Original journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, 1804-1806 printed from the original manuscripts in the library of the American Philosophical Society and by direction of its committee on historical documents |
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12th.. October Friday 1804—
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Chapter IV Original journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, 1804-1806 | ||
12th.. October Friday 1804—
I rose early after brackfast we joined the Indians who were
waiting on the bank for us to come out and go and councel,
we
accordingly joined them and went to the house of the 2nd.
Cheif Lassel where there was many Cheif and
Warriers & [they
made us a present of—Biddle] about 7 bushels of Corn, a
pr. of Leagins, a
twist of their Tobacco, & Seeds of 2 Kind
of Tobacco[30]
we Set Some time
before the Councill Commenced
this man Spoke
at Some length declareing his dispotion
to
believe and prosue our Councils, his intention of
going to Visit his great
father acknowledged the Satisfaction
in receiveing the presents &c.
rais'g a Doubt as to the Safty
in passing the Nations below particularly
the Souex. requested
us to take a Chief of their nation and make a good
peace with
Mandins & nations above. after answering those parts of the
2d Cheifs Speech which required it, which appeared to
give
general Satisfaction we went to the Village of the 3rd. Chief and as usial Some Serimony took place before he Could
Speek to
us on the Great Subject. This Chief Spoke verry much in
the
[same] Stile on nearly the Same Subjects of the other Chief
us with about 10 bushels of Corn[31] Some beens & [s]quashes
all of which we acksepted with much pleasure, after we had
ansd. his Speech & give them Some account of the Magnitude
& power of our Countrey which pleased and astonished them
verry much we returned to our boat, the Chiefs accompanied
us on board, we gave them Some Sugar a little Salt and a
Sun Glass, & Set 2 on Shore & the third proceeded on with
us to the Mandens by name [blank space in MS.] at 2
oClock we Set out the inhabitents of the two Villages Viewing
us from the banks, we proceeded on about 9 1/2 miles and
Camped on the S.S. at Some woods passed, the evening Clear
& pleasent Cool.
The Nation of the Rickerries (Rickaras) is about 600 men
(Mr.
Taboe says, I think 500 men) (Mr. Tabat is
right) able to
bear arms a Great perpotion of them have fusees they
appear to be peacefull, their men tall and perpotiend,[32]
womin
Small
and industerous, raise great quantities of Corn Beens
Simnins[33]
&c. also
Tobacco for the men to Smoke they collect
all
the wood and do the drugery as Common amongst Savages.
This nation is
(two villages are) made up of 10 (nine) Different
Tribes of
the Pania (Panies), who had formerly been
Seperate,
but by Commotion and war with their neighbours
have Come reduced and
compelled to come together for protection,
The curruption of the language of those different
Tribes has So
reduced the language that the Different Villages
do not understan all the
words of the others. Those people
are Durtey, Kind, pore, &
extravigent. pursessing national
pride, not beggarley recive what is given
with great pleasure,
Live in warm houses, large and built in an oxigon
[octagon]
form forming a cone at top which is left open for the smoke
Covd. with earth on poles willows & grass to prevent the earths
passing thro'[34] . Those people express an inclination to be at
peace with all nations. The Seaux who trade the goods which
they get of the Britush Traders for their Corn,[35] and [have]
great influence over the Rickeres, poison their minds and keep
them in perpetial dread.
I saw Some of the Chien (Chyenne) or Dog Indians, also a
man of a nation under
the Court Nue, This nation is at war
with the Crow
Indians & have 3 children prisoners.
a curious custom with the Souix
as well as the rickeres is to
give handsom squars to those whome they wish
to Show some
acknowledgements to. The Seauex we got clare of without
taking their squars, they followed us with Squars two days.
The
Rickores we put off dureing the time we were at the
Towns but 2 [handsom young] Squars were Sent by a man to
follow us,
they came up this evening, and pursisted in their
civilities.[36]
Dress of
the men of this nation is Simply a pr. mockerson,
Leagin, flap in front & a Buffalow roabe, with ther hair arms
& ears Deckorated.
The womin, wore Mockersons leagins fringed
and a Shirt
of Goat Skins, Some with Sleaves this garment is longe &
Genly. white & fringed, tied at the waste[,] with
a roabe, in
Summer without hair.
[Memorandum made by Clark on the inside front cover of Codex C: ]
Names of the nations who come to the Ricares to trafick and
bring Horses & robes
○1 | Kun.na-nar-Wesb | — | (Gens des vach)[37] | Blue beeds. |
○2 | Noo-tar- wau | — | Hill Climbers | |
*3 | Au-ner-hoo | — | the people who pen | Buffaloes to cetch them |
*4 | To-che- wah-coo | — | Fox Indians | |
*5 | To-pah-cass | — | white hair's | |
○6 | Cat-tar-kah | — | Paducar. | |
*7 | Ki-e-wah | — | Tideing Indians | |
+8 | Too-war-sar | — | Skin pricks | |
9 | Shār ha (chien) | — | The village on the other side | |
10 | We hee skeu (chien) | — | The villagers on this side |
Those nations all live on the
praries from S W by S to West of the
Ricarees all speek different
languages and are numerous, all follow the
Buffalow and winter near the
mountains.
Their tobacco is different from any I had before seen; it answers for smoking,
but not for chewing.—Gass (p. 73).
Recive Some Corn from the
2d. & 3rd Chf. about 20 bushels.
—CLark (memorandum
on p. 224 of Codex C).
Gass says of the Arikara (pp. 73, 74) that "they are the best-looking, most
cleanly, most friendly and industrious Indians I have ever seen on the voyage."—Ed.
Cf. the more detailed descriptions of these huts given by Biddle (i, p. I06)
Gass (p. 72), and Brackenridge (Louisiana, p. 248).—Ed.
The English traders not only traffic with the Indians about the shining [Rocky]
mountains, but they have extended it to the Mandans on the Missouri, and to several
other tribes both above and below them. The Spaniards also from Santa Fé occassionally
traffic with the Indians about the waters of the Kansas, as likewise with those on
the river Platte.—Stoddard(Louisiana, pp. 453, 454).
Brackenridge says (Louisiana, p. 247) :
"It is part of their hospitality, to offer
the guest their wife, sister, or maid servant, according to the estimation in which the
guest is held, and to refuse, is considered as treating the host with contempt." This
was a custom widely prevalent among Indian tribes, especially those of the Far West.
Biddle says (i, p. 105) that Arikara regarded such intercourse with strangers as disgraceful,
when occurring without the husband's or brother's consent.—Ed.
A French nickname, meaning "cow-people"—that is, Buffalo tribe. The
Indian name here given—written by Biddle (i, p. 34) Kaninaviesch—is only an
Chippewa appellation of that tribe, now known as the Arapaho, one of the westernmost
Algonquian tribes (see Mooney's sketch of this people, in U. S. Bur. Ethnol. Rep.,
1892–93, pp. 953–957). Lewis, however, in his "Statistical View" (p. 18)
applies the name Ar-râh'-pâ-hoó to a branch of the Pawnec.—Ed.
Chapter IV Original journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, 1804-1806 | ||