Indian Tribes of the Upper Missouri 45

Indian Tribes of the Upper Missouri 45

OATHS

 

The Indians have several kinds of oaths. They will say “Wakoñda hears

me,” or they will swear by the skin of a rattlesnake, or the claws of

a bear, wishing the snake to bite or the bear to tear them if they

fail to fulfill their oath. They generally keep their oaths. The name

Wakoñda in this is uttered in an audible voice with great solemnity and

presenting the pipe to the Sun.

 

When Indians meet on the plains they halt within a few paces of each

other, and if recognized as kin will name the relationship existing in

a smiling tone. If strangers, one will inquire, “Where did you come

from?” “Where going?” etc., during which they sit down and proceed

to light the pipe. While smoking they will exchange news of their

different places, make inquiries respecting their friends, about game,

and anything of general interest, and when the pipe is finished they

separate. No shaking of hands or touching of persons takes place, but

if meeting with whites they will extend the hand to be shaken.

 

 

SMOKING

 

This is so ancient a custom that even their traditions do not mention a

time when their forefathers or ancestors did not smoke. There are tales

among them whence came the tobacco seed and plant, particularly among

the Mandan, Crows and Arikara, and perhaps among the Assiniboin, though

we are not prepared at this time to relate them.

 

 

FAME

 

The principal avenue of fame is the pursuit of war. Other things tend

to aid the individual and to render him respectable, as expertness in

hunting, powers of prophecy, necromancy, and a name for wisdom, that

is, the knowledge of governing, advising, making wise speeches, etc.,

but all these rather follow than precede the elevation of the man.

Success in war is the first step; the others increase the importance of

this. Acquiring a good many horses and women, by any means whatever,

brings an individual into notice and makes him of importance, as

thereby he can distribute many favors that a poorer yet braver man can

not. Wealth in this finds him friends as it does on other occasions

everywhere. But when rank is boasted, or chieftainship aimed at,

bravery and success in war with capacity to lead are the principal

requisites, without which all the other qualifications would be of no

avail. We are acquainted with no Indian who has arisen to distinction

without success in war being the principal cause of his advancement.

 

 

STOICISM

 

The stoicism exhibited by all these nations appears to be partly a

natural disposition and partly a bias of their minds produced by

peculiar mode of life. This display of feeling is only seen when the

circumstance requires it. It is considered a mark of manliness to treat

important subjects, transactions, and conversations with deliberation

and decorum. Lighter matters are discoursed upon with appropriate

levity. Their constant wants, shifts, and precarious positions induce a

thoughtful manner. The knowledge of each other’s duplicity and the many

ways used to circumvent and deceive to gain each his own ends produces

caution. The uncertainty of their lives, liability to be revenged upon,

and treacherous conduct generates suspicion. Being subject to severe

reverses, extremes of want and danger, etc., a recklessness of life

follows. Besides being the victims of superstitious dread, a morbidness

of mind is acquired. But even all these would not without some natural

peculiar disposition of mind account for their want of excitement and

taciturnity and cover a hidden deep and dark design. Even when most

expected, no trace of passion would be perceived by a stranger, but

among themselves, or those who are well acquainted with their ways,

their eye, countenance, smile, and every movement are as true an index

to the workings of their mind as are observable among civilized persons

in the most violent bursts of passion.

 

 

TACITURNITY

 

Silence is not considered a mark of wisdom. A very silent man is not

generally liked and somewhat feared, more so than a talkative one.

Their wisdom consists in making apparent their good sense in speeches,

advice, and in all their actions. Taciturnity may in some degree

arise from their want of sufficient topics of conversation, as when

obscene subjects are introduced this faculty is laid aside. All their

ceremonies partake of the nature of solemnities, but when these are

over and subjects or actions of a lighter nature employ their time

they are as jovial and noisy as can be. In general, however, in common

conversation Indians are not loquacious. Each sentence appears to

be studied and no useless or superfluous words are introduced. They

seldom speak twice or argue the point, even in debate in council. Each

one states his opinion freely without interruption, and obstinately

adheres to it. They never speak earnestly on a subject they do not

thoroughly understand. They have a singular faculty of determination in

everything they say or do. Even when surprised in extremes of danger

their decision to act is made on the instant as if by instinct. No

nervousness nor hesitation is evinced. When escape from death becomes

impossible they are stolid, stubborn, and die like men.

 

 

PUBLIC SPEAKING

 

Their public speaking is only remarkable for applying their whole mind

and soul to the business in hand. They state their opinions in a few

words to the purpose, using only such metaphor as has a visible bearing

on its elucidation. A great deal of the effects of their oratory is

due to posture, gesture, and accent. The importance of the subject to

them and their undivided attention bestowed upon it at the time is the

cause of their forcible remarks. Some of these speeches are excellent

in their way, but only so as they illustrate in a condensed form the

opinions they wish to express. They are in fact the real children of

nature. The prevailing circumstance governs the mind for the time and

produces corresponding words and actions. The young and rising no doubt

imitate the elders in some of the forms of set speeches but no pains

are taken to learn them.

 

 

TRAVEL

 

When they travel at night and have no moon to afford light they take

their direction by the north star with which they are all acquainted,

but when stars also are invisible they observe at dark the point from

which the wind blows, and shape their course accordingly. By these

means they will be able to pursue a right direction until they come to

some hill or river with which they are acquainted, and regulate their

travel from that point until the sun makes its appearance, and then

they are at no loss. Traveling on the plains is much more difficult

than in forests. In the terrible snowstorms that sweep over these

prairies, darkening the atmosphere and rendering the sun, moon, and

stars invisible, or indeed any object a short distance ahead, they are

as much at fault to proceed as any other person, and at these times lie

down, let the snow drift over and cover them, and remain thus until the

storm passes, which is frequently two or three days and nights.

 

There are many ways of determining within a few hours of the time when

an encampment has been deserted and the number of persons composing the

party. The camp fires will show how many persons have slept there, the

dung of the horses or dogs denotes the time, if the fires have become

cool. The tracks of the men and animals and the remains of the meal

are also means of judging. If scraps of meat or bone seen around are

untouched by wolves or ravens they must conclude that the party has

recently left.

 

In the summer the bending of the grass under their feet, tracks in

crossing a stream or any marshy place, and in winter, tracks in the

snow, will show to a tolerable certainty how many persons and what time

they have passed. A slight rain would determine whether the tracks were

before or since it fell. Snow would prove the same; the dew of the

morning in summer or fall would reveal the time to within 24 hours.

The grass nibbled by the horses by its appearance would denote whether

the party had passed within a few days and the hardness of the dung of

the animals brings the time to a still greater degree of certainty.

A correct judgment is not, however, formed by any one of the above

criterions, but by a comparison of the whole, and by following the

trail, and observing also the carcasses of the animals killed by the

party, their number, state of decay, etc. These with other smaller

indications, particularly if an arrow or moccasin be lost or thrown

away, will determine the number and nation that have passed and the

time. The passage of war parties is distinguished from hunting parties

of their own people by the absence of boys’ tracks or traces of dog

travailles in the former, and by the precautions they take in their

encampment.

 

 

SENSES

 

There is an extreme acuteness in their sense of sight—that is, to

see at a glance, over a wide extent of country, sometimes dotted by

bushes, ravines, or hills, and distinguish the living objects when at

rest from others. There is a great difference in the faculty of seeing

far and what is called “picking up an object”—that is, distinguishing

it from the inanimate bodies intervening. The Indians possess this

power in so remarkable a degree as to appear a kind of instinct. At a

distance of 12 or 15 miles they will distinguish animals from timber,

even supposing they are not in motion. If moving they will discern

between horses and buffalo, elk and horses, antelope and men, a bear

and a bull, or a wolf and a deer, etc. But the greatest mystery is how

they make out anything living to be there at such a distance, on the

instant, when they themselves are in motion and the animal at rest.

This they do when it is surrounded by a hundred other objects as like

to living creatures as it is. Once pointed out, the movements are

watched and its character thus determined. Their powers in this respect

are truly astonishing and must be acquired. They also judge very

correctly of the relative distances of objects, either by the eye or to

each other. Smoke can be seen rising on the plains at a distance of 60

miles, and they will tell from that or any lesser distance within a few

miles of the place where it rises. Their ideas of location are fully as

remarkable.

 

An Indian will shoot 20 or 30 arrows in different directions, and to

a distance of 100 yards or more among the tall grass, or in the snow,

where no trace of them remains, yet he will pick up the whole without

any difficulty; whereas a white man would have some trouble to find any

one of the arrows. If they lose a whip, knife, or anything in traveling

they can by returning generally find it, though no road marks their

steps. Even the boys do all these things admirably. Finding lost horses

or a camp from a given direction are also everyday occurrences, even if

they have never been in the neighborhood of the place, yet they will

find their way.

 

 

JUGGLERY AND SORCERY

 

These people are prone to be deceived in every way. Tricks by jugglers,

stories, natural phenomena, or anything, to them unaccountable or

uncommon is looked upon with fear. All are so, the priests as well

as the others. The former have the address to turn to account their

supposed knowledge of these causes—not that they are really any wiser

than the others, but impress them with the belief that they are, which

is enough for their purposes. The minds of most Indians are disturbed

by many useless alarms, such as dreams, omens, and predictions of the

priests. Writing or calculations in figures made by whites are among

the wonders to which great superstition is attached, and they can be

made to believe almost any story, however absurd, if read in appearance

from a book. Paintings also, even the nondescript monsters drawn by themselves, inspire them with fear when looked upon. All this has met with sufficient explanation elsewhere.