Indian Tribes of the Upper Missouri: Edited with Notes and Biographical SketchDenig, Edwin Thompson
History
Indian Tribes of the Upper Missouri: Edited with Notes and Biographical Sketch
Denig, Edwin Thompson
Assiniboine Indians; Indians of North America -- Missouri River Valley
An Indian will shoot 20 or 30 arrows in different directions, and to
a distance of 100 yards or more among the tall grass, or in the snow,
where no trace of them remains, yet he will pick up the whole without
any difficulty; whereas a white man would have some trouble to find any
one of the arrows. If they lose a whip, knife, or anything in traveling
they can by returning generally find it, though no road marks their
steps. Even the boys do all these things admirably. Finding lost horses
or a camp from a given direction are also everyday occurrences, even if
they have never been in the neighborhood of the place, yet they will
find their way.
JUGGLERY AND SORCERY
These people are prone to be deceived in every way. Tricks by jugglers,
stories, natural phenomena, or anything, to them unaccountable or
uncommon is looked upon with fear. All are so, the priests as well
as the others. The former have the address to turn to account their
supposed knowledge of these causes—not that they are really any wiser
than the others, but impress them with the belief that they are, which
is enough for their purposes. The minds of most Indians are disturbed
by many useless alarms, such as dreams, omens, and predictions of the
priests. Writing or calculations in figures made by whites are among
the wonders to which great superstition is attached, and they can be
made to believe almost any story, however absurd, if read in appearance
from a book. Paintings also, even the nondescript monsters drawn by
themselves, inspire them with fear when looked upon. All this has met
with sufficient explanation elsewhere.
STRENGTH AND ENDURANCE
Their powers in lifting weights, handling an ox or rowing a boat can
not compare to Europeans, yet they equal them in carrying burdens
and surpass them in running. It would seem that they have but little
strength in their arms, but considerable in the back and limbs. This
may be owing to the manner in which they have exercised in their youth.
An ordinary Indian can not lift more than 125 to 150 pounds at most,
though there are a few very strong men who might be able to raise
double that weight, yet most of them will carry a large deer on their
backs, traveling at a swift pace for miles without stopping, and this
is equal to 170 to 185 pounds weight. The manner in which they put it
on their back is by tying the legs together, lying down with their back
on the deer, slipping the legs across the forehead, and rising up with
the load. The Assiniboin have frequently in this neighborhood and once
in our company tired down in a day or two running on foot the best
horses we could produce.[25] In running they never “lose their breath”
as it is called, do not pant or respire very quickly.
[25] W J McGee noted similar racing ability among the Seri Indians. See
Seventeenth Ann. Rept. Bur. Amer. Ethn.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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