Illustrations of the manners, customs, & condition of the North American Indians, Vol. 2 (of 2) With letters and notes, written during eight years of travel and adventure among the wildest and most remarkable tribes now existing

Trip to Florida and Texas, and back to St. Louis, p. 97.—Kickapoos, portraits of, p. 98, pls. 185, 186.—Weas, portraits of, p. 99, pls. 187, 188.—Potawatomies, portraits of, p. 100, pls. 189, 190.—Kaskaskias, portraits of, p. 100, pls. 191, 192.—Peorias, portraits of, p. 101, pls. 193, 194.—Piankeshaws, p. 101, pls. 195, 196.—Delawares, p. 101, pls. 197, 198.—Moheconneuhs, or Mohegans, p. 103, pls. 199, 200.—Oneidas, p. 103, pl. 201.—Tuskaroras, p. 103, pl. 202.—Senecas, p. 104, pls. 203, 204, 205.—Iroquois p. 106, pl. 206.

Flatheads, Nez Percés, p. 108, pls. 207, 208.—Flathead mission across the Rocky Mountains to St. Louis—Mission of the Reverends Messrs. Lee and Spalding beyond the Rocky Mountains, p. 109.—Chinooks, portraits, p. 110, pls. 209, 210.—Process of flattening the head—and cradle, p. 111, pl. 210½.—Flathead skulls, p. 111.—Similar custom of Choctaws—Choctaw tradition, p. 112.—Curious manufactures of the Chinooks—Klick-a-tacks—Chuhaylas, and Na-as Indians, p. 113, pl. 210½.—Character and disposition of the Indians on the Columbia, p. 114.

Shawanos, p. 115, pls. 211, 212, 213, 214.—Shawnee prophet and his transactions, p. 117.—Cherokees, portraits of, p. 119, pls. 215, 216, 217, 218.—Creeks, portraits of, p. 122, pls. 219, 220.—Choctaws, portraits of, p. 122, pls. 221, 222.—Ball-play, p. 124, in plates 224, 225, 226.—A distinguished ball-player, pl. 223.—Eagle-dance, p. 126, pl. 227.—Tradition of the Deluge—Of a future state, p. 127.—Origin of the Craw-fish band, p. 128.

Fort Snelling, near the Fall of St. Anthony—Description of the Upper Mississippi, p. 129, 130.—View on the Upper Mississippi and “Dubuque’s Grave,” p. 130, pls. 128, 129.—Fall of St. Anthony, p. 131, pl. 230.—Fort Snelling, p. 131, pl. 231.—A Sioux cradle, and modes of carrying their children, p. 132, pl. 232.—Mourning cradle, same plate—Sioux portraits, p. 134, pls. 233, 234, 235, 236.

Fourth of July at the Fall of St. Anthony, and amusements, p. 135–6.—Dog dance of the Sioux, p. 136, pl. 237.—Chippeway village, p. 137, pl. 238.—Chippeways making the portage around the Fall of St. Anthony, p. 138, pl. 239.—Chippeway bark canoes—Mandan canoes of skins—Sioux canoes—Sioux and Chippeway snow-shoes, p. 138, pl. 240.—Portraits of Chippeways, p. 139, pls. 241, 242, 244, 245.—Snow-shoe dance, p. 139, pl. 243.

The Author descending the Mississippi in a bark canoe—Shot at by Sioux Indians, p. 141.—Lake Pepin and “Lover’s Leap,” p. 143, pl. 248.—Pike’s Tent, and Cap au’l’ail, p. 143, pls. 249, 250.—“Cornice Rocks,” p. 144, pl. 251.—Prairie du Chien, p. 144, pl. 253.—Ball-play of the women, p. 145, pl. 252.—Winnebagoes, portraits of, p. 146, pls. 254, 255, 256.—Menomonies, portraits of, p. 147, pls. 258, 259, 260, 261, 262, 263.—Dubuque—Lockwood’s cave, p. 148.—Camp des Moines, and visit to Ke-o-kuk’s village, p. 149.

The Author and his bark canoe sunk in the Des Moine’s Rapids, p. 151.—The Author left on Mascotin Island, p. 153.—Death of Joe Chadwick—The “West,” not the “_Far_ West,” p. 155.—Author’s contemplations on the probable future condition of the Great Valley of the Mississippi, p. 156–159.

Côteau des Prairies, p. 160.—Mackinaw and Sault de St. Mary’s, p. 161, pls. 264, 265.—Catching white fish—Canoe race, p. 162, pls. 266, 267.—Chippeways, portraits of, p. 162, pls. 268, 269.—Voyage up the Fox River, p. 162.—Voyage down the Ouisconsin in bark canoe, p. 163.—Red Pipe Stone Quarry, on the Côteau des Prairies, p. 164, pl. 270.—Indian traditions relative to the Red Pipe Stone, p. 168, 169, 170.—The “Leaping Rock,” p. 170.—The Author and his companion stopped by the Sioux, on their way, and objections raised by the Sioux, p. 172, 173, 174, 175.—British medals amongst the Sioux, p. 173.—Mons. La Fromboise, kind reception, p. 176.—Encampment at the Pipe Stone Quarry, p. 177.—Ba’tiste’s “Story of the Medicine Bag,” p. 178.—“Story of the Dog,” prelude to, p. 180.—Leaving the Mandans in canoe, p. 181.—Passing the Riccarees in the night, p. 182.—Encamping on the side of a clay-bluff, in a thunderstorm, p. 183.

Author’s return from the Côteau des Prairies—“Laque du Cygne,” p. 207, pl. 276.—Sioux taking Muskrats, pl. 277, same page.—Gathering wild rice, p. 208, pl. 278.—View on St. Peters river, p. 208, pl. 279.—The Author and his companion embark in a log canoe at “Traverse de Sioux”—Arrive at Fall of St. Anthony, p. 208.—Lake Pepin—Prairie du Chien—Cassville—Rock Island, p. 209.—Sac and Fox Indians, portraits of, p. 210, pls. 280, 281, 282, 283, 284, 285, 286, 287, 289.—Ke-o-kuk on horseback, p. 212, pl. 290.—Slave-dance, p. 213, pl. 291.—“Smoking horses,” p. 213, pl. 292.—Begging-dance, p. 214, pl. 293.—Sailing in canoes—Discovery-dance—Dance to the Berdashe, p. 214, pls. 294, 295, 296.—Dance to the medicine of the brave, p. 215, pl. 297.—Treaty with Sacs and Foxes—Stipulations of, p. 215, and 216.

Fort Moultrie.—Seminolees, p. 218.—Florida war—Prisoners of war—Os-ce-o-la, p. 219. pl. 298.—Cloud, King Phillip—Co-ee-ha-jo—Creek Billy, Mick-e-no-pah, p. 220, pls. 299 to 305.—Death of Os-ce-o-la, p. 221.

North Western Frontier—General remarks on, p. 223.—General appearance and habits of the North American Indians, p. 225 to 230.—Jewish customs and Jewish resemblances, p. 232, 233.—Probable origin of the Indians, p. 234.—Languages, p. 236.—Government, p. 239.—Cruelties of punishments, p. 240.—Indian queries on white man’s modes, p. 241.—Modes of war and peace, p. 242.—Pipe of peace dance, p. 242.—Religion, p. 242–3.—Picture writing, songs and totems, p. 246, pls. 306, 307, 308, 309, 310, 311.—Policy of removing the Indians, p. 249.—Trade and small-pox, the principal destroyers of the Indian tribes, p. 250.—Murder of the Root Diggers and Riccarees, 252.—Concluding remarks, p. 254 to 256.

APPENDIX A.

Account of the destruction of the Mandans, p. 257.—Author’s reasons for believing them to have perpetuated the remains of the Welsh Colony established by Prince Madoc.

APPENDIX B.

Vocabularies of several different Indian languages, shewing their dissimilarity, p. 262.

APPENDIX C.

Comparison of the Indians’ original and secondary character, p. 266.

LETTERS AND NOTES ON THE NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS.

The readers, I presume, will have felt some anxiety for me and the fate of my little craft, after the close of my last Letter; and I have the very great satisfaction of announcing to them that we escaped snags and sawyers, and every other danger, and arrived here safe from the Upper Missouri, where my last letters were dated. We, (that is, Ba’tiste, Bogard and I,) are comfortably quartered for awhile, in the barracks of this hospitable Cantonment, which is now the extreme Western military post on the frontier, and under the command of Colonel Davenport, a gentleman of great urbanity of manners, with a Roman head and a Grecian heart, restrained and tempered by the charms of an American lady, who has elegantly pioneered the graces of civilized refinements into these uncivilized regions.

This Cantonment, which is beautifully situated on the west bank of the Missouri River, and six hundred miles above its mouth, was constructed some years since by General Leavenworth, from whom it has taken its name. Its location is very beautiful, and so is the country around it. It is the concentration point of a number of hostile tribes in the vicinity, and has its influence in restraining their warlike propensities.

There is generally a regiment of men stationed here, for the purpose of holding the Indians in check, and of preserving the peace amongst the hostile tribes. I shall visit several tribes in this vicinity, and most assuredly give you some further account of them, as fast as I get it.

Since the date of my last epistles, I succeeded in descending the river to this place, in my little canoe, with my two men at the oars, and myself at the helm, steering its course the whole way amongst snags and sand-bars.

Before I give further account of this downward voyage, however, I must recur back for a few moments, to the Teton River, from whence I started, and from whence my last epistles were written, to record a few more incidents which I then overlooked in my note-book. Whilst painting my portraits amongst the Sioux, as I have described, I got the portrait of a noble Shienne chief, by the name of Nee-hee-o-ee-woo-tis, the wolf on the hill (+plate+ 115). The chief of a party of that tribe, on a friendly visit to the Sioux, and the portrait also of a woman, Tis-see-woo-na-tis (she who bathes her knees, +plate+ 116). The Shiennes are a small tribe of about 3000 in numbers, living neighbours to the Sioux, on the west of them, and between the Black Hills and the Rocky Mountains. There is no finer race of men than these in North America, and none superior in stature, excepting the Osages; scarcely a man in the tribe, full grown, who is less than six feet in height. The Shiennes are undoubtedly the richest in horses of any tribe on the Continent, living in a country as they do, where the greatest herds of wild horses are grazing on the prairies, which they catch in great numbers and vend to the Sioux, Mandans and other tribes, as well as to the Fur Traders.

These people are the most desperate set of horsemen, and warriors also, having carried on almost unceasing wars with the Pawnees and Blackfeet, “time out of mind.” The chief represented in the picture was clothed in a handsome dress of deer skins, very neatly garnished with broad bands of porcupine quill-work down the sleeves of his shirt and his leggings, and all the way fringed with scalp-locks. His hair was very profuse, and flowing over his shoulders; and in his hand he held a beautiful Sioux pipe, which had just been presented to him by Mr. M‘Kenzie, the Trader. This was one of the finest looking and most dignified men that I have met in the Indian country; and from the account given of him by the Traders a man of honour and strictest integrity. The woman was comely, and beautifully dressed; her dress of the mountain-sheep skins, tastefully ornamented with quills and beads, and her hair plaited in large braids, that hung down on her breast.

After I had painted these and many more, whom I have not time at present to name, I painted the portrait of a celebrated warrior of the Sioux, by the name of Mah-to-chee-ga (the little bear), who was unfortunately slain in a few moments after the picture was done, by one of his own tribe; and which was very near costing me my life for having painted a side view of his face, leaving one-half of it out of the picture, which had been the cause of the affray; and supposed by the whole tribe to have been intentionally left out by me, as “good for nothing.” This was the last picture that I painted amongst the Sioux, and the last, undoubtedly, that I ever shall paint in that place. So tremendous and so alarming was the excitement about it, that my brushes were instantly put away, and I embarked the next day on the steamer for the sources of the Missouri, and was glad to get underweigh.