Indian Tribes of the Upper Missouri 46

Indian Tribes of the Upper Missouri 46

STRENGTH AND ENDURANCE

 

Their powers in lifting weights, handling an ox or rowing a boat can

not compare to Europeans, yet they equal them in carrying burdens

and surpass them in running. It would seem that they have but little

strength in their arms, but considerable in the back and limbs. This

may be owing to the manner in which they have exercised in their youth.

An ordinary Indian can not lift more than 125 to 150 pounds at most,

though there are a few very strong men who might be able to raise

double that weight, yet most of them will carry a large deer on their

backs, traveling at a swift pace for miles without stopping, and this

is equal to 170 to 185 pounds weight. The manner in which they put it

on their back is by tying the legs together, lying down with their back

on the deer, slipping the legs across the forehead, and rising up with

the load. The Assiniboin have frequently in this neighborhood and once

in our company tired down in a day or two running on foot the best

horses we could produce.[25] In running they never “lose their breath”

as it is called, do not pant or respire very quickly.

 

[25] W J McGee noted similar racing ability among the Seri Indians. See

Seventeenth Ann. Rept. Bur. Amer. Ethn.

 

They can not understand why “whites lose their wind in running” and

have no name for the idea in their language. They say their legs

sometimes fail them in several days running, but their wind never. They

are not fast, but constant runners, keeping always at the same pace

over hills or on a level, in a kind of short trot about 12 or 15 miles

without stopping. They will then rest a few minutes, smoke a pipe, and

make as much more at the same rate, and so on, for three or four days

and nights in succession if necessary, their speed on these occasions

being about 5½ miles an hour. In an emergency, sending an Indian

express to the fort to carry a letter for myself, he went 95 miles and

returned, being 190 miles, in two nights and one day.

 

They can not walk as well as strong white men, and never do walk when

in haste to get forward. The muscles of their arms do not appear to

be formed for very hard work, but it may be that the nature of their

labors does not develop them. Upon the whole the European would stand

much more hard work in every way, but the Indian would be his superior

in active exercise, abstemiousness, and loss of sleep. The greatest

burden we have known an Indian to carry any distance, say 3 or 4 miles,

was two entire antelope, about 225 pounds.

 

 

SPIRITUOUS LIQUORS

 

No spirituous liquors have been distributed among these nations for

many years past, but should it be given them in quantity it would be

productive of great poverty and distress. They all drink whenever they

can get it—men, women, and children—except the Crow Indians, who will

not taste it. The usual consequence of drinking spirits is poverty,

as they will sell or give away everything they possess and prostitute

their women and children to obtain liquor when once intoxicated. These

Indians have never had a constant supply of spirits—that is, enough

to produce diseases or nervous debility. Their frolics were made at

intervals of months apart and never lasted more than 24 hours at a

time. They are not quarrelsome in their families when inebriated,

generally sing or cry for their dead relations; but among those who are

not of kin quarrels often occur which occasionally result in the death

of one of them. It is morally wrong and productive of great evil, in

our opinion, to sell or give ardent spirits to any Indian.

 

 

HUNTING

 

Buffalo are the principal dependence of all the prairie tribes, both

for food and clothing, and are hunted at all seasons; in the summer

when the hair is light and short for clothing, lodges, etc., and in

the winter, when it is long and heavy, for robes. There are three ways

of hunting this animal: by surrounding, by approaching, and by the

parks, each of which we will describe. It may as well be stated that

the buffalo migrate, or take different ranges, and travel all in the

same direction in a given season. Thus in the spring they mostly move

north and northwest, in the fall east and south, in the winter east,

returning west and north toward spring. They keep together in herds

of from 100 or 200 to 5,000 or 6,000, and sometimes the whole country

for five or six days travel is covered with one moving mass of these

animals. News of the buffalo approaching an Indian camp is received

several days before the animals appear, as they only move forward when

the grazing is not sufficient. Where a large camp is stationed they

usually hunt by “surround,” which is as follows:

 

The soldiers hold a council with the chief in the soldiers’ lodge

and prohibit any individual hunting ahead of the buffalo, also send

runners daily on discovery, to observe what progress they are making

toward the camp, their numbers, etc., and when they report them to be

near enough a meeting is held in the soldiers’ lodge, the time for the

hunt appointed, and notice given to the camp by the haranguing of the

public crier. At daybreak all the horses are caught and saddled, and

each of the horsemen is provided with a bow and a quiver of arrows. A

number who have no horses arm themselves with guns, and at a signal

from one of the soldiers the party moves off in single file or line.

Those who have the fastest horses go in front, after them the other

horsemen. Then the foot hunters, and lastly the women with their dogs

and travailles. The soldiers ride along each side the line (which is

sometimes a mile and more in length) and observe whether the line of

march is preserved, and that no one leaves singly. Were a dog to run

out of the line it would be shot with an arrow immediately.

 

Their march is conducted in silence, with the wind in their faces,

consequently blowing the scent away from the buffalo while they are

coming near them. The animal is not quick sighted but very keen

scented, and a man can, in passing across the wind blowing toward them,

raise a herd at the distance of 2 or 3 miles, without their seeing him.

 

The party proceeds in this order, taking every advantage of concealment

the country affords in hills, coulees, bushes, long grass, etc.,

endeavoring to get around them. As soon, however, as they are close and

see a movement among the buffalo intimating flight, they push their

horses at full speed, and riding entirely round commence shooting the

buffalo, which run in the direction of the footmen, these in their

turn shoot, and the animals are driven back toward the horses. In this

way they are kept running nearly in a circle until very tired, and the

greater part are killed. Those on horseback shoot arrows into all they

can at the distance of from 2 to 6 paces, and the footmen load and fire

as often as the animals come near them.

 

A “surround” party of 80 to 100 persons will in this way kill from 100

to 500 buffalo in the course of an hour. As soon as possible the women

get to work skinning and cutting up the animals. The tongue, hide, and

four best pieces are the property of the one who killed it, and the

rest belongs to those who skin it. When the men have stopped killing

and turned their horses loose to graze they commence with their women,

and the work being divided among so many is soon gotten through with.

If any disputes occur as to the right to the hides or meat, they are

settled on the spot by the soldiers; but these disputes do not often

occur, as they generally all have as many hides and as much meat as

they can pack home. The meat is cut in long, thick slices, merely

detaching it from the bones, and leaving the carcass on the plains.

It is packed home on their horses and dogs. Before leaving, however,

they all make a hearty meal of raw liver, raw kidneys, raw stomach, and

cow’s nose, with other parts in the same state, and the blood being

thus smeared over all their faces presents a savage appearance.

 

On arrival in camp if the soldiers wish the tongues, each one throws

his down at the soldiers’ lodge in passing, or sends it to them. Each

also furnishes a piece of meat for that lodge, and all the old and

feeble are supplied by their relatives who have been to the hunt. The

chief has no interference in all these matters. He sometimes hunts and

works the same as the others, but generally sends some of his sons or

other relations with his horses for meat. They never use the gun on

horseback or the bow on foot after game. The former they can not load

while running and the latter is not calculated to shoot with certainty

any distance over 10 paces.

 

THROWING BUFFALO IN A PARK.—This is the most ancient mode of hunting,

and probably the only successful one prior to the introduction of

firearms and horses, as their bows and arrows are insufficient for

killing buffalo on foot. We know of no nation now except the Assiniboin

and Cree who practice it, because all the rest are well supplied with

horses that can catch the buffalo, therefore they are not compelled to

resort to these means to entrap them.

 

Every year thousands of them are caught in this section by the

Assiniboin, and at the time we are writing there are three parks in

operation a short distance from this, all doing a good business. When

a camp of 30 to 60 lodges find themselves deficient in guns and horses

they move to a suitable place to build a park (pl. 69), and there wait

the approach of buffalo toward it. Most streams have high bluffs on

each side and a valley between. They therefore pitch their camp in the

valley opposite and near a gap of perpendicular descent through the

hills; a high level plain being beyond the bluffs. They cut timber and

plant strong posts in the ground nearly in a circular form and fill up

the openings between with large logs, rocks, bushes, and everything

that will in any way add to its strength, inclosing an area of nearly

an acre of ground. This enclosure is run up the sides of the hill to

the gap or entrance _C_, though neither it nor the camp is visible from

the place beyond. The whole is planned and managed by the master of the

park, some divining man of known repute, who is believed to have the

power of making the buffalo come into it by his enchantments.

 

On the plains beyond, and commencing where the wood mark leaves off,

are thrown up piles of earth, about 3 feet high and large enough

to conceal a man lying behind them, which are about 18 paces apart

and extend in angles to the distance of a quarter to half a mile in

proportion as there are people to man them. When these arrangements

are completed, four fast running young men are selected by the manager

whose duty it is to scour the country every day or two, making a

circuit of about 20 miles in discovery of buffalo, and report to

headquarters. The master in the meantime commences his magic arts as

follows: A flagstaff or pole is planted in the center of the park,

to the top of which is attached a yard or two of scarlet cloth, some

tobacco, and a cow’s horn. This is a sacrifice to the Wind. At

the foot of the same are placed two or three buffalo Heads which are

painted red, decked out in feathers, and new kettles with scarlet cloth

and other things placed before them. These are given to the Buffalo

Spirits.

 

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

PLATE 69

 

A BUFFALO PARK OR “SURROUND”]

 

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

PLATE 70

 

_An Assiniboine running a Buffalo._

 

_Drawn by an Assiniboine warrior and hunter, Fort Union, Jan. 16,

1854._]

 

Another Head painted and decked very gaudily is placed in the lodge of

the master, who smokes and invokes it, at times singing the Bull Song,

which he accompanies with a rattle nearly all night, and prophesies

as to their appearance of success in the morning. A man is now chosen

who is to lead the buffalo within the lines, and there are but few

among them who can do it. When the discoverers have reported buffalo

to be within 8 or 10 miles of the camp, and the wind is favorable, the

master, after great ceremonies to the Heads, and making them other

sacrifices, gives notice that a throw must be made, sending all the

camp to take their stations behind the piles of earth, lying down; he

remains in camp, keeping up a singing, rattling, and smoking—with

invocations all the time. The person who brings the buffalo mounts a

horse and meets them a great distance from camp. When within about 150

yards of the herd he covers his body with his robe, lies along the horse’s back, and imitates the bleating of a buffalo calf.