“On the morning of September 25th,” says the journal, “we raised a
flagstaff and an awning, under which we assembled, with all the party
parading under arms. The chiefs and warriors, from the camps two miles
up the river, met us, about fifty or sixty in number, and after smoking
we delivered them a speech; but as our Sioux interpreter, M. Durion, had
been left with the Yanktons, we were obliged to make use of a Frenchman
who could not speak fluently, and therefore we curtailed our harangue.
After this we went through the ceremony of acknowledging the chiefs, by
giving to the grand chief a medal, a flag of the United States, a laced
uniform coat, a cocked hat and feather; to the two other chiefs, a
medal and some small presents; and to two warriors of consideration,
certificates. The name of the great chief is Untongasabaw, or
Black Buffalo; the second, Tortohonga, or the Partisan; the third,
Tartongawaka, or Buffalo Medicine; the name of one of the warriors was
Wawzinggo; that of the second, Matocoquepa, or Second Bear. We then
invited the chiefs on board, and showed them the boat, the air-gun, and
such curiosities as we thought might amuse them. In this we succeeded
too well; for, after giving them a quarter of a glass of whiskey, which
they seemed to like very much, and sucked the bottle, it was with much
difficulty that we could get rid of them. They at last accompanied
Captain Clark on shore, in a pirogue with five men; but it seems they
had formed a design to stop us; for no sooner had the party landed than
three of the Indians seized the cable of the pirogue, and one of the
soldiers of the chief put his arms round the mast. The second chief, who
affected intoxication, then said that we should not go on; that they
had not received presents enough from us. Captain Clark told him that
he would not be prevented from going on; that we were not squaws, but
warriors; that we were sent by our great father, who could in a moment
exterminate them. The chief replied that he too had warriors, and was
proceeding to offer personal violence to Captain Clark, who immediately
drew his sword, and made a signal to the boat to prepare for action. The
Indians, who surrounded him, drew their arrows from their quivers,
and were bending their bows, when the swivel in the boat was instantly
pointed towards them, and twelve of our most determined men jumped into
the pirogue and joined Captain Clark. This movement made an impression
on them, for the grand chief ordered the young men away from the
pirogue, and they withdrew and held a short council with the warriors.
Being unwilling to irritate them, Captain Clark then went forward, and
offered his hand to the first and second chiefs, who refused to take it.
He then turned from them and got into the pirogue; but he had not got
more than ten paces, when both the chiefs and two of the warriors waded
in after him, and he brought them on board. We then proceeded on for a
mile, and anchored off a willow island, which, from the circumstances
which had just occurred, we called Bad-humored Island.”
The policy of firmness and gentleness, which Lewis and Clark always
pursued when treating with the Indians, had its good results at this
time. What might have been a bloody encounter was averted, and next day
the Indians contritely came into camp and asked that their squaws and
children might see the white men and their boats, which would be to them
a novel sight. This was agreed to, and after the expedition had sailed
up the river and had been duly admired by a great crowd of men, women,
and children, the Tetons invited the white men to a dance. The journal
adds:--
“Captains Lewis and Clark, who went on shore one after the other, were
met on landing by ten well-dressed young men, who took them up in a robe
highly decorated and carried them to a large council-house, where they
were placed on a dressed buffalo-skin by the side of the grand chief.
The hall or council-room was in the shape of three-quarters of a circle,
covered at the top and sides with skins well dressed and sewed together.
Under this shelter sat about seventy men, forming a circle round the
chief, before whom were placed a Spanish flag and the one we had given
them yesterday. This left a vacant circle of about six feet diameter,
in which the pipe of peace was raised on two forked sticks, about six
or eight inches from the ground, and under it the down of the swan was
scattered. A large fire, in which they were cooking provisions, stood
near, and in the centre about four hundred pounds of buffalo meat as a
present for us. As soon as we were seated, an old man got up, and after
approving what we had done, begged us take pity on their unfortunate
situation. To this we replied with assurances of protection. After he
had ceased, the great chief rose and delivered a harangue to the same
effect; then with great solemnity he took some of the most delicate
parts of the dog which was cooked for the festival, and held it to the
flag by way of sacrifice; this done, he held up the pipe of peace, and
first pointed it toward the heavens, then to the four quarters of the
globe, then to the earth, made a short speech, lighted the pipe, and
presented it to us. We smoked, and he again harangued his people, after
which the repast was served up to us. It consisted of the dog which they
had just been cooking, this being a great dish among the Sioux, and used
on all festivals; to this were added pemitigon, a dish made of buffalo
meat, dried or jerked, and then pounded and mixed raw with grease and
a kind of ground potato, dressed like the preparation of Indian corn
called hominy, to which it is little inferior. Of all these luxuries,
which were placed before us in platters with horn spoons, we took the
pemitigon and the potato, which we found good, but we could as yet
partake but sparingly of the dog.”
The “pemitigon” mentioned here is better known as pemmican, a sort of
dried meat, which may be eaten as prepared, or pounded fine and cooked
with other articles of food. This festival concluded with a grand dance,
which at midnight wound up the affair.
As the description of these Tetons, given by Lewis and Clark, will give
the reader a good idea of the manners, customs, and personal appearance
of most of the Sioux nation, we will copy the journal in full. It is as
follows:
“The tribe which we this day saw are a part of the great Sioux nation,
and are known by the name of the Teton Okandandas: they are about two
hundred men in number, and their chief residence is on both sides of the
Missouri, between the Chayenne and Teton Rivers. In their persons they
are rather ugly and ill-made, their legs and arms being too small, their
cheek-bones high, and their eyes projecting. The females, with the same
character of form, are more handsome; and both sexes appear cheerful and
sprightly; but in our intercourse with them we discovered that they were
cunning and vicious.
“The men shave the hair off their heads, except a small tuft on the top,
which they suffer to grow, and wear in plaits over the shoulders; to
this they seem much attached, as the loss of it is the usual sacrifice
at the death of near relations. In full dress, the men of consideration
wear a hawk’s feather, or calumet feather worked with porcupine quills,
and fastened to the top of the head, from which it falls back. The face
and body are generally painted with a mixture of grease and coal. Over
the shoulders is a loose robe or mantle of buffalo skin dressed white,
adorned with porcupine quills, loosely fixed, so as to make a jingling
noise when in motion, and painted with various uncouth figures,
unintelligible to us, but to them emblematic of military exploits or
any other incident: the hair of the robe is worn next the skin in fair
weather, but when it rains the hair is put outside, and the robe is
either thrown over the arm or wrapped round the body, all of which it
may cover. Under this, in the winter season, they wear a kind of shirt
resembling ours, made either of skin or cloth, and covering the arms and
body. Round the middle is fixed a girdle of cloth, or procured dressed
elk-skin, about an inch in width, and closely tied to the body; to this
is attached a piece of cloth, or blanket, or skin, about a foot wide,
which passes between the legs, and is tucked under the girdle both
before and behind. From the hip to the ankle is covered by leggins of
dressed antelope skins, with seams at the sides two inches in width, and
ornamented by little tufts of hair, the produce of the scalps they have
made in war, which are scattered down the leg. The winter moccasins
are of dressed buffalo skin, the hair being worn inward, and soled with
thick elk-skin parchment; those for summer are of deer or elk-skin,
dressed without the hair, and with soles of elk-skin. On great
occasions, or whenever they are in full dress, the young men drag after
them the entire skin of a polecat fixed to the heel of the moccasin.
Another skin of the same animal, either tucked into the girdle or
carried in the hand, serves as a pouch for their tobacco, or what the
French traders call bois roule.(1) This is the inner bark of a species
of red willow, which, being dried in the sun or over the fire, is,
rubbed between the hands and broken into small pieces, and used alone or
mixed with tobacco. The pipe is generally of red earth, the stem made of
ash, about three or four feet long, and highly decorated with feathers,
hair, and porcupine-quills. . . .
(1) This is bois roule, or “rolled wood,” a poor kind of
tobacco rolled with various kinds of leaves, such as the
sumach and dogwood. The Indian name is kinnikinick.
“While on shore to-day we witnessed a quarrel between two squaws, which
appeared to be growing every moment more boisterous, when a man came
forward, at whose approach every one seemed terrified and ran. He took
the squaws and without any ceremony whipped them severely. On inquiring
into the nature of such summary justice, we learned that this man was
an officer well known to this and many other tribes. His duty is to keep
the peace, and the whole interior police of the village is confided to
two or three of these officers, who are named by the chief and remain in
power some days, at least till the chief appoints a successor. They
seem to be a sort of constable or sentinel, since they are always on
the watch to keep tranquillity during the day and guard the camp in the
night. The short duration of the office is compensated by its authority.
His power is supreme, and in the suppression of any riot or disturbance
no resistance to him is suffered; his person is sacred, and if in the
execution of his duty he strikes even a chief of the second class,
he cannot be punished for this salutary insolence. In general he
accompanies the person of the chief, and when ordered to any duty,
however dangerous, it is a point of honor rather to die than to refuse
obedience. Thus, when they attempted to stop us yesterday, the chief
ordered one of these men to take possession of the boat; he immediately
put his arms around the mast, and, as we understood, no force except the
command of the chief would have induced him to release his hold. Like
the other men his body is blackened, but his distinguishing mark is a
collection of two or three raven-skins fixed to the girdle behind the
back in such a way that the tails stick out horizontally from the body.
On his head, too, is a raven-skin split into two parts, and tied so as
to let the beak project from the forehead.”
When the party of explorers subsequently made ready to leave, signs of
reluctance to have them go were apparent among the Indians. Finally,
several of the chief warriors sat on the rope that held the boat to
the shore. Irritated by this, Captain Lewis got ready to fire upon the
warriors, but, anxious to avoid bloodshed, he gave them more tobacco,
which they wanted, and then said to the chief, “You have told us that
you were a great man, and have influence; now show your influence by
taking the rope from those men, and we will then go on without further
trouble.” This appeal to the chieftain’s pride had the desired effect.
The warriors were compelled to give up the rope, which was delivered on
board, and the party set sail with a fresh breeze from the southeast.
The explorers were soon out of the country of the Teton Sioux and into
that of the Ricaras, or, as these Indians are more commonly called, the
Rickarees.
On the first day of October they passed the mouth of a river incorrectly
known as Dog River, as if corrupted from the French word chien. But the
true name is Cheyenne, from the Indians who bear that title. The stream
rises in the region called the Black Mountains by Lewis and Clark, on
account of the great quantity of dark cedar and pine trees that covered
the hills. This locality is now known as the Black Hills, in the midst
of which is the famous mining district of Deadwood. In these mountains,
according to Lewis and Clark, were to be found “great quantities
of goats, white bear, prairie cocks, and a species of animal which
resembled a small elk, with large circular horns.” By the “white bear”
the reader must understand that the grizzly bear is meant. Although this
animal, which was first discovered and described by Lewis and Clark, is
commonly referred to in the earlier pages of the journal as “white,” the
error naturally came from a desire to distinguish it from the black
and the cinnamon-colored bears. Afterwards, the journal refers to this
formidable creature as the grizzly, and again as the grisly. Certainly,
the bear was a grizzled gray; but the name “grisly,” that is to say,
horrible, or frightful, fitted him very well. The Latin name, _ursus
horribilis_ is not unlike one of those of Lewis and Clark’s selection.
The animals with circular curled horns, which the explorers thought
resembled a small elk, are now known as the Rocky Mountain sheep, or
bighorn. They very little resemble sheep, however, except in color,
head, horns, and feet. They are now so scarce as to be almost extinct.
They were among the discoveries of Lewis and Clark. The prairie cock
is known to western sportsmen as “prairie chicken;” it is a species of
grouse.
It was now early in October, and the weather became very cool. So great
is the elevation of those regions that, although the days might be
oppressively warm, the nights were cold and white frosts were frequent.
Crossing the Rocky Mountains at the South Pass, far south of Lewis
and Clark’s route, emigrants who suffered from intense heat during the
middle of day found water in their pails frozen solid in the morning.
The Rickarees were very curious and inquisitive regarding the white men.
But the journal adds: “The object which appeared to astonish the Indians
most was Captain Clark’s servant York, a remarkably stout, strong negro.
They had never seen a being of that color, and therefore flocked round
him to examine the extraordinary monster. By way of amusement, he told
them that he had once been a wild animal, and been caught and tamed by
his master; and to convince them, showed them feats of strength which,
added to his looks, made him more terrible than we wished him to be.”
“On October 10th,” says the journal, “the weather was fine, and as we
were desirous of assembling the whole nation at once, we despatched Mr.
Gravelines (a trader)--who, with Mr. Tabeau, another French trader, had
breakfasted with us--to invite the chiefs of the two upper villages to
a conference. They all assembled at one o’clock, and after the usual
ceremonies we addressed them in the same way in which we had already
spoken to the Ottoes and Sioux. We then made or acknowledged three
chiefs, one for each of the three villages; giving to each a flag, a
medal, a red coat, a cocked hat and feather, also some goods, paint and
tobacco, which they divided among themselves. After this the air-gun was
exhibited, very much to their astonishment, nor were they less surprised
at the color and manner of York. On our side we were equally gratified
at discovering that these Ricaras made use of no spirituous liquors of
any kind, the example of the traders who bring it to them, so far
from tempting, having in fact disgusted them. Supposing that it was as
agreeable to them as to the other Indians, we had at first offered them
whiskey; but they refused it with this sensible remark, that they were
surprised that their father should present to them a liquor which would
make them fools. On another occasion they observed to Mr. Tabeau that no
man could be their friend who tried to lead them into such follies.”
Presents were exchanged by the Indians and the white men; among the
gifts from the former was a quantity of a large, rich bean, which grows
wild and is collected by mice. The Indians hunt for the mice’s deposits
and cook and eat them. The Rickarees had a grand powwow with the white
chiefs and, after accepting presents, agreed to preserve peace with
all men, red or white. On the thirteenth of the month the explorers
discovered a stream which they named Stone-Idol Creek, on account of two
stones, resembling human figures, which adorn its banks. The creek is
now known as Spring River, and is in Campbell County, South Dakota.
Concerning the stone images the Indians gave this tradition:--
“A young man was deeply enamoured with a girl whose parents refused
their consent to the marriage. The youth went out into the fields to
mourn his misfortunes; a sympathy of feeling led the lady to the same
spot, and the faithful dog would not cease to follow his master. After
wandering together and having nothing but grapes to subsist on, they
were at last converted into stone, which, beginning at the feet,
gradually invaded the nobler parts, leaving nothing unchanged but a
bunch of grapes which the female holds in her hand to this day. Whenever
the Ricaras pass these sacred stones, they stop to make some offering
of dress to propitiate these deities. Such is the account given by the
Ricara chief, which we had no mode of examining, except that we found
one part of the story very agreeably confirmed; for on the river near
where the event is said to have occurred we found a greater abundance of
fine grapes than we had yet seen.”
While at their last camp in the country now known as South Dakota,
October 14, 1804, one of the soldiers, tried by a court-martial for
mutinous conduct, was sentenced to receive seventy-five lashes on the
bare back. The sentence was carried out then and there. The Rickaree
chief, who accompanied the party for a time, was so affected by the
sight that he cried aloud during the whole proceeding. When the reasons
for the punishment were explained to him, he acknowledged the justice of
the sentence, but said he would have punished the offender with
death. His people, he added, never whip even their children at any age
whatever.
On the eighteenth of October, the party reached Cannonball River, which
rises in the Black Hills and empties in the Missouri in Morton County,
North Dakota. Its name is derived from the perfectly round, smooth,
black stones that line its bed and shores. Here they saw great numbers
of antelope and herds of buffalo, and of elk. They killed six fallow
deer; and next day they counted fifty-two herds of buffalo and three
herds of elk at one view; they also observed deer, wolves, and pelicans
in large numbers.
The ledges in the bluffs along the river often held nests of the calumet
bird, or golden eagle. These nests, which are apparently resorted to,
year after year, by the same pair of birds, are usually out of reach,
except by means of ropes by which the hunters are let down from the
cliffs overhead. The tail-feathers of the bird are twelve in number,
about a foot long, and are pure white except at the tip, which is
jet-black. So highly prized are these by the Indians that they have been
known to exchange a good horse for two feathers.
The party saw here a great many elk, deer, antelope, and buffalo, and
these last were dogged along their way by wolves who follow them to feed
upon those that die by accident, or are too weak to keep up with the
herd. Sometimes the wolves would pounce upon a calf, too young and
feeble to trot with the other buffalo; and although the mother made an
effort to save her calf, the creature was left to the hungry wolves, the
herd moving along without delay.
On the twenty-first of October, the explorers reached a creek to which
the Indians gave the name of Chisshetaw, now known as Heart River,
which, rising in Stark County, North Dakota, and running circuitously
through Morton County, empties into the Missouri opposite the city of
Bismarck. At this point the Northern Pacific Railway now crosses the
Missouri; and here, where is built the capital of North Dakota, began,
in those days, a series of Mandan villages, with the people of which
the explorers were to become tolerably well acquainted; for it had been
decided that the increasing cold of the weather would compel them to
winter in this region. But they were as yet uncertain as to the exact
locality at which they would build their camp of winter. Here they met
one of the grand chiefs of the Mandans, who was on a hunting excursion
with his braves. This chief greeted with much ceremony the Rickaree
chief who accompanied the exploring party. The Mandans and Rickarees
were ancient enemies, but, following the peaceful councils of the white
men, the chiefs professed amity and smoked together the pipe of peace.
A son of the Mandan chief was observed to have lost both of his little
fingers, and when the strangers asked how this happened, they were told
that the fingers had been cut off (according to the Mandan custom) to
show the grief of the young man at the loss of some of his relations.