[Lewis:]
Monday January 6th. 1806.
Capt Clark set out after an early breakfast with the party
in two canoes as had been concerted the last evening; Charbono
and his Indian woman were also of the party; the Indian
woman was very impo[r]tunate to be permited to go, and was
therefore indulged; she observed that she had traveled a long
way with us to see the great waters, and that now that monstrous
fish was also to be seen, she thought it very hard she
could not be permitted to see either (she had never yet been to
the Ocean).
The Clatsops, Chinnooks, Killamucks &c. are very loquacious
and inquisitive; they possess good memories and have
repeated to us the names capasities of the vessels &c of many
traders and others who have visited the mouth of this river;
they are generally low in stature, proportionably small, reather
lighter complected and much more illy formed than the Indians
of the Missouri and those of our frontier; they are generally
cheerfull but never gay. with us their conversation generally
turns upon the subjects of trade, smoking, eating or their
women; about the latter they speak without reserve in their
presents, of their every part, and of the most formiliar connection.
they do not hold the virtue of their women in high
estimation, and will even prostitute their wives and daughters
for a fishinghook or a stran of beads. in common with other
savage nations they make their women perform every species
of domestic drudgery. but in almost every species of this
drudgery the men also participate, their women are also compelled
to geather roots, and assist them in taking fish, which
articles form much the greatest part of their subsistance; notwithstanding
the survile manner in which they treat their
women they pay much more rispect to their judgment and
oppinions in many rispects than most indian nations; their
women are permitted to speak freely before them, and sometimes
appear to command with a tone of authority; they generally
consult them in their traffic and act in conformity to
their opinions.
I think it may be established as a general maxim that those
nations treat their old people and women with most differrence
[deference] and rispect where they subsist principally on such
articles that these can participate with the men in obtaining
them; and that, that part of the community are treated with
least attention, when the act of procuring subsistence devolves
entirely on the men in the vigor of life. It appears to me that
nature has been much more deficient in her filial tie than in any
other of the strong affections of the human heart, and therefore
think, our old men equally with our women indebted to
civilization for their ease and comfort. Among the Siouxs,
Assinniboins and others on the Missouri who subsist by hunting
it is a custom when a person of either sex becomes so old
and infurm that they are unable to travel on foot from camp to
camp as they rome in surch of subsistance, for the children or
near relations of such person to leave them without compunction
or remo[r]se; on those occasions they usually place within
their reach a small peace of meat and a platter of water, telling
the poor old superannuated wretch for his consolation, that he
or she had lived long enough, that it was time they should dye
and go to their relations who can afford to take care of them
much better than they could. I am informed that this custom
prevails even among the Minetares Arwaharmays and Recares
when attended by their old people on their hunting excurtions;
but in justice to these people I must observe that it appeared
to me at their vilages, that they provided tolerably well for
their aged persons, and several of their feasts appear to have
principally for their object a contribution for their aged and infirm
persons.
This day I overhalled our merchandize and dryed it by the
fire, found it all damp; we have not been able to keep anything
dry for many days together since we arrived in this neighbourhood,
the humidity of the air has been so excessively great.
our merchandize is reduced to a mear handfull, and our comfort
during our return the next year much depends on it, it is
therefore almost unnecessary to add that we much regret the
reduced state of this fund.
