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from the original manuscripts in the library of the American Philosophical Society and by direction of its committee on historical documents |
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| [Clark:] |
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 | Chapter IV Original journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, 1804-1806 |  |
[Clark:]
River Maropa 9th.. of October 1804. Tuesday —
a windey rainey night, and cold, So much So we Could not
speek with the Indians to day the three great Chiefs and
many others Came to see us to day, we gave them some
tobacco and informed them we
would Speek on tomorrow,
the day continued Cold & windey some rain
Sorry Canoos
of Skins passed down from the 2 Villages a Short distance
above, and many Came to view us all day, much astonished
at my black
Servent, who did not lose the opportunity of
[displaying—Ed.] his powers Strength &c. &c. this nation
never Saw a black man before[27]
.
Several hunters Came in with loades of meat, I
observed
Several Canoos made of a Single Buffalow Skin with 3 thre
squars Cross the river to day in waves as high as I ever Saw
them on
this river, quite uncomposed I have a Slite Plursie
this evening verry
cold &c. &c.[28]
1st. Chiefs name Ka kawissassa (lighting Crow)
2d do do Pocasse (or Hay)
3rd. do do piaheto (or Eagles feather)
By way of amusement he told them that he had once been a wild animal, and
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.—
Biddle (i, p. 101).
In a rare pamphlet entitled Adventures of Zenas Leonard (Clearfield, Pa., 1839)
—for information regarding which see Chittenden's Amer. Fur Trade, i, p. 397—
is an account of a negro residing (1832–34) in the Crow village at the junction of
Bighorn and Stinking rivers, who apparently was Clark's servant York. He told
Leonard that he first went to that country with Lewis and Clark, with whom he
returned to Missouri; that he afterward accompanied a trader up the Missouri, and
had remained with the Indians ever since (about ten or twelve years). He had,
when Leonard saw him, four Indian wives, and possessed much reputation and influence
among the Crows, from whom he secured the return of some horses which they
had stolen from Leonard's party.—Walter B. Douglas (St. Louis).
Wind blew hard this morning drove the boat from her anker, to shore.—
CLark (memorandum on p. 224 of Codex C).
10th.. of October Wednesday 1804.
a fine morning wind from the S.E. at
about 11 oClock the
wind Shifted, to the N. W. we prepare all things ready
to
Speak to the Indians, Mr. Tabo & Mr. Gravolin came to brackfast
none from the 2 upper Towns, which is the largest, we Continue
to delay & waite for them at 12 oClock Despatchd
Gravelin to envite them to come down, we have every reason
to believe that a gellousy exists between the Villages for fear
of our makeing the 1st. Cheif from the lower Village, at one
oClock the Cheifs all assembled & after Some little Cerremony
the council Commenced, we informd them what we had told
the others before i. e. Ottoes & Seaux. made 3 Cheif 1 for
each Village; gave them presents. after the Council was
over we Shot the air guns which astonished them much, the[y]
then Departed and we rested Secure all night, Those Indians
wer much astonished at my Servent, they never Saw a black
man before, all flocked around him & examind. him from top
to toe, he Carried on the joke and made himself more turribal
than we wished him to doe. Those Indians are not fond of
Spirts. Licquer. of any kind[29]
Much pleased, the french Chief lost his presents by his Skin Canoe oversetting,
shot the air gun, the men traded some fiew articles for Robes had the Corn
mill set up & shewed the Inds. its opperation after Speaking to them &c.—
Clark
(ut supra).
11th.. October Thursday 1804—
a fine morning the wind from the
S.E. at 11 oClock we
met the Grand Cheif in Councel and he made a Short
Speech
thanking us for what we had given him & his nation promisseing
to attend to the Council we had
given him & informed
us the road was open & no one dare Shut it,
& we might
Departe at pleasure, at 1 oClock we Set out for the upper
Villages 3 miles destant, the Grand Cheif & nephew on board,
proceeded on at 1 mile took in the 2d. Cheif &
Came too off
the first [second] Village Seperated
from the 3rd. by a Creek
after arrangeing all matters
we walked up with the 2d. Cheif to
his Village, and
Set talking on Various Subjects untill late we
also visited the upper or
3rd. Village each of which gave us
Something to eate
in their way, and a fiew bushels of Corn
Beens &c. &c. after being
treated by everry civility by those
people who are both pore & Durtey
we returned to our boat
that we would Speek to them tomorrow at there Seperate
Villages, Those people gave us to eate bread made of Corn
& Beens, also Corn & Beans boild. a large Been (of) which they
rob the mice of the Prarie (who collect & discover it) which is
rich & verry nurrishing also [S]quashes &c. all Tranquillity.
| N. 45. E | 2 | Miles
to the mouth of a Creek between the 2 upper Villages of the Rickeres L. S. (1) |
| S. 75°. E | 1 1/2 | Miles the point on the L. S. passed the Village (2) |
| N. 45°. E. | 2 | Mls. to a point of wood on the L. S. |
| N. 20°. W. | 2 1/2 | miles to a pt. on the S. S. |
| N. 8 W. | 1 1/2 | Miles to a point on L. S. passed a Sand bar. |
| 1/2 |
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.
13th.. of October Satturday 1804—
one man J. Newmon confined for
mutinous expression Set
out early proceeded on, passd.
a camp of Seauex on the S.S.
those people only viewed us & did not
Speak one word. The
visiters of last evening all except one returned which
is the
Brother of the Chief we have on board passed (1) a Creek
13
yds on the S.S. at 18 ml. above the Town heading in some
Ponds a Short Dists. to the N.E. we call Stone Idol C.
(well
to observe here that the Yankton or R Jacque heads at about
2
Days March of this place Easterly, the R. de Seaux one
Day further, the
Chien (Chayenne the Chayl formerly
there) a
branch of R. Rouche (Rouge) Still
beyend, and the River
St.
Peters 4 Days march from this place on the Same Derection
(Informtn. of the Rickores). Passed a large willow (2) & Sand
Islands above the mouth of the last Creek. at 21 Miles
the L.S. we call after 2d. Chief Pocasse (or Hay). nearly
opposit this Creek a fiew miles from the river on the S.S. 2
Stones resembling humane persons & one resembling a Dog is
Situated in the open Prarie, to those Stones the Rickores
pay Great reverance make offerings (votive Dress &c.) whenever
they pass (Informtn. of the Chief & Intepeter) those
People have a curious Tredition of those Stones, one was a
man in Love, one a Girl whose parents would not let [them]
marry (The man as is customary went off to mourn, the female
followed.), the Dog went to morn with them all turned to
Stone gradually, commenceing at the feet. Those people fed
on grapes untill they turned, & the woman has a bunch of
grapes yet in her hand, on the river near the place those are
Said to be Situated, we obsd. a greater quantity of fine grapes
than I ever Saw at one place.
The river above the Island on which
the Lower Reckores
Village is Situated is narrow and conts. a great[er] propotion of
Timber than below, the bottoms
on both Sides is covered
with timber the up lands naked the current jentle
and Sand
bars confined to the points Generally.
We proceeded on
under a fine Breeze from the S.E. and
camped late at the upper part of
Some wood on the Starboard
Side. Cold & Some rain this evening. we
Sent out hunters
killed one Deer.
we Tried the Prisoner Newmon last
night by 9 of his Peers
they did "Centence him 75 Lashes & Disbanded
[from] the
party."
| N. 60°. W. | 3 | Miles to a pt. on the S.S. |
| N. 40°. W. | 2 | Miles to a pt. of timber on L. S. |
| N. 10°. W. | 2 | Miles to the pt. on the L. S. |
| N. 53 W. | 1 1/2 | Mls. to a pt. on the S. S. |
| North | 2 | Mls. to a pt. on the L. S. opsit the mouth of a Creek on the S. S. (1) |
| N. 70°. W. | 4 1/2 | Miles to a pt. on the S.
S. passing a Island (2) and opsd. a Creek L. S. (3) |
| N. 18°. E | 3 | Mls. to the upper point
of Some wood on the S. S. and camped. |
| 18 |
| Chapter IV Original journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, 1804-1806 | |