 section 10 of the journal of Lewis and Clark this is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org recording by Barbara Dirksen the journal of Lewis and Clark by Mary Weather Lewis and William Clark section 10 dancing eating dogs flesh superstition dangerous situation hunting fasting dreaming agility method of hunting buffalo hunting beaver and etc dancing is a favorite exercise among the Indians they never meet on any public occasion but this makes a part of the entertainment and when they are not engaged in war or hunting the youth of both sexes amuse themselves in this manner every evening they always dance as I have just observed at their feasts in these as well as other dances every man rises in his turn and moves about with great freedom and boldness singing as he does so the exploits of his ancestors during this the company who are seated on the ground in a circle around the dancer join with him in making the cadence by an odd tune which they utter all together which sounds hey hey hey these notes if they might be so termed are articulated with a harsh accent and strained out with the utmost force of their lungs so that one would imagine their strength must soon be exhausted by it instead of which they repeat it with the same violence during the whole of the entertainment the women particularly those of the western nations dance very gracefully they carry themselves erect and with their arms hanging down close to their sides move first a few yards to the right and then back against the left this movement they perform without taking any steps as an American would do but with their feet cojoined moving by turns their toes and heels in this manner they glide with great agility to a certain distance and then return and let those who join in the dance be ever so numerous they keep time so exactly with each other that no interruption ensues during this at stated periods they mingle their shrill voices with the harsher ones of the men who sit around for it is observed that the sexes never intermix in the same dance which with the music of the drums and the chickacos make an agreeable harmony the Indians have several kinds of dances which they use on different occasions as the pipe calamity dance the war dance the marriage dance and the dance of the sacrifice the movements of every one of these are dissimilar but it is almost impossible to convey any idea of the points in which they are unlike different nations likewise vary in their manner of dancing the chip away throw themselves into a greater variety of attitudes than any other people sometimes they hold their heads erect at others they bend them almost to the ground then recline on one side and immediately on the other others carry themselves more upright step firmer and move more gracefully but they all accompany their dances with the disagreeable noise just mentioned the pipe dance is the principal and most pleasing to a spectator of any of them being the least frantic and the movement of it is most graceful it is but on particular occasions that it is used as when ambassadors from an enemy arrived to treat of peace or when strangers of eminence pass through their territories the war dance which they use both before they set out on their war parties and on their return from them strikes terror into strangers it is performed as others amidst a circle of the warriors a chief generally begins it who moves from the right to the left singing at the same time both his own exploits and those of his ancestors when he has concluded his account of any memorable action he gives a violent blow with his war club against a post that is fixed in the ground near the center of the assembly for this purpose everyone dances in his turn and recapitulates the wondrous deeds of his family till they all last join in the dance then it becomes truly alarming to any stranger that happens to be among them as they throw themselves into every horrible and terrifying posture that can be imagined rehearsing at the same time the parts they expect to act against their enemies in the field during this they hold their sharp knives in their hands with which as they were about they are at every moment in danger of cutting each other's throats and did they not shun the threatened mischief with inconceivable dexterity it could not be avoided by these motions they intend to represent the manner in which they kill scalp and take their prisoners to heighten the scene they set up the same hideous yells cries and war hoops they use in the time of action so that it is impossible to consider them in any other light than as an assemblage of demons after some hours spent in dancing the feast begins the dishes being brought near me I perceived that they consisted of dogs flesh and I was informed that at all public grand feasts they never make use of any other kind of food in this custom of eating dogs flesh on particular occasions they resemble the inhabitants of some of the countries that lie on the northeast borders of Asia the author of the account of Kamchatka published by order of the Empress of Russia informs us that the people inhabiting Corica a country north of Kamchatka who wander about in hordes like the Arabs when they pay their worship to the evil beings kill a reindeer or a dog the flesh of which they eat and leave the head and tongue sticking on a pole with the front towards the east also that when they are afraid of any infectious distemper they kill a dog and winding the guts about two poles pass between them these customs in which they are nearly imitated by the Indians seem to add strength to my supposition that America was first peopled from this quarter I know not says a traveler among them under what class of dances to rank that performed by the Indians who come to my tent when I landed near Lake Pepin on the banks of the Mississippi when I looked out as I there mentioned I saw about 20 naked young Indians the most perfect in their shape and by far the handsomest of any I had ever seen coming towards me and dancing as they approached to the music of their drums at every 10 or 12 yards they halted and set up their yells and cries when they reached my tent I asked them to come in which without any to make me any answer they did as I observed that they were painted red and black as they usually are when they go against an enemy and perceived that some parts of the war dance was intermixed with their other movements I doubted not but they were set on by the inimical chief who had refused my salutation I therefore determined to sell my life as dear as possible to this purpose I received them sitting on my chest with my gun and pistols beside me and ordered my men to keep a watchful eye on them and be also upon their guard the Indians being entered they continued their dance alternately singing at the same time of their heroic exploits and the superiority of their race over every people to enforce their language though it was uncommonly nervous and expressive and such as would have itself have carried terror to the firmest heart at the end of every period they struck their war clubs against the poles of my tent with such violence that I expected every moment it would have tumbled upon us as each of them in dancing round passed by me they placed their right hand above their eyes and coming close to me looked me steadily in the face which I could not construe into a token of friendship my men gave themselves up for lost and I acknowledge for my own part that I never found my apprehensions more tumultuous on any occasion when they had nearly ended their dance I presented to them the pipe of peace but they would not receive it I then as my last resource thought I would try what presence would do accordingly I took from my chest some ribbons and trinkets which I laid before them these seem to stagger their resolutions and to avert in some measure their anger for after holding a consultation together they sat down on the ground which I considered as a favorable omen thus it proved that in a short time they received the pipe of peace and lighting it first presented it to me and then smoked with it themselves soon after they took up the presence which had hitherto lane neglected and appearing to be greatly pleased with them departed in a friendly manner and never did I receive greater pleasure than it getting rid of such formidable guests it was not ever in my power to gain a thorough knowledge of the designs of my visitors I had sufficient reason to conclude that they were hostile and that their visit at so late an hour was made through the instigation of the grand Sutter but I was afterwards informed that it might be intended as a compliment which they usually pay to the chiefs of every other nation who happened to fall in with them and that the circumstances in their conduct which had appeared so suspicious to me were merely the effects of their vanity and designed to impress on the minds of those whom they've thus visited an elevated opinion of their valor and prowess in the morning before I continued my route several of their wives brought me a present of some sugar for whom I found a few more ribbons the dance of the sacrifice is not so denominated from their offering up at the same time a sacrifice to any good or evil spirit but is a dance to which the not a Wessie's give that title from being used when any public fortunate circumstance befalls them willst I resided amongst them a fine large deer accidentally strayed into the middle of their encampment which they soon destroyed as this happened just at the new moon they esteemed it a lucky omen and having roasted it whole every one in the camp are took of it after their feast they all joined in a dance which they from its being somewhat of a religious nature termed a dance of the sacrifice note see doctor Hubbard's compilation of Indian history hunting is the principal occupation of the Indians they are trained to it from their youth and it is an exercise which is esteemed no less honorable than necessary toward their subsistence a dexterous and resolute hunter is held in nearly as great estimation by them as a distinguished warrior scarcely any device which the ingenuity of man has discovered for ensnaring or destroying those animals that supply them with food or whose skins are valuable is unknown to them whilst they are engaged in this exercise they shake off the indolence peculiar to their nature and become active persevering and indefatigable they are equally sagacious and finding their prey and in the means they use to destroy it they discern the footsteps of the beast they are in pursuit of although they are imperceptible to every other eye and can follow them with certainty through their pathless forest the beasts that the Indians hunt both for their flesh on which they subsist and for their skins of which they either make their apparel or barter with the europeans for necessaries are the buffalo elk deer moose caribou bear beaver otter martin etc i defer giving a description of these animals here and shall only at present treat of the manner of hunting them the route they shall take for this purpose and the parties that shall go on the different expeditions are fixed in their general councils which are held sometime in the summer when all the operations for the ensuing winter are concluded on the chief warrior whose province it is to regulate their proceedings on this occasion with great solemnity issues out an invitation to those who choose to attend him for the indians as before observed acknowledge no superiority nor have they any idea of compulsion and every one that accepts it prepares himself by fasting during several days the indians do not fast as some other nations do on the richest and most luxurious food but they totally abstain from every kind either a victual's or drink and such as their patience and resolution that the most extreme thirst could not oblige them to taste a drop of water yet amidst this severe abstinence they appear cheerful and happy the reasons they give for thus fasting are that it enables them freely to dream in which dreams they are informed where they shall find the greatest plenty of game also that it averts the displeasure of the evil spirits and induces them to be propitious they also on these occasions blacken those parts of their bodies that are uncovered the fast being ended and the place of hunting made known the chief who is to conduct them gives a grand feast to those who are to form the different parties of which none of them dare to partake till they have bathed themselves at this feast notwithstanding they have fasted so long they eat with great moderation and the chief that presides employs himself in rehearsing the feats of those who have been most successful in the business they are about to enter upon they soon after set out on the march towards the place appointed painted or rather be dobbed with black amidst the acclamations of all the people it is impossible to describe their agility or perseverance whilst they are in pursuit of their prey neither thickets ditches torrents pools or rivers stop them they always go straight forward in the most direct line they possibly can and there are few of the savage inhabitants of the woods that they cannot overtake when they hunt for bears they endeavor to find out their retreats for during the winter these animals conceal themselves in the hollow trunk of trees or make themselves holes in the ground where they continue with food whilst the severe weather lasts when the indians think they have arrived at a place where these animals usually hunt they form themselves into a circle according to their number and moving onward endeavor as they advance towards the center to discover the retreats of their prey by this means if any lie in the intermediate space they are sure of arousing and bringing them down either with their bows or their guns the bears will take to flight at sight of a man or a dog and will only make resistance when they are extremely hungry or after they are wounded the indian method of hunting the buffalo is by forming a circle or a square nearly in the same manner as when they search for the bear having taken their different stations they set the grass which at this time is rank and dry on fire and these animals who are extremely fearful of that element flying with precipitation before it great numbers are hemmed in a small compass and scarcely a single one escapes they have different ways of hunting the elk the deer and the caribou sometimes they seek them out in the woods to which they retire during the severity of the cold where they are easily shot from behind the trees in the more northern climates they take advantage of the weather to destroy the elk when the sun has just strength enough to melt the snow and the frost in the night forms a kind of crust on the surface this animal being heavy breaks it with his forked hoofs and with difficulty extricates himself from it at this time therefore he is soon overtaken and destroyed some nations have a method of hunting these animals which is more easily executed and free from danger the hunting party divide themselves into two bands and choosing a spot near the borders of some river one party embarks on board their canoes whilst the other forming themselves into a semicircle on the land the flanks of which reach the shore let loose their dogs and by this means rouse all the game that lies within these bounds they then drive them towards the river into which they no sooner enter than the greatest part of them are immediately dispatched by those who remain in the canoes both the elk and buffalo are very furious when they are wounded and will turn fiercely on their pursuers and trample them under their feet if the hunter finds no means to complete their destruction or does not seek for security in flight to some adjacent tree by this method they are frequently avoided and so tired with the pursuit that they voluntarily give it over but the hunting in which the indians particularly those who inhabit the northern parts chiefly employ themselves and from which they reap the greatest advantage is the beaver hunting the season for this is throughout the whole of the winter from november to april during which time the fur of these animals is in the greatest perfection a description of this extraordinary animal the construction of their huts and the regulations of their almost rational community i shall give in another place the hunters make use of several methods to destroy them those generally practiced are either that of taking them in snares cutting through the ice or opening their causeways as the eyes of these animals are very quick and they're hearing exceedingly acute great precaution is necessary in approaching their bodies for they seldom go far from the water and their houses are always built close to the side of some large river or lake or dams of their own construction upon the least alarm they hasten to the deepest part of the water and dive immediately to the bottom as they do this they make a great noise by beating the water with their tails on purpose to put the whole fraternity on their guard they take them with snares in the following manner though the beavers usually lay up a sufficient store of provisions to serve for their subsistence during the winter they make from time to time excursions to the neighboring woods to procure fresh supplies of food the hunters having found out their haunts place a trap in their way baited with small pieces of bark or young shoots of trees which the beaver has no sooner laid hold of than a large log of wood falls upon him and breaks his back his enemies who are upon the watch soon appear and instantly dispatch the helpless animal at other times when the ice on the rivers and lakes is about a foot thick they make an opening through it with their hatchets to which the beavers will soon hasten on being disturbed at their houses for a supply of fresh air as their breath occasions a considerable motion in the water the hunter has sufficient of their approach and methods are easily taken for knocking them on the head the moment they appear above the surface when the houses of the beavers happen to be near a rivulet they are more easily destroyed the hunters then cut the ice and spreading a net under it break down the cabins of the beavers who never fail to make towards the deepest part where they are entangled and taken but they must not be suffered to remain there long as they would soon extricate themselves with their teeth which are well known to be excessively sharp and strong the indians take great care to hinder their dogs from touching the bones of the beavers the reasons they give for these precautions are first that the bones are so excessively hard they spoil the teeth of the dogs and secondly they are apprehensive they shall so exasperate the spirits of the beavers by this permission as to render the next hunting season unsuccessful when the indians destroy buffalo elk deer etc they generally divide the flesh of such as they have taken among the tribe to which they belong but in hunting the beaver a few families usually unite and divide the spoil among them indeed in the first instance they generally pay some attention to the division to their own families but no jealousies or murmurings are ever known to arise on account of any apparent partiality among the nadawesses if a person shoots a deer buffalo etc and it runs a considerable distance before it drops where a person belonging to another tribe being nearer first sticks a knife into it the game is considered as the property of the latter not withstanding it had been mortally wounded by the former though this custom appears to be arbitrary and unjust yet the people cheerfully submit to it this decision is however very different from that practiced by the indians on the back of the colonies where the first person that hits is entitled to the best share end of section 10 section 11 of the journal of Lewis and Clark this is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain or more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org recording by Bill Mosley the journal of Lewis and Clark by Mary with a Lewis and William Clark chapter nine age necessary for warriors implements of war causes of war boundaries of territory propensity for war a war chief surrounding to his soldiers war council dreams fasting influence of priests and women mode of soliciting allies mode of declaring war never encumbered with baggage and war protecting spirits stratagem time of attack disposing of a conquered enemy eluding their pursuers securing prisoners death song treatment of prisoners slaves etc the indians began to bear arms at the age of 15 and lay them aside when they arrive at the age of 60 some nations to the southward have been informed do not continue their military exertions after they are 50 in every band or nation there is a select number who are styled the warriors who are always ready to act either offensively or defensively as occasion requires these are well armed bearing the weapons commonly used among them which vary according to the situation of their countries some make use of tomahawks knives and firearms but those who have not an opportunity of purchasing these kinds of weapons use bows and arrows and also the casette or war club the indians that inhabit still further to the westward a country which extends to the south sea use in fight a warlike instrument that is very uncommon having great plenty of horses they always attack their enemies on horseback and encumber themselves with no other weapon than a stone of a mithing size curiously wrought which they fastened by a string about a yard and a half long to their right arm a little above the elbow these stones they conveniently carry in their hands till they reach their enemies and then with great dexterity as they ride full speed never fail of doing execution the country which these tribes possess a bounding of large extensive planes those who attack them sell them return as the swiftness of the horse on which they are mounted enables them to overtake even the fleetists of their invaders i was informed that unless they found morasses or tickets to which they could retire they were sure of being cut off to prevent this they always took care whenever they made an onset to do it near such retreats as were impassable for cavalry they then having a great advantage over their enemies whose weapons could not reach them there some nations make use of a javelin pointed with bone worked into different forms but the indian weapons in general are bows and arrows and the short club already mentioned the ladder is made of a very hard wood and the head of it fashioned round like a ball about three inches and a half diameter in this rotund part is fixed on edge resembling that of a tomahawk either of steel or flint whichever they can procure the dagger is peculiar to some nations and of ancient construction if they can give no account how long it has been in use among them it was originally made of flint or bone but since they have communication with the european traders they have formed it of steel the length of it is about 10 inches and that part close to the handle nearly three inches broad its edges are keen and it gradually tapers towards a point they wear it in a sheath made of deer's leather neatly ornamented with pocupines quills and it is usually hung by a string decorated in the same manner which reaches as low only as the breast this curious weapon is worn by a few of the principal chiefs alone and considered both as unuseful instrument and an ornamental badge of superiority i observed among them a few targets or shields made of raw buffalo hides and in the form of those used by the ancients but as the number of these was small and i could gain no intelligence of the area in which they first were introduced among them i suppose those i saw had descended from father to son or many generations the reasons the indians give for making war against one another are much the same as those urged by more civilized missions for disturbing the tranquility of their neighbors the pleas of the former are in general however more rational and just than such as are brought by europeans in vindication of their proceedings the extension of empire is seldom emotive with these people to invade or to commit depredations on the territories of those who happened to dwell near them to secure the rights of hunting within particular limits to maintain the liberty of passing through their accustomed tracks and to guard those lands which they consider from a long tenure as their own against any infringement are the general causes of those dissensions that so often break out between the indian nations and which are carried on with so much animosity those strangers to the idea of separate property yet the most uncultivated among them are well acquainted with the rights of the community to the domains they possess and opposed with vigor every encroachment on them notwithstanding it is generally supposed that from their territories being so extensive the boundaries of them cannot be ascertained yet i am well assured that the limits on each nation in the interior parts are laid down in their rude plans with great precision by theirs as i have just observed was i unable to regulate my own and after the most exact observations and inquiries i found that very few instances in which they aired but interest is not either the most frequent or most powerful incentive to their making war on each other the passion of revenge which is the distinguishing characteristic of these people is the most general motive injuries are felt by them with exquisite sensibility and vengeance pursued with unremitted ardor to this may be added that natural excitation which every indian is sensible of as soon as he approaches the age of manhood to give proof of his valor and prowess as they are early possessed with a notion that war ought to be the chief business of their lives that there is nothing more desirable than the reputation of being a great warrior and that the scalps of their enemies or a number of prisoners are alone to be esteemed valuable it is not to be wondered at that the young indians are continually restless and uneasy if their ardor is repressed they are kept in a state of inactivity either of these propensities the desire of revenge or the gratification of an impulse that by degrees becomes habitual to them is sufficient frequently to induce them to commit hostilities on some of the neighboring nations when the chiefs find any occasion for making war they endeavor to arouse their habitudes and by that means soon excite their warriors to take arms for this purpose they make use of their material eloquence nearly in the following words which never fails of proving effectual the bones of our deceased countrymen lie uncovered they call out to us to revenge their wrongs and we must satisfy the request their spirits cry out against us they must be appeased the genie who are the guardians of our honor inspire us with a resolution to seek the enemies of our murdered brothers let us go and devour those by whom they were slain sit there no longer inactive give way to the impulse of your natural valor anoint your hair paint your faces fill your quivers cause the forest to resound with your songs console the spirits of the dead and tell them they shall be revenge animated by these exhortations the warriors snatch their arms and they transport a fury sing the song of war and burn them patience to imbrew their hands in the blood of their enemies sometimes private chiefs assemble small parties and make excursions against those with whom they are at war or such as have injured them a single warrior prompted by revenge or desire to show his prowess will march unattended several hundred miles to surprise and cut off a straggling party these irregular salaries however are not always approved by the elder chiefs though they are often obliged to connive after them but when a war is national and undertaken by the community their deliberations are formal and slow the elders assemble in council to which all the head warriors and young men are admitted where they deliver their opinions in solemn speeches weighing with maturity the nature of the enterprise they're about to engage in and balancing with great flogacity the advantages or inconveniences that will arise from it their priests are also consulted on the subject and even sometimes the advice of the most intelligent of their women is asked if the determination be for war they prepare for it without much ceremony the chief warrior of a nation does not on all occasions head the war party himself he frequently deputes a warrior of whose valor and prudence he has a good opinion the person then fixed on being first be dogged with black observes a fast of several days during which he invokes the great spirit or it deprecates the anger of the evil ones holding while it lasts no converse with any of his tribe he is particularly careful at the same time to observe his dreams for on these do they suppose their success will in a great measure depend and from the firm persuasion every indian actuated by his own presumptuous thoughts is impressed with that he shall march forth to certain victory these are generally favorable to his wishes after he has fasted as long as custom prescribes he assembles the warriors and holding a belt of wampum in his hand thus addresses them brothers by the inspiration of the great spirit i now speak unto you and by him and my prompted to carry into execution the intentions which i'm about to disclose to you the blood of our deceased brother is not yet wiped away their bodies are not yet covered and i am going to perform this duty to them having then made known to them all the motives that induce him to take up arms against the nation with whom they are to engage he thus proceeds i have therefore resolved to march through the war path to surprise them we will cut their flesh and drink their blood we will take scouts and make prisoners and should we perish on this glorious enterprise we shall not be forever hid in the dust for this belt shall be a recompense to him who buries the dead having said this he lays it on the ground and he takes it up declares himself as the tenant and is considered as the second in command this however is only done by some distinguished warrior who has a right by the number of his scouts in the post though the indians thus assert that they will eat the flesh and drink the blood of their enemies the threat is only to be considered as a figurative expression notwithstanding they sometimes devour the hearts of those they slay and drink the blood by way of bravado or to gratify in a more complete manner their revenge the chief is now washed from his sable covering anointed with their fat and painted with their red paint in such figures as will make him appear most terrible to his enemies he then sings the war song and enumerates his warlike actions having done this he fixes his eyes on the sun and pays his adoration to the great spirit in which he is accompanied by all the warriors this ceremony is followed with dances such as i have before described and the whole concludes with a feast which usually consists of dog's flesh this feast is held in the hut or tent of the chief warrior to which all those who intend to accompany him in his expedition send their dishes to be filled and during the feast notwithstanding he has fasted so long he sits composably with his pipe in his mouth and recounts the valorous deeds of his family as the hopes of having their wounds should they receive any properly treated and expeditiously cured must be some additional inducement to the warriors to expose themselves more freely to danger the priests who are also their doctors prepare such medicines as will prove efficacious with great ceremony they carry various roots and plants and pretend that they impart to them the power of healing nowwithstanding the superstitious method of proceeding it is very certain that they have acquired a knowledge of many plants and herbs that are of a medical quality and which they know how to use with skill from the time the resolution of engaging in war is taken to the departure of the warriors the knights are spent in festivity and their days and making the needful preparations if it is not necessary by the nation going to war to solicit the alliance of any neighboring tribe they fix upon one of their chiefs who speaks the language of that people well and who is a good orator and send to them by him a belt of wampum on which is specified the report of the embassy in figures that every nation is acquainted with at the same time he carries with him a hatchet painted red as soon as he reaches the camp or village to which he is destined he acclaims the chief of the tribe with the general tenor of his commission who immediately assembles a council to which the ambassador is invited they're having laid the hatchet on the ground he holds the belt in his hand and enters more by nuclear into the occasion of the embassy in his speech he invites them to take up the hatchet and as soon as he has finished speaking delivers the belt if his ears are inclined to become auxiliaries to his nation a chief steps forward and takes up the hatchet and they immediately espouse with spirit the cause they have thus engaged to support but if on this application either the belts or hatchet are accepted the embassy concludes that the people whose assistant he solicits have already entered into an alliance with the foes of his nation and returns with speed to inform his countrymen of his ill success the manner in which the Indians declare war against each other is by sending a slave with a hatchet the handle of which is painted red to the nation which they intend to break with and the messenger now standing the danger to which he is exposed from the sudden fury of those whom he thus sets that defiance executes his commission with great fidelity sometimes this token of defiance has such an instantaneous effect on those to whom it is presented that in the first transports of their fury a small party will issue forth without waiting for the permission of the elder chiefs and slaying the first of the offending nation they meet could open the body and stick a hatchet of the same kind as they just received and to the heart of their slaughtered foe among the more remote tribes is done with an arrow or spear the end of which is painted red and the more to exasperate they dismember the body to show that they esteem them not as men but as old women the Indians seldom take this field in large bodies as such numbers would require a greater degree of industry to provide for their subsistence during their tedious marches through dreary forests or long voyages over lakes and rivers then they would care to bestow their armies are never encumbered with baggage or military stores each warrior decides his weapons carries with him only a map and whilst at a distance from the frontiers of the enemy supports himself with the game he kills or the fish he catches when they pass through a country where they have no apprehensions of meeting with an enemy they use very little precaution sometimes there are scarcely a dozen warriors left together the rest being in pursuit of their game but though they should have rode to a very considerable distance from the war path they're sure to arrive at the place of rendezvous by the hour appointed they always pitch their tents long before sunset and being naturally presumptuous take very little care to guard against a surprise they place great confidence in their manateaus or household gods which they carry with them and being persuaded that they take upon them the office of sentinels they sleep very securely under their protection these manateaus as they are called by some nations but which are termed wakans that is spirits by the now dewesses are nothing more than the otter and martin skins i have already described for which however they have a great veneration after they have entered the enemy's country no people can be more cautious and in certain respect fires are no longer lighted no more shouting is heard nor the game no longer pursued they are not even permitted to speak they must convey whatever they have to impart to each other by signs and motions they now proceed wholly by stratagem and ambuscape having discovered their enemies they send to reconnoiter them and a council is immediately held during which they speak only in whispers to consider of the intelligence imparted by those who were sent out the attack is generally made just before daybreak at which period they suppose their foes to be in the sound of sleep throughout the whole of the preceding night they will lie flat upon their faces without stirring and make their approaches in the same posture creeping upon their hands and feet till they are got within bow shot of those they have destined to destruction on a signal given by the chief warrior to which the whole body makes answered by the most hideous yells they all start up and discharging their arrows in the same instant without giving their adversaries time to recover from the confusion into which they were thrown pour in upon them with their war clubs or tomahawks the indians think there is little glory to be acquired from attacking their enemies openly in the field their greatest pride is to surprise and destroy they seldom engage without a manifest appearance of advantage if they find the enemy on their guard too strongly entrenched or superior in numbers they retire providing there is an opportunity of doing so and they esteem it the greatest qualification of a chief warrior to be able to manage an attack so as to destroy as many of the enemy as possible at the expense of a few men when the indians succeed in their silent approaches and are able to force the camp which they attack a scene of horror that exceeds description ensues the savage fierceness of the conquerors and the desperation of the country who well know what they have to expect should they fall alive into the hands of their assailants occasion the most extraordinary exertions on both sides the figure of the combatants all besmeared with black and red paint and covered with the blood of the slain their horrid yells and ungovernable fury are not to be conceived by those who have never seen them though the indians are negligent in guarding against surprise they are alert and dexterous in surprising their enemies to their caution and perseverance and stealing on the party they designed to attack they add that admirable talent or rather instinctive qualification i have already described of tracing out those they are in pursuit of on the smoothest graphs on the hardest earth and even on the very stones will they discover the traces of an enemy and by the shape of the footsteps and the distance between the prince distinguish not only whether it is a man or a woman who has passed that way but even the nation to which they belong however incredible this might appear yet from the many proofs i have received whilst among them of their amazing sagacity in this point i see no reason to discredit even these extraordinary exions of it when they have overcome an enemy and victory is no longer doubtful the conquerors first dispatch all such as they think they shall not be able to carry off without great trouble and then endeavor to take as many prisoners as possible after this they return to scalp those who are either dead or too much wounded to be taken with them at this business they are exceedingly expert they seize the head of the disabled or dead enemy and placing one of their feet on the neck twist their left hand in the hair by this means having extended the skin that covers the top of the head they draw out their scalping knives which are always kept in good order for this cruel purpose with a few dexterious strokes takes off the part that is termed the scalp they are so expeditious in doing this that the whole time required scarcely exceeds a minute these they preserve as monuments of their prowess and at the same time as proofs of the vengeance they have inflicted on their enemies if two Indians seize in the same instant a prisoner and seem to have an equal claim a contest between them is soon decided for to put a speedy end to any dispute that might arise the person that is apprehensive he shall lose his expected reward immediately has recourse to his tomahawk or war club and knocks on the head the unhappy cause of their contention having completed their purposes and made as much havoc as possible they immediately retire towards their own country with the spoil they have acquired for fear of being pursued should this be the case they make use of many stratogens to elude the searches of the pursuers they sometimes scatter leaves sand or dust over the prints of their feet sometimes tread in each other's footsteps and sometimes live their feet so high and tread so lightly as not to make any impression on the ground but if they find all these precautions unavailing and that they are near being overtaken they first dispatch and scout their prisoners and then dividing each endeavors to regain his native country by different routes this prevents all further pursuit for their pursuers now despairing either gratifying the revenge or releasing those of their friends who were made captive return home if the successful party is so lucky as to make good their retreat unmolested they hasten with the greatest expedition to reach a country where they may be perfectly secure and that their wounded companions may not retard their flight may carry them by turns in leaders or if it is in the winter season draw them on sledges the prisoners during their march are guarded with the greatest care during the day if the journey is over land they are always held by some of the victorious party if by water they are fastened to the canoe in the nighttime they are stretched along the ground quite naked with their legs arms and neck fastened to hooks fixed in the ground besides this cords are tied to their arms or legs which are held by an indian who instantly awakes at the beast motion of them during their march they oblige their prisoners to sing their death song which generally consists of these or similar sentences i am going to die i'm about to suffer but i will bear the severest tortures my enemies can inflict with the coming fortitude i will die like a brave man and i shall then go to join the chiefs who have suffered on the same account these songs are continued with necessary intervals until they reach the villager camp to which they are going when the warriors are arrived within hearing they set up different cries which communicate to their friends a general history of the success of the expedition the number of the dead cries they give declare how many of their own party are lost and the number of war hoops the number of prisoners they have taken it is difficult to describe these cries but the best idea i can convey of them is that the former consists of the sound who who who which is continued in a long shrill tone nearly till the breath is exhausted and then broken off with a sudden elevation of the voice the latter is a loud cry of much the same kind which is modulated into notes by the hand being placed before the mouth those of them might be heard to a very considerable distance while these are uttering the persons to whom they are designed to convey the intelligence continue motionless and all attention when this ceremony is performed the whole village issue out to learn the particulars of the relation they have just heard in general terms and accordingly as the news proves mournful or the contrary they answer by so many acclamations or cries of lamentation being by this time arrived at the villager camp the women and children on themselves with sticks and bludgeons and form themselves as two ranks through which the prisoners are obliged to pass the treatment they undergo before they reach the extremity of the line is very severe sometimes they are so beaten over the head and face as to have scarcely any remains of life and happy would it be for them if by this usage an end was put to their wretched beings but their tormentors take care that none of the blows they give prove mortal as they wish to reserve the miserable sufferers for more severe infusions after having undergone this introductory discipline they are bound hand and foot whilst the chiefs holy council in which their fate is determined those who are decreed to be put to death by the usual torments are delivered to the chief of the warriors such as are to be spared or given into the hands of the chief of the nation so that in a short time all the prisoners may be assured of their fate as the sentence now pronounced is irrevocable the former they term being consigned to the house of death the latter to the house of grace such captives as are pretty far advanced in life and have acquired great honor by their warlike deeds always atone for the blood they have spilled by the tortures of fire their success in war is readily known by the blue marks upon their breasts and arms which are legible to the indians as letters to americans the mirror in which these hieroglyphics are made is by breaking the skin with the teeth of fish or sharpened flints dipped in a kind of ink made of the soot of pitch pine like those of ancient picks of britain these are esteemed ornamental and at the same time they serve as registers of the heroic actions of the warrior who thus bears about him indelible marks of his valor the prisoners destined to death are soon led to the place of execution which is generally in the center of the camp or village where being stripped and every part of their bodies blackened the skin of a crow or raven is fixed on their heads they are then bound to a stake with faggots heaped around them and obliged for the last time to sing their death song the warriors for such it is only who commonly suffer this punishment now perform in a more prolix manner this sad solemnity they recount with an audible voice all the brave actions they have performed and pride themselves in the number of enemies they have killed in this rehearsal they spare not even their tormentors let's try by every provoking tale they can invent to irritate and insult them sometimes this has the desired effect and the sufferers are dispatched sooner than they otherwise would have been there are many other methods which the indians will make use of to put their prisoners to death but these are only occasional that of burning is most generally used this method of tormenting their enemies is considered by the indians as productive of more than one beneficial consequence it satiates in a greater degree that diabolical lust of revenge which is the predominant passion in the breast of every individual of every tribe and it gives the growing warriors an early propensity to that cruelty and thirst of blood which is so necessary a qualification for such as would be thoroughly skilled in their savage art of war now standing these acts of severity exercised by the indians toward those of their own species who fall into their hands some tribes of them have been very remarkable for their moderation to such female prisoners belonging to the english colonies as have happened to be taken by them women of great beauty have frequently been carried off by them and during a march of three or four hundred miles through the retired forests have lain by their sides without receiving any insult and their chastity has remained in violence instances have happened where female captives who have been pregnant at the time they're being taken have found the pangs of childbirth come upon them in the midst of solitary woods and savages their only companions yet from these savages as they were have they received every assistance their situations would admit up and being treated with a degree of delicacy and humanity they little expected those prisoners that are consigned to the house of grace and these are commonly the young men women and children await the disposal of the chiefs who after the execution of such as are condemned to die hold a council for this purpose a herald is sent around the villager camp to give notice that such as have lost any relative in the late expedition are desired to attend the distribution which is about to take place those women who have lost their sons or husbands are generally satisfied in the first place after these such as have been deprived of friends of a more remote degree of consanguinity or who choose to adopt some of the youth the division being made which is done as in other cases without the least dispute those who have received any share lead them to their tents or huts and having unbound them wash and dress their wounds if they happen to have any they then close them and give the most comfortable and refreshing food their store will afford whilst their new domestics are feeding they endeavor to administer consolation to them they tell them that as they are redeemed from death they must now be cheerful and happy and if they serve them well without murmuring or repining nothing shall be wanting to make them such atonement for the loss of their country and friends as circumstances will allow if any men are spared they are commonly given to the widows that have lost their husbands by the hands of the enemy should there be any such to whom if they happen to prove agreeable they are soon married but should the dame be otherwise engaged the life of him who falls to her lot is in great danger especially if she fancies that her late husband wants a slave in the country of spirits to which he is gone when this is the case a number of young men take the devoted captive to some distance and dispatch him without any ceremony after he has been spared by the council they consider him a little consequence to be entitled to the torments of those who have been judged worthy of them the women are usually distributed to the men of whom they do not fail of meeting with a favorable reception the boys and girls are taken into the families of such as have need of them and are considered as slaves and it is not uncommon that they are sold in the same capacity to the american traders who come among them the indians have no idea of moderating the ravages of war by sparing their prisoners and entering into a negotiation with the band from whom they have been taken for an exchange all that are captivated by both parties are either put to death adopted or made slaves of and so particular is every nation in this respect that if any tribe even a warrior should be taken prisoner and by chance be received into the house of grace either as an adopted person or a slave and should afterwards make his escape they will by no means receive him or acknowledge him as one of their band the condition of such as are adopted differs not in any one instance from the children of the nation to which they belong they assume all the rights of those whose places they supply and frequently make no difficulty in going in the war parties against their own countrymen should however any of those by chance make their escape and be afterwards retaken they are esteemed as unnatural children and ungrateful persons who have deserted and made war upon their parents of benefactors and are treated with uncommon severity that part of their prisoners which are considered as slaves are generally distributed among the chiefs who frequently make presence of some of them to the american governors of the outposts or to the superintendents of indian affairs i've been informed that it was the jesuits and prince missionaries that first occasion the introduction of these unhappy captives into the settlements and by so doing taught the indians that they were valuable their views indeed were laudable as they imagined that by this method they should not only prevent much barbarity and bloodshed but find the opportunities much increased of spreading their religion among them to this purpose they have encouraged the traitors to purchase such slaves as they met with the good effects of this mode of proceeding were not however equal to the expectations of these pious fathers instead of being the means of preventing cruelty and bloodshed it only caused dissensions between the indian nations to be carried on with a greater degree of violence and with unremitted ardor the fries they fought for being no longer revenge or fame but the acquirement of spiritualist liquors for which their captive were to be exchanged and of which almost every nation is immoderately fond they sought for their enemies with unwanted alacrity and were constantly on the watch to surprise and carry them off it might still be said that fewer of the captives are tormented and put to death since these expectations of receiving so valuable a consideration for them have been excited than they usually had been but it does not appear that their accustomed cruelty to the warriors they take is in the least abated their natural desire of vengeance must be gratified they now only become more assiduous in securing a greater number of young prisoners whilst those who are made captive in their defense are tormented and put to death as before and this even in despite of the disgraceful estimation for the indians consider every conquered people as in a state of vassalage to their conquerors after one nation has finally subdued another and a conditional submission is agreed on is customary for the chiefs of a conquered when they sit in council with their subduers to wear petticoats as an acknowledgement that they are in a state of subjection and ought to be ranked among the women their partiality of the french has however taken too deep root for time itself to eradicate it the wars that are carried on between the indian nation are in general hereditary and continue from age to age with a few interruptions if a piece becomes necessary the principal care of both parties is to avoid the appearance of making the first advances when they treat with an enemy relative to a suspension of hostilities the chief who is commissioned to undertake the negotiation if he's not brought about by the meditation of some neighboring ban abates nothing of his natural haughtiness even when the affairs of his country are in the worst situation he makes no concession but endeavors to persuade his adversaries that it is their interest to put an end to the war end of section 11 chapter 9 recording by bill mosley crawlsburg texas usa section 12 of the journal of lewis and clark this is a liber vox recording all liber vox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit liber vox.org recording by jeff curvy the journal of lewis and clark by mary weather lewis and william clark chapter 10 end of war pipe of peace mode of presenting it burying the war club or hatchet belt of wampum of what made etc accidents sometimes contribute to bring about a peace between nations that otherwise could not be prevailed on to listen to terms of accommodation sometimes the indians grow tired of a war which they have carried on against some neighboring nation for many years without much success and in this case they seek for mediators to begin a negotiation these being obtained the treaty is thus conducted a number of their own chiefs joined by those who have accepted the friendly office sit out together for their enemy's country such as are chosen for this purpose are chiefs of the most extensive abilities and of the greatest integrity they bear before them the pipe of peace which i need not inform my readers is of the same nature as a flag of truth among the americans and is treated with the greatest respect and veneration even by the most barbarous nations i never heard of an instance wherein the bears of this sacred badge of friendship were ever treated disrespectfully or its rights violated the indians believe that the great spirit never suffers an infraction of this kind to go unpunished the pipe of peace which is termed by them calmet for what reason i could never learn is about four feet long the bowl of it is made of red marble and the stem of it of a light wood curiously painted with hieroglyphies in various colors and adorned with feathers of the most beautiful birds but it is not in my power to convey an idea of the various tints and pleasing ornaments of this much esteemed indian implement every nation has a different method of decorating these pipes and they can tell at first sight to what band it belongs it's used as an introduction to all treaties the assistant or aid to camp with the great warrior when the chiefs are assembled and seated fills it with tobacco mixed with herbs taking care at the same time that no part of it touches the ground when it is filled he takes a coal that is thoroughly kindled from a fire that is generally kept burning in the midst of the assembly and places it on the tobacco as soon as it is sufficiently lighted he throws off the coal he then turns the stem of it towards the heavens after this towards the earth and now holding it horizontally moves himself around till he is completed a circle by the first action he is supposed to present to the great spirit whose aid is thereby supplicated by the second to avert any malicious interposition of the evil spirits and by the third to gain the protection of the spirits inhabiting the air the earth and the waters having thus secured the favor of these invisible agents in whose power they suppose it is either to forward or obstruct the issue of their present deliberations he presents it to the hereditary chief who having taken two or three whiffs blows the smoke from his mouth first towards heaven and then around him upon the ground it is afterwards put in the same manner into the mouths of the ambassadors or strangers who observe the same ceremony then to the chief of the warriors and then to all other chiefs in turn according to their accreditation during this time the person who executes this honorable office holds the pipe slightly in his hand as if he feared to press the sacred instrument nor does anyone presume to touch it but with his lips when the chiefs who are instructed with the commission for making peace approach the town or camp to which they are going they begin to sing and dance the songs and dances appropriated to this occasion by this time the adverse party are appraised of their arrival and at the sight of the pipe of peace divesting themselves of their wanted enmity invite them to the habitations of the great chief and furnish them with every convenience during the negotiation a council is then held and when the speeches and debates are ended if no obstructions arise to put a stop to the treaty the painted hatchet is buried in the ground as a memorial that all animosities between the contending nations have ceased and a peace has taken place among the rudor bands such as have no communication with the americans a war club painted red is buried instead of the hatchet a belt of wampum is also given on this occasion which serves as a ratification of the peace and records to the latest posterity by the hieroglyphics into which the beads are formed every stipulated article in the treaty these belts are made of shells found on the coast of new england and virginia which are sought out into beads of noblon form about a quarter of an inch long and round like other beads being strong on leathery strings and several of them sewed neatly together with fine sinewy threads they then compose what is termed a belt of wampum the shells are generally of two colors some white and others violet but the latter are more highly esteemed than the former they're held in as much estimation by the indians as gold or silver or precious stones are by the americans the belts are composed of 10 12 or a greater number of strings according to the importance of the affair and agitation or the dignity of the person to whom it is presented a more trifling occasion strings of these beads are presented by the chiefs to each other and frequently worn by them about their necks is a valuable ornament end of section 12 section 13 of the journal of louis and clark this is a libervox recording all libervox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit libervox.org recording by sue anderson the journal of louis and clark by marijuana louis and william clark chapter 11 polygamy treatment to wives marriage ceremonies mode of divorcing another ceremony children called by the mother's name etc the indians allow of polygamy and persons of every rank indulge themselves in this point the chiefs in particular have a sorrelio which consists of an uncertain number usually from six to 12 or 14 the lower rank are permitted to take as many as there is a probability of their being able with the children they may bear to maintain it is not uncommon for an indian to marry two sisters sometimes if there happen to be more the whole number and notwithstanding this as it appears to civilized nations unnatural union they all live in the greatest harmony the younger wives are submissive to the elder and those who have no children do such menial offices for those who are fertile as causes their situation to differ but little from a state of servitude however they perform every injunction with the greatest cheerfulness in hopes of gaining thereby the affections of their husbands that they in their turn may have the happiness of becoming mothers and be entitled to the respect attendant on that state it is not uncommon for an indian although he takes to himself so many wives to live in a state of continents with many of them for several years such as are not so fortunate as to gain the favor of their husband by their submissive and prudent behavior and by that means to share in his embraces continue in their virgin state during the whole of their lives except they happen to be presented by him to some stranger chief whose abode among them will not admit of his entering into a more lasting connection in this case they submit to the injunction of their husband without murmuring and are not displeased at the temporary union but if at any time it is known that they take this liberty without first receiving his consent they are punished in the same manner as if they had been guilty of adultery this custom is more prevalent among the nations which lie in the interior parts than among those that are nearer to the settlements as the manners of the latter are rendered more conformable in some points to those of the americans by the intercourse they hold with them the indian nations differ but little from each other in their marriage ceremonies and less in the manners of their divorces the tribes that inhabit the borders of canada make use of the following custom when a young indian has fixed his inclinations on one of the other sex he endeavors to gain her consent and if he succeeds it is never known that her parents ever obstruct their union when every preliminary is agreed on and the day appointed the friends and acquaintances of both parties assemble at the house or tent of the oldest relation of the bridegroom where a feast is prepared on the occasion the company who meet to assist at the festival are sometimes very numerous they dance they sing and enter into every other diversion usually made use of on many of their public rejoicings when these are finished all those who attended merely out of ceremony depart and the bridegroom and bride are left alone with three or four of the nearest and oldest relations of either side those of the bridegroom being men and those of the bride women presently the bride attended by these few friends having withdrawn herself for the purpose appears at one of the doors of the house and is led to the bridegroom who stands ready to receive her having now taken their station on a mat placed in the center of the room they lay hold of the extremities of a wand about four feet long by which they continue separated whilst the old men pronounces some short harangue suitable to the occasion the married couple then make a public declaration of the love and regard they entertain for each other and holding the rod between them dance and sing when they have finished this part of the ceremony they break the rod into as many pieces as there are witnesses present who each take a piece and preserve it with care the bride is then reconducted out of the door at which she entered where her young companions wait to attend her to her father's house there the bridegroom is obliged to seek her and the marriage is consummated very often the wife remains at her father's house till she has a child when she packs up her apparel which is all the fortune she is generally possessed of and accompanies her husband to his habitation when from any dislike a separation takes place for they are seldom known to quarrel they generally give their friends a few days notice of their intentions and sometimes offer reasons to justify their conduct the witnesses who were present at the marriage meet on the day requested at the house of the couple that are about to separate and bringing with them the pieces of rod which they had received at their nuptials fill them into the fire in the presence of all the parties this is the whole of the ceremony required and the separation is carried on without any murmurings or ill will between the couple or the relations and after a few months they are at liberty to marry again when a marriage is thus dissolved the children which have been produced from it are equally divided between them and as children are esteemed a treasure by the Indians if the number happens to be odd the woman is allowed to take the better half though this custom seems to encourage fickleness and frequent separations yet there are many of the Indians who have but one wife and enjoy with her a state of cannubial happiness not to be exceeded in more refined societies there are also not a few instances of women preserving and inviolable attachments to their husbands except in the cases before mentioned which are considered as either a violation of their chastity or fidelity although I have said that the Indian nations differ very little from each other in their marriage ceremonies there are some exceptions that our doicies have a singular method of celebrating their marriages which seems to bear no resemblance to those made use of by any other nation I passed through when one of their young men has fixed on a young woman he approves of he discovers his passion to her parents who give him an invitation to come and live with them in their tent he accordingly accepts the offer and by so doing engages to reside in it for a whole year in the character of a menial servant during this time he hunts and brings all the game he kills to the family by which means the father has an opportunity of seeing whether he is able to provide for the support of his daughter and the children that might be the consequence of their union this however is only done whilst they are young men and for their first wife and not repeated like Jacob servitude when this period is expired the marriage is solemnized after the custom of the country in the following manner three or four of the oldest male relations of the bridegroom and as many of the brides accompany the young couple from their respective tents to an open part in the center of the camp the chiefs and warriors being here assembled to receive them a party of the ladder are drawn up in two ranks on each side of the bride and bridegroom immediately on their arrival their principal chief then acquaints the whole assembly with the design of their meeting and tells them that the couple before them mentioning at the same time their names are come to publicly their intentions of living together as man and wife he then asks the two young people alternately whether they desire that the union might take place having declared with an audible voice that they do so the warriors fix their arrows and discharge them over the heads of the married pair this done the chief pronounces them man and wife the bridegroom then turns round and bending his body takes his wife on his back in which manner he carries her amidst the acclimations of the spectators to his tent the ceremony is succeeded by the most plentiful feast the new married man can afford and songs and dances according to the usual custom conclude the festival among the indians as well as european nations there are many that devote themselves to pleasure and notwithstanding the accounts given by some modern writers of the frigidity of an indian's constitution become the zealous voteries of venus the young warriors that are thus disposed seldom want opportunities for gratifying their passion and as the mode usually followed on these occasions is rather singular i shall describe it when one of these young debauchies imagines from the behavior of the person he has chosen for his mistress that he shall not meet with any great obstruction to his suit from her he pursues the following plan it has been already observed that the indians acknowledged no superiority nor have they any ideas of subordination except in the necessary regulations of their war or hunting parties they consequently live nearly in a state of equality pursuant to the first principles of nature the lover therefore is not apprehensive of any check or control in the accomplishments of his purposes if he can find a convenient opportunity for completing them as the indians are also under no apprehension of robbers or secret enemies they leave the doors of their tents or huts unfastened during the night as well as in the day two or three hours after sunset the old people cover over the fire that is generally burning in the midst of their apartment with ashes and retire to their repose whilst darkness thus prevails and all is quiet one of these sons of pleasure wrapped up closely in his blanket to prevent his being known will sometimes enter the apartment of his intended mistress having first lighted at the smothered fire a small splinter of wood which answers the purpose of a match he approaches the place where she reposes and gently pulling away the covering from the head jogs her till she awakes if she then rises up and blows out the light he needs no further confirmation that his company is not disagreeable but if after he has discovered himself she hides her head and takes no notice of him he might rest assured that any further solicitations will prove vain and that it is necessary immediately for him to retire during his stay he conceals the light as much as possible in the hollow of his hands and as the tents or rooms of the Indians are usually large and capacious he escapes without detection it is said that the young women who admit their lovers on these occasions take great care by an immediate application to herbs with a potent efficacy of which they are well acquainted to prevent the effects of these illicit amours from becoming invisible for should the natural consequences ensue they must forever remain unmarried the children of the Indians are always distinguished by the name of the mother and if a woman marries several husbands and has issue by each of them they are called after her the reason they give for this is that as their offspring are indebted to the father for their souls the invisible part of their essence and to the mother for their corporeal and apparent part it is more rational that they should be distinguished by the name of the latter from whom they indudably derive their being then by that of the father of which a doubt might sometimes arise whether they are justly entitled there are some ceremonies made use of by the Indians at the opposition of the name and it is considered by them as a matter of great importance but what these are I could never learn through the secrecy observed on the occasion I only know that it is usually given when the children have passed the state of infancy nothing can exceed the tenderness shown by them to their offspring and a person cannot recommend himself to their favor by any method more certain than by paying some attention to the younger branches of their families there is some difficulty attends and explanation of the manner in which the Indians distinguish themselves from each other besides the name of the animal by which every nation and tribe is denominated there are others that are personal and which the children receive from their mother the chiefs are also distinguished by a name that has either some reference to their abilities or to the hieroglyphic of their families and these are acquired after they arrive at the age of manhood such as have signalized themselves either in their war or hunting parties or are possessed of some eminent qualifications receive a name that serves to perpetuate the fame of these actions or to make their abilities conspicuous end of section 13 section 14 of the Journal of Lewis and Clark this is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org the Journal of Lewis and Clark by Maryweather Lewis and William Clark chapter 12 great spirit good spirits of a lesser degree ideas of a future state priests superstition religion anecdote fearless of death dying speech character of the Indians love of country sons of honor etc it is certain the Indians acknowledge one supreme being or giver of life who presides over all things that is the great spirit and they look up to him as the source of good from whom no evil can proceed they also believe in a bad spirit to whom they ascribe great power and suppose that through his means all the evils which befall mankind are inflicted to him therefore do they pray in their distresses begging that he would either avert their troubles or moderate them when they are no longer avoidable they say that the great spirit who is infinitely good neither wishes nor is able to do any mischief to mankind but on the contrary that he showers down on them all the blessings they deserve whereas the evil spirit is continually employed in contriving how he may punish the human race and to do which he is not only possessed of the will but of the power they hold also that there are good spirits of a lesser degree who have their particular departments in which they are constantly contributing to the happiness of mortals these they suppose to preside over all the extraordinary productions of nature such as those lakes rivers or mountains that are of an uncommon magnitude and likewise the beasts birds fishes and even vegetables or stones that exceed the rest of their species in size or singularity to all of these they pay some kind of adoration but at the same time i fancy that the ideas they annex to the world spirit are very different from the conceptions more enlightened nations entertain of it they appear to fashion to themselves corporeal representations of their gods and believe them to be of a human form though of a nature more excellent than man of the same kind are their sentiments relative to futurity they doubt not but they shall exist in some future state they however fancy that their employments there will be somewhat similar to those they are engaged in here without the labor and difficulties annexed to them in this period of their existence they consequently expect to be translated to a delightful country where they shall always have a clear unclouded sky and enjoy a perpetual spring where the forests will be abound with game and the lakes with fish which might be taken without a painful exertion of skill or laborious pursuit in short that they shall live forever in regions of plenty and enjoy every gratification they delight in here in a greater degree to intellectual pursuits they are strangers nor are those included in their schemes of happiness they expect that even these animal pleasures will be proportioned and distributed according to their merit the skillful hunter the bold and successful warrior will be entitled to a greater share than those who through indolence or want of skill cannot boast any superiority over the common herd the priests of the indians are at the same time their physicians and their conjurers whilst they heal their wounds or cure their diseases they interpret dreams give them protective charms and satisfy that desire which is so prevalent among them of searching into futurity how well they execute the latter part of their professional engagements and the methods they make use of on some of these occasions i've already shown in the exertions of the priest of the killest inoes who was fortunate enough to succeed in his extraordinary attempt near lake superior they frequently are successful likewise in administering the salubrious herbs they have acquired a knowledge of but that the ceremonies they make use of during the administration of them contributes to their success i shall not take upon me to assert when any of the people are ill the person who is invested with this triple character of doctor priest and magician sits by the patient day and night rattling in his ears a gold shell filled with dry beans called the chichicue and making a disagreeable noise that cannot be well described this uncouth harmony one would imagine should disturb the sick person and prevent the good effects of the doctor's prescription but on the contrary they believe that the method made use of contributes to his recovery by diverting from his malignant purposes the evil spirit who has inflicted the disorder or at least that it will take off his attention so that he shall not increase the malady this they are credulous enough to imagine he is constantly on the watch to do and would carry his inveteracy to a fatal length if they did not thus charm him i could not discover that they make use of any other religious ceremonies than those i have described indeed on the appearance of the new moon they dance and sing but it is not evident that they pay that planet any adoration they only seem to rejoice at the return of a luminary that makes the night cheerful and which serves to light them on their way when they travel during the absence of the sun nonwithstanding mr edaire has asserted that the nations among whom he resided observe with very little variation all the rights appointed by the mosaic law i own i could never discover among the tribes that lie but a few degrees to the northwest the least traces of the jewish religion except it be admitted that one particular female custom and their divisions into tribes carry with them proof sufficient to establish this assertion the jesuits and french missionaries have also pretended that the indians had when they first traveled into america some notions though these were dark and confused of the christian institution that they have been greatly agitated at the site of a cross and given proofs by the impressions made on them that they were not entirely unacquainted with the sacred mysteries of christianity i need not say that these are two glaring absurdities to be credited and could only receive their existence from the zeal of those fathers who endeavored at once to give the public a better opinion of the success of their missions and to support the cause they were engaged in the indians appear to be in their religious principles rude and uninstructed the doctrines they hold are few and simple and such as have been generally impressed on the human mind by some means or other in the most ignorant ages they however have not deviated as many other uncivilized nations and too many civilized ones have done into idolatrous modes of worship they venerate indeed and make offerings to the wonderful parts of the creation as i have before observed but whether these rights are performed on account of the impressions such extraordinary appearances make on them or whether they consider them as the peculiar charge or the unusual place of residence of the invisible spirits they acknowledge i cannot positively determine the human mind in its uncultivated state is apt to ascribe the extraordinary occurrences of nature such as earthquakes thunder or hurricanes to the interposition of unseen beings the troubles and disasters also that are re-annexed to a savage life the apprehensions attendant on the precarious subsistence and those numberless inconveniences which man in his improved state has found means to remedy are supposed to proceed from the interposition of evil spirits the savage consequently lives in continual apprehensions of their unkind attacks and to avert them has recourse to charms to the fantastic ceremonies of his priest or the powerful influence of his manateaus fear has of course a greater share in his devotions than gratitude and he pays more attention to deprecating the wrath of the evil than to securing the favor of the good beings the indians however entertain these absurdities in common with those of every part of the globe who have not been illuminated with that religion which can only disperse the clouds of superstition and ignorance and they are as free from error as people can be that have not been favored with its instinctive doctrines in Penobscot a settlement in the province of main in the northeast parts of new england the wife of a soldier was taken in labor and notwithstanding every necessary assistance was given her could not be delivered in this situation she remained for two or three days the persons around her expecting that the next pang would put an end to her existence an indian woman who accidentally passed by heard the groans of the unhappy sufferer and inquired from whence they proceeded being made acquainted with the desperate circumstances attending the case she told the informant that if she might be permitted to see the person she did not doubt that she could be of great service to her the surgeon that had attended and the midwife who was then present having given up every hope of preserving their patient the indian woman was allowed to make use of any method she thought proper she accordingly took a handkerchief and bound it tight over the nose and mouth of the woman this immediately brought on suffocation and from the struggles that consequently ensued she was in a few seconds delivered the moment this was achieved and time enough to prevent any fatal effect the handkerchief was taken off the long-suffering patient thus happily relieved from her pains soon after perfectly recovered to the astonishment of those who had been witnessed to the desperate situation the reason given by the indian for this hazardous method of proceeding was that desperate disorders required desperate remedies that as she observed the exertions of nature were not sufficiently forcible to affect the desired consequence she thought it necessary to augment their force which could only be done by some mode that was violent in the extreme an indian meets death when it approaches him in his hut with the same resolution he has often faced him in the field his indifference relative to this important article which is the source of so many apprehensions to almost every other nation is truly admirable when his fate is pronounced by the physician and it remains no longer uncertain he harangs those about him with the greatest composure if he be a chief and has a family he makes a kind of funeral oration which he concludes by giving to his children such advice for the regulation of their conduct as he thinks necessary he then takes leave of his friends and issues out orders for the preparation of a feast which is designed to regale those of his tribe that can come to pronounce his eulogium the character of the indians like that of other uncivilized nations is composed of a mixture of ferocity and gentleness they are at once guided by passions and appetites which they hold in common with the fiercest beasts that inhabit the woods and are possessed of virtues which do honor to human nature in the following estimate i shall endeavor to forget on the one hand the prejudices of the americans who usually annex to the word indian epithets that are disgraceful to human nature and who view them as savages and cannibals whilst with equal care i avoid my partiality towards them as some must naturally arise from the favorable reception i have met with during my stay among them that the indians are of a cruel revengeful inexorable disposition that they will watch whole days unmindful of the calls of nature and make their way through pathless and almost unbounded woods subsisting only on the scanty produce of them to pursue and avenge themselves of an enemy that they hear unmoved the piercing eries of such as unhappily fall into their hands and receive a diabolical pleasure from the tortures they inflict on their prisoners i readily grant but let us look on the reverse of this terrifying picture and we shall find them temperate both in their diet and potations it must be remembered that i speak of those tribes who have little or no communication with americans that they withstand with unexampled patients the attacks of hunger or the inclemency of the seasons and esteem the gratification of their appetites but as a secondary consideration we shall likewise see them social and humane to those whom they consider as their friends and even to their adopted enemies and ready to partake with them of that last morsel or to risk their lives in their defense in contradiction to the report of many other travelers all of which have been tinctured with prejudice i can assert that nonwithstanding the apparent indifference with which an indian meets his wife and children after a long absence an indifference proceeding rather from custom than insensibility he's not unmindful of the claims either of connubial or parental tendencies a custom from their youth to innumerable hardships they soon become superior to a sense of danger or the dread of death and their fortitude implanted by nature and nurtured by example by precept and accident never experience a moments away though slothful and inactive whilst their stores of provision remain unexhausted and their foes are at a distance they are indefatigable and persevering in pursuit of their game or in circumventing their enemies if they are artful in designing and ready to take every advantage if they are cool and deliberate in their councils and cautious in the extreme either of discovering their sentiments or of revealing a secret they might at the same time boast of possessing qualifications of a more animated nature of the sagacity of a hound the penetrating sight of a lynx the cunning of a fox the agility of a bounding doe and the unconquerable fierceness of the tiger in their public characters as forming part of a community they possess an attachment for that ban to which they belong unknown to the inhabitants of any other country they combine as if they were actuated only by one soul against the enemies of their nation and banish from their minds every consideration opposed to this they consult without unnecessary opposition or without giving way to the excitements of envy or ambition on those measures necessary to be pursued for the destruction of those who have drawn on themselves their displeasure no selfish views ever influence their advice or obstruct their consultation nor is it in the power of bribes or threats to diminish the love they bear for their country the honor of their tribe and the welfare of their nation is the first and most predominant emotion of their hearts and from hence proceed in a great measure all their virtues and their vices actuated by this they brave every danger endure the most exquisite torments and expire triumphing in their fortitude not as a personal qualification but as a national characteristic from thence also flows that insatiable revenge towards those with whom they are at war and all the consequent horrors that disgrace their name their uncultivated mind being incapable of judging of the propriety of an action in opposition to their passions which are totally insensible of the controls of reason and humanity they know not how to keep their fury within any bounds and consequently that courage and resolution which would otherwise do them honor degenerates into a savage ferocity but this short dissertation must suffice the limits of my work will not permit me to treat the subject more copiously or to pursue it with a logical regularity the observations already made by my readers on preceding pages will i trust render it unnecessary as by them they will be enabled to form a tolerable just idea of the people i have been describing experience teaches that anecdotes and relations of particular events however trifling they might appear enable us to form a truer judgment of the manners and customs of a people and are much more declaratory of their real state than the most studied and elaborate disquisitions without these aides end of section 14