THE INDIAN AND THE TROUSERS.
When the first clothing was issued to the Sioux and Cheyenne Indians at
Red Cloud Agency the scene was better than a circus. If I am not
mistaken Carl Schurz was secretary of the interior, and after a
conference with some of the big chiefs it was decided to attempt to
abolish the breech-clout. The "Great Father" at Washington, represented
by members of Congress and some of the Pennsylvania Quakers and others,
discovered that Uncle Sam had a warehouse full of discarded or out of
date army coats and trousers, and it was decided to give these to
certain tribes of Indians as part payment for lands that were needed for
white settlement.
The Indians were gathered by hundreds from far and wide the day of issue
at Red Cloud, and Agent McGillicuddy addressed them in their own tongue,
telling them the light blue trousers and coats were the same kind worn
by the brave men who fought heroic battles for their Great Father. His
words were received in silence, and after he had finished several chiefs
held a pow-wow, after which one of their number presented himself at the
delivery window of the big warehouse and received a coat and a pair of
trousers. Several white men helped him to adjust the trousers and coat,
and when he was fully rigged he started to walk toward his group of
red-skinned and breech-clouted companions.
As though the stage had been set and every player had learned his part,
the show began. The up to this time silent Indians jumped into the air
and made a demonstration of guying that would be a credit to any
baseball crowd that ever sat in the bleachers at the Polo Grounds. They
danced and cavorted, they yelled and keeled over, and laughed. The
squaws and papooses thought it the greatest joke, and participated in
the hilarity. Finally the buck who wore the first suit managed to get it
off and resumed his breech-clout.
This first attempt was a failure; but Mr. McGillicuddy was a resourceful
man and was implicitly trusted, especially by the leading men of the
Sioux nation, and he finally tried another plan which after a year or
two succeeded to some extent. He engaged several bucks to help him at
the agency warehouse, paying them in extra amounts of sugar, tobacco and
bacon, but insisted that while they were on duty they must be dressed in
the white man's garb, and finally he had a large number of bucks who
were willing to forego the jibes of their friends for the extra
allowances.
Sooner or later these Indians began to circulate around among others of
the tribe in a lordly manner, and in the end it was not necessary to
bribe any of them, except the youngsters of Sitting Bull's band, to wear
clothing.
At first the Indians insisted in cutting out entirely the seat of the
trousers.
When the first beef on the hoof was issued at Red Cloud, a four-year-old
steer was allotted twice a month to the head of each tepee in the tribe.
It was "cut out" from the herd by a cowboy and turned over to the
Indians forming the tepee, or family, to do with as they pleased, and
what they pleased to do would not have the approval of a humane society.
Always the animal was as wild as a buffalo, and if he did not
immediately start a small stampede on his own account a few
bloodcurdling yells from the Indians did the business. Selecting the
easiest path of escape the frightened steer made a dash, followed by the
bucks on their saddleless ponies. Some of the Indians had long spears,
all had bows and arrows, and some had guns, ranging in make from an old
Spencer rifle to a modern Winchester, although there were few of these.
Most of their weapons were bows and arrows and spears. The latter were
thrown with great accuracy, and fatal thrusts were never made until the
steer had become exhausted. The arrows were also used, perhaps for an
hour, as weapons of torture and shot with no other purpose into the
fleshy part of the steer than to increase his speed. The Indians could
have killed their steer at any time by a shot placed under the shoulder.
But the idea was to torture the beast and perhaps encourage him to turn
and fight for his life, which he often did when surrounded in a ravine.
This was Indian sport, and was indulged in for some time before the
Agency authorities required the government's wards to use civilized
methods.
Usually when a steer had been chased up hill and down vale for an hour,
or until it was worn out, the Indians planned to round up the chase
close to their tepee where a final shot with arrow or bullet put an end
to the animal's misery. Then the squaws swarmed about the carcass with
their skinning knives. The hide, always badly damaged by the spears and
arrows, was removed in a workmanlike manner and carefully put away for
tanning later on. The flesh of the steer was taken away and the feast
began in a few minutes. Much of the meat was dried or "jerked."