The Indian: On the Battle-Field and in the WigwamFrost, John
History
The Indian: On the Battle-Field and in the Wigwam
Frost, John
Indians of North America
R. CATLIN met with many interesting adventures, while visiting the
numerous and savage tribes of the great west, for the purpose of seeing
and judging for himself, of their habits and modes of life. One of these
he details in his valuable work, as “The Story of the Dog,” and as it is
a fine illustration of the dangers encountered by adventurers among
the Indians, and of the certainty of revenge which follows an injury, we
here insert it:
I had passed up the Missouri river, on the steamboat Yellow Stone, on
which I ascended the Missouri to the mouth of Yellow Stone river. While
going up, this boat, having on board the United States Indian agent,
Major Sanford--Messrs. Pierre, Chouteau, McKenzie of the American Fur
Company, and myself, as passengers, stopped at this trading-post, and
remained several weeks; where were assembled six hundred families of
Sioux Indians, their tents being pitched in close order on an extensive
prairie on the bank of the river.
This trading-post, in charge of Mr. Laidlaw, is the concentrating place,
and principal depot, for this powerful tribe, who number, when all taken
together, something like forty or fifty thousand. On this occasion, five
or six thousand had assembled to see the steamboat, and meet the Indian
agent, which, and whom they knew were to arrive about this time. During
the few weeks that we remained there, I was busily engaged painting my
portraits, for here were assembled the principal chiefs and medicine-men
of the nation. To these people, the operations of my brush were entirely
new and unaccountable, and excited amongst them the greatest curiosity
imaginable. Every thing else, even the steamboat, was abandoned for the
pleasure of crowding into my painting-room, and witnessing the result
of each fellow’s success, as he came out from under the operation of my
brush.
They had been at first much afraid of the consequences that might flow
from so strange and unaccountable an operation; but having been made to
understand my views, they began to look upon it as a great honor, and
afforded me the opportunities that I desired; exhibiting the utmost
degree of vanity for their appearance, both as to features and dress.
The consequence was, that my room was filled with the chiefs who sat
around, arranged according to the rank or grade which they held in the
estimation of their tribe; and in this order it became necessary for
me to paint them, to the exclusion of those who never signalized
themselves, and were without any distinguishing character in society.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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