Three Years on the Plains: Observations of Indians, 1867-1870Tuttle, Edmund B. (Edmund Bostwick)
History
Three Years on the Plains: Observations of Indians, 1867-1870
Tuttle, Edmund B. (Edmund Bostwick)
Frontier and pioneer life -- West (U.S.); Indians of North America; Indians of North America -- Great Plains
The party belonging to Zin-tak-gah-lat-skah--Spotted Tail--left
Minnesota before Red Cloud's from the Powder River country, and arrived
first in Washington; but their interests were the same, so nothing was
done until General Smith arrived with Red Cloud and reported to the
Secretary of War. He then turned them over, as we say, to the Indian
Bureau, which has a suite of offices, etc. in the Patent Office
building in Washington. The Secretary of the Interior, who is a member
of the cabinet, and General Parker (Chippewa chief), Indian
Commissioner, received them as their charge during their stay in
Washington. Before Red Cloud came, however, Spotted Tail had an
interview with General Parker. He said:
"The government does not fulfill its treaty promises, and that
supplies of goods promised and money owed for lands were not sent
to them at the times agreed on, and that the white man, wherever he
can find many buffaloes and gold, comes on the Indian's land and
takes the Indian's ponies."
Colonel Parker told him of the many difficulties the Indian Bureau had
to contend with in order to get moneys through Congress, and the great
difficulties such a great government as ours had to go through in
conducting all its affairs. But he gave his word to Spotted Tail that
all the promises now made in the treaties would be fulfilled, and that
they should get the provisions as soon as possible. He said that the
Indians must not go to war among themselves, preying on other tribes,
nor must they fight any more against the people of the United States,
nor steal their cattle or horses.
Spotted Tail said, "He was glad that the Great Father was going to
treat them right," but did not commit himself to any policy for the
future. He was too good an Indian to make any professions in advance.
Spotted Tail has of late years committed no offense except killing Big
Mouth in a drunken brawl last winter.
The citizens of Washington have now and then seen Indian delegations at
the Capitol. But these lusty fellows, such as Red Cloud, Swift Bear,
and others, at once attracted attention.
Their large size and well-developed muscle, tall and graceful in
action, especially when speaking in their native eloquence, mark them
as objects of surprise and wonder. Their faces were painted in red,
yellow, and black stripes. Their ears were pierced, men and women, for
large ornaments of silver and bear's teeth. They wore magnificent
buffalo robes, ornamented and worked with beads, horse-hair, and
porcupine quills. Red Cloud wore red leggins beautifully worked and
trimmed with ribbons and beads, and his shirt had as many colors as the
rainbow. His robe--made to tell by characters his achievements in
battle--was quite rich, and worked with seal-skins. His moccasins
pronounced the handsomest ever seen there.
The squaws were ugly, wore short frocks, turned in their toes walking,
and had flat or pug-noses.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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