Illustrations of the manners, customs, & condition of the North American Indians, Vol. 2 (of 2): With letters and notes, written during eight years of travel and adventure among the wildest and most remarkable tribes now existingCatlin, George
History
Illustrations of the manners, customs, & condition of the North American Indians, Vol. 2 (of 2): With letters and notes, written during eight years of travel and adventure among the wildest and most remarkable tribes now existing
Catlin, George
Indians of North America
The old chief of the Pawnee Picts, of whom I have before spoken, and
whose name is We-ta-ra-sha-ro (+plate+ 174), is undoubtedly a very
excellent and kind-hearted old man, of ninety or more years of age,
and has consented to accompany us, with a large party of his people,
to Fort Gibson; where Colonel Dodge has promised to return him liberal
presents from the Government, for the friendship he has evinced on the
present occasion.
The second chief of this tribe, Sky-se-ro-ka (+plate+ 175), we found to
be a remarkably clever man, and much approved and valued in his tribe.
The Pawnee Picts, as well as the Camanchees, are generally a very
clumsy and ordinary looking set of men, when on their feet; but being
fine horsemen, are equally improved in appearance as soon as they mount
upon their horses’ backs.
Amongst the women of this tribe, there were many that were exceedingly
pretty in feature and in form; and also in expression, though their
skins are very dark. The dress of the men in this tribe, as amongst
the Camanchees, consists generally in leggings of dressed skins, and
moccasins; with a flap or breech clout, made also of dressed skins or
furs, and often very beautifully ornamented with shells, &c. Above the
waist they seldom wear any drapery, owing to the warmth of the climate,
which will rarely justify it; and their heads are generally uncovered
with a head-dress, like the Northern tribes who live in a colder
climate, and actually require them for comfort.
The women of the Camanchees and Pawnee Picts, are always decently and
comfortably clad, being covered generally with a gown or slip, that
reaches from the chin quite down to the ancles, made of deer or elk
skins; often garnished very prettily, and ornamented with long fringes
of elk’s teeth, which are fastened on them in rows, and more highly
valued than any other ornament they can put upon them.
In +plates+ 176 and 177, I have given the portraits of two Pawnee
girls, Kah-kee-tsee (the thighs), and She-de-a (wild sage), the
two Pawnee women who had been held as prisoners by the Osages, and
purchased by the Indian Commissioner, the Reverend Mr. Schemmerhom, and
brought home to their own people, and delivered up in the Pawnee town,
in the manner that I have just described.
The Kioways are a much finer looking race of men, than either the
Camanchees or Pawnees—are tall and erect, with an easy and graceful
gait—with long hair, cultivated oftentimes so as to reach nearly to
the ground. They have generally the fine and Roman outline of head,
that is so frequently found at the North,—and decidedly distinct from
that of the Camanchees and Pawnee Picts. These men speak a language
distinct from both of the others; and in fact, the Camanchees and
Pawnee Picts—and Kioways, and Wicos, are all so distinctly different
in their languages, as to appear in that respect as total strangers to
each other.[10]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account