Indian Tribes of the Upper Missouri 61

Indian Tribes of the Upper Missouri 61

ORNAMENTS

 

All Indians are excessively fond of display in ornaments. Indeed, as

may have been gathered from the preceding, the value of their dresses

depends entirely upon the nature and extent of these decorations. Small

round beads of all colors are used in adorning every portion of their

dress, as also agate for their ears, hair, neck, and wrists, but these

are by no means as valuable as several kinds of shells or as their

ornamenting with colored porcupine quills. A shell, called by the

traders Ioquois,[35] is sought after by them more eagerly than anything

else of the kind. They are procured on the coast of the Pacific and

find their way to our tribes across the mountains through the different

nations by traffic with each other until the Crows and Blackfeet get

them from some bands of the Snake and Flathead Indians with whom they

are at peace.

 

[35] Ioquois appears to be a loan word.

 

These shells are about 2 inches long, pure white, about the size of a

raven’s feather at the larger end, curved, tapering, and hollow, so

as to admit of being strung or worn in the ears of the women, worked

on the breast and arms of their cotillions, also adorn the frontlets

of young men, and are worth in this country $3 for every 10 shells.

Frequently three or four hundred are seen on some of the young Crow or

Blackfoot women’s dresses. The large blue or pearl California shell

was once very valuable and still is partially so. It is shaped like

an oyster shell and handsomely tinted with blue, green, and golden

colors in the inside. One of these used to be worth $20, but of late

years, owing to the quantity being introduced by the traders, the price

has depreciated to about half that amount. These shells they cut in

triangular pieces and wear them as ear pendants. Silver is worn in

the shape of arm and wrist bands. Hat bands, gorgets, brooches, ear

wheels, finger rings, and ear bobs are mostly in use among the Sioux,

the upper nations preferring shells. Other ornaments consist of elk

teeth, colored porcupine quills, and feathers of the white plover dyed.

Feathers of ravens, owls, hawks, and eagles, furs cut in strips and

wrought in various parts of their dress, besides a great variety of

trinkets and paints furnished by the traders, among which are brass

rings, brass and iron wire, beads, brass hair and breast plates, brass

and silver gorgets, wampum moons, hair pipe, St. Lawrence shells,

spotted sea shells, hawk bells, horse and sleigh bells, cock and

ostrich feathers, thimbles, gold and silver lace, etc.

 

 

PAINTS AND DYES

 

The principal paints sold them are Chinese vermilion, chrome yellow and

verdigris. Out of all these an Indian can please himself, and either

buy such as are mentioned, or use the shells, feathers, furs, etc.,

their own country and labor produces.

 

The native dyestuffs for coloring porcupine quills and feathers are

as follows: For yellow, they boil the article to be colored with the

moss found growing near the root of the pine or balsam fir tree. For

red, they in the same way use the stalk of a root called we-sha-sha,

the English name of which is unknown to us. They have also some

earths and ochers, which by boiling impart a dull red, violet, and

blue color, but we are unacquainted with the process and their names

in any other language except the Indian. Their native dyes, however,

with the exception of the yellow, are superseded by those introduced

by the traders, with all but the Crow Indians, who living near and in

the Rocky Mountains find several coloring herbs and mineral substances

unknown to the other tribes, which produce much better colors than

these mentioned. At the present day they all mostly use the clippings

of different colored blankets and cloth, which by boiling with the

substance to be dyed, communicates the tint of the cloth to it in some

degree. Thus rose, green, pale blue, and violet colors are obtained.

For black they boil the inner papers in which Chinese vermilion is

enveloped.

 

 

TATTOOING

 

Tattooing is much practiced by all these tribes, and a great variety of

figures are thus painted, sometimes in spots on the forehead, stripes

on the cheeks and chin, rings on the arms and wrists; often the whole

of the breast as low down as the navel, with both arms, is covered with

drawings in tattoo. It is a mark of rank in the men, distinguishing

the warrior when elaborately executed, and as the operation is one

requiring the pay of one or two horses, it proves the person’s parents

to have been sufficiently rich to afford that mark of distinction

imprinted on their children, whether male or female. It is usually done

on females at the age of 12 to 14 years, is only exhibited on them in

the form of a round spot in the middle of the forehead, stripes from

the corners and middle of the mouth down to the chin, occasionally

transversely over the cheek, and rings around the wrist and upper

parts of the arms. On them it is merely designed as ornament. Men are

tattooed entire after having struck their first enemy, but smaller

marks of this kind are also only ornamental. The material employed

and the modus operandi are as follows: Red willow and cedar wood are

burned to charcoal, pulverized, and mixed with a little water. This is

the blue coloring matter. From four to six porcupine quills or needles

are tied together with sinew. These are enveloped in split feathers;

wrapping with sinew, until a stiff pencil about the size of a goose

quill is had, with the quills or needles projecting at the end. One

of the priests or divining men is then presented with a horse and

requested to operate. At the same time a feast of dried berries is

prepared, and a considerable number of elderly men invited to drum and

sing. When all are assembled the feast is eaten with much solemnity and

invocations to the supernatural powers.

 

The person to be tattooed is then placed on his back, being stripped

naked, and the operator being informed of the extent of the design

to be represented, proceeds to mark an outline with the ink, which,

if correct, is punctured with the instrument above alluded to, so as

to draw blood, filling up the punctures with the coloring matter as

he goes along, by dipping the needles therein and applying them. The

drumming and singing is kept up all the time of the operation which,

with occasional stops to smoke or eat, occupies from two to two and

a half days, when the whole of the breast and both arms are to be

tattooed; and the price for the operation is generally a horse for each

day’s work.

 

 

BADGES OF OFFICE

 

There are no badges of office that we are aware of. These marks belong

to kinships and appear only in their dress in the different dances,

apart from which nothing is seen denoting official station. Rank is

known by the devices drawn on their robes; that is, to a warrior who

has struck an enemy and stolen horses is accorded the privilege of

wearing a robe adorned with a representation of these acts; he is also

entitled to make the impression of a hand dipped in red paint on his

lodge or person, to wear hair on his shirt and leggings, and two war

eagle’s feathers on his head. After making many coups he arrives at

the degree of camp soldier[36] and is known on public occasions by the

addition to the above of the war-eagle cap or bear’s claw necklace,

which, together with the advantage of publishing his feats in the

dances and other ceremonies, establishes his standing among his people.

 

[36] This is the term explained in footnote 12, p. 436.

 

A still further progress, so as to rank with chiefs or councillors,

is not attended with any additional display or mark of distinction;

indeed, in that event their coups are seldom boasted of, that being

rendered unnecessary from the fact of the whole nation’s being aware

of the cause of his advancement, and although chiefs and councillors

generally have appropriate dresses, as already described, they

never wear them unless on the most important occasions, such as a

battle, council with other nations, great religious assemblies, or

an approaching dissolution. It is their greatest desire when arrived

at the head of the ladder of fame to receive a flag or medal from

some whites in power, which are worn or displayed on all ordinary

convocations and councils. In like manner a sword would be the mark of

a soldier in camp, but we see no other badges of office except what

have already been referred to as existing in kins, which are laid aside

as soon as the ceremonies which caused this display are concluded.

 

 

BEARD

 

As has before been observed, these tribes have naturally little or no

beard. What few hairs and down make their appearance on the face and

other parts of the body are extracted by small wire tweezers of their

own make. They have no method of killing or dyeing the hair; they

cultivate it, and consider to cut it a great sacrifice. It is only

clipped short or torn out by handfuls in excessive grief, but is never

shaved, and until modern times but seldom combed.

 

 

INTELLECTUAL CAPACITY AND CHARACTER

 

Laying aside the advantages of education, of knowledge acquired by

conversation with superior men, and the increase of ideas gained in

travel by the European, and drawing a comparison between the ignorant

white and the savage, we feel bound to award preference to the latter.

In all their conversation, manners, government of families, general

deportment, bargaining, and ordinary occupations they exhibit a

manliness, shrewdness, earnestness, and ability far superior to the

mass of illiterate Europeans. Even their superstitions and religion

present a connected, grand chain of thought, having for its conclusion

the existence of a Supreme Power, much more satisfactory and sublime in

the aggregate than the mixture of bigotry, infidelity, enthusiasm, and

profanity observed in the actions and language of the lower class of

Christians. An excellent opportunity offers in this country to draw a

comparison between the Indians and the engagees of the Fur Company, and

what can never fail to strike the mind of the observer is the superior

manliness and energy of the Indian in thought, word, and action, as

evinced in their patience, contempt of death and danger, reverses of

fortune, in their affection for their children, government of their

families, their freedom from petty vexations, and useless bursts of impotent passion.