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
INDIAN PARADISE.—The Paradise of these Indians is in the south in
warm regions (not necessarily in the heavens, yet in some imaginary
country not belonging to earth), where perpetual summer, abundance of
game, handsome women, and, in short, every comfort awaits them; also
the satisfaction of seeing their friends and relatives. No quarrels,
wars, disturbances, or bodily pain are allowed to exist, but all live
in perfect harmony. Departed spirits have the power to revisit their
native lands, manifest themselves to their friends in dreams, and if
they have been neglectful in crying for or feasting them can trouble
them with whistling sounds and startling apparitions, many of which
are said to be seen and heard and are most religiously believed in by
all. Consequently, the dead are feasted (a long ceremony), smoked,
sacrificed to, and invoked, besides being cried for years after they
are gone, perhaps as long as any of the relatives are living. The
heavenly bodies they think may also be residences for spirits, but
we think this idea is derived from the whites. The other is the most
ancient and original tradition, if not the only one, and is universally
believed. This subject will meet with further notice in the course of
these pages.
ARITHMETIC
NUMERATION.—All these prairie tribes count by decimals and in no other
way. The names of the digits are:
One—washe´nah.
Two—noom´pah.
Three—yam´ine.
Four—topah.
Five—ta´ptah.
Six—sha´kpah.
Seven—shakkowee.
Eight—sha´kkando´gha.
Nine—noo´mpchewo´oukkah.
Ten—wixchemenah.
After ten the word akkai, dropping the name of the ten, serves until
twenty, thus:
Eleven—akka´i washe.
Twelve—akkai noompah.
Thirteen—akkai yammene.
Fourteen—akkai topah.
Fifteen—akkai zaptah.
Sixteen—akkai sha´kpah.
Seventeen—akkai shakko´.
Eighteen—akkai sha´kando´gha.
Nineteen—akkai noompchewoukkah.
Twenty—wixche´mmene noompa; i. e. for twenty, literally two tens.
From twenty to thirty the word “sum” or “more” (plus) is added,
thus:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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