Indian Tribes of the Upper Missouri 17

Indian Tribes of the Upper Missouri 17

In all this the soldiers are supported by the whole camp, and it is in

them as a body that decisions are invested with a binding force, if

force be necessary. We may state that the power is tacitly committed to

the chief as a common and general function of the office, to be held

as long as he governs with general satisfaction, subject, however,

to the advice and consent of the soldiers and other bodies in camp,

as has been explained. They are at all times open to popular opinion

and are only the exponents of it, and although distinguished deeds

were the cause or some of the causes of their exaltation to this high

office, and that they have since been and generally are discontinued,

when the chief becomes of middle age, yet so long as the capacity and

ability of the incumbent exists and coincides with the popular will,

he is retained in office. Old age, debility, or other natural defect,

and incapacity to act, advise, and command, induces the necessity of

change in his position, and though not formally deposed, he voluntarily

retires and resigns in favor of some growing and popular soldier and

warrior. The disapproval of the mass of the body of soldiers, warriors,

etc., as represented in the council of war, would also be an effectual

barrier to the existence of his power or functions in every respect

and at any and all times. It should be remembered that all the remarks

in these pages, although written primarily for the tribe called the

Assiniboin, apply equally well to all the roving tribes of the Missouri

River from and including the Sioux to the Blackfeet, our limits not

admitting separate descriptions for each tribe. Where there is any

important difference, however, we will not fail to mention it.

 

Is the democratic element strongly implanted? Very. The whole is a pure

democracy, as has by this been developed. There are also consultations

in private lodges previous to meeting in councils, but these do not

appear to influence the opinions of any, further than thereby getting a

thorough acquaintance of the subject, and preparing their minds for a

speech, and not much idea can be formed in this way of the popularity

of the question until it meets public discussion in the council.

Neither are these private councils held with that view but are merely

conversations regarding the importance of the subject and something

to talk about, which is always desirable in an Indian camp. They are

obstinate in adhering to a formed opinion and not easily moved by

oratory or extraneous remarks, are shrewd and pursue the subject with

intensity and perseverance until decided or abandoned. They are liable

also to be carried away by the excitement of debate and lose sight

of the subject in personal abuse and recrimination until called to

order by some more cool. There is no vote taken, though the prevailing

feeling is manifest and those who do not exhibit any of this feeling

are quietly asked their opinion, which they as quietly give. All this

has met with sufficient explanation. The leading chief does nothing

in advance of public opinion. His business is rather to think of

their welfare and interests, bringing those subjects under discussion

which appear to him of sufficient importance and which he sees merit

consideration by the excitement they occasion in private lodges, or

if smaller matters they are left to the decision of the soldiers. In

councils held in the soldiers’ lodge for hunting the chief does not

always appear. When the camp is placed for the winter he assists in

forming the body of soldiers and in giving general instructions which

they carry out. Afterwards he seldom goes for these purposes. The

business of these soldiers will meet with further notice in these pages

and it is worth while considering their powers, as they are the active

force of all large camps.

 

COUNCILS.—Councils are opened in a very sedate and orderly form. The

pipe is the principal of all ceremonies, and its motions vary with

the occasions. Councils between two nations for a peace, deputations

of both being present, are very solemn and take a long time. It is

likely these ceremonies are very ancient, being nearly the same among

all the roving tribes. The real calumet used on this occasion with its

accompaniments presents the form as sketched and explained in Plate

68. This instrument is always kept packed up in many envelopes of

cloth, skin, etc., the whole making a roll as thick as a man’s thigh,

sometimes as large as a piece of common stovepipe, 5 or 6 feet long,

is laid in the middle of the soldiers’ lodge on a piece of scarlet

cloth in that way before the deputation has arrived, or immediately

on its arrival, is not opened, however, until a full council has

been assembled. The chief (who owns the pipe) then commences the

ceremony of unrolling it, and at the taking off of each envelope says

a few words equivalent to “Peace we wish,” “Look over us, Wakoñda,”

“This to the Sun,” “This to the Earth,” etc., giving, as it were,

some distinction or value to each envelope. After a long time and the

untying of many knots, the pipe and stem appear, with a tobacco sack, a

bunch of sweet-smelling grass, a probe for the pipe, and a small sack

containing a charm or amulet. The pipe is on this occasion filled from

the tobacco (or mixture) sack by the chief of the soldiers, though not

lit, and in this way handed to his own chief. He (the chief) now stands

up, the different deputations of nations sitting opposite each other

on either side of the lodge. He first presents the pipe to the East,

singing a gentle and harmonious song for about a minute, then presents

it South, West, North, to the Sky and lastly to the Earth, repeating

the song at each presentation.

 

[Illustration: BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY FORTY-SIXTH ANNUAL REPORT

PLATE 68

 

THE CALUMET AND ITS ACCOMPANIMENTS

 

_A_, The pipestem of ash wood, garnished about half its length with

porcupine quills of various colors; _B_, a large red-stone pipe; _C_,

_C_, _C_, three tails of the war eagle, feathers connected with sinew

and beads or shells between. The stem or stalk of the feathers is

garnished with colored porcupine quills; _D_, _D_, two festoons of

beads or shells with a small strip of otter skin on which the beads are

tied; _E_, the head of a mallard duck (male) without the under bill.

Sometimes this is the head of a red-headed woodpecker.]

 

In conclusion he turns it slowly three times round, and lays it down,

all responding hoo-o-oo as the pipe is placed on the ground. The chief

now sits down in his place, and the Chief of the soldiers rises. He

lights the pipe with a piece of the sweet-smelling grass—if the

strangers are of the Crow nation a piece of dried buffalo dung is used

to light it—stands up and presents it precisely to the same points as

the chief had done without singing, giving three puffs or whiffs of

the pipe to every presentation, finishing in the same way the chief

had done, and, receiving a loud prolonged universal hoo-o-oo or grunt

of approbation, he then resumes his seat. The chief now rises the

second time and having had the pipe relighted, holding the stem in

his hand advances and presents it, or rather places it in the mouth

of the head man of the strange deputation, allowing him to take a few

whiffs, passes to the next and the next, they sitting and he moving

round from one to another until all the strangers have been smoked,

then he hands the pipe to the chief of the soldiers and sits down. This

officer now presents the pipe in the same way to his own chief and

going round the other side smokes all his people, and hands the pipe to

another soldier, who goes the whole round again, and this is repeated

over in silence for at least two hours, when the pipe is laid down

by the chief, and speeches or signs begin by which they arrange the

preliminaries of a peace. After all is settled the pipe undergoes the

ceremony of rolling up, which is fully as long, though not in silence,

conversation becoming general and ordinary pipes being introduced. The

termination on this occasion is a grand feast in the soldiers’ lodge to

the strangers, and invitations to 50 or more other feasts in camp, to

all of which they must go, and when all is finished the strangers are

accommodated with temporary wives during their short residence.

 

There is generally order observed in the breaking up of councils, the

chief saying “We are done,” when all retire. Occasionally, however, it

breaks up turbulently, and they separate in passion, but the subject

is reconciled and settled in order the next time. Different councils

have different ceremonies. Some open and some close with feasts of

dog meat. The pipe is never omitted, though the real calumet is never

opened except in dealings with strangers. In all other councils

soldiers’ pipes are used. The duties of the public crier we have

already mentioned. Questions are well debated, and generally decided on

the spot or abandoned as already explained on the principle of large

majorities, or rather general approbation, though absolute unanimity

is not required. The few who oppose say nothing against the affairs

when once decided, and although they do not relinquish their opinions,

yet can not or will not go contrary to the wishes of the many. But the

voice of the leading chief is in no instance taken as the __EXPRESSION__ of

the will of even a single band, much less a whole tribe.

 

SCOPE OF CIVIL JURISDICTION.—A decision by the body of the council

is carried into effect by the soldiers, by force if necessary, as in

the case of hunting by the surround, removing neighboring lodges of

their own people who are so placed as to bar the passage of the buffalo

toward the camp. Lodges thus situated are invariably forced to come

and join the camp or to remove so far as to be no obstruction to the

passage and advance of the buffalo, and to move them against their will

is often a serious and always a dangerous undertaking. They do it,

however; that is, the soldiers turn out in a body, kill their dogs, and

keep doing damage until they leave. The power of taking life is not

invested in any body of Indians, neither has the council any right to

take cognizance of or legislate on the subject. If a soldier is killed

in doing his duty the body of soldiers would immediately fall upon the

murderer or on any of his relatives, should he have absconded. Crimes

of this kind are privately redressed and revenged by the relatives

of the deceased, and as the murderer always flies, it is often years

before they can get an opportunity to kill him, yet vengeance only

slumbers. All these things will be fully explained under the head of

“Crime.” It might, however, be as well to state here that there is no

public body among them whose duty it is to punish crime of any kind,

nor any authority equivalent to or resembling a court of justice.

Consequently, there are no public or stated executions, neither is

there any person who exercises the functions of public executioner. All

this will be fully explained, as also the restoration of property, in

the place where rights of property are considered.

 

CHIEFSHIP.—How are rank and succession in office regulated? The

circumstances of the decease of the leading chief and the succession

has already been referred to. If not yet sufficiently explicit, we

may in addition state that it would be a subject of earnest debate

in council, not so much with the view of choosing the successor, as

this individual had long before been tacitly acknowledged, being the

next most popular leader of the right kind, and of the most numerous

connections, but to install that person into office, intimating their

desire that he should lead and govern the camp. This might be called

election, although no vote is taken, yet if a general feeling in his

favor prevails he becomes their leader; if not, those who dissent have

the privilege of leaving that band and joining another, or if numerous

enough for the general purposes of hunting and defense can form a band

of their own and choose a leader from among themselves. In all this we

hope to have been sufficiently explicit as not to present any idea of a

distinct line of hereditary succession.

 

A chief would be deposed from his office by being guilty of any conduct

that would bring upon him general disgust and dissatisfaction. Though

crimes in the abstract could not have this tendency, yet if he murdered

a man without cause whose relations were numerous, a skirmish between

the two families and immediate separation would be the consequence.

If the murdered man was friendless nothing would be done and the rest

would fear him the more. The offenses that would most likely lead to

his overthrow would be remarkable meanness, parsimony, or incest. A

chief must give away all to preserve his popularity and is always the

poorest in the band, yet he takes good care to distribute his gifts

among his own relatives or the rich, upon whom he can draw at any time should he be in need.