Calendar history of the Kiowa Indians. (1898 N 17 / 1895-1896 (pages 129-444))Mooney, James
History
Calendar history of the Kiowa Indians. (1898 N 17 / 1895-1896 (pages 129-444))
Mooney, James
Kiowa Indians; Kiowa language -- Glossaries, vocabularies, etc.
_Tä´dalkop Sai_, "Smallpox winter." The smallpox, like the measles, is
indicated by a human figure covered with red spots (see 1839-40 and
1892). The Kiowa were camped for the winter about the Arkansas, in the
vicinity of _Âdalka-i Doha_, in southwestern Kansas, and a party went
into New Mexico to trade. They stopped at a town in the mountains at the
head of the South Canadian, where smallpox was prevalent at the time,
and the people warned them of the danger; they therefore left, but one
Kiowa had already bought a blanket, which he refused to throw away,
although requested to do so. On returning to their home camp, about New
Year, he was attacked by the disease and died, and the epidemic spread
through the tribe; many died, and the others scattered in various
directions to escape the pestilence. The Cheyenne, Arapaho, Dakota, and
other tribes also suffered greatly at the same time, as appears from the
official report (_Report, 86_). It was in consequence of this epidemic
that the Arikara abandoned their village lower down the Missouri and
removed to their present location near Fort Berthold, North Dakota.
[Illustration: FIG. 130--Winter 1861-62--Smallpox.]
It will be noticed that for several years the Kiowa appear to have been
drifting eastward from their former haunts on the upper Arkansas.
Although no definite reason is assigned for this movement, it may have
been due to the influx of white men into Colorado, consequent upon the
discovery of gold at Pike's peak in 1858, which would have a tendency to
drive away the buffalo as well as to disquiet the Indians.
SUMMER 1862
_Tä´dalkop Kyäkán K'ádó_, "sun dance after the smallpox," or sometimes
simply _Tä´dalkop K'ádó_, "smallpox sun dance." It was held a short
distance west of where the sun dance had been held in 1858, on Mule
creek, near the junction of Medicine-lodge creek with the Salt fork of
the Arkansas. No event of importance marked this summer, which is
indicated only by the medicine lodge.
[Illustration: FIG. 131--Summer 1862--Sun dance after smallpox.]
WINTER 1862-63
_Ä´pätsä´t Sai_, "Treetop winter," or _Tséñko Sápän Étpata Sai_, "Winter
when horses ate ashes." This winter the Kiowa camped on upper Walnut
creek (_Tsodal-héñte-de P'a_, "No-arm's river"), which enters the
Arkansas at the Great Bend, in Kansas. There was unusually deep snow
upon the ground, so that the horses could not get at the grass, and in
their hunger tried to eat the ashes thrown out from the camp fires.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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