Extract from: Early Western Travels, 1748-1846, A Series of Annotated Reprints of some of
the bestand rarest contemporary volumes of travel, descriptive of the Aborigines
and Social and Economic Conditions in the Middle and Far West, during the
Period of Early American Settlement Edited with Notes, Introductions, Index,
etc., by Reuben Gold Thwaites, LL.D., Editor
of "The Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents," "Original Journals
of the Lewis and Clark Expedition," "Hennepin's New Discovery,"
etc. Volume XII Part II (1820) of Faux's Memorable Days in America, 1819-20; and
Welby's Visit to North America, 1819-20. Cleveland, Ohio, The Arthur H.
Clark Company,1905
4th.—To tea with J. C. Wright, Esq., to meet a young man, Mr. Dawson, who is giving up a school here to go as "Teacher to the Cherokee nation of Indians." Much enthusiasm takes him there; little will be needed to bring him back again. Since my return, Washington has been visited by some very distant and interesting tribes of Indians, with the following account of whom I have been favoured by a friend residing there.
Some account of the Indians who visited all the Chief
Cities in the Eastern States, and made a long stay in Washington in the winter
of 1821.
These Indians were the chiefs and half-chiefs of tribes from the most western part of this continent with which we are at all acquainted, and came under the guidance of Major O'Fallan[1] from the Counsel Bluffs.[2] All of them were men of large stature, very muscular, having fine open countenances, with the real noble Roman nose, dignified in their manners, and peaceful and quiet in their habits. There was no instance of drunkenness among them during their stay here. The circumstances which led to their visit were singular. A missionary, who had been amongst them a few years back, on renewing his visit recently, found an old chief, with whom he was acquainted, degraded from his rank, and another appointed in his place. This led to inquiries after the cause, which proved to be that this chief having, during a considerable absence from his tribe, visited some of the cities of the whites, carried back such a report of their houses, ships, numbers, wealth, and power, that they disbelieved his account, and degraded him as a man unworthy of being longer their chief. They inquired of their missionaries, who confirmed the statement, and they met in council with other tribes, and resolved that a deputation should, in company with the representative of the great father, "see if things were so," and if they were, the chief should be reinstated. They have returned, saying the "half was not told them." Red Jacket[3] (of whom you have heard) used to say, that "the great spirit was too great a being to overlook red men; that he listened to the talk of red men as well as to the talk of white men;" but these natives of the forest thought the great spirit favoured white men more than red. An anecdote is related of one of the chiefs (a Pawnee) which is a well authenticated fact, and recorded by Dr. Morse in his account of visits to the western regions.[4] The tribe of the Pawnees had taken a woman prisoner from a neighbouring tribe with whom they were at war, and, as was their custom, they made every preparation to offer her a sacrifice to the great spirit. Every thing was prepared, the wood, the green withes, and the fire, and the victim, when this chief suddenly flew and seized her, carried her under his arm to a neighbouring thicket, where he had prepared horses for her and himself, and riding away at speed, he, after three days' travelling through the woods, returned her in safety to her tribe and friends. This event was considered by the Pawnee tribe as an interference of the great spirit in her favour, and on the return of the chief no questions were asked him on that subject, nor has a woman been offered a sacrifice by that tribe since.
Petalesharro, a Pawnee Brave. 1822 painting by Charles Bird King. On display in the White House Library
As a compliment justly due to his gallant exploit, a number of ladies in this city had a medal made, and presented to him in due form, in the presence of all the Indians; on one side of which was represented the preparation for the sacrifice, and on the reverse the chief running off with a woman under his arm, and two horses stationed at a short distance, surmounted by this inscription, "To the bravest of the Braves," (the Pawnees are also called the Braves). These Indians excited so much interest from their dignified personal appearance, and from their peaceful manner, that they received a great number of rich presents, sufficient to fill six large boxes in New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington; these were forwarded before they left us. Their portraits, which are gone with them, were taken in oil by Mr. King in their native costume, buffalo skins, with the hair inside, turned back at the neck and breast, which looked very handsome, like fur collars. Eight, however, the chiefs and the squaw, Mr. King copied and keeps himself.[5] He received 400 dollars from Uncle Sam for it. There was a notice in the papers that the Indians would dance and display their feats in front of the President's house on a certain day, which they did to at least 6,000 persons. They shewed their manner of sitting in council, their dances, their war whoop, with the noises, gesticulations, &c. of the centinels on the sight of an approaching enemy. They were in a state of perfect nudity, except a piece of red flannel round the waist and passing between the legs. They afterwards performed at the house of his Excellency M. Hyde de Neuville. They were painted horribly, and exhibited the operation of scalping and tomahawking in fine style.
The Otta half-chief[6] and his squaw have taken tea with and frequently visited us. She was a very good natured, mild woman, and he shewed great readiness in acquiring our language, being inquisitive, retaining any thing that he was once informed, and imitating admirably the tones of every word. He spent the evening with us before they finally left the city. I took himself and squaw into Dr. Barber's room, and opened gently the skeleton case. He looked slyly in, and the wife wanted to look, but he put himself in an attitude to represent a dead person, and said, "no good, no good." She still wanted to see, but he would not let her. Three others came afterwards wanting to see it, who, when I opened it, raised themselves up in a dignified manner and said, "very good," one of them taking hold of the hand said, "how you do."[7] The Otta half-chief and squaw afterwards saw it together and were very well pleased. Our children were all full of play with them, and the squaw nursed the younger ones. Margaret wanted to go with them. The calumet[8] of peace (the tomahawk pipe and their own sumach tobacco) frequently went round, and they expressed a wish to see us again.
I have recorded much of the vocabulary of these Indians, and would transcribe it, but have not room. They count by tens as we do, for instance, noah, two; taurny, three; crabraugh, ten; crabraugh noah, twenty; crabraugh taurny, thirty, &c. They hold polygamy as honourable; one wife, no good; three, good; four, very good. In their talks with the residents they shew no wish to adopt our habits.
5th.—To dine with Dr. Dawes at his poor, worn out farm, of which he is already tired. The Doctor seems one of the best Englishmen I have met in America.
[1] This was
Benjamin O'Fallon, whose mother was a sister of George Rogers Clark, his father
being Dr. James O'Fallon, a Revolutionary officer and prominent among Kentucky
pioneers.—Ed.
[2] For the
early history of Council Bluffs, see Brackenridge's Journal, volume vi
of our series, note 28.—Ed.
[3] Red
Jacket, or Sagoyewatha (1751-1830), was a Seneca chief, and after the death of
Brant the most prominent Indian among the Six Nations. He fought on the
American side in the War of 1812-15, and refused to be drawn into Tecumseh's
conspiracy. He is best known for his eloquent speech against ratifying the
treaty of Fort Stanwix (1784), which ceded western New York to the whites. In
later life he was a helpless drunkard.—Ed.
[4] Jedidiah
Morse was born in Woodstock, Connecticut (1761). Being graduated from Yale
College he studied for the ministry, and in 1785 was licensed to preach. Four
years later he became pastor of a Congregational church in Charleston,
remaining there until 1820, when he removed to New Haven, and there preached
until his death in 1826. He was interested in civilizing and christianizing the
Indians. In 1820 the secretary of war deputed him to visit the western tribes
and suggest measures for their improvement. The results of his investigation
were published in his Report to the Secretary of War on Indian Affairs
(New Haven, 1822). He also published some text-books on geography, which were
used extensively, and gained for him the title of "Father of American
geography."—Ed.
[5] These
portraits of the Pawnee chiefs were hung in the Indian gallery in the
department of war, being later destroyed by fire. Three of them are reproduced
in color in McKenney's History of the Indian Tribes of North America
(Philadelphia, 1855), i, pp. iii, 33, 37, 143. The artist, Charles B. King
(1786-1862), was a native of Rhode Island. For forty years his studio in
Washington was frequented by the prominent men of the day.—Ed.
[6] For the
Oto Indians, see Bradbury's Travels, volume v of our series, note 42.—Ed.
[7] I made
them understand the man was hung for murder, which seemed to please them.—Faux.
[8] Concerning
the calumet of peace, consult Long's Voyages, in our volume ii, note
43.—Ed.
