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
Buffalo robe painted with battle scenes and garnished with porcupine
quills; best; 6 robes $18.00
Skin shirt and leggings garnished with human hair and porcupine
quills, valued at 1 horse or 10 robes 30.00
War-eagle feather cap, largest kind; price, 2 horses, 10 robes each 60.00
Necklace of bear’s claws wrought on otter skin, 6 robes 18.00
Feathers of the war eagle on shield, lance, and horse, 10 robes 30.00
Garnished moccasins, 1 robe 3.00
Shell ear ornaments, 4 robes 12.00
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Total 171.00
Another fancy dress would cost as follows:
Scarlet blanket, 4 robes, at $3 $12.00
Beads on same, 10 robes 30.00
Skin shirt and leggings garnished with porcupine quills and trimmed
with ermine, 20 robes 60.00
Bear’s-claw necklace, 6 robes 18.00
Soldier’s cap of magpie feathers, tipped with red and fringed with
ermine, 10 robes 30.00
Brass-wire arm bands, 3 robes 9.00
Eagle feathers on lance and shield, 6 robes 18.00
Shell ear ornaments and moccasins, 4 robes 12.00
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Total 189.00
Both of the above dresses are principally of their own manufacture;
yet if a trader wishes to purchase them he has great difficulty in
doing so, even by paying the above prices in merchandise, of which
they always stand in need; indeed, they seldom can be induced to part
with them on any terms unless forced to sell to supply some reverse by
loss of property which has happened to their families. The reason is
that they are scarce, difficult to replace, and also it is the wish of
the warriors to wear them during their lives on all public occasions
and to be clothed with them when they die. Two tails of the war eagle
of 12 feathers each would be worth two horses if wrought into a cap,
or something more than a horse without. Usually the value of the tail
feathers of this bird among any of the tribes of whom we write is $2
each in merchandise in this country, or 15 feathers for a horse.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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