Adventures of the Ojibbeway and Ioway Indians in England, France, and Belgium; Vol. 1 (of 2): being Notes of Eight Years' Travels and Residence in Europe with his North American Indian CollectionCatlin, George
History
Adventures of the Ojibbeway and Ioway Indians in England, France, and Belgium; Vol. 1 (of 2): being Notes of Eight Years' Travels and Residence in Europe with his North American Indian Collection
Catlin, George
England -- Description and travel; France -- Description and travel; Indians of North America
"My friends--My heart and my tongue were never made to live together.
(Roar of applause, and '_How, how, how!_') Our chief is old, and his
words few: he has told you that the Great Spirit has been kind to us,
and that we have seen the face of our Great Mother the Queen. We have
all thanked the Great Spirit for this, and we all wish to thank our
Great Mother now for the presents she has sent us. She is not here,
and we can't thank her; but we see these presents pass through your
hands, and we wish to thank you. ('_How, how, how!_' and 'Hear.')
"Brothers--I have no more to say, but I shall be glad in a little
time to offer you my hand." ("_How, how, how!_" and applause.)
The audience were now prepared, and the Indians also, for the
_pipe-dance_, one of the most spirited and picturesque of their dances,
and which they gave with great effect. It was then announced that the
Indians would seat themselves on the front of the platform, where
all the visitors who desired it might have an opportunity to advance
and shake hands with them. This afforded the visitors a gratifying
opportunity of getting nearer to them, and disposed many to be liberal
to them, who gave them money and trinkets to a considerable amount.
Thus passed their first night of exhibition in London. The audience
gradually drew off, and the Indians, at length seeing a space through
which they could pass, gathered up their weapons, &c., and retired to
their private rooms, leaving Daniel to answer to, and explain, all
the curious surmises and questions that had been raised in the minds
of the audience during the evening, and not explained; amongst whom
(he told me the next day) there were at least a dozen who wished to
know "in what way the Indians were _taken_--whether with a lasso or
in a sort of pit," as they had heard of their taking wild oxen, &c.
Half a dozen inquired what part of the Indies they were from; twenty
or more "whether Cooper's descriptions of the Red Indians were true;"
several "whether they eat the scalps;" and one desired to be informed
"if it was actually necessary to cross the ocean to get to America,
or whether it was not attached to the mainland." Several ladies were
waiting to inquire "whether the Indians actually had no beards;" and
a great number of women after these, some of whom lingered patiently
until all other questions had been answered, begged to know "whether
the interpreter and the handsome little fellow _Sah-mah_ were married."
Mr. Rankin and myself, as usual, went into the Indians' apartments to
smoke a pipe with them after the fatigues of the evening were over, and
we found the poor fellows in an unusually pleasant humour, counting
over and showing the money and trinkets which they had received from
the visitors, and also the money sent by the Queen, which, to be
divided more exactly _per capita_ (their mode of dividing presents),
they had got changed into silver.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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