Their Customs, Habits and Character.
The Indians of Oregon, notwithstanding the exertions that have been made
to improve their condition, are still a degraded race of semi-human
beings, rapidly approaching to total extinction. Such is the proneness
of the human race to indolence and vice, that it requires the whole of a
short life to make any considerable advances towards an improvement in
his natural or mental condition, even amongst the most favord portions
of the human family.
The Indian does not appear to have the most distant conceptions of any
moral obligation towards another. He is prompted by tradition more than
by a sense of duty, and the more he becomes enlightend, the more he
becomes alive to vice.
The fox, taken from its lair in an infantile state, is only reard and
shown to the lodgings of the domestic fowl of the barnyard, ere he
escapes from the hands of his benefactor, with his prey, to his distant
and secret abode, amongst the thicket of the forest. So the Indian.
Point him to the comforts and enjoyments of a domestic life, and he
looks upon them with indifference and disdain. Teach him that from the
plow is derivd his food, and that in due time he may reap if he faint
not, and yet if he is hungry he will resort to the potato patch of his
neighbor and dig them all up so soon as they are planted, leaving his
future well-being to the fates.
There is but little confidence reposd in each other respecting the
safe-keeping of property, and it is impossible to make an Indian believe
that it is morally wrong to steal. The only thing that prevents them
from stealing, is the probability of being detected and punishd for it,
and that Indian is smartest, who is keenest at the business.
At present, the few remaining Indians of Oregon are in a worse condition
than before the whites settled amongst them. Formerly, they depended
entirely on furs to keep them warm during the inclement season of the
year, but now they are partly clad in skins and partly in garments
nearly worn out, sold them by the whites for a trifling amount of labor,
or such other pay as is agreed upon. With these, they are often
amusingly and fantastically dressd. A man is sometimes seen wearing a
bonnet, wrong side before. Sometimes a woman is seen wearing a man’s
shirt, and others, again, are seen wearing a dress, reversed. Sometimes,
in the summer season, it would puzzle a Philadelphia lawyer to tell what
kind of a dress they do wear, or whether——
At present, there are probably not more than twenty-five Indians, who
consider the Willamet valley their home, though others, from the upper
country of the Columbia, resort to Oregon city to winter, because they
can obtain support during that season more readily, where abundant
supplies can be had at all times.
The mode of doctoring, when any prevalent disease is among them, has a
tendency rapidly to depreciate their numbers. It is done by heating the
system as hot as they can bear, in ovens made for that purpose, along
the banks of streams, where the patient is shut in for several minutes,
with heated pebbles, until he obtains a thorough sweat. He then rushes
to the stream and plunges into the water, which cools the system so
suddenly, that hundreds live to try the experiment but a few times.
Another depopulating mode of conduct is practicd amongst some of the
tribes, which is that of flattening the head. The opinion that the Great
Spirit can better distinguish between the aristocrat and his slave, in
another world, has led to the practice of flattening the heads of the
aristocracy, and leaving the heads of their slaves natural. This
practice is common only amongst some of the tribes of the Western
valley. Those Indians of the upper country, nominally Flat Heads, are so
only in derision.
The mode of flattening the head, is to take the infant, at the first
dawn of its existence, and lash firmly to its back a board, somewhat
longer than the child and of suitable width, probably eight or ten
inches, for it to lie upon when placd in a prostrate position. Its arms
are brought downward to this board, and lashd so firmly that the infant
cannot stir them. The board at its back reaches two or three inches
above the head, so that the board which serves for flattening the head,
being fastend to the top of this, is brought over the head forward to
the edge of the brow. To the edges of this are fastend small cords, that
are brought back and fastend to the board behind. These cords are drawn
so tight that the board on the head forms an a acute angle at the top,
with the board on its back. In this position, the miserable infant is
kept more than three months, languishing for want of action. Sometimes,
the blood gushes out from the nostrils and ears, from the severe
pressure of the board.
But few survive the operation. When the operation is fully accomplishd,
the head is flattend from the brow to the top of the head, though
sometimes, in after life, it becomes a little raisd at the fontanelle
and cross sutures.
An Indian can be taught to pray, and, in fact, they do often pray to
their Tyee, or Big Spirit, as they call him, that he will give them a
supply of venison and other present supplies—but what may be considerd a
change of heart, is entirely foreign to an Indian.
A few years ago, at the station of Mr. Lee, upon the Willamet river,
there was revival of religion, amongst whom were a considerable number
of Indians. The whites succeeded in getting them to pray for awhile, but
after they had prayd long enough, as they supposd, for a good lot of
blankets, they began to call for them. The whites told them that they
must not pray in that way. They replied, that they would not pray for
them any more, if they would not pay them for what they had done.
The Indians at Dr. Whitman’s station, on the Walla Walla river, have
manifested, in their conduct towards him, what may truly be considerd
traits of Indian character. Like a venomous serpent, that bites the hand
that feeds it, so the Indians of that country, after incessant toil of
ten or twelve years, to teach them husbandry and the various comforts of
domestic life, stretchd forth their cruel hands, upon the 29th of
November, 1847, and murdered himself and family.
I have long been of the opinion, that it is useless to send missionaries
to barbarous races of men, for the sake of Christianizing them, or even
civilizing them. The only benefit arising from an operation of that
kind, is to furnish a foothold for the enterprising white man, who may
follow the steps of the missionary, to seek a new home, where he may
display his wisdom, in beautifying and improving the face of nature.
Whom God has cursd, he is cursd, and whom God has blessd, truly is
blessd.
Soon after the massacre of Dr. Whitman, the authorities of Oregon advisd
all the missionaries of the upper country to leave their fields of
operation, which they did, with the exception of Roman Catholics, who
have some localities there.
It is difficult to determine what brought events to such a crisis as
that of the death of Dr. Whitman. It is supposd by some, that the Roman
Catholics sought an advantage to break up the Protestants at that place,
by making the Indians believe that the whites were endeavoring to
exterminate them, by introducing disease among them.
On their way to the Western valley of Oregon, some of the emigrants, who
were afflicted with the measles, passd through Dr. Whitman’s place, and
imparted them to the Indians, from which cause, many of them died.
The Indians are great believers in sorcery. They are of the opinion,
that the man who has power to cure, has also power to kill, by means of
witchcraft. From this belief, has arisen the custom amongst the Indians,
of killing their doctors, when any of their patients do not recover.
Before closing the subject of the Oregon Indians, I have seen fit to
insert Mr. Spalding’s account of Dr. Whitman’s death, as given him by
his own daughter, who was present during the distressing event, which is
given by him as follows.
WAIILATPU MASSACRE.
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