Indian Tribes of the Upper Missouri 10

Indian Tribes of the Upper Missouri 10

They give each moon its name, beginning, say, with the March

moon whenever it appears either in February or March, when it

would be wee-che´-ish-ta-aza, sore eye moon; next would follow

Ta-pa´-ghe-na-ho-to, frog moon; next pe-tai-chin-cha´-ton, buffalo

calf moon; next wee-mush-tu, hot moon; next wah-pa´-ze-ze,

yellow-leaf moon; next wah-pa-ich-pa´-ah, leaf-falling moon; next

yo-ka´-wah-how-wee, first snow moon; next we-cho-kun, middle moon;

next om-hos-ka-sun-ka-koo, lengthening days moon’s brother; and next

om-has-ka, lengthening of days moon. Their year has no beginning nor

end. They count and name the moons as they come, and these names are

also varied. Any annual remarkably known fact respecting the season can

be applied to the name of the same moon. Thus the sore-eyed moon can

be called the snow-melting moon, and the falling-leaf moon be termed

the moon when the buffaloes become fat. These moons suffer no divisions

of time except their phases, viz., new moon, increasing moon (first

quarter), round moon (full moon), eaten moon (second quarter), half

moon, dead moon (invisible). Among themselves they have no division of

time equal to a week, although they are aware that we count by weeks,

or divining days (Sundays), and will often ask how many divining days

(or Sundays) there are to a given period.

 

An Indian in counting any period less than a year will say 3 moons and

a full (3½ moons), 4 moons and an eaten one (4¾ moons), 6 moons

and an increasing one (6½ moons), etc. These serve all his purposes

and when wishing to be more minute and exact he must notch each day on

a stick. For a year or four seasons they say a winter. A man may say

“I am 40 winters old and one summer.” Yet sometimes the same man will

say, “I am 40 seasons old.” This is still right. He will also say that

he is 80 seasons old, or 160 seasons old. All of these are correct and

understood immediately, as in the one case you mentally take the half,

and in the other the quarter. This is often done among themselves,

but with whites they generally name the winter only to designate the

year, yet man-ko´-cha (season) is the right name for a year and would

be received as such by all the Assiniboin. The day is divided into the

following parts: hi-ak-kane (daylight), umpa (morning), wee-he-num-pa

(sunrise), wee-wa-kan-too (forenoon), wi-cho-kun (midday),

we-coo-cha-nu (afternoon), we-coh-pa-ya (sunset), hhtie-too (twilight),

eoch-puz-za (dark), and haw-ha-pip-cho-kun (midnight). Any intermediate

space of time would be indicated by pointing the finger to the place

the sun is supposed to have been at that time. They know nothing of the

division of hours and minutes, yet some of the squaws living a long

time in the fort can tell the hour and minute by the clock.

 

They know that the minute hand makes the revolution of the dial plate

before it strikes and know the figures from 1 to 12; also that each

figure is five minutes apart, and will say it wants so many fives to

strike 9, or it has struck 10 and is 5 fives past. This they pick up

nearly of their own accord, which proves that some are susceptible of

intelligence and education. They know nothing of the solstices nor have

any period such as a cycle or century, neither do they believe the

world will come to an end or that their priests or any others have the

power to destroy or rebuild it.

 

They know and name the North Star the same as we

do—wa-se-a-ure-chah-pe (north star)—and also know the Ursa Major,

sometimes calling it the “seven stars” and “the wagon.” They are aware

that it makes its revolution around the polar star, pointing toward

it, and this is the secret of their traveling by night when there is

no moon. They call no other stars by name. The Milky Way is said to be

moch-pe-achan-ka-hoo (the backbone of the sky). It is known by them to

be composed of clusters of small stars, but they suppose it to bear

the same relative position to the arch of the heavens, and to be as

necessary to its support as the backbone of any animal to its body.

Meteors are falling stars which become extinguished as they fall. They

attract but little attention as their effects are never perceived.

Aurora borealis is believed to be clouds of fire or something the same

as electricity. Being very common and brilliant it creates neither

wonder nor inquiry.

 

The moon is not believed to influence men or vegetables nor to have

any other properties than to give light by night.[6] They suppose it

to be made of some body wasting away during a given period. Some say

it is eaten up by a number of small animals (moles) and Wakoñda makes

a new one on the destruction of the old. They know very well that all

this is error and that the whites have a better philosophy, but will

not take the trouble or can not comprehend our views of the motions

of heavenly bodies. Having nothing else better explained to them,

they adhere to their own ideas, which are of the simplest and most

primitive kind, and do not appear to wish them superseded by others

which they can not understand. The same remark would apply to all their

astronomical and geographical opinions. They have a correct knowledge

of the cardinal points, and honor the east as the first from the fact

that the sun rises there. The pipe is first presented to the east, then

to the south, supposed to be the power of the spirits of their departed

friends, then west, then north, and lastly to the earth as the great

grandfather of all. The amount of facts or real information they can

give are mentioned and as for further explanations, as observed before,

they do not delight to talk about these matters but appear to think

them sacred or forbidden fields through which their thoughts ought not

to roam. The subject affords no scope for research unless a writer is

disposed to collect a number of fables, which would serve no purpose

unless it be to develop their ignorance and superstition.

 

[6] It is considered a fetish as a light at night and sacrificed to on

this account.

 

 

FUTURE LIFE

 

INDIAN PARADISE.—The Paradise of these Indians is in the south in

warm regions (not necessarily in the heavens, yet in some imaginary

country not belonging to earth), where perpetual summer, abundance of

game, handsome women, and, in short, every comfort awaits them; also

the satisfaction of seeing their friends and relatives. No quarrels,

wars, disturbances, or bodily pain are allowed to exist, but all live

in perfect harmony. Departed spirits have the power to revisit their

native lands, manifest themselves to their friends in dreams, and if

they have been neglectful in crying for or feasting them can trouble

them with whistling sounds and startling apparitions, many of which

are said to be seen and heard and are most religiously believed in by

all. Consequently, the dead are feasted (a long ceremony), smoked,

sacrificed to, and invoked, besides being cried for years after they

are gone, perhaps as long as any of the relatives are living. The

heavenly bodies they think may also be residences for spirits, but

we think this idea is derived from the whites. The other is the most

ancient and original tradition, if not the only one, and is universally

believed. This subject will meet with further notice in the course of

these pages.

 

 

ARITHMETIC

 

NUMERATION.—All these prairie tribes count by decimals and in no other

way. The names of the digits are:

 

One—washe´nah.

Two—noom´pah.

Three—yam´ine.

Four—topah.

Five—ta´ptah.

Six—sha´kpah.

Seven—shakkowee.

Eight—sha´kkando´gha.

Nine—noo´mpchewo´oukkah.

Ten—wixchemenah.

 

After ten the word akkai, dropping the name of the ten, serves until

twenty, thus:

 

Eleven—akka´i washe.

Twelve—akkai noompah.

Thirteen—akkai yammene.

Fourteen—akkai topah.

Fifteen—akkai zaptah.

Sixteen—akkai sha´kpah.

Seventeen—akkai shakko´.

Eighteen—akkai sha´kando´gha.

Nineteen—akkai noompchewoukkah.

Twenty—wixche´mmene noompa; i. e. for twenty, literally two tens.

 

From twenty to thirty the word “sum” or “more” (plus) is added,

thus:

 

21—wixchemmena noompa sum washena (two tens plus one).

22—wixchemmena noompa sum noompa (two tens plus two).

23—wixchemmena noompa sum yammene (two tens plus three), and so on

up to thirty, which is three tens or wixchemmene yam´mene.

31—wixchemmene yammene sum washena (three tens plus one).

32—wixchemmene yammene sum noompa (three tens plus two); the same as

after twenty, and the same after each succeeding ten as far as one

hundred, thus—

40—wixchemmene to´pah (four tens).

41—wixchemmene topah sum washena (four tens plus one).

50—wixchemmene zaptah (five tens).

51—wixchemmene zaptah sum washena.

52—wixchemmene zaptah sum noo´mpa.

60—wixchemmene shakpa (six tens).

61—wixchemmene shakpa sum washena.

62—wixchemmene shakpa sum noompa.

70—wixchemmene shakko (seven tens).

71—wixchemmene shakko sum washena (seven tens plus one).

72—wixchemmene shakko sum noompa.

73—wixchemmene shakko sum yammene.

74—wixchemmene shakko sum topah, etc.

80—wixchemmene shakandogha (eight tens).

90—wixchemmene noomchewouka (nine tens).

100—o-pah-wa-ghe.

101—o-pah-wa-ghe sum washea.

110—opahwaghe sum wixche´mmene.

160—opahwaghe sum wixche´mmene shakpa.

161—opahwaghe sum wixche´mmene shakpa sum washena.

170—opahwaghe sum wixche´mmene shakko.

180—opahwaghe sum wixche´mmene shakandogha.

190—opahwaghe sum wixche´mmene noomchewouka.

200—opahwaghe noompa.

300—opahwaghe yammene.

400—opahwaghe topah.

500—opahwaghe zaptah.

600—opahwaghe shakpah.

700—opahwaghe shakko.

800—opahwaghe shakandogha.

900—opahwaghe noomchewouka.

1,000—koke-to-pah-wa-ghe.

1,853—koketopahwaghe sum opahwaghe shakandoga sum wixche´mmene zaptah sum yammene.