Villages of the Algonquian, Siouan, and Caddoan Tribes West of the MississippiBushnell, David I. (David Ives)
History
Villages of the Algonquian, Siouan, and Caddoan Tribes West of the Mississippi
Bushnell, David I. (David Ives)
Algonquian Indians; Caddoan Indians; Indians of North America -- Dwellings; Siouan Indians
An excellent picture of an Iowa habitation accompanied the article from
which the preceding quotations have been made and is now reproduced in
plate 32, _b_.
OTO.
When Lewis and Clark ascended the Missouri during the summer of 1804
they reached the mouth of the Platte July 21. At that time, so they
entered in their journal, the Oto were living on the south side of the
Platte 10 leagues above its junction with the Missouri, and 5 leagues
beyond, on the same bank, were the Pawnee. Living with the Oto were the
remnants of the Missouri who had, a few years before, joined them. On
August 3, 1804, the expedition having ascended the Missouri to about the
location of the present city of Council Bluffs, Iowa, held a council
with representatives of the two tribes, Oto and Missouri, an event which
has been perpetuated in the name of the city. A majority of the two
tribes were then absent from their village on their summer buffalo hunt,
consequently few were present at the council.
On May 3, 1811, Bradbury arrived at the Oto village, but it was
deserted. All were probably some miles away hunting the buffalo.
However, a very interesting description of the habitations in the
deserted village is preserved. First referring to the Platte: "The
southern bank is wholly divested of timber, and as the village is
situated on a declivity near the river, we could see the lodges very
distinctly, but there was no appearance of Indians." (p. 54.) On the
following day, May 4, 1811, he visited the village and found it "to
consist of about fifty-four lodges, of a circular form, and about forty
feet in diameter, with a projecting part at the entrance, of ten or
twelve feet in length, in the form of a porch. At almost every lodge,
the door or entrance was closed after the manner which is customary with
Indians when they go on hunting parties and take their squaws and
children with them. It consists in putting a few sticks across, in a
particular manner, which they so exactly note and remember, as to be
able to discover the least change in their position. Although anxious to
examine the internal structure of the lodges, I did not violate the
injunction conveyed by this slight obstruction, and after searching some
time found a few that were left entirely open. On entering one, I found
the length of the porch to be an inclined plane to the level of the
floor, about two and a half or three feet below the surface of the
ground; round the area of the lodge are placed from fifteen to eighteen
posts, forked at the top, and about seven feet high from the floor. In
the centre, a circular space of about eight feet in diameter is dug, to
the depth of two feet; four strong posts are placed in the form of a
square, about twelve feet asunder, and at equal distances from this
space these posts are about twenty feet high, and cross pieces are laid
on the tops. The rafters are laid from the forked tops of the outside
posts over these cross pieces, and reach nearly to the centre, where a
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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