History of the expedition under the command of Captains Lewis and Clark, to the sources of the Missouri, thence across the Rocky mountains and down the River Columbia to the Pacific Ocean : performed during the years 1804-5-6 by order of the government of the United States; Volume 1

Page 233

Lewis and Cla'rke' s Expcditiott Although thus oppressed by the Minnetarees, the Sbosho aces are still a very military people. Their cold and rug­ced country inures them to fatigue; their long abstinence makes them support the dangers of mountain warfare, and worn down as we saw them. by want of sustenance. J~avo a look of fierce and advcntm·ous coul'age. The Shoshonee warrior always fights on horseback; he possesses a few bad ~uns, which are reserved exclusively for war, but his com­mon arms are the bow and arrow, a shield, a lance and a weapon called by the Chippeways. by whom it was formerly used, the poggamoggon. The bow is made of cedar or pine covered on the outer side with sinews and glue. It is about two and a half feet long·, and does not differ in shape from those used by the Sioux, Mandans and Minnctarecs. Some­times, however, the bow is made of a single piece of the horn of an elk, covered on the back like those of wood with sinews and glue, and occasionally ornamented by a strand wrought of po1·cu1line quills and sinews, which is wrapped round the horn near its two ends. The bows made of the horns of the bighorn, arc still more prized, and are formed by cementing with glue flat pieces of the horn together, covering the hack with sinews anc.l glue, and loading the whole with an unusual quantity of ornaments. The arrows resemble those of the other Indians except in being more slender than any we have seen. '"!'hey are contained, with tbc implements for striking fire, in a narrow quiver formed ef different kinds of skin, though that of' the otter seems to be preferred. It is just long enough to protect the arrows from the weather, and is worn on the back by means of a strap passing over the right shoulder and under the left .arm. 'rhe shield is a circular ]ucce of buffaloe hide about two feet four or five inches in diameter, ornamented with feathers, and a fringe round it of dressed leather, and adorned ot· deformed with paintings of strange figures. 'I,he butfaloe hide is perfeetly proof at;ainst any arrow, but in the minds of the Shoshonees, its power to protect them is • Up the .1JiissoUl~i. cltiefly dcrivctl from the YiJ•tucs which arc com~uni~a~cd to it by the old mrn and jug~lct·s. 'l'o m~l~c ~ ~h1r~d ISm" deed one of tlwit• most in•po1·tant ccrcmomcs: lt begms by a feast to which all the wanio1·s, old mt'n and jugglers aro invitrd. Al'tlw the rrpast a hole is dug in the ground about eighteen inches in dq1th and of the same diameter as the intended shield: into this hole 1·ed hot stones are thrown and water poured over them, till they emit a vrry sto~1g hot steam. The buffaloe skin. which must be the c~tlt•e bide of a male two yea1·s old, and never suffered to dry smee it was taken fr·om tbc animal, is now laid across the hole, •th the ileshy side to the g1·ouud, and stl'etched in every Wl I . direction by as many as can take hold of' it. As the s .-m becomes heated, the hair separates and is taken off by the band; till at last the skin is contracted into the compass de­signed for the -;hidd. It is then taken off and plac~d on a hide p•·cpared into pa1·chment, and then JHmnded du1·m~ tJa.e rest of the festival by the ba•·e heels of those wh~ at't' mvi­tcd to it. 'l"'his operation sometimes continues io1· scvt·ral d ays, au,... ~er which it is delivered to the pl'Opl·iet•o r, and • det­clared by the old men and jugglers to be a s~CUI'Jty agaJ.ns arrows; an d prO VJ• u-l ed the feast has been sati f. actol'Y• aga•m st even the bullets of theil· enemies. Such JS the d~lusJOn, that many of the Indians implicitly l>eUeve that tlus cere- mony 1\ 1as gJ·V en· to the shield supernatural powe. rs, and .1 hat they have no longer to fear any weapons of ~h~u· cnenucs. Tl C Papoooam0..,.~,.on is an instl·ument, conststmg of a han­a c ;:,b' :-,b d •th tile twenty-two inches long, made of wood, covcrc WI , dl'esscd leather al>out the size of a whip-handle: at one end 1. s a tl1 0ng of two inches in length, which is tied. to a round 1 t stone wm. g1 u .n g t ' vo J>Ounds '<l nd heltl in a cover of •l eat• ler: a the other end is a loop of the same mateJ•ial, wJ~Ich ~s pas-sed round the wrist so as to secure the hold of tile mstru-ment, with which they strike a very severe blow. . Besides these, they have a kind of armour sometlung like a coat of mail, which is formed by a great many fold!!J VOL. I • 3 I