or of "boia d'aro** (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 Crows) which are made of bone, and others of the horns of the mountain-sheep. Those made of bone are decidedly the most valuable, and can- not 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 speci- mens, and when purchasing them have inquired of the Indians, what bone they were made of? and in every in- stance, 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 sup- posed), which is of a dark color and porous: nor can it come from the bufi&lo. 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. 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 tke open plains. No one can easily credit the force witk 64 LETTERS AND NOTES ON THE 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 buf&Ioes, and wit- nessed 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 iheir mouths and nostrils. Their bows are often made of bone and sinews, and their arrows headed with flints or with bones, of their own con- struction, or with steel as they are now chiefly furnished by the Fur Traders quite to the Itocky Mountains. The quiver, which is uniformly carried on the back, and made of the panther or otter skins, 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 wrow passes entirely through the animal's body. An Indian, therefore, mounted on u fleet and well-trained horse, with his bow in his hand, aiii 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, with a blade of polished XORTH AMKRlv-AN INDIANS. ms 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. 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, marlo 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 In those days also were darts or javelins and wars. 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 o' 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 instru- ments 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 medidm or mystery. Of the Blackfeet, whom I mentioned in the beginning of 5 6d LITTERS AND NOT£S OK THB ri-TOB-Pn-KI88. tbia 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). 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-looks, of vage and civil. NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS. «7 I have painted him at full length, with a head-drem made entirely of ermine skins and horns of the bufl'alo. This custom of wearing horns beautifully polished and Eurmountitig the head-dress, is a very curious one, being worn only by the bravest of the brave ; by the most extra- ordinary men in the nation. 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 resem- blance" of an aged chief, who combines with his high office, the envied title of mystery or medicine-man, t. 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 ;) 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-neo-cose, (the iron horn,) at full length, in a splendid dress, with his " modioine-bag" in his hand; and Ah-kay-ee-pix-en, (the woman who strikes many,) in a beautiful dress of the mountain -goats' skin, and her r^be of the young buffalo's hide. FUR TRADERS. LETTER No. VI. MOUTH OF YELLOW STONE, UPPER MISSOURI. Now for medicines or mysteries — for doctors, high priests, for hocus pocua, witchcraft, and animal magnetism ! In the last Letter I spoke of Pe-toh-pee-kiss (the eagle ribs), a Blaokfoot brave, whose portrait I had just painted (W) NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS. 6» at full length, in a splendid dress. I mentioned also, that he held two medicine-bags in his hand ; as they are repre- sented in the picture ; both of them made of the skins ol 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 *' rnedicine'^ and " medicine- bag /" and also some medicine operations, which I have seen transacted at this place within a few days past. " Medi- cine" 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 Cus oms. • The Fur Traders in this country, are nearly all French ; and in their lan/^aage, a doctor or physician, is called " Medicin^ 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 habi- tually applied to every thing mysterious or unaccountable ; and the Engliah 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 per- sonages 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; ijl ;'i TO LBTTEB8 AND NOTES ON THE 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 con- Btruction, synonymous 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? l^hese bags are constructed of the skins of animals, of birds, or of reptiles, and ornamented and pre- served 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 aeoo- rated 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 fined 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 land penance of various kinds are often suffered, to appease his medicine, whioh he imagines he has in some way offended. NORTH AMERICAN IN DUNS. n 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 ago 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 idl'li IH 72 LETTKKS AND NOTKS ON TilE Ff 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 restc^d, 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 honorable" 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 devo- tions, as long as he lives. These curious appendages to the persons or wardrobe of an Indian are sometimes made of the skin of an otter, a beaver, a musk-rat, a weazel, a raccoon, a polecat, 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 ill h ll NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS. 73 80 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 hig grave and decays with his body. This is but the beginning or incipient stage of " medi- cines," however, in this strange and superstitious country : and if you have patience, I will carry you a few de- grees 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 bj 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 Mi "ii '" ' V pi. 74 LBTTEBS AND N0TK3 ON THE poke the muzzle of his gun through between the piquets when he fired it at one of the chiefs of the Blackfeet, whc stood within a few paces, talking with Mr. M'Kenzie, and shot him with two musket bullets through the centre of his body I 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 bluflfe, 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' mun 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 ! I have mentioned that all tribes have their physicians who are also medicine (or mystery) men. These profes- sional gentlemen are worthies of the highest order in all the 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 herba. NUUTH AMKBICAN INDIANS. 75 of which they have a great variety of species ; and when these have all failed, their last resort is to "rMdume" or mystery; and for this purpose, each one of them has a strange and unaccountable dress, conjured up and con- structed 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 soogs 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 Esculapius will be seen for several days after, on the top of a wigwam, with his right hand 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, in which the doctor could perform his wonder- fiil 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 T' 7fl LBTTBR-i AND NOTES ON THE HChTOjly pcrc'ei)tiblo to the ear, as lie 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 mys'eries were to be performed, KoadcrBl you may have seen or read of the witch of Endor— or you may imagine all the ghosts, and spirits, and ftiric*, that over ranked amongst the "rank and file" of domonology ; and yet you must see my painting of this iitrange scene before vou can form a just conception of real frightful ugliness and Indian conjuration— yes, and even jnore: you must see the magic dreaa 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 entrfee and his garb were somewhat thus : — he ap- proached the ring with his body in a crouching position, 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 rattla, and in the other brandished his medicine-spear or magio wand ; to the rattling din and discord of all of which, he add^d the wild and startling jumps and yelps of the "^ndian, and tbe 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 equip- ments. ,•«*<■ -*'■ ®"-'' •**• !'•'• ii»u!.;.'iua!v and .slowly ' .'A. '.- »a»aaHi*' I« ^! furbnit, whicb at length ' ;'\« .Kv^' ia v'iM» ft thK piiiable object •w* i.*'vtf 'j«^>a ui* Hja'i *)!' "dit) witch of '.. J* ■. «BW*g>ii»« »\i i^!'- ^hmia. itrid spirits, and -tr ~,,i f^-'^ ftmiH'«-«ft tl.« ' nii!ik and file" of • ^K 'Ov rmui «i8.ifi (Aum rntimn ''birr bii<^" « -' "'-urr^ ID all it?i jVarts), placed '"■'* ■" ' " .4'f«>. '-aV* mo ;mii,ato the stri'es '." ^' ' *^':u\4 ihe mttles of au fndiau •^V SH" <«i>- 'JiSf Spli 'mi: ■*- i-t -o^A' si'ni^'nvhat thus:—he ap- ' ,".*, t*.Hh \n ft crouching position, ^ " Vv^ ift^9 *• V JtMvfc ^'»,^, wrrv dangling on his - p t,b,** hM>v< )ki rhook tt frightful rattle, ?»*»tt«ii«tMHi ; ,* .'j»-*iiointj-»peur o- raagic ■•&■. *'*f*.w»/ difi *.,f? asAcord of all of which, he i ^&n,\'m^ >m,.i.-s and yelps of the Indian, *i' %i/|>alJing gj rjuwr. and snarls, and growls . - -^ fiacuJatriry »iutiies of deatli, whilst }\e ' . ' isfrj, ^^TOpmg (wvr hirn, a,nd pawing " ' ' ' - ;<• '■'. evvTy direction. " "* 'i.'emiiort prwtiijded for half sxxt :-'xv»roiis and destUidike silent ^■\ ilio rnedi-civse-man danced ' ■• vip, au<^ ti-!Kl, and secured hii mystery drtjea aud equip- ■■^^isfe*^'' NOBTB AMKBIOAK INDIANS. 77 THE MBDICINB MAN, FBOM OATLIN'B PAINTINO. This dress, in all its parts, is one of the greatest curiosi ties in the whole collection of Indian manufactures. 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 heax (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, medioine ; and there are also the skins of snakes and frogs and bats -^-beaks and 78 LETTERS AND NOTES. I ( 'ii 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 manoeuvres, which I have just witnessed in this strange country. These men, as I before remarked, are valued as dignita- ries 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 ^agic 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 relig- ious 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 Ib paid to their opinions. ■Sii 1 m m LETTER No. VIL MOUTH OF YELLOW STONE, UPPEB MISSOURI. Thb Letter which I gave you yesterday, on the subjeot of " medicines" and- medicine-men," has somewhat broken the " thread of my discourse ;" and left my painting-room (in the bastion,) and all the Lidians in it, and portraits, and bufi&lo hunts, and landscapes of these beautiful regions, to be taken up and discussed ; which I will now endeavor 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 Grows and Blackfeet, and Assineboins, whom I was tracing upon the canvass. And so I have been doing today, and shall be for several dayi to come. My painting-room has become so great a lounge, and I so great a " medicine-man," that all other amuse* ments are left, and all other topics of conversation and gossip are postponed for future consideration. The chieft have had to place "soldiers" (as they are called) at my (79) !■;,;. 80 LKTTER3 AND NOTES ON THE V -1 i IMllJ. door, with Hpcar.s in hand to protect me from tbe throng, who othorwisu would press upon me ; and none but the woithies arc allowed to come into my medicine apart- ments, and none to be painted, except such as are decided by the chicfo to bo worthy of so high an honor. The Crows and Blackfeet who are here together, are cnenues of the most deadly kind while out on the plains; but hero thoy sit and smoke quietly together, yet with a studied and dignified reserve. Tlie Ulackfeet are, perhaps, one of the most (if not entirely the most) numerous and warlike tribes on the Continent. Tlioy 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 computa- tions, are something like forty or fifty thousand — they are (like all other tribes whose numbers are sufficiently largo to give thom boldness) warlike and ferocious, i. e. they are predat(jry, are roaming fearlessly about the country, even into and through every part of the Eocky .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 neighborhood also to the base of the Rooky Mountains, are similar in the above respects to the Blackfeet; roaming about a great part of the year — and seelving their enemies wherever they can find thom. They nro a much smaller tribe than the Blackfeet, with whom they are always at war, and from whoso great numbers they suffer prodigiously in battle; and probably will be in a few years entirely destroyed by them. The Crows have not, parhaps, more than seven thousand 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 prosorve their warriors, it is a fair calculation to count one in five as warriors ; but among the Crows and Minatareoa, and Puncahs, and several other small but be throng, le but the iine apart- ,re decided ;ether, are bho plains ; (ret with a >st (if not )GS on tho itry about the Rocky computa- — they are antly largo e. they are intry, even itains, and of course, »f Yellow |o the base 'e respects the year nd them. :feet, with [oso great probably thousand hundred powerful ive been liloulation IrowB and lall but -i:.K I**** ,:f ■• •« r,! . i' ! *■;•'- »*^ ^'^'^ ""''^ ^"^' ^■'^■ iVAivM a^V ^u.-,v i ■ '■« iw ,t^^'i A ■?«.»; «u<>h a-s are dccid-il by f.h<5 cbt.'f" :•' "- ^-hv^vv •''- >'*'> ^ >«!^' **•'• i'O'ior. Tiiii -'i '*s iF'i Hiyukft*^'- '*'!>> ar^ :H:n^ together, arc vucan.?* =^i iv,v' :^Mj#; ie^i-'iy ki»j-i ^l '*» oui on the plains; but '':ior ^h- *''/h'. !■.; of rhfi country ubo'.it .x'V'i^rv f-t^^f- '»J.ia i'lioo to I hf;' Rocky ..■.V-.i. -'i-'m "Jw I'est c'ltrnpnta ;..'• •; *v • fx'.'%\' '.h'vi.-anil — they arf) ,« • V .--u.; b ffii Ai"i,' ffUihoieutly iarr^^ ' rtiv.t i»i-' •■I'i U-rociuiiH. i. €. they uw iS )• .stV"''-''!"? '»rKiUi the country, ev"!i :■■ ,«*•,' ..<^xh<: ikicky Mouatairjs, tnu ^ tssiv •-hMijj.eJv who .are, of cou''.:o, ■:.' frH^i • *r»tnlr¥ sb -ufc tiiem. ■'.: ■> . tin: hcaf] wtiterti of Yellow' i^'j..-*?' ;i- 4 -.jZ-if^V'S t' »;•!* Jriv'x fii:nB;:/borhood also to the hnse t-fi' Ifi* ^wtkt M •Jfasai^A i«cf V milar ju the above respect^ h: %ht Ti-la-Xfe'ti n^Vr.iii; «ijv;jT. 4k jrroat pj.rt of the year • -v>i'-? »W:u%' o'i^fiy »fi:t--. ifffi vhcicv-'.r thi\v cafi find t'nem. t^:~i n-yf 'ii'Vis^' '■itjtMfet Xn)^ ihen the Biacktbot, with itjf.i?:' i^;;" -%r*i a'»'i-v'« m wT^jj ftt'd from whose givat ^'Afe-'::^** iteM!ii^ «*#W f>r«rUi,' '>Qsly in battle; and probib'^* ^•*ij *.»; in j{ iV*^ »mm imt.-r-s-'^v 'i«5tx'i''yed by tliem. 1^; iVt»w«< fnf".'^ rjf'-fe, jit^-jftai)* more titan seven thousw!>; •.' tJ- •'« jjatti'ns aft'i pfWHiy n.u more than eight hun'i?*>i '*;«»!. >rs or ugiithip^ utou. Anwti^t the more |)owei? ^i .«» w^rriow, it is a fair crdcidat-if!: ii . "^I'ot oue in f^w »w wsrrir*n» ; hut ftYnong the T-rowfj ai.-: ,>^mai3ir<*e«, ■a*:A }' M^i-^vh^. nd ."several otfior small '!'!>■ ■.-.UlT - i' ' .:«t; ' .-■'.J-;ji-;5t '; "?'.- ,- ,,.,.■■ .' ;,«VW- ' "'■. ■'•*",•"■■ .»- -'u%:\' .»» ^' *■"- *' ^- .i :^' ' ^'XH ^;fe^.i; f-^;x;*:.: • ■^m '-"> . *s jf ?T . .r.- ;: '• *rt^i.: s£ti- r-vSt -■>-;Aaa t ,.:^:» U''> '.rt-/'^. ..*; ■* '.•*» *{£>• . f^if/^ :<-.>■ w :■ '-Jt^ Tk^>ii » ■>v-,.^'ti rv^,.,i i ^^ I s J throii'^, : hut t!ie. ae apii".- e (Iccid.'i-i ;ther, .irc . le plains ; it v.'it,h. h r (if not try abovit Ijf:' Hocky •.•((mpnta — thev cue titly Lirg'? . they y w \try, ev"!t bairjg, mO. ){' cou''..e, i' Yelh>\^- the hnse tho year 111 tliem. oot, wi»ih ).?e great [prob'tVriy ^1 H t: OllSftO-c hur)'it**«i fVOWOlf •-' ve h'i*-;-,- hiulat-K'T: v£m ows >r^': \lw iinll ;':»■ . 'f Tjy I NORTH AMKB1CA> INOIANS. 81 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 buftaloes 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 oourse 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, 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 bluff's, 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 l^ey can live much v armer and better protected from the aasaults of theii ei; ; : js, in case they t!. ■rf v'..'v_,-. LKTIKKS AND NOTES OX THK mm. m mm t\'i. 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, t-hey construct them as the Sioux do, atiil iiiaku thum of the same material; jet they oftentimes dress thu skins of which they are composed almost m /- V 1.' t :,;l| U ^li' i.,: . M ti :illii-f J i "It AN INDIAN LODOR white as linen, and beautifully garnish them with porcu- pine 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 .f NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS. 83 one of this description highly-ornamented, and fringed with Bcalp-locks, and sufficiently large for forty men to dino 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-live 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. 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 tho time announced, the lodge of the chief is seen flapping in the wind, a part of the poles having betin 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 '•ast 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 ifii' Of: ■ 'i I I)' r- 64 UBTTKBsJ AND NOTES ON THE h\ ■fi'ill' :;^({;!*! m'l that and the pok>s belim I tlie h.-rae, is placed the lodge or tent whicHia rolled up, and also numerous other articles of household and domestic furniture, and on the top of all. two throe, and even (sometime '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 may be joen drawn 'jut fur miles, creeping over the grass-covered piairis 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 u^ags 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 ; faithfiilly 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." The Crows, like the Blackfeet, are beautiftiUy costu' and perhaps with somewhat more of taste and elegr inasmuch as the skins of which their dresses are mad*; aro yORTlI AMERICAN INDIANS. 85 ihe lodge or sr articles of ( top of all. id children ! > sometimes pack upon of its back. ;r astride of ist with oue dog-pup in ith all their jeping over three times ig along in the rear of hat number n the train lem, who is nslaved, is it may be )ad — a part ;e to which are placed ,3 the lodge ger ends to is placed a T, and with id squaws ; night, and |e." COStUT elega % , 3 madi; ar« morn 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-dre.«sing. The art of tanning is unknown to them, po 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 orna- mental 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 wiU 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 ; V. ^■ «, * ; > *-, IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) /. 4^0 1.0 ■^111 li2-5 I.I L25 1 1^ 1^ IP 2 IE U. UI.6 nil ^=^ lllll^^ Photographic Sdences Corporation \ ^ K 4 •\ o ;\ 13 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716)872-4503 B6 LETTERS AND NOTES ON THE and by some chemical process or other, which I do not understand, the skins thus acquire a quality which enabios them, after being ever so many times wet, to dry soft and pliant as they were before, which secret I have never yet seen practised 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 expan- sion of cheat; and the skins of which their dresses are made, are chiefly dressed black, or of a dark brown color ; from which circumstauce, in all probability, they, having black leggings or moccasins, have got the name of Black- feet. 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 plun- dered 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 estima- tion 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 Traders' horses, and make their boast of it; considering it a kind of retaliation or summary justice, which they think it right and honorable that they should administer. And why not? for the KORTB AMERICAN INDIANS. 87 unlicensed trespass oommitted 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 ftxrs out of their country, without paying them an equivalent, or, in fiict, 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. Beader, I look upon the Indian as the most honest and honorable race of people that I ever lived amongst in my life ; and in their native state, I pledge you my honor, they are the last of all the human family to pilfer or to steal, if you trust to their honor ; and for this never-ending and boundless system of theft and plunder, and debauchery, that is practised off upon these rightful owners of the soil, by acquisitive white men, I consider the infliction, or retaliation, by driving off and appropri ating a few horses, but a lenient punishment, which those persons at least should expect; and which, in fact, none but a very honorable 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 honorable in their dealings 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 Grows 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, 88 LBTTERB AST) N0TB8 ON THE was the fact, that they had a good and suffioient reaBo:> for it. These gentlemen, with their party, were crossing the Crow country with a large itook of goods, of guns^ and ammunition, of knives, and spears, arrow-heads, &c. ; and stopped for some time and enoani])ed 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 disappoint- ing 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 t) -'■■ they were going to take them farther west; which tt would at once suppose was to the Blackfeet, their principbx 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 Grows, and cut them to pieces without mercy. Under these circum- stances, 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. li; 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 oomes in their way, provided the offender NORTH AMXBICAN INDIANS. 89 was a white man. And I would not be surprised, there* fore, if I get robbed of my horse ; and you too, readers, ii 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 honorable, honest, and high-minded races of people on earth ; and with Mr. Tullook, 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 honor, — and being fearless and proud, are quick to punish or retaliate. So much for the character of the Crows fc^* the present, a subject which I shall assuredly take up again, when I shall have seen more of them myselfl LETTER No. VIIL MOUTH OP TELLOW STONE, UPPER MISSOURI SmoE 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 hand- some 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 ot 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 thsv walk m NORTH AMKRICAN INDIANS. 91 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 fjEishion 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, ot 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 92 LETTERS AND NOTES ON THE if! inspecting every part of it at the same time, and satisfying themselves that it was the natural growth. On ordinary ocoasions 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 ocott* sion, nis 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 Grows, upon whom alone Nature has be- stowed this conspicuous and signal ornament. Amongst the Grows of distinction now at this place, I have painted the portraits of several, who exhibit some striking peculiarities. Amongst whom is Ghah-ee'ChopeM, (the four wolves,) 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 giadually to mourn as her hair approaches to its former length. I have also painted Pa-ris-ka-roo-pa (two orows) the younger, one of the most extraordinary men in the Grow nation ; not only for his looks, from the form of bis 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. NOBTH AMXBIOAN INDIANS. 98 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 charac- teristic ; 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. 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 ft 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 mav thereby be free from the epithet of effeminacy, which might otherwise attach to them. H LETTERS AXD NOTES ON THE These two tribes, whom I have spoken of connectedl}', speak two distinct and entirely dissiijiilar 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 inter- marry 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. The Blackfeet are, perhaps, the most powerfiil 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 endeavoring 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 Black- feet 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 lose some fifteen to twenty men annually, who fall by the hands of these people, in defence of what they deem their property and their rights. Trinkets and whisky, 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 NORTH AMSRICAK INDIANS. 95 wealth, to the Rocky MountainB 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 b(:st information that can be got from the Traders, there are not far from forty thousand Indiana (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 " Crosventres de Prairie" and Cotonn^s, 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 practising their own customs. The Blackfeet proper are divided into four bands or families, as follow: — ^the "Pe-a-gans," of five hundred lodges ; the " Blackfoot " band, of four hundred and fifly lodges; the "Blood" band, of four hundred and fifty lodges; and the " Small Robes," of two hundred and fifty lodges. These four bands constituting about sixteen hundred and fifty lodges, averaging ten to the lodge, amount to about sixteen thousand five hundred souls. There are then of the other tribes above-mentioned (and whom we, perhaps, incorrectly denominate Blackfeet), Grosventres des Prairies, four hundred and thirty lodges, with language entirely distinct ; Circees, of two hundred If ' III n LKTTKRS AND NOTES ON TUB aud twenty lodges, and Cotonn^s, of two hundred and fiflj lodges, with language also distinct from either.* There is in this region a rich and interesting field for the linguist or 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 Dahcotas 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 the Shiennes, and who speaks the language of tribes on either side of them, assures me that thebe 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, Cotonne, 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 ftilly convinced of the correctness of hia statement. . 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 three thousand in number, living on the north of this, and also the Assinneboius and OJibbe- ways; 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 * Several yean since writing the above, I held a conversation with Major Pilchor (a strictly correct and honorable 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 sarprise, that the Blackfeet were not far from sixty ibonsand in numbers, inclading all the confederacy of which I have jast •poken. VOBTH AMKBIOAV INDIANS. 97 ■trength and activity combined ; are a people of wonderful prowess for their numbers, and have waged an unceasing warfare with the Blaokfeet, who are their neighbors 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 powerfiil neighbors. This tribe occupy the country from the mouth of the Yellow Stone, in a north-western direction, far into the British territory, and trade princi- pally at the British N. W. Company's Posts. The Assinneboins of seven thousand, and the Ojibbewayi of six thousand, occupy a vast extent of country, in a north-eastern direction frx>m 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 neighbors, and are also on terms of friendship with each other. This friendship, however, is probably but a temporary arrange- ment, 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 Dahcotas, or Sioux, undoubtedly ; for their personal appearance as well as theii 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 auch cases have oflen ocuured, of which I shidl say more in future. Large parties who are straying off in pursuit of game, 7 or in the occupation of war, are oftentimes 98 LEITEES AND N0TE3 ON THE -#■" intercepted by their enemy; and being prevented from returning, are run oflF to a distant region, where they take up their residence and establish themselves as a nation. There is a very curious custom amongst the Assinne- boins, from which they have taken their name; a name given them by their neighbors, from a singular mode the; 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 wat«r ; and in a fire, which is built near by, several large stones are heated to a red heat, which are successivelj 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 ingenivus 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 in- structed 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 hunian family, to take pleasure in cherishing and perpetuating their ancient customs. 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 Dalootas or Sioux, from whom they have undoubtedly sprung. The men are tall, and graceful in their movements; and wear their pictured robes of the bufifalo hide with great skill and pleasing effect. They are good hunters, and tolerably NORTH AMEBICAN INDIANS. »9 ■upplied with horses; and living in a country abounding with buffaloes, are well supplied with the necessaries ot 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 (aa 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, 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 gi-oup 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 brandish* 100 LETTEAS AND NOTES ON THE ing hia fists in the faces of each one who was seated, tintii 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 oar feet. This strange manoeuvre, which I but partially understood, 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 afirighted 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 &stened very ingeni- ously 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; 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 is the portrait of his wife, Ohin-oha-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 theM sown AMKRICAN IKDIAXS. 101 northern prairies, and furniBhea the Indians with an abun* dant and nourishing food. The women collect these turnips by Htriking 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. T 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 six thousand miles to Washington City, and back again (in company with Major Sanford, the Indian agont); where ho ha« been spending the winter amongst the fashionables in the polished circles of civilized society And I can assure you, roaders, that his entree amongst his own people, in the dresM and with the airs of a civilized beau,- was one of no ordinary occurrence ; and produced no common sensation amongst the red-visaged Assinneboius, or in the minds of those who were travellers, and but spec- tators to the scene. On his way home from St. Louis to this place, a distanc-e of two thousand 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 Presi- ient of the United States, with a beaver hat and feather, with epaulettes of gold — with sash and belt, and broad aword; with high-heeled boots — with a keg of whisky under his arm, and a blue umbrella in his hand. In this plight and metamorphose, be 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 102 LBTTBM AND NOTES ON THB full half an hour ; when a gradual, but cold and exceed, ingly forinal recognition began to take place, and aa 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 oflf, as if it had been but for a moment, and nothing had transpired in ihe interim to check or change its chnracter 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. 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 lie has seen in the fashionable world ; and which to them is unintelligible and beyond their comprehension ; for whiuh I And they are already setting him down as a liar and impostor. What may be the lluul renults 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 some- times pretty : the dresses of the women and children, are usually made of the skins of the mountain-goat, and ornamented with porcupine's quills and rows of elk's teeth. The Knistoneaux (or Oree*, as they are more familiarly E»i , 1 - ! 1 i i 1 i -^i .}STf*5fe» *';<'"* **<'?'F'^ ON Ti(K !uJi J^ -i^' "OUT, w!i*n;« jjf^'iu^l, Vut ...id and exceed- ;ai.'?v ionr'^i wNign'.l'o'' IfgWi t'^ ■^*^<^ ^\u.go, and nn fc^'^^u»iv)i:»;>^ ©')»U'>d, wbici* ulr-u.^U'ly and snioofhly i^".* Iv;d ;;««;.*'. without r.I;.- ics^t &pp Uoi» uo tixacily v.'h.-jv; it. K»fe.i >t.v-". l^roken off, ns it' it Hvad iumi but for *; maR>.ent,, »(u! n.^iti'jf liad transpired in i',u: •nknm to check or chitJi^-A it-» ch,-. ;-anor oi exvressior.. Sucli i« one c»f •.biu9. iorndag one of tiae iT.'*;«t 3'/iknig feic-^^vs hi \M^'if •;hanicter; valuci, chft.rWr' d «.»-! ]in*'.U.>4, like njai.y '>ih-f% o\^ tlieir strange -■>';*i.;>s,?. t^-r reason.' -^-hicr. a^e ..ht!4»juU. t.. be leani-vd or a.jKier4vi.Hl iir.d vr'-;j pfbarvV- will n.-ver be justly Ti-U Miuu. 4i t'ftife imw, vi t^■■^•'»!:if.• r « Wonderful s'.M.isusion *Wing»i rh \nm, who Are A%ih .^.. :^.g^tly gathered in %%i?i.n^ *«st]e«? r.^j^?d»!' .ir>.'n-;.d hirn, whilst ho ia 4*»«-4t«ttS;)? UT"" W'>a«. ;\t W M=H'.->. f.: kh*?ut» of his travels au.l ir:t\^»1.-W«s UT.w* iuSi ^Ajf.jtv.-'j'-.aiwt; *t>*it. wad to what disastero ill* utssr-j^^Ut'd rjAj^mom snay /■.-t subj«-'L Iho poor felio'-v %it,'^i^ ii'fmr^s hm, H'fym v*3»y *j1I ie^'^'-lop. - li«j Ut ^a.*' u.' 'feigtiKee, *-.u4 sjy.irw^ti by the leadiag mmi jjI i^ia m'bw, a.u«i father r,i ht p ti.' d than envied, for ^- AdviSiit*^ vd«:«h oRo «a;ght Jjavc supposed would >;»Ye rJi^vsn tixtm s»i» fiisi..W>u»Hfe t<>ur. More of this ourioua f-.urreoR^^ fHi'i uf tirsa ij;vfe»!.^a'.;n;i.ry wan, I will surely gjvtt in *>iiie tutwre ejHj*W»:. Tb« wom^t of 'dm «'i''it» ai^' often ci.«raely, and aoin^)- times pretty- rut* .i?\'i^i.?s!' vt 5.WwQm«m and chUdren, ar-^ usually n;*;!© oi' %h« *»,Afi*i of th<^ mountain Lwat, anil oruameut'j«y a o more tamiliarl-' ■^ ,.■ \/ ■* , \ r hJUi '••'■■.' . 1 1 exceed- , and tvn smooth ty 11, into its 56 rtoenujd )lf, as it' it aspired in ressioi;. >m wmcu lag one of •. valued, lir strange tiMHwd or bo j't^tly S'.M.'.satioa ithered ia 1st- ho ia [jio worid ; >od ilioir V aettiiij; vol'- iUi'J diJiii.'jter.i or felio'Y ling mi.'u Ivied, for Id would |:s ourioua " surely |ld SUlTl^)- Iren, ar: [)at, anu ■^uiliar)' NORTH AMERICAN IXDUNS. 103 called in this country) are a very numerous tribe, ex- tending from this place as high north as the shores of Lake Winnepeg; and even much further in a north-westerly direotion, towards, and even through, a great part of the Bocky Mountains. I have before said of these, that they were about three thousand in numbers — by that, I meant but a small part ■): : . .-. I. i£i: My heart has sometimes almost bled with pity for them^ while amongst them and witnessing their innocent amuse- ments, 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 pro- portion they may relish the pleasures of life, compared ta 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 thfr world; if refined and intellectual pains increase in pro- portion 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 ihe 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 exoept from God. As these independent fellows are all joint-tenants of the soil, they are all rich, and none of the steep ings of com- parative poverty can strangle their just claims to renown. Who (I would ask) can look witnout 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 honor, which are the supreme law« of their land Trust the boasted virtue* NOBTH AUSBICAir VXVIASS. 109 ire 8 man. h^'" % of civilized society for a while, with all its intellectual refinements, to such a tribunal, and then write down the degradation of the " lawless savage," and our transcendent 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 an 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 GK>d's works as He left them. The sad tale of my native " valley,"* 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 four thousand 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 knomng 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 * Wyoming. % '^ ♦1?!J ilr'l m m- k.')' i I ! >■ i:,^ li^fii 110 LETTERS AND NOTES ON THE daugeroos to civilized pursuits. Few people even know the true definition of the term "West;" and where is ita 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 steamboat was lauding with four hundred 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 Cin- cinnati, people said to me, "Our town has passed the days of its most rapid growth, it is not far enough West." — In St. Louis, fourteen hundred 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, &o. ?" 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 F^, from the West. Where goes this steam-boat so richly laden with dry goods, steamengines, &c. ? She goes to Jefferson city. Jeflferson 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 milei on NORTH AMKHICAN INDIA5S. Ill ' -jr, and we were at the mouth of Yellow Stone river — at the West. What 1 invoioes, bills of lading, &c., a wholesale establishment so far to the West! And those strange looking, longhaired 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 F«/, ha? "Then," said I, "TU 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 semi- Jarftanan-looking, jolly fellow, dashed forth in advance ot 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? Parddn, Monsieur, je ne sais pas, Monsietir. No parlez vous 1' Anglais ? Non, Monsr. I speaks do French and de Americaine mais je ne parle pas 1' Anglais, " Well then, my good fellow, I will speak English, ftnd you may speak Americaine." Parddn, parddn, MonHieur. Well then we will both speak Americaine, Val, sare, je suis bien content, pour for I see dat y•■ 121 LETTERS AND NOTES ON THE ones, and bring her skiu home as a trophy. My plans, however, entirely failed, though we were all well armed ; for Bogard and Ba'tiste both remonstrated with a vehem- ence 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 1 voila un corps de reserve — Monsr. Catline — voila sa mari 1 allons — allons ! d^scendons la riviere, toute de suite 1 toute de suite 1 Monsr.," to which Bogard added, *' these darned animals are too much for us, and we had better be off';" at which niy courage cooled, and we packed ap 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 con- tinually changing, from the high and ragged cliffs, to the graceful and green slopes of the prairie bluff's ; 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 ante- lope, 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 NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS. 125 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 flnished, we plied the paddles, and proceeded several miles further on our course; leaving our I ' :f 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 tjiis day's travel, as I have before said, was exceedingly beautiftil ; 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 every- where 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 Tn adJ-'ticn 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 (she^erdia,) which may be said to be thtt I2tf LETTERS AND >OTBft ON THE .iS U'l' most beautiful ornament that deoks out the wild prairies, forms a striking contrast to tho rest of the foliage, from tht> blue appearance of its lea vow, by which it can be dis- tinguished for miles in dinttince. The fruit which it pro.luces in such incredible i»rofuBion, hanging in clusters to every limb and to every twig, is about the size of ordinary currants, and not unlike them in color and even in flavor; being exceedingly acid, and almost unpala- table, until they are bitten by tho. frost of autumn, when they are sweetened, and their flavor delicious; having, to the taste, much the character uf grapes, and I am inclined to think, would produce excellent wine. The shrub which bears thum rcHcmblea some varieties of the thorn, though (as I have said) differs entirely in the color 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 tho river to this point in the spring of the year, arjd 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 tho 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 tho buffalo bush, collecting the berries and expressing the juice, and putting it into our casks for fermentation while on tho water for two thousand miles ; how many bushels of those berries could you two gather in a day, provided I watched the boat and cooked your meals? and how mony barrels of good wine do you think we could offer for sale in St. Louis when we should arrive there ?" !i'.^ yORTH AMERICAN INDIAKH 12T 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 oiler it now, as my own also, that their estimate was not out of the way, and judged so far 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 strik- ing 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 natural 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 a- any accidents and incidents that our unlucky bark was subjected to on our rough passage, I lost (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 left our craft float silently by for a little distance, when I communicated the intelligence to my men, and ■ 1 '•'Hi i 128 'jETteks and notes on THja filily ran in, to the shore. I pricked the priming of my fire-look, 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 suprise and violent alarm, I found the elk to be no more nor less than an Indian pony, getting his breakfast I 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 of 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 stee ing 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 revengeiul 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 follows : — Saturday, fifth day of our voyage from the mouth of Yellow Stone, at eleven o'clock. — Landed our canoe in the Grand Detour (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 am^ magnificent works of Nature that were about us. Spent the remainder of the day in painting a view of this gran<^ 'V- NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS. 129 scene; for which purpose Ba'tiste and Bogard carried my «a8el and canvass to the top of a huge mound, where they left me at my work ; and I painted my picture, whilst they amused themselves with their rifles, decoying a flock ol 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 thY-ough these walls of clay on either side, of two or three hundred feet in elevation; and the imposing features of the high tablelands 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, oorresponding 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 miud of feeble man is at once almost paralyzed in endeavoring 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 9 ) «' ISO LKXTBES AND NOTES ON THK " the Square Hills," and another denominated »' the Byott Hilla ;" which are the only features on the river, seemiug to correspond with this strange remain, and which, on my way dowQ; I shall carefully examine; and not &I1 to add their testimonies (if I am not mistaken in their obaraottii) to further speculations on this interesting feature of the geology of the great valley of the Missouri. Whilat my men were yet engaged in their sporting excursions, I left my easel and travelled to the base and summit of tbe^e tabular hills ; which, to my great surprise, I found to be several miles irom the river, and a severe journey to accomplish, getting back to our encampment at night&lL I found by their sides that they were evidently of un alluvial deposite, composed of a great variety of horizontal layers of clays of different colors— of granitic sand and pebbles (many of which furnished me beautiful specimens of agate, jasper and cornelians), and here and there largo fragments of pumice and cinders, which gave, as instanoes above-mentioned, evidences of volcanic remains. The mode by which Bogard and Ba'tiste had been entrapping the timid and sagacious antelopes was on9 which is frequently and successfully practiced in this country ; and on this day had affoided 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 endeavoring 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 '^'' r'M *•' /',' ''M '■§ NOBTH AMBUICAN INDIANS. 181 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 beea disoovered, he has only to elevate above the tops of the grass, his red or yellow handkerchief on the end of his gun-rod which he sticks in the ground, and to which they are sure to advance, though with great coyness an caution ; whilst he lies close, at a little distance, with hit 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 Detour; and having passed for many miles, through a series of winding and ever- varying blufis and fancied ruins, like such as have already been described, our attention was more than usually excited by the stupendous scene 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 disoovered 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. 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 18 something like that of a very small dog, and still much more resembling the barking of a grey squirrel. \i\ i m 182 LETTERS AND NOTES ON THK Tho size of these curious little animals is not far from that of a very large rat, and they are not unlike in their appearance. Their burrows, are unifornaly 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 con&sed and too peculiar to be described. In the present instance, we made many endeavors tc shoot them, but found 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 appro- priate 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 «calps to danger again, from the aim of a rifie; 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 lengtk themselves, at full length, perched on the tops of their little hillocks and threatening n« before ; thus gradually sinking and rising like a wave before and behind me. The holes leading down to their burrows, are four oi five inches in diameter, and run down nearly perpeo' NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS. 188 V ■f tlicular ; where they undoubtedly communicate into some- tliing like a subterraneous city (as I have formerly learned from fruitless endeavors to dig them out,) undermined and vaulted ; by which means, they can travel for a great distance under the ground, without danger from i)ursuit. 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 sometimv ? 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 ave for several months invisible; existiag, 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 fecit of each other, and dangerous to the feet and the limbs of our horses.* The " Grand Dome," 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. These stupendous works are produced by the continual washing down of the sides of these clay-formed hilis; 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 anr covered with a green turf, which * It is a carious fact that the borrows of the prairie dogs are shared by a certain species of owl; and that the bird and qnadrnped, lire happily together.— Editob. l:?4 LETTERS AN'D NOTES. ■I. i I'-fi protects and hold 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 strangle 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' labor; having to out afoot-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 two hundred and fifty feet, 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, Ou 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 orderd 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. f ■i '^M LETTER No. XL 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 Baphael 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 neoessity, involved in my?tery 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 tloB first people created on earth. (135) V 136 LETTERS AND NOTES ON THE Their existence ia these regions has not been from a verj 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 neighbors, they have been reduced to their present numbers. This tribe is at present located on the west bank of the Missouri, about one thousand eight hundred miles above St. Louis, and two hundred 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 two thousand 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 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, &o. &c., of the semi-subteraneous village of the hospitable and gentlemanly Mandans. 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. Ai 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 presen'u day. •'-*^mt^ NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS. 187 There are other, and very interesting, traditions and nistorical facts relative to a still prior location and con- dition of these people, of which I shall speak more fully on a future occasion. From these, when they are pro- mulged, 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 these places (and, in fact, to be seen nearly as low down as St Louis), which lihew clearly the peculiar construction of Mandan lodges, and consequently carry a strong proof of the above position. While descending the river, however, which T 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 re- toading and discharging their weapons through the piquets. The Man dans 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 moat novel appearance to the eye of • / / 13S LETTERS AND NOTES ON THE •tranger ; 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 KOHTH AMKRIOAN INDIANS. 189 becomea 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 scat for the solitary gaze and medi tations 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 dwellin;];s p i of earth, but so hardened by use, and swept so clean, ; tracked by bare and moccasained feet, that they •• . almost a polish, and would scarcely soil the whitest linen. In the centre, and immediately under the sky-light is the fire-place — a hole of four or five feet in diameter, of a circular form, sunk a foot -or more below the surfuoo, 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 bu^alo 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. The^e 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 fi>om the animal, is stretched across the bottom poles, and about two feet fVom 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 beauti- fully dressed and placed over the upright poles or frame, like a suit of curtains ; leaving a hole in front, suffioientlv spacious for the occupant to pass in and out, to and from 140 LETTERS AND KOTES ON THE i\: h'l i 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 iinoonimon thing to see these lodges fifty feet in diameter inside (which is an immense room), with a row of these curtained bods 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 Arm 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 armor 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 roven 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 & bufi'alo, which is, by a village regulation, owned and possessed by every man in the nation, and hung at the bead of his bed, which he uses as a mask when called upon by the chiefs, to join in the buffalo-dance, of which T shall say more in a future epistle. This arrangement of beds, of arms, &o., combining the most vivid display and arrangement of colors, of furs, of trinkets, of barbed and glistening points and steel, of mysteries and hocus poeus, together with the sombre and smoked color 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 aweetheorts, and embracing their NORTH AMBBIOAN i^TDlANS. 141 little ones about their peaceful and endeared fire-sides ; itogether 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 fv .more wild and vivid than could ever be imagined. Reader, I said these people are garrulous, story-telling an^ 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 il 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 f ucprrectly informed, than upon that of the true manners ■and x}}istoms, and moral condition, rights and abuses, of the Kort^ American Indians; and that, as I have also before remarjced, chiefly on account of the difficulty of our culti- vating a fair and honorable 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 cus- -toms 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 aov, 142 LETTERS AND NOTES ON THE morose, reserved and taciturn man." I have heard this opinion advanced a thousand times and I believe it ; but Buch certainly, is not uniformly nor generally the case. t 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, v.'ithout 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 atmos- phere ; 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 ":.*; NORTH AMBRICAN INDIANS. aie free from, and independent of, a thousand cares and jealousies, which arise from mercenary motives in the civilized world ; and are yet far ahead of us (in my opin- ion) 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, with- out 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 conver- sation 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 esti mation 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 inquire 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 Wash- lU LETTERS AND NOTES ON THE ington City tQ gaze on the poor embarrassed ludiaii who in called there by his " Great Father," to contend with tlio sophistry of the learned and acquisitive world, in barttiriii;^ away his lands with the graves and the hunting groundii of his ancestors. There is not the proper place to study thu Indian character ; yet it is the place where the syoopbant and the scribbler go to gaze and frown upon him— to learn his character and write his history I — and because he drw-n not speak, and quaffs the delicious beverage which ho receives from white men's hands, " he's a speechless bruttj and a drunkard." An Indian is a beggar in Washington City, and a white man is almost equally so in the Maudun village. An Indian in Washington is mute, is dumb ami embarrassed ; and so is a white man (and for the very 8am« reasons) in this place — he has nobody to talk to. A wild Indian, to reach the civilized world, must neodit travel some thousands of miles in vehicles of oonveyaiice to which he is unaccustomed — ^through latitudes and longi' tudes which are new to him — ^living on food that he in unused to^stared and gazed at by the thousands and teui of thousands whom he cannot talk to — ^his heart grieving and his body sickening at the exhibition of white men'n wealth and luxuries, which are enjoyed on the land, and over the bones of his ancestors. And at the end of hia jour' ney he stands (like a caged animal) to be scanned — to ho 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 ha 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, ancl to laugh at birn for NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS. 145 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 char- acter and customs of a people, must go and live among tbem. i» II LETTER No. XH. MANDAN VILLAGE, UPPER MISSOURI Jit 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 thai '.abject. I have this morning, perched myself upon tVe top of one of the earth-covered lodges, which I have befc re described, and having the whole village beneath ano about me, with its sachems— its warriors — its dogs — ana its horses in motion — its medicines (or mysteries) and scalp-poles waving over mv head — its piqiiets — its green fields and (146) NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS. 147 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 admisaion 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 difl&cult 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, tnd beyond these, groups are engaged in games of the " moccasin," or the " platter." Some are to be seen manu 1 1 ■! [i iHC t48 LETTERS AND NOTES ON THE facturing 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 one hundred and fifty feet in diameter, and circular in form, which is used for all public games and festivals, shows and exhibitions ; and also ibr 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 unbacked or unscratched, 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 '*^uilding that these wonderful ceremonies, in commemo- ration 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 afftxir, and as I have not yet seen any thing of it, I cannot describe it ; I know it only from thr 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 1 NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS. 149 * ' ' •'I. buffaloes' skulls, skin ciuioes, pots and and sledges — and suspended on poles, 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 ijf living, are pottery ; sleds 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 (juivers, with medicine-bags attached ; and here and there a sacrific 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 bound less, 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. 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 fjr the dead, is just back of the village, on a level prairie, and with all its appearances, history, form, ceremonies, &c., ia 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 honors 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 150 LETTERS AND NOTES ON THE 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. HANDAN BURUL PLAOI. There is then a separate scaffold erected for it, con- structed 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 are a number of willow-rods just strong enough to support ihe body, which is laid upon them on its back, with ita feet carefully presented towards the rising son NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS. 151 There are a great number of these bodies resting exactlj 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 hi» 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 scaflfolds, 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 pen anoe 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 152 LETTERS AND NOTES ON THE protected and preserved in their precise positions frona year to year, as objects of religious and affectionate veneration. 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 ^hat 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, v^hich 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 are 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 NORTH AMEUICAN INDIANS. 153 the greater part of the day, sitting by the side of the skull of her child, chatting inoc88untly with it, while she is em- broidering or garnishing a pair of moccasins ; and perhaps, overcome with fatigue, I'alls 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 impres- sive in these scenes, which are so strikingly dissimilar, and yet within a few rods of each other ; the one 's 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 craniohjgist and phrenologist; but I appre- hend 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. XIIL MANDAN VILLAGE, UPPER M18B0URI. Is several of my former Letters I have given sketobes of the village, and some few of the customi 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 Mandani themselves ; and first, Ha-na-tah-nu-mauh, (the wolf chief.) This man is head-chief of the nation, and familiarly known by the name of "Chef d£ 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' (154) NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS. 155 chiefs of most of the tribes claim, that of inhetitance. It IS a general, though not an infallible rtile amongst the numerous tribes of North American Indians, that the office of chief belongs to the eldest son of a chief; provided hu shows 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 ^hich 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-pu (the four bears). This extraordinary man, though second iu 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 oa it; which would fill a book of themselves, if properly translated. This, readers, is the most extraordinary maa, perhaps, who lives at this day, in the atmosphere of Nature's noblemen ; and I shall certainly tell you more of i;im anon. After him, there are Mah-tahp-ta-ha (he who rushes through the middle); Seehk-hee-da (the mouse-colored feather); San-ja-ka-ko-kah (the deceiving wolf); Mahmint, 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. 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 : 156 LEri-EKS AND NOTES OX THE for they seldom, if ever, carry war into their enemies' country ; but when invaded, show their valor 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 luxu- ries of life, than any Indian nation I know of. The conse- quence of this is, that this tribe have taken many steps ahead of other tribes in manners and refinements (if 1 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 ele- gance of these people, together with the diversity of com- plexions, the various colors of their hair and eyes — the singularity of their language, and their peculiar and unac- countable 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 impor- tance for discussion ; and, after further familiarity with their character, customs and traditions, if I forget it not, I will eventually give it further coneideration. Suffice it then, for the present, that their personal ajppearance alone, indepen- dent 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 shiades of complexion, and various colors of hair, which he sees in a crowd about him ; and is at once almost disposed to exclaim that " these are not Indians." NORTH AMEBICAX INDIANS. 157 There are a great many of these people whose com- plexions 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 demeanor, which render them exceedingly pleasing and beautiful. Why this diversity of complexion I cannot tell, nor can they themselves acco\int 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 Mandaus a strange people and half white. The diversity in the color 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 color, as the men often do), there may be seen every shade and color of hair that can be seen in our own country, with the e^eption 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 manhooa 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 wh * have it, 8«?em ashe^ned of it, and artfully 158 LETTERS AND NOTES ON THE conceal it, by filling their hair with glue and black and red earth. The women, on the other hand, seetn 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 dispo- sition or intellect. And by passing this hair through my hands, as 1 often have, I have found it uniformly to be as coarse and harsh as a horse's mane; differmg materially from the hair of other colors, which, amongst the Man- dans, 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 color 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- colored, 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 ta pardon me, if I lead him through a maze of novelty and mysteries to the knowledge of a strange, yet kind and hos- pitable 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 propor tion, 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 generaUy spreads over their backs, falling down to the hams, and sometimes V NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS. 15fr 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 back- wards; 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. 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 color. 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 Grows 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 caae is quite different; his long, valued tresses, are of 160 LErrEHs AXI) NOTKS OX THK 5!ff 11 much greater importance, and only a lock or two can be Kparcl JuHt enough to tell of his grief to his friends, witliout 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 pro verbial amongst the Traders and all who ever have known them, that their treatment of white men in their country i^as been friendly and kind ever since their first acquain- tance with them — they have ever met and received them, on the prairie or in their villages, with hospitality and honor. They are handsome, straight and elegant in their forms, not tall, but quick and graceful; easy and polite in their manners, neat in their ^ ersons and beautifully clad. When I say "neat in person and beautifully clad," how- ever, 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 IHtle for their personal appearance, and those who take great i>aius to please themselves and their friends. Amongst this class of personages, sucli as chiefs aud braves, or warriors of dis- tinction, 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 cleanli- ness and elegance of dress is observed ; and there are few people, perhaps, who take morfe pains to keep their persons neat and cleanly than they do. At the distance of half a mile jr so above the village, is the cu.stomary 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 swimmsr NORTH AMERICAN INDIAN'S. 161 amongst them will dash fearlessly into tlie boiling ami 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 semicircle around til is 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 perhapa 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 war- fare, 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. The mode of swimming amongst the Mandans, as well 11 !. .&2 LETTERS AND NOTES ON TH. 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 vicissi- tudes of life to which they are continually liable. I allude to their vapor 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 FORTH AMERICAN INDIANS 168 far cet, 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 afler 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 the 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. Contiguous to the lodge, and outside of it, is a little iurnace 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 buflfelo 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 a large stone red hot, between two sticks (lashed m 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 vapor 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 164 LETTERS AND NOTES ON THE 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 vapors, as it distils through the mat of wild sage and other medicinal and aromatic herbs, which he has strewed over the bottom ot his basket, and on which he reclines. During all this time the lodge is shut perfectly tight, and be 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 vapor bath of the Man dans, 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 ap- plied, 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 th« NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS. 165 Pawnees, Omahas, and Punchas and other tribes, who have Buffered 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 sucli the misery of these poor unthinking people, and each tribe to the Eocky Mountains, as it has been with every tribe between here and the Atlantic Ocean. White men — whisky — tomahawks — scalping knives — guns, powder and ball — small-pox — debauchery — extermination. or of ;st bhe LETTER No. XIV. MANDAN VILLAGE, UPPER MISSOURI The Man lans 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 Maudans 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 (166) NORTH AMBUIOAX INDIANS, 167 with their modes, to detect or distinguish the dress of any tribe. These differenoea 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 dift'oront 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 those 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 u manner, without raising the least argument in favor of the theory of their having ali sprung from one stock or one family; for in their continual warfare, when ohiofs or warriors fall, their clothes and weapons usually fall into the possessioQ 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 Qon- sequently, eventually load to the similiarity which we find amongst the modes of dress, &o,, of the different tribes. The tunio or shirt of the Mandan men is very similar in shape to that of the Blackfoot — 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, arc 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 out down to about half its original size, to make it handy and easy for use. Many of these are also IL'V 168 LEITKKS AND N0TK8 ON THE fringed on one side with 8calp-lock« ; 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 liorse (horses, however, are much cheaper hero than they are in most other countries). I have had abundant <)j)portunitie8 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, whicli I intend to exhibit in ray 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 ocoured 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 mo 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 ogreod with him, how- ever, for the rest of the dress, and importuned him, from day to day, for the head-dress, until ho at length replied, that, if I must have it, he must have two horses for it ; the NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS. 169 i, oargain 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 extra- ordinary 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. The same custom I have found observed among the Sioux, the Crows, the Blackfeet and Assinneboins, and it is one of so striking a character as needs a few more words of observations. There is a peculiar meaning or importance (in their estimation) to thiu 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 under- stand 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 at 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 hia ignorance and credulities — to rob him of the wealth and resources of his country; — to make him drunk with whisky, and visit him with abuses which in his ignorance he never thought of. By this method his first visitors 170 LETTERS AND NOTES ON THE 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 "he enquiring world for ever. It is from the observance of a ticr-sand little and appa- rently trivial modes and iricl's of Indian life, that the Indian character must be leanu-d; and, in fact, it is just the same with us if the subject wer; r < •sed: excepting that the system of civilized life woui'' '';mish 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. Th« civilized world look upon a group of Indians in their classic dress, with tls»ftir few and simple oddities, all of which have their moral or meaning, and laugh at them exces- sively, because they are not like ourselves — we ask, " why do tli« 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, witb'jiit 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 ia his head stood, in the eyes of his whole tribe, ds the symbol of an enemy who had fallen by his hand — that every streak of red paint covered a wound which he had -pt in honorable combat — and that the bear's grease with ,vhich he carefully anoints his body every morning, from head to foot, cleanses and purifies the body, and protects his skin from the bite of musquitoes 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, astonish- ment, at our apparently, as well as really, ridiculoua customs and fashions ; but he laughs not, nor ridicules, nor NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS. 171 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 docs 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 <50cked 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 <30cked 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 &v^ cocked hats, wiir.out •enquiring their meaning, and explaining them to hxs • ";be, 172 LETTERS AND NOTES ON THE 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 import- ance 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 valor, 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 personage visit a tribe ; or tX 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 stimuliite 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, whicli 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 NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS. 178 is wearing them. This, reader, is a remarkable instance (like hundreds of others), for its striking similarity to Jewish inutoms, 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. Ixxv. 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 1 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 ohange from that ancient people. The reader will see this custom exemplified in the portrait of Mah-to-toh-pa. 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. I LETTER NO. XV. MANDAN VILLAGE, UPPER MISSOUBL ' A WBSK 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 fiiU leaf; for, say ihey, " the twig which the bird brought in was a willow bough, and had full-grown leaves on it." So it seems that this celebratiou has some relation to the Flood. (174) NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS. 175 This great occasion is close at hand, and will, un- doubtedly, 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 myst jry. Soon after arriving here, I commenced and finished the portraits of the two principal chiefs. This was done with- out having awakened the curiosity of the villagers, as they had heard nothiif^ 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 any- tiling surprises them very much); looking attentively upon the portraits and myself, and upon the palette and colors 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. IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) /. i/j ^ 1.0 I.I liO |2j5 2.2 Sift 1.8 IL25 i 1.4 Photographic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. MSSO (71«)872-4S03 \ % m is \ c> '^ 4^' •%" %^ ^ i. ^ c> • 'r^fe? 176 LETTERS AND NOTES ON THE 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 honor on me, which you as yet do not underatand. I took the degree (not of Doctor of Laws, nor Bachelor of Arts) but 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 inysteiy, which is the most honorable degree that could oe conferred upon me here ; and I now hold a place amongst the most eminent and envied personages, the doctor 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 ; 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 circum- spection due from so high a dignitary (and even con- siderably more); and endeavoring 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 priest- craft 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 KOBTH AMERICAN INDIANS 177 leri-^th crowds of gaping listeners, with mouths >;vide open, thronged their lodges ; and a th?ong of women and girl^ 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 clinging about my wigwam like a swarm of bees hanging on in 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 became general, and the chiefs and mediciue-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,) 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 12 A 1 78 LBTTKBS AND NOTES ON THE mute ; others, indignant, drove their apearg frightfully inta 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. I stepped forth^ and was instantly hemmed in by 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 honor 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 (. "" laugh they could certainly speak, if they should try, u . ihey must therefore have som£ life in them. The squaws generally agreed, that thoy 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 some- thing of his existence, which I put in the picture, and they could see it move, could see it stir. This curtailing of the primary 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 NOBTH AMERICAN INDIANS. 179 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 medieiue- 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 vfas 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 con- clave, 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 180 LETFERS AND NOTES ON THE 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 successively 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 proceeded 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 exceed- ingly, and gave me and my art the stamp of respectability at once. I was then taken by the arm by the chiefe, 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 medicim-men, who received me upon the old adage, "Similis simili gaudet." I was invited to a feast, and they presented me a doctor's rattle, and a magical wand, or doctor's staff, strung with claws of the grizzly bear, with hoofs of the antelope — with ermine — with wild sage and NORTH AMERICAN INDUNS. 181 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 therefor and thereby initiated into 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 opera- tions, 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 again become 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 I 182 LETTERS AND NOTES ON 1HE iQove," — that as they walked around the room "the eyea 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 inyatery ; but they will not hear to any explanation what- ever ; flaying, 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 thera 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, 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 ( 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 mo, 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 NORTH AMKRIOAir INDIAXS. 183 and <5iying, 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 groat 'medioine-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 bis toilette, arranging his dress and ornamenting his bod^' A>r his picture. At that hour then, bedaubed and streaked with paints of various colors, with bear's grease and charcoal, with medicine-pipes in his hands and foxes' tails attached to his heels, entered Mah-to-he-hah (the old bear), with a train of his own profession, who seated themselves around him ; «nd 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 medka and hoca poea. 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 intently 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 184 LETTERS AND KOTBt). this new difficulty is now removed, and instead of preach* ing against me, be is one of my strongest and most enthusi* astic 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. XVI. MANDAN VILLAGE, UPPER MJSSOUIiL 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 person* ages may be seen on every pleasant day, strutting and parading around the village in the most beautiM and unsoiled dresses, without the honorable trophies however of scalp-locks and claws of the grizzly bear attached to their costume, for with those things they deal not. They are not peculiarly anxious to hazard their lives in eq[ua] and honorable combat with the one, or disposed to crosa Ihe path of the other; but generally remain about the (186) 186 LE-rrSRS AND NOTES ON TBI village, to take oare of the women, and attire themselves in the slcins of such animal as they can easily kill, without seeking the rugged oliils for the war-eagle, or visiting the haunts of the grizzly bear. They plumo themselves vritU swan's-down and quills of ducks, with braids and plaits oi sweet-scented grass and other harmless and unmeaning ornaments, which have no other merits than they them selves 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 coutented 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 on 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, 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. XORTH AMERICAN INDIANS. 187 Whilst I have beea 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 honorable notice I had at length taken of him and his beautiful dress. Beaders, 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 honor 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 188 LETTEBS AND NOTKS ON THE 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 aboui 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 1 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 paiut 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 honor of being painted ; and so little do they value a man however lavishly Nature may have NORTH AHERIOAir I!n)IAN9. 189 bestowed her master tottches 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. Sinoe 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 beautiftd rush mat, which was placed between us. 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 pemican and marrow-fat ; and one of the former held a fine brace of bufialo ribs, delightfully roasted ; and the other was filled with a kind of paste or pudding, made of the flour of the "jjomme ftfancAe," as the French call it, a delicious turnip 190 LETTERS AND NOTES ON THE of the prairie, finely flavored with the baf&lo 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. 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 1 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 oi the meat from the ribs, and pronouncing the words " Ho-pe-ne-chee wa-pa-shee" (meaning a me(2tc{ne sacrifice), threw it into the fire. He then (by signals) requested me to eat, and I com- menced, 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). Header, be not astonished that I sat and ate my dinner ahne, for such is the custom in 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 1 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, ho NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS. 191 rolled out of it Mso a piece of the "cflwtor" which it i» customary amongst these folks to carrj in their tobacco- sack to give it a flavor ; 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 " i» collected by the Indians from the buflfelo 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 flavor, 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 192 LETTERS AND NOTES ON THE call them ; it was large enough to hol^ 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 pussing 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 NOBTH AMERICAN INDIANS. 198 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 luc, and that he had invited me here on this oooasion to present it to me. The robe, readers, which I shall describe in a future epistle, I took upon mj shoulder, and he took me bj the arm and led me back to my painting* room. 18 LETTER No. XVIL MANDAN TILLAGE, UPPER MISSOURI I MBMTIONBD in the foregoing epistle, that the chieft 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 £sir as T have visited them ; and it ia no uncommon thing to find a chief with six, eight, or ten, and some 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 (194) NORTH AMKRICAN INDIANS. 196 matter of neces-iiy for a chief (who must be liberal, keep open doors, and entertain, for the support of his popu- larity) to have in his wigwam a sufficient number of such handmaids ox 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 cue 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 labor during most of the year ; and the avails of that labor enable him to procure those luxuries, and give to his lodge the appearance of respecta- bility which is not ordinarily seen. Amongst those tribes who trade with the Fur Companies, this system is carried oat 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 labor amongst savages is all done by the women ; and as there are no daily laborers or persons who will '* hire out^^ to labor for another, it becomes necessary for him who requires more than the labor or services of one, to add to the number by legalizing and compromising by the ceremony of marriage, his stock of laborers ; who . can thus, and thus alone, be easily enslaved, and the results of their labor turned to good account. 106 LETTERS AND NOTES ON THE There is yet the other inducement, which probably ia 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 — surround ed 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 ex- cuse it, when we behold man in a state of nature, as he was made, fdlowing 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 house- hold, instead of quadrupling his expenses (as would be the case in the civilized world), actually becomes his wealth, as the results of their labor 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 : — us all nations of Indians in their natural con- dition 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 some- times 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 indi- vidual 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 lociety, or from a still more frequent objection, that of his inability (from want of worldly goods) to deal in the ^. !>>■< w. v-^ '4 *» he h •■¥«■,% 'i Ji'." :w .<:.>*., I si ^Vt) ^#^i^ '■*•' ■, •J!^?v '%] 'i'tf' ;. , bh» ,s«5 LEfTKRS AND !<.'« TICS ON THK ■%-i ?';iMM i" vet the othv^r i!idotN'!ti..!'t. which probaWy m My.»v triTi'.,-uve tTian eithr^r; the uaturaJ in-^UnaiioK which iftldugs to 'imn, who .-t&mU hiji'h iii tb* cutimntion of h'3 p.'»il.^ ftiid wields th« sn^ptrp ot jxvw^tr --UTroundud by • ',u'nmtioiii» wln-.'h ho cousi'i. r* it wuuld bt? aiinatural ♦•> i-.<,;(5t. whe«' no i^w or ryj^lfttwii tit' wciety stunda in t" e v,av of his ufljojmt'nt. Such ;i custom auVMigst savn/,* U!ii>.>os iui» twi-^i'v be exciirte]Hi- it *h.'?.' we bchol'i r>iau in a stale ^if nature, as he ^m \pHiU\ WHovc rj u Qutnral iuclinutiou, which is siinotiom*.'. t^v r.U'V.'ii.i cu^.'.it^ Mi'\ by their religi('>n, wi'liout a hiw or r^^iiiifiMoft o: fi»'. • sj^Hji^ty to diacountt. nance, it ; and -whi.r. •v; i;h.< mnf->- lu'*, i^^-h an aocumuhition of a nianViiouat* y Jii ;i jiSvi^i <.;.* «;tii»diupling his pxperj'irs (as would be iht- ■.:i+*ii. M. : .,.• '•»v.jf.!r/:-d world), actually heeomiM his weuUi. *s i> V ittvi'iM -M -ihnit labor abundautly •;>•.; urc to kiiii al- 'r r: r- •irf*^"*^ ai^d luxuries of lifo. 'i'x.-''*, («3" nthur aiKi very rutit^ual .arroundii on which ih^ p'X!ii',>v i »'Kti a cvistom tnuy Ik- 'Jirg*i. otsc of which i* «3 &>r.r«*' • *f' alt nntiorva of iv.di»n« .a tli-;ir natural o<'t; ditio^t atv «i«Meiihiugly at w;>x 'vv'ith tbc tribes that are p}>- \%. them. Km" t'vB **i^>iif(Uuent ot' ao'Jterxt and uever-ending feui' aa woll jw m>r.i a low of gloi-y, w which in Indian life tW batiliir(;o,t the only road, their warriors are kilk> of t.t ih&t QXiifWU that in many mataucea twcj and some ter;-J4 three wcn^n fc* a rn.!tu arc found in a tribe. In sut>< 4t*«!.\u^*s Ihavti fjU'.H that the custoni of polygamy it*^ ktoj'.y h«lp»>i the oomiiAUuity to an evident relief froif. *- <.« ii^jii j«m1 jirodjgjottft oalmttity. TH n*JKML«»a of '«htcli I have above spoken, fc^s j,»«^i*"5taiU ..jtiRlJTvfld io this chiefs and moJicine-raen ; thoujjfs thej**: y* y>^-'- wnffTijatioti pjoluhiting a poor or obscure intij vid?*»i ?t^i:i»sa¥>iifii»:»".'f*«g'«''V<*r»l wives, other than the person*- ditn,:u.l^^ w4 T.^ k« biHt^wen hira and the hand which W wiah''* is '^mfi- '^-^ ^■^^ ioT want of sulhcient celebrity i" fiC'<.i«*.j, ;jgr f#f.'»,w * '^i^i more frequo.nt objection, that of l*<' ir)ab(,lU_j OHk^, *-MUt of worid!y ^'oodr-) to deal in tV NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS. 197 customary way with the futhors of the girls whom he would appropriate to his own household. There arc very few iastances 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 reputa- tion, and doctors, it is common to see some six ot eight living under one roof, and all apparently quidt and con- tented ; 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- connections, to carry on successfully their business trans- actions 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 connection, 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 i ( 198 LETTERS KSD NOTES ON" THE i! f mantles of blue and scarlet cloth — with beads and trinkets and ribbons, in which they flounce and flirt about, tht envied and tinselled belles of every tribe. These connections, however, can scarcely be called marriages, for T 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 connection 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, &o., 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 conse- quently 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 thef« relations and there is no part of the human species who NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS. 19i 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 proo&, 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 beautiiul 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 beautiiul 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 whisky, 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 com and soma pumpkins and squashes. This is all done by the women, who make their hoes of the shoulder-blade of the buffalo 200 LBTTEBS AND NOTES ON THE or the elk, and dig the ground over instead of ploughing it^ which is consequently done with a vast deal of labor. 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 com, and even dried meat and pemican, are placed in these caches^ being packed tight around the sides, with prairie grass, and effectually pre- served 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 theni, they off;entimes have in store great quantities of dried squashes and dried ^^ pommes bhnches,^^ a kind of turnip which grows in great abundance in these regions, and of which I have before spoken. These are dried in great quanties, 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 thetn an abundant and wholesome means of subsistence. There are, from a fair computation, something like two hundred and fifty thousand Indians in these western regions, who live almost exclusively on the flesh of these animals, through every part of the year. During the NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS. 201 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 T 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 thev 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 him- self, he can walk into any lodge and every one will share with him as long as there is anything to eat. He, how- ever, 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 crossed-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 una which they take and rise from again, with great ease ^Sp 202 LKTTKRS AND NOTES ON THX I i and muoh 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 graoef\il 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 every- where asserted, and almost universally belived, that the Indians are " enormous eaters ;" but comparatively speak- ing, 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 <:hase, or in their athletic sports and exercises ; for all of which they are excited by the highest ideas of pride and honor, and every kind of excess is studiously avoided ; and for a very great part of their lives, the most painful absti- nence is enforced upon themselves, for the purpose of pre- paring their bodies and their limbs for these extravagant exertions. Many a r^an who has been a few weeks along the frontier, amongst the drunken, naked and beggared part of the Indian race, and run home and wruten a book on Indians, has, no doubt, often seen them eat to beastly excess; and he has seen them also guzzle whisky (and perhaps sold it to them) till he has seen them glutted and NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS. 208 besotted, without will or energy to move; an J 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 whisky 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 arc 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 insufRcient reason why we should for ever remain under so egregious an error with regard to a single custom of these pepple. 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 civil> ized 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 ' E 204 LETTERS AND NOTES ON THE for it in all cured or dried in the sun, without the aid of salt or smoke I 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 baoks or on horses, and there cut " aavss 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 accoiinted 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 aUsppes or prairies, lying at and near the base oi the Booky 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, KORTH AMERICAN INDIANS. 205 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 cbiefly 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 destruc- tivd excess. , ^( LETTER No. XVm. MANDAN VILLAGE, UPPER MISSOVBI. Tbb 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 danoe, the boasting dance, the begging dance, the scalp danoe, 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 aud frightfVil display of starts, and jumps, and yelps, and jarring gutturals, which are sometimes truly terrifying 2oe NOKTIl AMKRICAN INDIANS. 207 But when one givcii them a little attention, and has been lucky enough to be initiate'illage; he flew to the blufis, 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 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 ooremunity 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 nearly consumed — bones were half picked, and dishes half emptied and then handed to the dogs. I was not forgotten either, 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 ; suddenly 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 212 LETTEBS AND NOTES ON THB post s 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 the 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 suflfbcating 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 buflfeloes, laid a stratagem to entrap them in the following manner : — Some iix 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 telgraphed 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 NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS. 218 'he gh a the hill. Louison Frfeni^, 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 Frenid 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. LETTER No. XEC. MANDAN VILLAGE, VPPER MISSOURI Is 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 endeavor 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 sum- mer, the little boys between the age of seven and fifteen are (214) NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS. 215 called out, to tlie 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, when this curious discipline is regularly taught them. 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 manoeuvres 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 oflf. 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 storaach, 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 mus« cles, 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 1 1 216 LETTKRS ANlJ NOTES ON TBI attention to their vaunting, and applaud them for theii artifice and vah^r. Those who have taken scalps then step forward, bran- dishing them and making their boasts 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 other tribes, consiHting 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 favorite amusement, and unknown to the other tribes about them. The game of Tohung-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 favorite amusement, and i» 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 champion* 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 stake* are held by some of the chiefs or others ftresent. The play commences 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, out 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 afber the ring, endeavoring 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,. '/;:.' NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS. 217 ooe, or two, or four, according to the position of the leather oa 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 is 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 fasci- nated 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 ftilly 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 218 LKTTKRS AND NOTES ON THB the favorite one ; if it is an arrow from their quiver, they will select the most perfect one as the most effective giftj if it ia 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 inter- esting 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 Com- pany 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" 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 ia usually converted into a sacrifice, being offered to the 'N ." NORTH AMERICAN INDIANa 21P Great Spirit, as the most acceptable gift that cftn be pro- cured. 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 mer.tioned, the chiefs convened in council, and deliberated on the expe- diency 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 exceed- ing 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 con- taining (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 " Sain Makers ?" If not, flit still, and read on ; but laugh not — ^keep cool and sober. 22U LETTEBS AND NOTES OX THS or olie you may laugh in the beginning^ and cry at the etut of my fltory. "Well, I iatroduce 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 " Bain Maker /'' Suoli digtiitaries live in the Mandan nation, aye, and "ratn ttoppera^^ tuo ; 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 ineiBciency of their medicine Of mystery, have long since descended into insignificance. The Mandans, raise a great deal of corn; but some- times a most disastrous drought visits the land, destructive to their promised harvest. Such was the case when I arrived at the Mandan village on the steam-boat, Yellow- Stone. Bain had not fallen fur 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 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 occawon of the "roasting ears," and the "green corn dance," The chiefs and doctors sympathized with the distress of the women, and recommended patience. Great deliberation^ they ttiiid, 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 endeavor ; and that the longer they put it off, the more certain they would be of ultimate success. So, after a few diiys 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 savory odors might bo ^icnt forth to the Great Spirit. The lodge wa» NORTH AMERICAN IXDIANS. 221 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 ns witnesses to the hocua 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 liis rtiedioine ; 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 odors to Him "who lives in the sur. 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 oik) 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 along 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-pah (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 222 LEITKRS AND NOTES ON THE 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 ho 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 amongst the dogs and old women all my days. My friends 1 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 1 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 odors, which you see rising in the smoke to the Great Spirit above, who rides in 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 h« 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 1 I see you are in great distress, and nothing has yet been done; this shield belonged to mj NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS. 228 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." It happened on this memorable day about noon, that the steam-boat Yellow Stone, on her first trip up the Missouri Biver, approached and landed at the Mandan Village, as I have described in a former epistle. I was lucky :nough 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 net/; sound into this strange country, which the Mandans at first suppose'd to be thunder ; and tb'i 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 ofier 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 poi^ution, assuming the most commanding and threatening attitudes; brandishing his shield in the direction of the thunder, although there was not a cloud to be seen, until be, poor fellow, being elevated above the rest of the village, espied to his inexpressible amazement, the steamboat ploughing its way up the windings of the river below; puffing her steam from her pipes, and sending forth tho 224 LETTEUS AKD NOTES O.V THE ''A thunder from a twelvo-pounder on her dock \ * * * The White Buffaloe's Hair stood motionless and turned pale, he looked awhile, and turned to the chief and to the multitude, and addreHse^l them with a trembling lip — "My friends, we will get no rain I — there are you see no clouds ; but my medicine is great — I have bri)ught a thunder-boat f look and see it; the thunder you hear is out of her mouth, and the lightning which you see is on the waters 1" At this intelligence, the whole village flew to the tops of their wigwam?, or to the bank of the river, from whence the steamer was in full view, and ploughing along, to their utter dismay and con{\ision. 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 unaccount- able an object, the Mandans stood their ground but a few moments ; when, by an order of the chiefs, all hands were ensconsed within the piquets of their village, and all the warriors armed for a 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 f oon 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 rnedicine, had, for the better security of his person from apprehended vengeance, secreted himself in some secure NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS. 22=^ 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 hia mysterious operations. He set up, (during the day, in his conversation about the strange arrival), his medicines, as the cause of its approach ; asserting everywhere and to every- body, 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 hia 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 connmanding the cloud to come nearer, that he might draw down its contents upon the heads and the corn-fields of the MandansI 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 15 226 LFTTErtS AND NOTES ON THE be wet with the waters of the skies I" His predictious 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 vaults and his threats, and descended from his high place (in which he had been perfectly drenched), prepared to receive the honors 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 honorable appellation. This man had " made it rain," and of course was to receive more than usual honors, 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 \t rain," nevfer 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 steamboat 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,. NOBTH AMERICAN INDIANS. 227 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 fael fresh for their superstitions; and a night of vast tumult and excitement ensued. The dreams of the new- .nade 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 steamboat 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 j 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 wig- wam of Mahsish 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 228 LETTERS AND NOTES. 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 honorable appella- tion of the "Bio Double Mbdioinx." LETTER NO. XX. 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 (229) 230 LETTEBS AND NOTES OK THE excite the criticisms and laughter of the squawa and little vhildren. I have seen a fair exhibition of thoir archery this day, in a favorite amusement which they call the " gatne of the arrow" where the young men who are the most distin- guished 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, endeavoring 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 sur- prised ; not at the great distance to which the arrows are actually sent; but at the quickness of flxxng them on the string, and discharging them in suocession ; which is no doubt, the result of great practice, and enables the most expert of them co 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 thoir 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. NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS. 281 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 iiny 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 num- Tiers 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 three thou- sand 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 fewo, which is a long halter or thong, made of raw-hide, 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 Ml speed T-when ihe Indian dismounts from his own horse, and 232 LSTTXBS AND NOTES ON THS holding to the end of the lasu, chokes 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. 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; if; 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. 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 expres- sion of hilarity and mirth; which was no more nor less than the safe return of a small war^arty, 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 Biccarees, and taken the most solemn oath amongst themselves never to return without achieving a victory. They had wandered long and faith- fully 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 ERICAN INDIANS. 28a circuit )us 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 consalt 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 001110 account of them to cLeir eiutm-A.. I I i LETTFT^ No. XXL MANDAN VILLAGE, UPPER MISSOURI In a former Letter i^igave some account of Mah-to-toh-pa 0he four bears), second chief of the Mandans, whom I said I had painted at full length, in a splendid costume. Mah-to-toh-pa had agreed to stand before me for hia portrait at an early hour of the next morning, and on that day I sat with my palette of colors 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, a< -r npanied by a great crowd of women and children, wht ere gazing on him with admiration, and escorting him to my room. No tragedian ever trod the stage, nor gladiator even entered the Boman Forum, with more grace and manly dignity than did Mah-to-toh-pa enter the wigwam, where I was in (234) j.:i. J' •pa said ''vh cm >^: : ' *Sm>*^' ^•' ^ tllS that ith land was Is!" lim ^y a on iNo red [ity in m W-- ^.t'/ZS-T'^- '^S' M' "#■ .f=,.;:-4 ija*^^ ''*5? M .•5»" .i?:-' V„;iS!*;? LETTF^ No. XXL «ANI>AN VjLLAUK, i'l'I'F.H iflSfSOUm Is » formttT Letter I»gavo some account of Mah-to-toh-pa (the 1!<:»ur l>eaTj»), aeooud chief ot the Jfuiidans, whoia I said I }'.ad pu',titi.'I At lull length, in a ^-plcudid co.siume. Mahi-.'-'.i.'h pa had ■aj^rfc-i to stand brfore mo for lis ponmit ni si^.i rally hour oi' tlie next rnotniug, and on that diy \ «it ft'i'h my palette of colors p'epared, and waited tdl twiiv.^ o'l-look, btdbro be could leave his tf.>ilctte with <'Mi).i5g» Tff ,»A' !«ikotion as to the propriety of his louks and the forrT.---'t;^<»ur of his equipments ; iuid at that time it wa-i .viM'Uiiik^i, ih»t5. ,vrah-to-td)-pa was comir.^ in full dn'ss!'' I Itjtfhsu (»*ii r4 the doM of the wigwam, and saw him appr.)ac>uux or'iiift i firm and tlastio step, acoompanicd by a gtuir vjrowd ot w-'Uier. :> id children, wlio were gazing on him with adaur iliio:!, and escorting him to my room. No trugr.itaa iiver trod tki-- stage, nor gladiator even eniercd the Homun Forum, ^ith more gmce and manly ditjnity than did \fah-to-toh-pa enter the wigwam, where I was ia L U3 all NORTH AMBRICAV INDIAire. 236 readinesa to receive him. He took his attitude before me, and with the sternness of a Brutus and the stillnesf. of u statue, he stood until the darkness of night broke iipon thi* solitary silence. 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, shiel', bow and quiver, lance, tobacco-sack, and pipe; robe, be t, 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 skui 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 incher. .l* v/idth (and crossing the other at right angles on the shoulder) beanti* fully embroidered with porcupine quills worked on the dress, and covering the seams. To the lo\\rer edge of these bands the whole way, at intervals c" naif 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 the 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 236 LETTERS AND NOTES ON THK ..■r 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 Moocasine 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 bufSilo, 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 overcame that desperate enemy in open combat. His Shield was made of the hide of the bufialo'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 deer-s' sinews, which gave it its elasticity, and of course death to all that stood inimioally 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. 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. NORTH AM£:BICAN INDIANS. 237 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^nkk-Kncch, (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 pipestone,) 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. Tho 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 deli- cately dressed ; with all the battles of his life emblazoned on it by his own hand. His Belif 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-hag was the skin of a beaver, curiously ornamented with hawks' bills and ermine. It was held in his right hand, and his poko-mokon (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 i: 23S LBTTEBS AND NOTES ON THB trappings and ornaments as interfered with the grace and simplicity of the figure. He was beautifully and extrava- gantly 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 honors that elevate him conspicuous above all of his nation. There is no man amongst the Mandans so gene- rally loved, nor any one who wears a robe so justly famed and honorable as that of Mah-to-toh-pa. The following was, perhaps, one of the most extraordi- nary 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 ol Mah-to-toh-pa was missing for several days, when Mah-to- toh-pa found the body shockingly mangled, and a hand- some 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 wa 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 uncontrollable frenzy and fury ; he again brandished it through the village, and said, that the blood of his brother's heart which as seen on its blade was yet fresh, and called loudly for revenue. " Let every Mandan (said he) be NOBTH AMERICAN INDIANS. 2a» 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 sutfioient to dis- close 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 » 1 240 LETTEBS AND NOTES ON THE deliberately, charged and lighted the pipe, and sent (no doubt in every whiflf that he drew through its stem) a prayer to the Great Spirit for a moment longer for the con- summation of hia design. Whilst eating and smoking, the wife of his victim, while laying in bed, several times inquired 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 thingn) stirred the embers with his toes (readers, I had every word of this from hia own lips, and every attitude and genture 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 etiemy, 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 pro- tection 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 blufib, and entered the village amidst deafening shouts of applause, while he brandished and showed 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. NCETH AMEBICAN INDIANS. 241 In the portrait of which I am speaking, there will bt «?een an eagle'3 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 balutjc ing it on the lance, as seen in the painting, he desired mo 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 I 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 onto 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." A party of about one hundred and fifty Shienne warriors had made an assault upon the Mandan village at an early hour one 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 16 242 LETTKKS AND NOTES OS TBI 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 1 you may all go back, and Mah-to-toh-pa will' fight them alone !" During this manoeuvre, the Shiennes, who had discovered the Mandans behind them, had turned about and were gradu- ally approaching, in order to give them battle; the chief of the Shienne war-party seeing and understanding the diffi- culty, 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 hjtd stuck down his lance and defied the whole enemy alone ?"^ " I am Mah-to-toh-pa, second in comand of the brave and valiant Mandans." '• I have heard often of Mah to-tohpa, he is a great war- rior — 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 ?" "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 1"" " 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, nhd left it standing by the side of the lance of Mah- to-toh-pa, both of which were waving together their little red fiags — 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 1 both firing their guns at the same moment. They passed each other a little distance and wheeled, when Mah- to-toh-pa drew oft' his powder-horn, and by holding it up^ shewed his adversary that the bullet had shattered it to KORTH AMERICAN INDIANS. 248 pieces and destroyed his ammunition ; lie then threw it from him, and his gun also — drew his bow from his quiver, and an arrow, with his shield upon his left arm 1 The Shieone 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 1 Like two soaring eagles in the open air, they made their circuits around, and the twangs ol 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 adversaiy dismounted, sprang from his horse, and driving him back, presented the face oi his shield towards his enemy, inviting him to come on I — a few shots more were exchanged thus, when the Shienne, having discharged all his arrows, held up h:s 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 1 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 wrest- ing 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. LETTER No. XXH. MANDAN VILLAGE, VPPER MI8S0VRL Oh I " kortibih vim—et mirahile dictu /" Thank God, it is over, that I have seen it, and am able to tell it to the world. The annual reUgiotw ceremony^ of four days, of which I have 80 often spoken and which T 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 (244) MOHTH AMEBICAN WPIANS. 245 parts of it as are transaoted out of doord, 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 " Twedtctne /" 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 quar^ters 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 endeavoring 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 medidnefioiue 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 alasl little did I expect to see the interior of their holy temple turned into a elaugkteT'house, and its floor strewed with the blood of Its fanatic devotees. Little did I think that I was I ,'. 246 LKTTSSS AND NOTSS ON* THE entering a house of God, where His blinded worehippera 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 endeavor to describe it. The " Mandan religious eeremony'^ 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 chers I may recite) in worshipping the Greart; .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 con- structions 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 cir- cumstances, 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 NORTH AMfRICAX INDIANS. 247 of the enlightened world, that they worship witii great flinceritj, and all according to one creed. The Mandans believe in the existenoe 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 pun ishments are not eternal, but commensurate with their sins. These people living in a climate where they suffer from <5ol(l 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 ioe. 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 fiiture period for their new offerees. 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 beauti- ful hunting grounds, do the young men subject themselves to the horrid and sickening cruelties to be described in the following pages. I |i i 218 LKTrSKS AND NOTES ON THK There are otlter three dirttinct objects fur which these religious ceremonies are held, which are as follow: — Firat^ they are held annually as a celebration of the event of the subsiding of the Flood, which they call Met- nee-ro-Jca-ha-sha, (sinking down or settling of the waters.) Secondly, for the purpose of dancing what they call, Bcl-hhck-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 fur extreme endurance, enables the chiefs who are spectators to the scone, 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 one hundred and fifty feet in 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 NOKTH AMERICAS INDIANS. 249 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 endeavoring 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 extra- ordinary 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 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 medicinii-oird, is not to be destroyed or harmed by any one, and evi^n their dogs are instructed not to do it injury. On the morning of which this strange transaction com- menced, I was sitting at breakfast in the house of the Trader, Mr. Kipp, when at sunrise, we were suddenly li 250 LETTERS AND Ni>TE8 ON THE Startled by the shrieking and screaming of the women, an 1 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." T 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 des- truction; 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 oppo- sition) 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 mariner, by shaking hands with him, recognizing him as an old acquaintance, and pronouncing his name Nu-mohk-mucha- nah (the first or only man). The body of this strange personage, which was chieiiy naked, was painted with white day, so as to resemble at a little distance, a white NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS. 261 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 in readiness for the ceremonies, by sweeping it and strewing a profusion of green willow-boughs over its floor, and with them decora- ting 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 trans action. During the whole of this day, and while these prepara- tions were making in the medicine-lodge, Ku-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 medinne-lodge, which must needs receive a present of some edged-t ol 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 ii 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 262 LETTERS AND NOTES ON THE each, aa 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 fiUy^ i. c, 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 honors that were to be bestowed by the chiefe on those wto could most manfully endure them. There were on this occasion about fifty young men who entered tbe lists, and as they went into the sacred lodge, each one's body was chiefly naked, and covered with clay of different colors ; some were red, others were yellow, and some were covered with white clay, giving them the appearance of white men. Eacb one of them carried in his right hand his medicine-hag — on his left arm, his shield of the bull's hide — in his left hand his bow and arrows, with his quiver slung on hia 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 n:idst of them, and having lit and smoked his medicine- pipe for their success; and haying addressed them in a m' NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS. 25S 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 ceremo- nies during this occasion, whom they denominated in their language 0-Jcee-pah Kase-kah (keeper or conductor of fhe 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 Xhnt time, to open the loQge again." He then went out of the r -ige, and passing through the village, took formal leave o? the chiefs in the same manner, and soon disappeared over the biuft's from whence he came. No more was seei\ of this surpris- ing character during the occasion ; but T suall have some- thing 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 juat appointed, and who had received his mjunctions 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, or drink, or to sfe«p, 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 Btrange scenes, and the first one exhibits the interior of the 254 LBTTER8 A.ND NOTES OX 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. 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 unexpeetud manner. I had most luckily for myself, painted a full-length portrait of this great magician or liigh-pricf^t, but a day previous to the commencement of the ceremonies (in which I had represented him in the performance of dome 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 woU'Ontitled to a respectable rank in the craft, to which I had been at onco elevated by the unanimous voice of the doctors, and regularly initiated, and styled Te-ho-pee-nee-waah-ee-waaka-pooska^ the white medicine (or Spirit) painter. With this very honorable 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, endeavoring to get a peep, if possible, into its sacred interior ; when this master of ceremonies^ guarding and con- ducting its secrets, as I before described, came out of the door and taking me with a firm pro/etsional aflection by the arm, led me into this sanctum aanctorum, 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 sentinels 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 NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS. 2K 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. To this seat we returned every morning at sunrise, and remained until sun-down for four days, the whole time which those strange scenes occupied. In addition to the preparations and arrangements of the interior of this sanctuary, as before described, there was a curious, though a very strict arrangement of buffiilo 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, sup. porting four equally delicate rods, resting in the crotches ; thus forming the frame of the scaffold, wMch was completed by a number of still smaller and more delicate sticks, transversly resting upon them. On the centre of this littl© 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 tlie fact, that so sacred was that object, and so importiint its secrets or mysteries, that not I alone, but even the young men, who were passing the ordeal, and all the village, snvn the "conductor of the mysteries, were stopped from ap)iroacliing it, or knowing what it was. This little mystery-thing, whatever it was, had the ap- pearance from where I sat, of a small tortoise, or fropr, lying on its back, with its head and legs quite extofMlod, and wound and tasselled off with exceedingly delicate red and 25b LBTTBRS AND NOTES ON THE blue, and yellow ribbons or tassels, and other bright colored ornaments ; and seemed, from the devotions paid to it, to be the very nucleus of their mysteries — the sane- tissimus sanctorum, from which seemed to emanate all the sanctity of their proceedings, and to which, all seemed to i e paying the highest devotional respect. This strange, yet important essence of their mysteries, I iuade every enquiry about ; but got no further information .^f than what I could learn by my eyes, at the distance at V hioh 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 soone favorite 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 ■esciibe. Immediately under the litUe frame or sec, (T id described, and on the floor of the lodg-; >vas 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 NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS. 267 sacks, containing in each, some three or four gallons of water. These also were objects of supergtitioua regard, and made with great labor 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 tnil ; 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 vwise 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 tor- toises 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 ar'.icles used in these ceremonies, being a society property were medicine, and could not be sold for any consideration ; so T abandoned all thoughts of obtaining anything, except what I ■ ave done by the medicine operation of .;iiy pencil, ^^ili«h v/ti 'applied to everything, and even 17 268 LETTERS AND NOTES ON THE Upon that they looked with decided distrust and apprehen- sion, 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 first three, 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 control, aa 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 first three 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 grotrsque part of their performance, which they denominated Bel- hoiik-nahpick (the bull-dance) — of which I have before spoken, as one of the avowed objects for which they held tliis annual fete; 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 "Jtijr canoe" of which I have before spoken. 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. 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 feces, being in every part covered, either with black, red or KORTII AMERICAN INDIANS. 269 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 u slendur white rud or staff, six feet long, in the other ; and carried un his back, a bunch of green willow boughs about the usuul size of a bundle of straw. These eight men, being divided into four pairs, took their positions on the four dift'erent 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 "firma- ment or night," and the numerous white spots which were dotted all over their bodies, they called "stars." The ocher two were painted from head tc 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." These twelve are the only [)ers()ns actually engaged in this strange dance, which is each time repeated in the same fbmn, without the slightest variation. There are, however, a great number of characters engaged in giving the whole effect and wilduess tu this strange and laughable scene, each onite acting well his part, and whose offices, strange and in- explicable as they arc, I will endeavor to point out and explain as well as I can, from what I saw, elucidated by their own descriptions. This most remarlcabie scene, then, which is witnessed more or less often on each day, takes place in presence ot 260 LETTERS AND NOTES ON THE i' m the whole nation, vho are generally gathered around, on 'he 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 ^^buU dance'^ is given Dnce to each of the cardinal points, and the medicine-man smokes his pipe in those direotions. On the second day, twice to each; three times to each on the third day, and /ot/r timea to each on the fourth. As a signal for the dancers and other characters (as well as the public) to assemble, the old mail, master of ceremonies, with the medicine- pipe in hand, danc'^^a out of the lodge, singing (or rather frying) forth a most pitiftil lament, until he approaches the big oanos, 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 akes tlie 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 intermisaon. When the music and dancing stop, which are always per- fectly 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 spect£,cle, are numerous an' '^ worth description. By the side of the big canoe m two men with the skins of grizzly bears throw them, oaing the skins as a mask, over their heads. These raven- NORTH AMERICAN INDIA .». 261 ateniiig to ous animals are continually growling hi devour every thing before them and utert'ering with the forms of the religious ceremony. T" 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 Cahris 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 contin- uation 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 ])eace — that their women and children can hold the mouth of the grizzly bear — that they have invoked from day to day 0-ke-hee-de (the Evil Spirit) — that they are still chal- lenging him to come, and yet he has not dared to make his appearance I " 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 IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) %^.% i 1.0 I.I La MM |2.5 2.2 ^ 1 — 1^ ^ : 6" ► V f Hiotographic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. US80 (716)872-4503 ^ 5^ c^ 262 LBTTBRS AND NOTES ON THE in the height of all these exultations, an instant scream burst forth from the tops of the lodges! — men, woman, dogs and all, seemed actually to howl and shudder with alarm, aji they fixed their glaring eye-balls upon the prairie blnff, about a mile in the west, down the side of which a man was seen descending at full speed towards the village 1 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 everywhe^ e 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 endeavoring to retreat ; and falling ir^ 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 I This check gave NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS. 263 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 <50oled down into the most exorbitant laughter, and shouts of applause at his sudden defeat, and tbe awkward and ridiculous posture in which he was stopped and held. Tbe 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 I Surely no two human beings ever pre- sented 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, 0-kee-hee-de (the Evil Spirit), frowning vengeance on the other, who sternly gazed him back with a look of exultation and contempt, as he held him in chi-^ck and disarmed under the charm of his sacred myster_y -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 entrSe into the midst of the Mandan village, and to the centre and nucleus of their first Snd greatest religious ceremony. In this plight, he pursued the groups of females. 264 LITTERS AND NOTES ON THE spreading dismay and alarm wherever he went, and conse quently 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 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 multi- tude, who were all praying to the Great Spirit to send them buffaloes to supply tbem with food during the season, and who attribute the corning 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 t' 'eat amusement and satisfaction of the lookers-on, L ; -jemed to have become exceedingly exhausted, and anxiously looking oat 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 com- menced crying most vehemently, when another caught his tvand from bis hand, and broke it across her knee. It was KOKTU AMKRICAN INDIANS. 265 snatobed for by others, who bruko it still into bits, and then throw them at him. Hin power was now gone — his bodily strength was exhausted, and ho 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, iiu hundred or more women and girls, who escorted him m be ran on the prairie for half a mile or more, beating hhn 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 ci this signal victory, and when all eyes lost sight of him as he disappeared over the blu£&, the whole village united their voices in shouts of satisfaction. The bull-dance then stopped, and preparations wero 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 (0-kee-hee-de) made his entrde 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 msdicine'pipe, and at last, driven in disgrace out of the village, by the very part of the com- munity 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 cere- monies and musicians to the medicine-lodge, where also were admitted at the same time « 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 exoruoiating ordeal. The chiefs having seated themselvei on one side of the : 266 LETTERS AND NOTES ON THE lodge, dressed out in tbeir 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 commenced smoking to the Great Spirit, with all possible vehemence for the success of these aspirants. 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 sanctissimtis sanctorum, or little scaflEbld, 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 pur- pose 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 <>f the lodge (by men who were placed on the lodge out r NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS. 267 side, 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 wero passed through the flesh or iiiteguments, in a similar manner on each arm below the shoulder (over the brachialut extemtis), below the elbow (over the extensor carpi radialis), on the thighs (over the vastus extemus), and below the knees (over the peroncus). 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 progi'ess, 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 by- standers 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 havj 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 — th^ 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 ob the breasts, or thrown backwards, in a much more frightful condition, according to the way in which they were hung up. The unflinching fortitude, with which every one of them bore this Dart of the torture surpassed credulity ; each one li 268 LSTTEBS AND NOTES OX THB 08 tho knife was passed through his flesh sustained un un- ohaiigeable countenance ; and several of them, seeing me making sketches, beckoned me to look at their faces, which I watched through all this horrid operation, with- out being able to detect anything but the pleasantesi 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 uncontrollable tears over my cheeks. When raised to the condition above described, and com- pletely 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 in- stantly 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 i'? done in a gentle manner at first; but gradually increases when the brave fellow, whose proud spirit can control its agony no longer, burst out in the most lamentable and heart-rending cries that the human voice is capable of pro- ducing, 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 con* dition 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 withiii ten or fifteen minutes, there is a close scrutiny passed upon him among his tormentors, who are checking and holding each NORTH AMEBIOAN INDIANS. other baok as long as the least straggling or tremor oad be discovered, lest he should be removed, before he is (ai they term it) " entirely dead. " When brought to this alarming and most frightfUl con- dition, 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 medicinebag, which ho 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 care- fully 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 •^•^.ble him to get up and walk away. As soon as he is lowc red 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 get^ 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, ho 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 h* I 270 LETTEBS AND NOTES ON THE lays it on the dried buffalo skull, when 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 ooncern or emotion), with a similar speech, extended in the same way, the /ore-finger of the same hand, and that too was struck off; leaving on the 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 chie& 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 incontestable proof, by five or six corresponding scars on each arm, and each breast, and each leg, that they had sc many times in their lives submitted to this almost in- credible 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 bandag&s are applied to the fingers which have been amputated, nor any arteries taken up ; nor is any att.ention whatever, paid to them or the other wounds ; but they ar.< left (as they say) " for the Great Spirit to cur€{, who will surely take good care of them." It is a remarkable tact (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 NORTH AMKRICAN INDIANS. 271 pain, which, under other oircumstances, 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 ot 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 honorable 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 medicinepipe^ which has disarmed the monster 0-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 pre- sence 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 bodiea chiefly naked, with beautiful (and similar) head-dresses of war-eagles' quills, on their heads, and a wreath made of 272 LETTERS AND NOTES ON THE Willow boughs held in the handa betweeu them, connecting them in a chain or circle in which they ran around the h>'g catioe, with all possible speed, raising their voices in screams and yelps to the highest pitch that was possible, and keep ing 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 Uh-ke-nah-ka-nah-pick (the last race). 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 ab- «tinenoe 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 fiesh, 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 offending the Oreat Spirit and defeating the object for which they have thus far suffered. The splints or skewers which are put tihrough the breast and the shoulders, take up a part of th» NORTH AMERICAK IXDTAVS. 27>i 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 he is lowered down — ^bttt 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 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 th\is 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 confl- dence 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 for- ward 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 feai And dread of interfering, when they consider they have so good a reason to believe that the Great Spirit has under- 18 I 274 LETTKRS AND NOTES ON THB taken the special care and protection of his devoted wor shippers. In this " last race," which was the struggle that finally closed their sufferings, each one was dragged itntU 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 wig- wam, 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 honorable 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 hold them in check, when the body was dropped, and left upon the ground, with the skull yet hanging to it. The- laaigaBagaaiigai NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS. 275 boy who was an extremely interesting ana fine-looking youth, soon recovered his senses and hi^ 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 fool, 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, lie 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 extra- ordinary 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 \nt\\ 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 ! ! 276 LKTTBRS AND NOTES ON THE I need record no more of these shocking and disgusting instances, of which T have already given enough to con- vince 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 »OKTH AMERICAN INDIANS. 277 affair took place just exactly at sun -down, and closed the scene, being the end or finale of the Mandan religioua ceremony. 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 disqui- sition upon the above remarkable events at present; and even had I all the time and leisure of a country gentlethan, and all the additional information which I am daily pro- curing, 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 as these people should hold an annual celebra- tion 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 un- doubtedly 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, endeavoring to keep up 278 LETTERS AND NOTES ON THE the semblance of reality ; for their tradition says, that at a very ancient period such a man did actually come xrom the "West — that his body was of the white color, 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 favorite 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 5!Oon 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 Minata* rees, and some others of the neighboring 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. ■N;-; NORTH AMKUICAW INDIANS. 279 It would seem from thoir traditioD of the wilUw branch, and the dove, that therie people must have had suine proximity to some part of the civilized world ; or that nim^iuuaries or others have l)oeD formerly among them, inculcating the Christian religion and the Mosaic account of the Flood ; which is, in this and some other respects, decidely different from the theory which most natural people have distinctly establi»4hod of that event. There are other strong, and almost decisive proofs in my •opit)ion, in support of the UHaertion, which are to be drawn from the diversity of color in thoir linir and complexions, as I have before described, as well as from their tradition just related, of the ^^firat or only m ' t looked apon as grcni medicine. She soon after went off secretly to the upper Mandan village where the ohild was born. "Great search was made for her before she was found; as it was expected that the ohild would also be great medicine or mystery, and of great importance to the exist- ence 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 thes» 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 0-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 Biver, about seventy miles below the village, with the big medicine-pipe in his hand, the charm or mystery of which protects him from all 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-corn- 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 imper- fections and absurd inconsistencies which should bo ex- f>ected to characterize the history of all ignorant and 1282 LETTERS AND NOTES ON TUE 8U|)or!4titiou8 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 is 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 infurmatio.i of the world, who may get more time to theorize than I have at present ; and who may consider better than I can, how fkr 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 trans- gressioDS 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 absurd- ities 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 tbeir tradition says ; and that they did not make their appearance on its outer surface until after the Deluge. When an Indian «tory is told, it is like all other gift's, " 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 Handan Doctors told me very gravely a few days since, that the earth was a large tortoise, that it carried the dirt pn 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 NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS. 288 the water ran over its back, and drowned all but one mau. And on the next day while I was painting hia portrait, he told me there were fntains forty or fifty earth-covered wigwams, from forty to fifty feet in diameter, and being elevated, overl(Joks 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 l)anks 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 vapor-baths, 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 292 LSTTERS AXD NOTES ON THI homage. His voice and his sight are nearly gone; but the gestures of his hand 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 as he was seated oi 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 LONG KNTFR — OAPTAtir LEWIS who crossed the Bookj Mountains thirty years ago. It will be seen by reference to their very interesting history NOIITII AMKRICAV INDIANS. 203 of their tour, that tliey woro troatod with great kindness by this man ; and that thoy in cotiscfjuence constituted him chief of the tribe, with tlio connont of his people ; and he has remained their chief over since, lie enquired very earnestly for '* Red Hair" nnd " Long Knife" (as he had ever since termed Lowis and ('lurko), from the fact, that one had red hair (an unexampled thing in his country), and the other wore a broad MWord wliich gained for him the appellation of " Long Knife." 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 hoor of him ; at which he seemed much pleased, and has Hignifled to me that he will make me bearer of some peculiar dispatches to him.* The name by which those people are generally called (Grosventres) is one given thorn by the French Traders, and has probably been applied to thoin with some degree of propriety or fitness, as contradlHtinguished from the Man- dans, amongst whom these Trodorg 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. Thoro is no tribe in the western wilds, perhaps, who are bettor entitled to the style of war- like, than the Minatarees ; for thoy, unlike the Mandans, are continually carrying war into their enemies' country ; oftentimes drawing the poor Mandans into unnecessary broils, and suffering so muoh tliomgelves in their desperate war executions, 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 Moooasin, whoae name is Ee-a-chin- che-a (the red thunder,) and who in reputed one of the most * Aboat a year after writing the above, and whilst I was in St. Lonis^ I had the pleasure of presenting the oomplimentB 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 "the, had considered the Black Moccasin quite an old man when they ap> pointed him chief thirty-two years ago. 294 LETTEBS AND NOTES ON THE desperate warriors of his tribe, I have also painted at full length, in his war-dress, with his bow in his hand, his quiver slung, and his shield upon his arm. In this plight, tans 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 inva- riably 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 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 porcu- pine 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 NOBTU AMKRIOAN INDIANS. 295 beauty of her name, Seet-se-bea (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 com 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 profu- sion 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 of thanksgiving. This joy- ful occasion is one valued alike, and conducted in a similar manner, by most of the tribes v lo 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 con- viviality 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 field, 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 occasions is the green com dance, which is always given as preparatory 29i5 LKTTERS AND NOTES ON THB to the least, and by most of the tribes in the following manner: — At the usual season, and the time when from outward appearance of the stalks and ears of corn, it is supposed ta be nearly ready for use, several of the old women who are the owners of fields or patches of corn (for such are the pro- prictoru and cultivators of all crops in Indian countries, the men never turn 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 dis- charged 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 stom- achs, 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 the fire and filled with the green corn, which is well boiled, to be given to the Great Spirit, as a sacrifice neces- sary to be made before any one can indulge the cravings of his appetite. "Whilst this first kettleful is boiling, four medi- oino-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. 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 ia to -fl^ NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS. 207 be dealt out, each one having in it a spoon made of th« bufi&lo or mountain-sheep's horn. In this wise the dance continues until the doctors deoido that the corn is suffici»mtly boiled ; it then stops for u few moments, and again assumes a different form and a different Bong, whilst the doctors are placing the ears on a little scaf' fold of little sticks, which they erect immediately over tho 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 mcii seated on the ground, facing each other and violently drill* ing the end of a stick into a hard block of wood by rolling it between the hands, each one catching it in turn from tho others without allowing the motion to stop until smoke, and at last a spark of fire is seen and caught in a piece of punk, 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 license is given to the whole tribe, who surfeit upon it tfnd indulge in all their f«rorite 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 nau- seating 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. LETTER No. XXIV. MINATABEE YILLAQE, UPPER MISSOURI Epistles from such a strange place as this, where 1 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 th6 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.' (298) NOKTH AMERICAN INDIANS. 299 The only place where I can satisfactorily make these DDtries is in the shade of some sequestered tree, to which I oocasionally 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 onoe the whole interior and all its inmates within my view. There are at this time some distinguished guests, beside? myself, in tlie lodge of the Black Moccasin ; two chie& 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 1 have luckily been a welcome participator in their entertain- ments. A distinguished chief of the Minatarees, with several others in company, has been for some months past on a visit to the Grows and returned, attended by some remarkably fine-looking fellows, all mounted on fin derings 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 dcucced,^'' 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 ever- lasting &rewell 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 honorable being — and their singular and peculiar customs have raised an ^UKTH AXGRICAN INDIANS. 819 irresistible belief in my mind that they have had a different origin, or are of a diflferent 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 inquiries 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 cor- rect conclusion. Amongst these evidences of which there nany, and forcible ones to be met with amongst these p*: pie, and many of which I have named in ray former epistles, the most striking are those which go, T 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 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 one's faculties are required, and ^20 LETTERS AND NOTES ON THE much better employed I consider, in helping him along And in gathering materiala, 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 iu 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 agri- culturalists 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 most unaccountable pecu- liarities 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 oolours 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 iheorjf, it will be after I have collected other proo&, which NORTH AMKBICAN 1NDIAN8. 821 I shall take great paiu» to do ; aftur I have taken a vocabu* lary of their language, and ttl«o in my transit down the river in my canoe, I miiy bo able from my own exami- nations of the ground, to ascertain whether the shores of the Missouri bear evidotJCOH of their former locations; or whether amongst the tribes who inhabit the country below, there remain any sati^fuotory 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 honpitable Mandans. NoTB — Several years having olapNed Ninco the above account of the Mandans was written, I open the book to convey to the reader the melancholy intelligence of the ikntmdion of this interesting tribe, which happened a short time aftor I left their country; and the manner and causes of their misfortuno I bavo explained in the Appendix to the Second Volume of this Work ; ai well m lome further considerations of the subject just above.nained, relative to their early history, and the probable fate of the followers ' Madoe, to which I respectfully refer the reader before he goeH lttt*..r la the bodjr of the Work. See Appetidiz A. I • i LETTER NO..XXVL MOUTH OF TETON RIVER, UPPER MISSOITRI SiNCB writing the above Letter I have descended tbe 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 tbe Sioux or Dahcotas, 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 Bimul* (322) • iTi VRICAN INDIANS. 323 iane)usly, at least eigbt or ten thousand warripership 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 Ot dances — ball-plays — ^horse-racing — ^foot-racing, and wrest- ling in abundance. Feasting, litsting, 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 .;.,\.^.i:. NORTH AMKRICAN INDIANS. 849 white chteft, who were visitors amongst them ; and prepara- tions were made aooordingly for it. The two chiefs brought their two tents together, forming them into a semi-circle, enclosing a spade suiYloiontly large to aocommodate one hundred and fifty men ; and snt down with that number of the principal chiefs and warriors of the Sioux nation ; with Mr. Chouteau, Mr. Sanford, the Tndian agent, Mr. M'Kenzic, and myself, whom they hfid invited in due time, and placed on elevated seats in the centre of the crescent, while the rest of the company all Hat upon tho ground, and mostly cross- legged, preparatory to the feast being dealt out. In the centre of the somi-cirole was erected a flagstaff, on which was waving a white flag, and to which also was tied the calumet, both expresnivo of their friendly feelings towards us. Near the foot of the flag-staff were placed in a row on the ground, six or eight );cttles, 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, bottomsido upward? were a number of wooder- bowls, in wljioh tho meat was to be served oat. And in front, two or throe 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 thous- ands climbing and crowding around, for a peep at the grand pageant when at length, Hii-wan-je-tah (the one horn), head chief of the nation, romo in front of the Indian agent, in 11 very handsome costume, and addressed him thus : — " My father, I am glft Photographic Sciences Corporation 23 WIST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14S80 (716)872-4503 856 LETTERS AND NOTES ON THE 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 Mandaus do, which may perhaps be owinjj in a great measure to the wandering and preda- tory 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. Hulsey, one of the clerks in the Establishment. From the account given of it, it seems to bear some slight resem- blance to that of the Mandan religious ceremony, but no nearer to it than a feeble effort by so ignorant and super- stitious a people, to copy a custom which they most prob?bly have had no opportunity to see themselves, but have endeavored 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, anaongst the crowds thai 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 friend- ship ; and I, being desirous to collect and bring from their country every variety of their manufactures, of their cos- tumes, their weapons, their pipes, and their mystery things, purchased o, great many others, for which, as I was NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS. 857 e il Y !t S ,- t If ■!' m " medicine " and a "great white chief 1" I was necessarily obliged to pay very liberal prices. The luxury of smoking is kuown to all the North American Indians, in their primitive state, and that before they have any knowledge of tobacco ; which is only iDtro- duced amongst them by civilized adventurers, who teach them the use and luxury of whisky 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 pro- fession 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 harm- less 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 Knick Knech. As smoking is a luxury so highly valued by the Indians they have bestowed much pains, and not a little ingenuity, to the constructions .of their pipes. The bowls of these are generally made of 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 aUo 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 I 858 LETTERS AND NOTES ON THE 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 Mis- sissippi River ; and as the Indians all speak of it as a great medicine-ipl&oe, 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 nnd water kept constantly in the hole, subjecting him therefore to a very great labor and the necessity of much patience. The shafts or stems of these pipes, 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 porcupine's quills; and often orna- mented 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 iu many ingenious fornis, and in all cases they are perforated through the centre, quite staggering the wits of the en- lightened world to gneas how the holes have been bored NORTH AMERICAN INDIAMtf. 859 tbrough tbem; until it is simply and briefly explained, tbat tbe stems are uniformly made of tbe stalk of tbe young asb, v^rbicb generally grows straigbt, and has a small pitb tbrougb the centre, which is easily burned out with a hot wire ; or a piece of bard wood, by a much slower process. The ealumetf or pipe of peace ornamented with the war* eagle's quills, is a sacred pipe, and never allowed to be used on any otber occasion than tbat of peace-making; when tbe 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 tbe treaty are agreed upon, as tbe means of aolemnizing or signing^ by an illiterate people, who cannot draw up an instrument, and sign their names to it, as it is done in tbe civilized world. The mode of solemnizing is by passing the sacred stem to each chief, who draws one breath of smoke only tbrough it, thereby passing the most inviolable pledge tbat they can possibly give, for the keeping of the peace. This sacred pipe is then carefully folded up, and stowed away in tbe chief's lodge, until a similar occasion calls it out to be used in a similar manner. The weapons of these people, like their pipes, are numerous, and mostly manufactured by themselves. In a former place I have described a part of these, such as tbe bows and arrows, lances, &c., and they have yet many others, specimens of which I have collected from every tribe. The scalping-knives and tomahawks 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 con- struct themselves, according to their own taste, and often- times ornament them very handsomely. In his rude and unapproached condition, the Indian is a stranger to ."uch "»i^»»"P<«!l»?Wi»" 660 LBTTBHS AND NOTES ON THB weapons as these — he works not in the metals; and hi» untutored mind has not been ingenious enough to design or execute anything so savage or destructive as these civilized refinements on IncUa/n barbarity. In his native- simplicity he shapes out his rude hatchet from a piece of stone, heads his arrows and spears with flints; and hi» knife is a sharpened bone, or the edge of a broken silex. The war-club is also another civilized refinement, with & blade of steel, of eight or ten inches in length, and set la a club, studded around and ornamented with some hundreds of brass nails. Their primitive clubs 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, are what are denominated " pipe-tomahawks," as the heads of them are formed into bowls like a pipe, in which their tobacco is put, a^d they smoke through the handle. These are the most valued of an Indian's weapons, inasmuch as they are a matter of luxury, and useftil for cutting his fire- wood, &o., 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 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 I 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 here also, that nearly every one that is to be seen in the Indian country, to the I' 5e>v I.KI'IKRH NNI" NOTKJ? OS THE w»«fn.>«ni8 as tliL'se — he works not in tlie metairf ; aad liia u .tutored itiiiui has i.ot bwn iugenioua onough to design •>r oxeonV* aiivthinfr so suvaqf or d<.'structive as ti^eso oiv'ili?:*^'! r«^'if» ^.m«?n/^ on Indum bcir'^KirUy. Tu nia wative- simplicity he shapes oix^ hi« rtyle bftUh«t from a piece of htonc, heads his arrows \m ^J{^<«l^» witJi finits; nud hia kriifi; is a sharpcrietl bone, or the .,unent, with ;k Vihido of steel, of eight or ton inuhcs in length, ui.d sot in a club, studded aroand snd orua:uented with aornc }■■ mtlrods of brass nails. Their primitive olubs are v'nrioiisly carved in wood, and fashiimod ont wilh --omc OLiiyidtM-ablc picLuresque form and grauc ; !ir>'' admirably fitted to tlie liand, and oalculatod io dea! a doiKlly blow with the spike of iron or bone which in imbedded in the ball d, &d., in tint'} of peace: and d»;ad)y weapons in time of war, which, they use ii* the liarid, or throw witlt innvrrina aud deadly aim. The soalj)ing-knife in a beautiiul scabbard, which is carried under the bolt, is the form of knife most generally u«(id in all part.'j of the Indian country, where knives have Ix'cn )ntrodui;ed. It is a oomTnon and cheap bntcl'er knife witft one edge, manufactured at Shefiield, in England, perhaps' for sL\peui.'e : and sold to the por I'.dian in ^liese wild regions for a horse! If I should live to got hoiae, and should ever cross the Atlantic v.-ith iny ColL^c-ion, a curious enigma would be solved for the EngliBh people, who may enquire for a sfalping-knife, when they ilnd that (iVOTj one in r.i y ''oUection (and hero ati^o, that nearly every one that is to be aeon in llie India?! ecu n try, to the V Milil,, >' m i NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS. 861 Bocky Mountains and the Pacific Ocean) bears on its blade the impress of G. R., which they will doubtless understand. 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, 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 chie& and medicine- men turned out and agreed to compliment me with a dance. I looked on with great satisfaction ; having been assured by the Interpreters and Traders, that this was the highest honor 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 862 ^^TTERS AND NQTIM OH THK the midst of the Sioux viii- • - lodge, „d beside rtir/r'°''''«'»^°''irf'. women standing i„ , „„ "?'),.? *"° *"" >-<>"■■« for th. d«,«„; forming •o^^f"""^* «>" of chor„f «.y P«t in .he dancing, Totr"?" "* '"•'"«» "> '«^« tbe men. *' " """' 8«me or amusemene, with This danoe who . ,. "oand to witness wh.. moI."!f^,'"'o "O'e "Membled rnV" -^^ ""• --"-h*!r„s in'*:!^:^ /fort'Jr.":i*;s^ff^->«'.'' »..W the cnstomand .he mode Tit- "r""""' P'««of practiced by all the Korth A^J"* 'l' «»'?; « custom done when an enemy is "iniT™"",''"*'"'- "''"b is 'eft band into the l^i^on tt. '""''■ ''^^""Ptag the passing the knife arow^d ^ ,?° 7T "'' ">« i^J, and pi- of the skin With the h?r«t "^ '""' """"^ "iT a band, or larger, which is drS J^^l'' *« P»'™ of the »™ted and preserved, and htb °^° 0"™nsly „„». Tbe soalpling is an o JLi *^ "*'"«* «» « tronhv ifth" '^ °"'' "--rr ';::^^:t't'''.»^''»'^'o !^' of the head; and necessarily to W "«""''«"" bone "ontam and show the crown „, " «°""'°« "alp. must P«;t of the skin which ~rdLT" "'*» ""^'^i "■" ■ologists call "self-esteeV ^^^^'1 "■"' "" P""*" radiates from the centre „f i • u . ° '"'"' '''"des and "™t jndges, and aS^T: di dl wtt^^ «" P-^- to be ™do to produce two or mor! ," '"' "^o" >'« been Besides taking the acLn th "'"'P' *<"» one head '»» to do itiithon.tnd.trir;.8^''='^%. ^ he^ .nd brings home .he «st "fT? ' T '°^P- O"" "S drnde into a g„,. ma„;l°I, tk'"« Z'^'K'''' ^"' »'« - '-.e seams Of h.shi^^d'htt;x::utrr NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS. 868 voru AS trophies and ornaments to the dress, ^nd then are familiarly called " acalp-loekt*^ Of these there are many dresses in my Collection, which exhibit a continuous row f^om the top of each shoulder, down the arms to the wristH, 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 honor, 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 wea))on 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, a# 364 LETTERS AND NOTES ON THE oftentimes make it his imperative duty ; and yet no ciroum stances, however aggravating, will justify him or release him from the disgrace of taking the scalp. There is no custom practiced 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 St to do it. One of the principal denunciations against the customs 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 dis- gusting 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 -* NORTH AMKRICAX INDIANS. 865 "bouid, when I can do it, to render what excuse I can for a people, vrho 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 barbaritiea^f scalps, and scalping-knives, and s'talping, should have osssified a corner of your heart against these unfortunate people, and would shut out their advocate, I will annoy you no longer on this subjecfr, but withdraw, and leave ycu 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 ^^ Hed 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 ! 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, for the purpose of " dancing it," as 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, and hung to different parts of the dress. In public shows and parades, tliey are often suspended from the bridle bits or halter when they are paraded and carried as trophies. 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. Sometimes they are hung at the end of a club, 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, on a pleasant day, by his erecting over his wigwam a pole with all the scalps that he had taken, arranged upon it, 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 866 LETTERS AND NOTES. 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. 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 LETTER No. XXX. MOUTH OP TETON RIVER, UPPER MISSOURI In the last letter I gave an account of many of tbe weapons and other manufactures of these wild folks ; and as this has beeu a day of packing and casing a great many of these things, which I have obtained of the Indians, to add to my MusSe 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 endeavoring to appreciate some of their strange customs and amusements, which I am soon to unfold. The process of " smohing th$ shielcP^ 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 (367) ri 368 LETTERS AND NOTES ON THl through holes made near the edges of the skin. This skin is at first, twice as large as the size of the rei^uired 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 tho 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 con- traction 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 gluo and increasing in thickness until it is rendered ns 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 buflfalo or other animal, as the case may be, which he trusts will guard and protect him from harm ; it is then fringed with eagles's quills, or other ornaments he may have chosen, and sluny 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^nech For the carrying of this delicious weed or bark, and pre- serving its flavor, the women construct very curious pouches of otter, or beaver, or other skins, which are ingeniously ornamented with porcupine quills and beads, and generally carried hanging across the left arm, con taining a quantity of the precious narcotic^ with flint and ateel, and punk, for lighting the pipe. The musical imMruments used amongst these people are *-it. f%: yORTH AMERICAN INDIANS. 8()9 few, and exceedingly rude and imperfect, consisting hiefly of rattles, drums, -whistles, and lutes, all of which are used in the different tribes. Tli'ii rattles {oT Sheslie-quois) most generally used, are 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 are made in a very rude manner, often- times with a mere piece of rawhide stretched over a hoop, very much in the shape of a tambourine ; and at other times are made in the form of a keg, with a head of raw- hiilo at each end ; on these they bcut with a drum-stick, which oftentimes itself is a rattle, the bulb or head of it being ma