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Show Lewis a1ul Cla1·ke's Expedition lousy against whom on account of his wife's taking refuge in his bouse, had been the cause of his animosity. A woman brought her child with an abscess in the lower part of the back, and offered as much corn as she could carry for some medicine; we administered to it of course very cheerfully. Saturday, 22d. A number of squaws and men dressed like squaws brought corn to trade for small articles with the men. Among other things we procured two horns of the animal called by the French the Rock mountain sheep, and known to the Mandans by the name of ahsahta. The animal itself is about the size of a small elk or large deer: the horns winding like those of a ram which they resemble also in texture, though larget• and thicke1•. Sunday, .23<1. 'rhc weather was fine and warm like that ofyeste~·day: we were again visited by ea•owds of Indians of all descri{>tions, who came either to trade or from mere curiosity. Among the rest Kogahami, the Little Raven, brought his wife and son loaded with corn, and she then entertained us with a favourite Mandan dish, a mixture of pumpkins, beans, corn, and chokecherries with the stones, all boiled together in a kettle, and forming a composition by no means unpalatable. Monday, 24th. The day continued warm and pleasant, and the number of visitors became troublesome. As a present to tht·ee of the chiefs, we divided a iillet of sheepskin which we brought for spunging into tht-ee pieces each of two inches in width; they were delighted at the gift, which they deemed of equal value with a fine horse. 'Ve this day completed our fort, and the next morning being Christmas, 'fuesday, 25th, we wm·e awal,ed before day by a dis· charge of three platoons from the party. We had told the Indians not to visit us asH was one of out· great medicine days; so that the men remained at home and amused them· selves in various ways, particulat·Jy with dancing in which they take great pleasure. 1'he American flag was hoisted Up the JJiissou1·i. lbt• the first time in the fort; the best provisiona we had were brought out, and this, with a little brandy, enabled them to pass the day in great festivity. Wednesday, 26th. The weather is again temperate, but no Indians have come to see us. One of the northwest traders who came down to request the aid of our Minnetaree interpr·etcr, informs us that a party of Minnetarecs who had gone in pursuit of the Assiniboins who lately stole their horses had just rctu1·ncd. As is theh· custom, they came back in small detachments, the last of which brought home eight horses which they had capturec.l or stolen ft•om an As~ siuiboin camp on ~louse river. Thursday, 2:"th. A little fine snow fell this morning and the ail· was colder than yesterday, with a high northwest wind. 'Ve were fot·tunate enough to have among our men a good blacksmith, whom we set to work to make a variety of articles: his operations seemed to surprise the Indians who came to see us, but nothing could equal their astonishment at the bellows, which they considered as a vm~y great medicine. Having heretofore promised a more particular account of the Sioux, the following may serve as a general outline of their history: Almost the whole of that vast tract of country comprised between the Mississippi, the Red river of Lake Winnepeg, the Saskaskawan, and the Missouri, is loosely occupied by a great nation whose primitive name is Darcota, but who arc called Sioux by the French, Sues by the English. Their original seats were on the Mississippi, but they have gradually S{;read tbemseJyes aln·oad and become subdivided into numerous tJ·lhcs. or these, what may be considered as the Darcotas are the Mindawarcarton, ot• Minowakanton, known to the French by the name of the Gt:'ns du Lac, or People of the Lake. Their residence is on both sides of the MississillPi near the falls of St. Anthony, and the probable number of their warriors about three hundi·t:'d. Above them, on the river St. Peter'~, VOL, I. |
