1. The terri Choctas. Peaceable the Chocta character of CHOCTAS. 'The Choctas possessed the territory border- ANALYSIS. ing on that of the Creeks, and extending west to the Mississippi River. Since they were first known to Europeans tory of the they have ever been an agricultural and a peaceable people, ardently attached to their country; and their wars, always defensive, have been with the Creeks. Although they have had successively, for neighbors, the French, the Spanish, and the English, they have never been at war with any of them. Their numbers now amount to nearly nineteen thousand souis, a great portion of whom have already removed beyond the Mississippi. 3. Their numbers, &-c. We notice MUSHALATUBEE and PUSHAMATA, two Choctaw Chiefs, for the purpose of giving the speeches which they made to Lafayette, at the city of Washington, in the winter of 1824. Mushalatubec, on being introduced to Lafayette, spoke as follows: "You are one of our fathers. You have fought by the side of the great Washington. We will receive here your hand as that of a friend and father. We have always walked in the pure feelings of peace, and it is this feeling which has caused us to visit you here. We present you pure hands-hands that have never been stained with the blood of Americans. We live in a country far from this, where the sun darts his perpendicular rays upon us. We have had the French, the Spaniards, and the English for neighbors; but now we have only the Americans; in the midst of whom we live as friends and brothers." Then Pushamata, the head chief of his nation, began a speech in his turn, and expressed himself in the following words: ton. "Nearly fifty snows have passed away since you drew the sword as a companion of WashingWith him you combated the enemies of America. You generously mingled your blood with that of the enemy, and proved your devotedness to the cause which you defended. After you had finished that war you returned into your own country, and now you come to visit again that land where you are honored and loved in the remembrance of a numerous and powerful people. You see everywhere the children of those for whom you defended liberty crowd around you and press your hands with filial affection. We have heard related all these things in the depths of the distant forests, and our hearts have been filled with a desire to behold you. We are come, we have pressed your hand, and we are satisfied. This is the first time that we have seen you, and it will probably be the last. We have no more to add. The earth will soon part us forever." It was observed that, in pronouncing these last words, the old chief seemed agitated by some sad presentiment. In a few days he was taken sick, and he died before he could set out to return to his own people. He was buried with military honors, and his monument occupies a place among those of the great men in the cemetery at Washington. tween the pi, &.c. rous distinct tribes on the Red River, and south of it. "Of the tribes which formerly inhabited the sea-shore 4. Tribes bebetween the Mobile and the Mississippi, and the western Mobile and bank of the last mentioned river, as far north as the Ar- the Mississipkansas, we know little more than the names. On the 5. The nume Red River and its branches, and south of it, within the territory of the United States, there have been found, until recently, a number of small tribes, natives of that region, who spoke no less than seven distinct languages; while, throughout the extensive territory occupied by the Esquimaux, Athapascas, Algonquins, and Iroquois, there is not found a single tribe, or remnant of a tribe, that speaks a dialect which does not belong to one or another of those families. ANALYSIS. 1. The diver guages found gion,-how "To account for this great diversity of distinct languages in the small territory mentioned, it has been supposed that sity of lan the impenetrable swamps and numerous channels by which in this re- the low lands of that country are intersected, have afforded accounted places of refuge to the remnants of conquered tribes; and it is well known, as a peculiarity of the Aborigines of America, that small tribes preserve their language to the last moment of their existence. for. 2. Extent of or Sioux tribes. 3. The earli est knowl SECTION VI. DAHCOTAH, OR SIOUX TRIBES. "On the west of the Mississippi River, extending from the Dancorah, lands south of the Arkansas, to the Saskatchewan, a stream which empties into Lake Winnipeg, were found numerous tribes speaking dialects of a common language, and which have been classed under the appellation of Dahcotas or Sioux. Their country was penetrated by French traders as early as 1659, but they were little known either to the French or the English colonists, and it is but recently that they have come into contact with the 4. Situation Americans. One community of the Sioux, the Winnebagoes, had penetrated the territory of the Algonquins, and were found on the western shore of Lake Michigan. edge toe have of them. of the Winnebagoe tribe. 5. Classifica nations "The nations which speak the Sioux language have been tion of the classed, according to their respective dialects and geogra which speak phical position, in four divisions, viz., 1st, the Winnebalanguage. goes; 2d, Assiniboins and Sioux proper; 3d, the Minetaree group; and 4th, the southern Sioux tribes. the Sioux 6. Early history of the Winneba goes. 1. WINNEBAGOES. Little is known of the early history of the Winnebagoes. They are said to have formerly occupied a territory farther north than at present, and to have been nearly destroyed by the Illinois about the year 1640. They are likewise said to have carried on frequent wars 7. The limits against the Sioux tribes west of the Mississippi. "The of their terri- limits of their territory were nearly the same in 1840 as they were a hundred and fifty years previous, and from this it may be presumed that they have generally lived, during that time, on friendly terms with the Algonquin tribes, by which they have been surrounded. tory. 8. Their conduct during the second Great tain; and "They took part with the British against the Americans war with during the war of 1812-14, and in 1832 a part of the nation, incited by the famous Sac chief, Black Hawk, com against the menced an indiscriminate warfare against the border settlements by which they were surrounded, but were soon their war U. States in 1932. obliged to sue for peace. Their numbers in 1840 were ANALYSIS. estimated at four thousand six hundred.* 1. Their num 2. The Assiniboins. 2. ASSINIBOINS, AND SIOUX PROPER. "The Assiniboins bers in 1840. are a Dahcota tribe who have separated from the rest of the nation, and, on that account, are called "Rebels" by the Sioux proper. They are the most northerly of the 8 Locality great Dahcota family, and but little is known of their his- and history. tory. Their number is estimated by Lewis and Clarke 4. Numbers. at rather more than six thousand souls. and character "The Sioux proper are divided into seven independent 5 Divisions bands or tribes. They were first visited by the French of the Stous as early as 1660, and are described by them as being proper ferocious and warlike, and feared by all their neighbors. 'The seven Sioux tribes are supposed to amount to about 6 Numbers. twenty thousand souls.† group. ent tribes. 3. MINETAREE GROUP. "The Minetarees, the Mandans, 7. Minetares and the Crows, have been classed together, although they speak different languages, having but remote affinities with the Dahcota. The Mandans and the Minetarees 8. Character cultivate the soil and live in villages; but the Crows are of the differ an erratic tribe, and live principally by hunting. "The 9. Peculiarity Mandans are lighter colored than the neighboring tribes, then which has probably given rise to the fabulous account of a tribe of white Indians descended from the Welch, and speaking their language. "The Mandans number about 10. Numbers fifteen hundredt souls; the Minetarees and the Crows of the tribes. each three thousand.† duns. .The South en Sour tory, and grounds. their terri hunting 12. Their character. 13 The three Southern 4. SOUTHERN SIOUX TRIBES. "The Southern Sioux consist of eight tribes, speaking four or five kindred dialects. Their territory originally extended from below the mouth of the Arkansas to the present northern boundary of the State of Missouri, and their hunting grounds westward to the Rocky Mountains. "They cultivate the soil and live in villages, except during their hunting excursions. The three most southerly tribes are the Quappas or Arkansas, on the river of that name, the Osages, and the Kanzas, all south of the Missouri River. "The Osages are a nume- 1 The Osarous and powerful tribe, and, until within a few years wars, territo past, have been at war with most of the neighboring tribes, without excepting the Kanzas, who speak the same dialect. The territory of the Osages lies immediately north of that allotted to the Cherokees, the Creeks, and the Choctas. tribes ges, their ry, &.c. 15. The names of the The five remaining tribes of this subdivision are the Iowas, the Missouries, the Otoes, the Omahas, and the other tribes. Puncahs. The principal seats of the Iowas are north of he River Des Moines, but a portion of the tribe has joined Estimate of the War Department. 16. The Iowas ↑ Gallatin's estimate, 1836 ANALYSIS. the Otoes, and it is believed that both tribes speak the same dialect. 'The Missouries were originally seated at the mouth of the river of that name. They were driven away from their original seats by the Illinois, and have since joined the Otoes. They speak the Otoe dialect. 1. The Missouries. 2. The Otoes, and Orahas. "The Otoes are found on the south side of the Missouri River, and below the mouth of the River Platte; and the 1. The Pun- Omahas above the mouth of the Platte River. "The Puncahs, in 1840, were seated on the Missouri, one hundred and fifty miles above the Omahas. ha dialect. cans. 4. The num bers of the They speak the Oma "The residue of the Arkansas (now called Quappas) Southern number about five hundred souls; the Osages five thousand; the Kanzas fifteen hundred; and the five other tribes, together, about five thousand.* Siour tribes. 5. The Black Feet; their territory, wars. OTHER WESTERN TRIBES. "Of the Indian nations west of the Dahcotas, the most numerous and powerful are the Black Feet, a wandering population and hunting tribe, who occupy an extensive territory east of the Rocky Mountains. Their population is estimated at thirty thousand. They carry on a perpetual war with the Crows and the Minetarees, and also with the Shoshones or Snake Indians, and other tribes of the Rocky Mountains, whom they prevent from hunting in the buffalo country. 6. The Rapid the Arapahas. "The Rapid Indians, estimated at three thousand, are Indians, and found north of the Missouri River, between the Black Feet and the Assiniboins. The Arapahas are a detached and wandering tribe of the Rapids, now intimately connected with the Black Feet. 7. The Paronees. "The Pawnees proper inhabit the country west of the Otoes and the Omahas. They bestow some attention upon agriculture, but less than the southern Sioux tribes. They were unknown to the Americans before the acquisition of Louisiana. One of the latest attempts at human sacrifice among the Pawnees was happily frustrated in the following manner : A few years previous to 1821, a war party of Pawnees had taken a young woman prisoner, and on their return she was doomed to be sacrificed to the "Great Star," according to the usages of the tribe. She was fastened to the stake, and a vast company had assembled to witness the scene. Among them was a young warrior, by the name of Petalesharoo, who, unobserved, had stationed two fleet horses at a small distance, and was seated among the crowd as a silent spectator. All were anxiously waiting to enjoy the spectacle of the first contact of the flames with their victim; when, to their astonishment, the young warrior was seen rending asunder the cords which bound her, and, with the swiftness of thought, bearing her in his arms beyond the • Gallatin's estimate amazed multitude; where, placing her upon one horse, and mounting himself upon the other, he bore her off safe to her friends and country. The act would have endangered the life of an ordinary chief; but such was the sway of Petalesharoo in his tribe, that no one presumed to censure his interference. What more noble example of gallant daring is to be found among all the tales of modern chivalry? 1. Other west 'Of the other western tribes within the vicinity of the ANALYSIS. Rocky Mountains, and also of those inhabiting the Oregon territory, we have only partial accounts; and but little ern tribes. is known of their divisions, history, language, or num bers. tribes. 'It is a known fact, however, that the Oregon tribes 2 Oregon have few or no wars among themselves, and that they do not engage in battle except in self defence, and then only in the last extremity. Their principal encounters are with the Blackfeet Indians, who are constantly roving about, on both sides of the mountains, in quest of plunder. SECTION VII. PHYSICAL CHARACTER, LANGUAGE, GOVERNMENT, religion, PHYSICAL CHARACTER. 1. In their physical character their form, features, and color, and other natural characteristics, the aborigines, not only within the boundaries of the United States, but throughout the whole continent, presented a great uniformity; exhibiting thereby the clearest evidence that all belonged to the same great race, and rendering it improbable that they had ever intermingled with other varieties of the human family. 2. 'In form, the Indian was generally tall, straight and slender; his color was of a dull copper, or reddish brown, his eyes black and piercing,-his hair coarse, dark, and glossy, and never curling, the nose broad, lips large and thick,-cheek bones high and prominent,his beard light,-his forehead narrower than the European, -he was subject to few discases, and natural deformity was almost unknown. of the Indian with that of 3. 'In mind, the Indian was inferior to the European, 5. The mind although possessed of the same natural endowments; for compared he had cultivated his perceptive faculties, to the great the European neglect of his reasoning powers and moral qualities. "The senses of the Indian were remarkably acute;-he was apt at imitation, rather than invention; his memory was good: when aroused, his imagination was vivid, but knowledge, wild as nature: his knowledge was limited by his experience, and he was nearly destitute of abstract moral His senses agination, memory, 2772 limited abstract truths. Sc |