Chapter I (11)

{206} On one occasion the Little Bow returned to his lodge, after the absence of a few days on an excursion. His wife placed before him his accustomed food; but the wariness of the Indian character led him to observe some peculiarity in her behaviour, which assured him that all was not right; he questioned her concerning the food she had set before him, and the appearance of her countenance, and her replies, so much increased his suspicions, that he compelled her to eat the contents of the bowl. She then confessed that the Black Bird had induced her to mingle with the food a portion of his terrible medicine, in order to destroy him. She fell a victim to the machination of the Black Bird, who was thus disappointed of his object.

With a band of nearly two hundred followers, the Little Bow finally seceded from the nation, and established a separate village on the Missouri, where they remained until the death of the tyrant.

On one occasion, the Black Bird seems to have been touched by remorse, or perhaps by penitence, in his career of enormity. One of his squaws having been guilty of some trifling offence, he drew his knife, in a paroxysm of rage, and stabbed her to the heart. After viewing her dead body a few moments, he seated himself near it, and covering his face with his robe, he remained immovable for three days, without taking any nourishment. His people vainly petitioned that he would "have pity on them," and unveil his face; he was deaf to all their remonstrances, and the opinion prevailed that he intended to die through starvation. A little child was at length brought in by its parent, who gently raised the leg of the chief, and placed the neck of the child beneath his foot. The murderer then arose, harangued his people, and betook himself to his ordinary occupations.

Towards the latter part of his life, he became very {207} corpulent, the consequence of indolence and repletion. He was transported by carriers, on a bison robe, to the various feasts to which he was daily invited; and should the messenger find him asleep, they dared not to awaken him by a noise or by shaking, but by respectfully tickling his nose with a straw.

The successor of Black Bird was the Big Rabbit, Mush-shinga. He possessed considerable authority, but he lived only a few years to enjoy it.

Ta-so-ne, or the White Cow, the hereditary successor of Mush-shinga, being governed by an unambitious wife, remained inactive; whilst the next important man, Ong-pa-ton-ga, or the Big Elk, more distinguished for his vigorous intellect than for any martial qualities, attained to the supreme dignity, which he still retains.

The power of this amiable and intelligent chief was very considerable during the early part of his administration; and although not so absolute as his predecessors, yet it is believed that he could then inflict the punishment of death upon an individual with his own hands, with impunity. Five years ago he informed a stranger, in the presence of his people, that he could compel any one of them to lie down before him, that he might place his foot upon his neck; this assertion was assented to by his hearers.

But the influence of the grand chief of the Omawhaws has very much diminished, in consequence of the improper distribution of medals by the whites; so that, although one of the most intelligent leaders that the nation has probably ever had, yet he could hardly do more at this time than inflict a blow for the most serious offence. Still, however, he maintains a supremacy over six or seven medalled rivals, in despite of the intrigues of the traders.[209] He does not now attempt to coerce any of his people, but substitutes advice and persuasion.

{208} By his influence and pacific councils, he has rendered the Omawhaws a peaceful people, who limit their warfare to the punishing of war-parties that depredate on them or their possessions; and he exultingly affirms, that his hands are unstained with the blood of white men.

FOOTNOTES:

[205] The succeeding chapters [the last in this volume, and the
first five in the next], which relate to the manners and customs
of the Indians, chiefly the Omawhaws, are from the notes of Mr.
Say.--JAMES.

_Comment by Ed._ With the account of the Omaha here given,
compare Dorsey, "Omaha Sociology," in Bureau of Ethnology
_Report_, 1881-82, p. 205.

[206] See No. 43 in Language of Signs, Appendix B, volume
xvii.--ED.

[207] In corroboration of the remarks given in the text, we
add the following account of an interview which Major O'Fallon
had with Indians of the Mississippi,[B] whose agent has been
hitherto unable to restrain them from carrying on warlike
operations against the Missouri Indians.

In St. Louis, on the 3d April, 1821, B. O'Fallon, agent for
Indian affairs on Missouri, met a deputation from the Saukee
nation of Indians, on the subject of a most destructive war,
carried on by them against the Otoes, Missouries, and Omawhaws
of his agency, and spoke to them as follows:--

"SAUKEES,

"I am glad you have arrived, before my departure for the
Council Bluff, as it affords me an opportunity to address
you on a subject that has agitated my mind for some time
past. Yes, Saukees, for some time past I have wished to
speak to you on a subject that even now makes the blood run
warm in my veins.

"In addressing you upon this important subject, I shall not
speak to please your ears, but to strike your hearts.

"Saukees, you must recollect to have seen me frequently; but
you do not know me, and I know you well. I recollect when I
first visited your land, your balls whistled round my ears.
I was then a boy, and wished to be a man--I am now a man,
with a heart as strong as my strength.

"A few winters since, I was a chief to the red skins of the
upper Mississippi (Sioux and Foxes); I am now chief to the red
skins of Missouri, some of whose blood you have spilt. Listen
that you may hear me; dispose your minds to understand me; and
remember well what I am now going to tell you, and carry my
words to your nation, that they may not deceive themselves.

"When I first climbed the rapid Missouri, I found the red
skins as wild as wolves. Without ears they roved through the
plains, only thirsting for each other's blood. They could
only see the storm as it gathered around them; they could
only see the clouds when they obscured the sun, and hear it
thunder when it rained: but when I sat down on their land,
they assembled around me; they listened to my words; I
settled the difference that existed between them, and gave
peace to the land. They then sat down to rest; but they
could not rest long, for the Saukees of the Mississippi, you
whom the Big Knives, like fools, have suffered to live, came
and disturbed them in their sleep. When disturbed, not like
women did they mourn their misfortunes; but like men, they
rose in arms and came to me. I did not consult my feelings;
I consulted the feelings of my nation, and I was for peace.
I told them to sit down, and they did so. Keep your ears
open that you may hear me, and raise your eyes that you may
see me, for I have saved your blood. Yes, Saukees, I
restrained their arms, and they sat down in tears. But you
were not satisfied: you presumed upon their forbearance, and
came again; but they were not asleep, and you did not spill
their blood, but you stole their horses: you stole horses
from the whites, who, like fools, had still suffered you to
live; and you murdered some traders, who were also white.
They again raised their arms; every body who were there at
the time, both whites and red skins, raised their arms, and
looked around them; but they could not see you; for, like
the timid wolf, you had sought the wood, where they could
not follow you, until they had consulted me--I, whose blood
began to boil in my veins. Saukees, my heart was for war;
but my nation was too much for peace, and it was my business
to promote peace; therefore I gave them some tobacco, and
told them once more to sit down, and endeavour to restrain
their feelings: they did so; and I left them smoking their
pipes, and came away to see the great American Chief. After
I left them, you returned again to their land: you found
them asleep; you stole their horses, murdered their women
and children, took their scalps, and carried some of them
prisoners to your villages.

"How long, how long, Saukees, will you continue to disturb
the repose of other nations? How long will you (like the
serpent creeping through the grass) continue to disturb the
unsuspecting stranger passing through your country? Be
cautious how you disturb the red skins of Missouri; or your
women and children shall mourn the loss of husbands and
fathers--husbands and fathers shall mourn the loss of wives
and children.

"Yes, Saukees, the Otoes, Missouries, and Omawhaws, are
unwilling to be disturbed any longer. They will no longer
suffer you to make slaves of their children, and dance their
scalps in your villages.

"Saukees, be cautious; you live in the woods, and the game
of your country is nearly exhausted. You will soon have to
desert those woods in which the red skins of Missouri cannot
find you, and follow the buffalo in the plains, where the
red-skins are not less brave than you, and as numerous as
the buffalo. As long as you have the wood to conceal your
warriors, you may continue to disturb the women and children
of Missouri; but when hunger drives you from those woods,
your bodies will be exposed to balls, to arrows, and to
spears. You will only have time to discharge your guns,
before, on horseback, their spears will spill your blood. I
know that your guns are better than those of Missouri, and
you shoot them well: but when you reach the prairies, they
will avail you nothing against the Otoes, Missouries,
Omawhaws, and Pawnees. As you have seen the whirlwind break
and scatter the trees of your woods, so will your warriors
bend before them on horseback. (Here B. O'Fallon paused, to
give the Saukees an opportunity to reply; when one of their
most distinguished partisans arose and spoke with energy and
animation, recounting many of his feats in war. He mentioned
how often he had struck upon the tribes of Missouri, and
that the Otoes had killed his brother, whom he loved as a
father, and whose spirit could not be appeased as long as an
Oto walked erect upon the earth. He also spoke of the
difficulty of restraining his young warriors, who were
unwilling to die in obscurity. To which B. O'Fallon spoke to
the following effect:)

"Saukees, one of your partizans, forgetting to whom he was
speaking, has had the presumption to recount his feats in
war, how often he had struck the red skins of Missouri, and
to insinuate that he was unwilling to restrain his young
men. I believe him to be a man of sense; but he has spoken
without reflection, he has spoken like a fool.

"Saukees, it has always been, and still is, my business to
prevent (if possible) the effusion of human blood--to give
peace and happiness to the land: but when I cannot stop the
running of blood, I will probe the wound, and make it run
more fast.

"I wish you to understand that the Otoes and Missouries,
though few in number, and much exposed, do not beg for
peace; and I do not ask it for them. They have not as yet
revenged the death of some of their murdered countrymen: the
spirits of these dead are not satisfied. No, Saukees, these
red skins, whom you persecute, have opened their ears to my
words, and are constantly looking towards me. They do not
wish a dishonourable peace. I would sooner see you drink
their blood, than suffer them to make a dishonourable peace.
You have a few of their children as prisoners among you; if
you consult the interest of your nation, you will send them
to their mothers: if you do not deliver them up, the
red-skins of Missouri will go after them; and in hunting
them they may find some of yours.

"I tell you to be cautious, Saukees, how you disturb the red
skins of Missouri. They call themselves my children: be
cautious how you disturb my children, or I will no longer
look to the pacific disposition of my nation, but consult my
own feelings, and probe the wound which I cannot heal.

"I am not like many white chiefs whom you have been
accustomed to see. I never act an humble part. I am one of
those white men who never fear a red skin--when I move
amongst them, it is not like a dog with his tail between his
legs, but as becomes a man; and when I speak, I feel the
strength of my nation.

"On the Missouri I have guns, powder and balls, blankets,
breech-clouts, and leggings, and I am now getting more. I
know where you have your village, and I know the face of the
country over which you stretch your limbs. I know how and
where you are scattered on hunting excursions. I know where
you are most exposed, and what I do not know I can easily
learn from the whites, and other red skins of the Mississippi.

"I have every thing that a red skin wants; and you all know
he wants only the means of war. You know that all red skins
are fond of war, and that I can make brother fight brother.

"Saukees; you are a strong nation of red skins; but if you
don't endeavour to restrain the ungovernable disposition of
some of your young men, they will expose your hearts in the
midst of your strength.

"Yes, Saukees, be cautious how you offend me; lest I
assemble an army of red skins, and from some high peak on
Missouri, show them where to find your village, and your
exposed and scattered lodges. I know that the red skins of
Missouri cannot destroy you directly; but they can give you
unpleasant dreams. Be cautious, Saukees, how you deceive
yourselves, or suffer others to deceive you, or the day will
come when some of your children will have the misfortune to
behold the dogs fighting over the bones of their fathers
upon this land; and as I may have many years to live, I
don't intend to sit still; and if I continue to increase in
strength as I have done, I may live to see the day when I
can make you smile, or shed tears of blood. Saukees, I have
done, I am going to the Council Bluff."

The Chief of the Saukees, after consulting each warrior
separately, replied, (in substance) as follows:--

"American Chief, I have been attentive, and I have heard
your words, and those of the _red head_ (Gov. Clark). Yours
entered one ear, and his the other: they shall not escape
until my nation hears them. I feel the truth of all you have
said, and have never been more for peace than now. All those
braves have expressed their wish for peace with the red
skins of Missouri. This partizan, who without reflection
spoke exultingly of his feats, since he has heard your words
is also for peace; not from any fear of those whom he has
bled, but from an unwillingness to displease you, whom he
conceives to be a man of truth.

"At our village on Rock river, and encampment at the De
Moyen, we have five Oto prisoners, whom I will promise to
deliver up, when you send for them.

"My brother, I only regret that my nation was not present on
this occasion, to have heard your words. The wisdom of my
nation, all the reflecting men, are for peace; but we have
many young men difficult to restrain, whose ears, (I
believe,) would open to words coming from your mouth, when
mine, for the want of strength, may fail.

"My brother, I wish you to pause--I wish you to forbear
until I disclose your words to my people, and you hear from
them.

"My brother, we receive you as the son of the _red head_;
and inasmuch as we love him, we love you, and do not wish to
offend you."--JAMES.

[B] Of the Sauk nation; they call themselves Sauke-waw-ke.

[208] For a sketch of Blackbird, see Bradbury's _Travels_, in
our volume v, note 48.--ED.

[209] On the custom of giving medals to chiefs in recognition of
their leadership, see Thwaites, _Original Journals of the Lewis
and Clark Expedition_, index.--ED.

* * * * *

Transcriber's note:

Original spelling, hyphenation, and grammar has been mostly retained, with a few exceptions.

Page numbers from the 1905 Edition have been omitted herein, but may be available in other editions of this ebook.

The Illustration "Facsimile of title-page to Volume I of James's _Account_" on page 31 has been replaced by text, as there were no graphics on the page.

Hyphenation questions, when the hyphen occurred at the end of a line, were settled in favor of internal consistency whenever possible.

Footnotes were moved from the bottoms of pages to the ends of chapters. Footnotes in the Preface have only one or two digits, e.g. "[11]"; footnotes in the body of the book have three e.g. "[011]".

In tables, "ditto", "do." were replaced with repetitive text for clarity. Sometimes blank space represents repetition in a table. The first table in Footnote 187 is an example, wherein the words "Length" and "inches." occurred on the first line only, in the original, but are repeated on each line in this ebook. Whenever it was perfectly clear to the transcriber that repetition was indeed meant by white space, text was substituted for the blank.

In the Illustration on page 202 "INDIAN RECORD [...]", The notation "^{x}" means that "x" should be superscript.

Footnote 055: two periods inserted, to end the sentence, and at the end of the footnote.

Page 248: "permisssion" changed to "permission".

Page 307: comma inserted after "hoes" in "camp-kettles; knives, hoes squaw-axes,".

Page 308: period deleted from "having disposed of his hunting apparatus,. she rubs his".