Indian stories

Preface

Many years ago I lived among the Indians and knew them well. They were very different from the Indians of to-day. It would be hard now to find any Indians who are as close to the original traditions as were those old friends of mine.

I want to give the boys and girls of to-day a chance to see the Indian as I saw him, and to know how he lived and what he thought. It is a pleasure to tell this story ; for I came to love the Indian, and I had great respect for him and for his manner of life. When I first lived among the Dakotas, they were still strongly prejudiced in favor of the old ways, tradi¬ tions and customs. They looked back with regret upon earlier times, when they lived, unmolested, the wild, free life of the forests. They said that their ancestors were better men than they, because their ancestors lived closer to the Great Spirit, by whom the actions of all Indians were guided.

I give the stories as they were told to me by old men who knew and loved the old-time ways, and who wanted to give me the real facts because they saw that I respected their customs and believed in them. In these stories I share with the boys and girls of to-day, who can never know the old-fashioned Indians, my recollections of a busy and happy life among them, at a time when they had not unlearned all the old customs, and when they were keenly alive to the best traditions of their past.

CICERO NEWELL, iii

Contents

CHAPTER PAGE

I. In the Indian Country . 1

The Meeting with Yellow Breast ...... 2

Chapter I

JX the year 1876, soon after General George A.

Custer met his death on the plains of Montana, I was sent by our govern¬ ment to be the United States Indian Agent for the Brule Sioux (Dako¬ tas), a tribe commonly known as Spotted Tail’s band.

I had been told by army officers that these Indians were the most savage of all the tribes on the plains. I had my wife and three small boys

Major Cicero Newell.

with me, although I had

been advised not to take my family, as they might never come back alive.

l

The agency was one hundred and twenty miles from the nearest government fort. We went by train to Sioux City, Iowa. There we took a steamer and soon were plowing our way up the Missouri River. The Indian name for that river is Minishoshay (Minne-Shu-Shu) , which means Muddy Water. After traveling almost two days we arrived at the place where we were to land and take a government wagon for the agency, one hundred and two miles directly west.

THE MEETING WITH YELLOW BREAST

WHEN everything was ready we started on our trip over the hills and the plains to the place where we expected to find the Indians about seven thou¬ sand strong. About noon of the second day we saw ahead of us on the trail three Indians who were riding ponies. As soon as they saw us they dismounted and sat down by the trail. We could not tell from their actions what they were doing, but we had in the wagon two Winchester rifles, which we loaded in order to be prepared for the worst.

When we came nearer to the Indians they jumped up and came to the carriage, extending their hands to us, wishing to shake hands. The driver of our wagon knew them. He said that they were friendly and wanted to

THE MEETING WITH YELLOW BREAST know who we were. As soon as they found that I was the new “ Father,” as they called the agent, they said, “How, How, Kolah!”

(How do you do, friend).

The driver told me that the leader of this party was Yellow Breast, one of the warriors and a very good man. The other two were friends of Yellow Breast. I noticed that their faces were painted a bright red and that Yel¬ low Breast had yellow and red paint on his chest.

Upon meeting us, desiring to appear well, they had dismounted and painted their faces and bodies. When white people wish to appear well they put on fine clothing, but the Indians put paint on their faces and bodies. They wore no clothing except their leggings and moccasins and the breechcloth which they all wore wound around their hips. They seemed to be very friendly, and glad that I had come to live among them.

THE DINNER AND THE COUNCIL

rriHE day after we arrived at the agency I told the interpreter to send out a runner and invite the chiefs and head warriors to come to the place because the “New Father ” wished to talk with them. We prepared dinner for about twenty-five persons. At the appointed time we saw about that number of big, strong Indian warriors dismount from their ponies and

walk in a very dignified manner to my quar¬ ters. They had their hair braided in two large braids, and on the back of his head each one had his scalp lock braided. All had a little red paint on their faces and hands. They had no weapons except their hunting knives, which they always carried in scabbards attached to their belts.

The interpreter was present and introduced each chief to me in turn. The head chief, Spotted Tail, came first. I can remember how strong and capable he looked. He was about five feet ten inches in height and as straight as an arrow. He had on blue cloth

THE DINNER AND THE COUNCIL leggings and a buckskin shirt. 1 noticed also that he had two eagle feathers in his hair.

Next came White Thunder. He was chief over some of Spotted Tail’s warriors and had about two thousand people under his command. He was the finest speci¬ men of Indian I had ever met. Usually Indians are rather haughty, but he came forward with a smile on his face and shook hands with me as he gave me his

Indian Leggings.

greeting. In later years I learned to love and respect this man thoroughly.

Then came Black Crow; he was taller than the others, and stood about six feet two inches in height. He had very penetrating eyes.

Next came Two Strike, quite an old man and not so tall as the others; he was chief over a great many of his people. After him came Quick Bear ; he too was tall and slim and was chief over two thousand.

Last of all came the old chief Crazy Horse. He was

quite bent with age, and his friends told me that more than a hundred snows had fallen on his tepee. He was living with the Brule Sioux, although his people at that time were on the Yellowstone River.

They had not as yet come in and signed the treaty of 1868 as the others had done.

After all had been in¬ troduced I requested them to be seated. They sat down in Indian fashion, wrapping their blankets around their knees and sitting on the floor. They did not like to sit on chairs. One old chief said, “The earth is my

Two Strike.

THE DINNER AND THE COUNCIL mother, I will rest on her bosom.” When they were seated my wife gave to each one a large plate filled with meat and other food. They used their hunting knives instead of forks, which they had never learned to use.

When the meal was finished I noticed that the old man, Crazy Horse, had eaten only about half the food given him. He loosened his belt and ate a little more, but still could not eat all of it. Then he put his plate on the floor and, looking at my wife, made a motion with his hands, indicat¬ ing that she was to let that plate Major Newell in Indian Costume-

remain there until he came back. Then he arose, gathered his blanket around his shoulders, and went out of the room. After a few moments he came back with a young man about twenty years old. The old chief told this young man to sit down and eat the food that had been left on his plate.

I learned that they never leave anything on their plates because such an action is considered a mark of disrespect to the friend who is giving the dinner. If

they cannot eat all that is set before them, they call

in some one to eat what is left. From this fact I learned also that when I went to feast with the Indians, I must provide somebody to eat my portion if for any reason I could not stay to eat with them. I soon discovered that it was not hard to find a substitute.

After the meal had been finished one of the Indians produced a pipe which was filled with the bark of the red willow. He lighted it and passed it to the next man, who drew a mouthful of smoke from the pipe and blew it into his hand. Then, holding his hand over

his head, he opened it, saying these words, “As the

smoke from this pipe goes to the clouds, so the words of my prayer will go to the Great Spirit.” Then he asked the Great Spirit to guide them in their council for they did not want to do anything wrong. Each one in turn went through the same form.

The interpreter informed me that they never did any business of importance without first asking the Great Spirit to guide them in their undertaking.

^FTER this ceremony I asked Chief Spotted Tail to make a speech. He stood up, threw his blanket from his right shoul¬ der, gathered it under his right arm, and looking about him, said: —

“Father, you have come to us from the land of the Great Father at Washing¬ ton. We welcome you. We are glad that you have come to live with us. We see that you have brought your wife and children with you. We are glad that you have done so. It shows us that you have come to Chief Sl'OTTED Tail-

stay with us a long time. I want to tell you that not

many snows have fallen since all the land which lies between the Missouri River and the setting sun was our land, the home of our fathers. Not many snows have fallen since all the land that the white man is now claim¬ ing was the land of our fathers (ancestors). The Great Spirit gave it to our fathers when he made the world.

“When the white men first came to our land in big boats they were met by our people. We welcomed them to our homes. Our fathers gave them food to eat and horses to ride. We took them into our tepees and gave them places to sleep. It was not very long before they treated our fathers badly. Some of the white men were lazy. They did not want to work. They tried to make our fathers do their work for them. When our fathers refused to do their work they put chains on them, and with big whips they beat them. Our fathers had never been slaves. If our fathers refused to do the work they were killed.

“Then we found that the white men were not o.ur friends, but our enemies. We found that they had two tongues.1 When our people learned that the white men were liars they tried to drive them from the land. Then the Great Chief of the white men, who lived be¬ yond the big water, sent his warriors over here in his big boats to drive our fathers from their homes. Our

1 i.e. one that spoke truth and one that spoke falsehood.

fathers called upon all the young men to go upon the warpath. Many snows came and melted before that war was ended. Our fathers were driven beyond the Great River (. Mississippi River). Then they were left alone and they believed that the white men had taken all the land they wanted. For many winters they lived very happily.

“After a while the white men heard that there was much gold in the creeks out in the land of the setting sun. Then we saw the long lines of wagons coming through our hunting grounds. We saw the men shoot and kill our buffaloes. The white men killed many. They did not eat them nor take off their skins for cloth¬ ing; they left them on the prairie. Our people did not like that. Our fathers were very careful of the buffaloes. They did not kill elk or antelope unless they required them for food or for blankets. They told the white men to kill and eat all they wanted, but not to kill any to waste. The white men laughed at us and killed many more. We told them that if they killed our buf¬ faloes we would kill or take their oxen and horses.

“ When we did that they killed our young men. And then for many snows we were again on the warpath. The Great Father’s warriors killed many of our people. They killed our wives and children. We fought them for a long time. Finally the heart of the Great Father at Washington cried for his children. He sent some of his counselors here to talk with our people. They asked us to stop fighting. They told us that if we would go to a reservation they would feed our children, give them

An Indian Mother and Her Children.

warm blankets, and teach them to read in books as white children do. We talked it over and told the white men that we would live in peace with them. We kept our word.

“Before the snows of six winters had fallen on our tepees our young men came into our lodges and told us that the white men were again in the land that our Great Father had given us with the promise that we should never again be disturbed as long as grass should grow and water run.

“Our young men were very angry. They got a war party to drive away the intruders. We had always known that there was much gold in the Black Hills. The white men gave one of our young men bad water (fire water). He drank it and told the white men about the gold. That was just what they wanted to know.

“After a while, the Great Father at Washington sent Long Hair (the Indian name for General Custer) with his Long Knives (cavalry soldiers) to drive the white men from our land. Then the Great Father sent for me to come to Washington. He wanted to buy the Black Hills from our people. We sold the land to the Great Father and all has been quiet ever since.

“I want to tell you what trouble we are having now. The Great Father at Washington sends plenty of food for my people, but we have found that there are some bad white men who are coming here in the night and stealing our food and carrying it off to the Black Hills to sell to the white men who are digging gold there. Our children are crying for food. We want you to stop the white men from stealing our food. Then we shall have plenty. The white men come to our land from the south of the Minne-Luza ( Running Water). They are stealing our ponies. We do not like that. We want you to stop that also. The white men come to our land and steal the cattle which the Great Father sent us for meat. We want you to stop that too. We do not want to go to war, but we cannot hear our chil¬ dren cry for meat. My brother, we hope that you will have pity on our wives and children and see that the white men do what is right for our people. We welcome you to the land of the Dakotas.”

The chief then took his seat.

Several of the others also made short speeches in which they approved the words of their chief. These speeches were all translated for me by an interpreter, and my answers were translated in the same way.

After all who wished to speak had done so I said that I was glad to meet them, that I was glad that they had told me of the wrongs they were suffering at the hands of those white men, and that I would do all in my power to have the wrongs righted. I told them that I should expect them to assist me in my work, for I did not understand the laws and customs of their people; that the Great Father at Washington was their friend, and that he would not see their wives and children cry for food or blankets.

When I had finished Spotted Tail rose and said, “Father, at any time that you see my people commit a wrong send for me and I will make all things right.” After that they departed for their homes in a very happy frame of mind.

They kept their word with me, and I kept my word with them. I soon learned where the trouble came from and stopped the stealing of their rations. Not long after that some cowboys came from Nebraska one night and stole eighteen horses from the Indians. The theft was reported to me. The following morning I sent a party of my Indian police in pursuit of the thieves. They followed the lawless men across the line into Nebraska, shot one of the cowboys, and cap¬ tured the horses. We had no more trouble of the kind after that.

CHAPTER II Stories of Sleep-in-the-Clouds: Traditions

JN my search for Indian knowledge I met an old Indian whose name was Sleep-in-the-Clouds. He had a tepee all to himself.

He sometimes brought me pictures which he had made of the things he saw while he was “sleeping in the clouds,” as he described his experiences.

He made his coloring material from the juices of roots and bark. To help him I gave him a set of colored pencils, which pleased the old man very much. He asked me to visit him often in his seclusion, and he told me much that was very interesting to me.

I shall give here some of the stories he told me. To him they were very real, and he had evidently given much thought to things about which most Indians re¬ fuse to talk. To what extent these stories of his repre¬ sented his own interpretation of the legends of his tribe or to what extent he was merely giving expression to a common belief, I cannot say. Certainly he was very much in earnest.

HOW THE WORLD WAS FORMED

HOW THE WORLD WAS FORMED

ir said that the Sun was the mother of the Earth.

When the Earth was a very little child it wandered through space, but never went far from the Mother Sun. After a time it became round and followed the Sun every day. Like a child, it could not leave its mother.

He said that when the Earth was born it was very hot like the Sun. After a time it commenced to cool. A crust began to form at the poles and finally covered the entire surface. Before the crust was all formed the world turned around so fast that it was drawn in a little at the poles, and at the center it became slightly enlarged. The earth was so hot that it drew from the clouds a great amount of water, which fell on the ground. That helped to cool it still more. After a long time had passed the crust was formed on all the earth.

Then the rain fell so fast that the water spread over the crusted surface. The earth was like a vast ocean. There was no dry land on it. Then the crust on the surface became so thick and strong that it sometimes cracked open. The hot material in the center would not yield to the pressure of the contracting surface, and the crust cracked in places and let the waters in upon the hot lava. When the water came in contact with the lava it caused an explosion that shook the whole earth. Huge ridges, sometimes miles in length and very high, were thrown up on each side of the great crevice. In this manner mountains were formed. The water cooled the hot lava between these high ridges. After a time other cracks appeared, due to the shrink¬ ing of the material on the earth’s surface. Then still other mountains were thrown up miles in height.

The mountains were so high that the snow gathered on them in great avalanches which came tumbling down at all seasons of the year, carrying with them great pieces of rock and stones that were frozen into the snow. In that way the valleys were formed.

THE FIRST OF THE HUMAN RACE

FTER the world had been made the Great Spirit caused animals that had the shape of men to appear on it. At first they lived in trees and ate the fruit. They had hands with which they climbed.

The males had hair on their heads and faces, but the bodies of all were unpro¬ tected. They had nests among the branches of the trees, and there they raised their young. They made homes there also, to protect themselves from animals.

THE GLACIAL PERIOD

After a time some of these creatures grew to be very large, so that they could compete with the animals. They could even fight with them and kill them. They were soon so strong that they could tear the animals into pieces, much as wild animals rend one another to-day. At last, when they had become very large and heavy, they could not climb the trees as readily as once they had done, and they made nests in the caves and among the rocks where they could protect them¬ selves more easily.

As the crust of the earth became cooler and the first human beings were compelled to sleep on the ground, hair grew on their bodies to shield them from the cold. The laws of the Great Spirit were made to protect all the animal world, even the fishes that live in the sea.

THE GLACIAL PERIOD

rp he mountains near the equator were so high in those early days that snow was on them all the year round. When the snow came sliding down the mountain sides it carried with it stones which were scarred and marked by the contact as they came.

I explained to the Indian wise man all about this period as it is understood by the white men. Sleep-inthe-Clouds told me that the Great Spirit said that that explanation was wrong, because no great snows or cold ever came from the north or south, adding that the earth is steadily growing colder.

VOLCANOES

J ASKED the aged Indian why we had volcanoes and what their uses were. He replied that formerly there were many more volcanoes than can be found at present. Almost all are now clogged. In olden times, whenever the crust on the surface of the earth con¬ tracted, instead of cracking open, outlets were formed by which the hot lava could be squeezed out, thereby relieving the pressure If that pressure was not re¬ lieved the earth would crack open, and that which followed is what we call an earthquake. The constant overflow of this hot lava caused the formation of high peaks which were called volcanoes.

EARTHQUAKES

^LEEP-in-the-Clouds also explained that a similar cause produces earthquakes at the present time. The crust of the earth near the equator cools more quickly than at the poles. As the volcanoes are mostly closed, the constant shrinking of the surface produces small splits in the thick crust. The water that has

FIRST KNOWLEDGE ABOUT ANIMALS gathered in the crust, as in wells, drips down through the crevices until it conies in contact with the hot lava and, being changed into steam, causes the rumbling and shaking that we feel when we have an earthquake.

TIDAL WAVES

HE also explained that whenever there is a large crack in the crust of the earth far out in the ocean, the waters rush in, and we sometimes see an island appear on the surface of the water. When the huge mass of water is raised it forms a wave that rolls back upon the land, producing a tidal wave.

FIRST KNOWLEDGE ABOUT ANIMALS

HE old medicine man, or prophet, as his followers called him, told me that the Great Spirit said that after the mountains had fallen and the valleys had been formed vegetation com¬ menced to appear upon the earth.

Great trees, some of them bearing fruit, began to appear. Then the Great Spirit caused animals to grow. When the waters on the earth were cool enough for certain animals to live in them he made fishes grow in the big waters. Some of the animals were so formed that they could live either in the water or on the land. None of these animals had any hair on their bodies. The water was warm and as the surface of the earth was still very thin, every part of it was much warmer than to-day.

Animal life commenced to appear first at the poles of the earth, the equatorial region being as yet so hot that it could not exist there. When the surface be¬ came thicker at the center of the earth the animal life began to spread towards the equatorial region. There were then no winters and there was no snow on the earth.

WHY THE BONES OF ANIMALS ARE FOUND IN THE FAR NORTH

J~N time there were formed at the poles of the earth many mountains so high that they were covered with snow and ice. The great animals that lived in warmer regions often went to the foot of the mountains to feed upon the vegetation which was found there. Sometimes while they were eating a great avalanche of snow and ice would come tumbling and rolling down the mountain sides, carrying masses of rock and soil with it. These avalanches would bury many feet under the surface the animals which they overwhelmed. That is why animals’ bones are found there even to this day.

FIGHT OF THE TREE MEN AND CAVE MEN 23

THE FIGHT OF THE TREE MEN WITH THE CAVE MEN

HE Holy Man, Sleep-in-the-CIouds, said that he could see many things that other people could not behold because the Great Spirit had given him that power. He said that the Great Spirit showed him pictures that other men did not see. Sometimes he went away and stayed in the clouds many days. Some of his people said that he was in a trance at such a time, others declared that he was dead ; but he always came back. He made pictures of the things that he saw in the clouds. He told me about a battle that the Great Spirit had showed him which took place one day between the tree men and the cave men.

He beheld a great forest in which many tree men dwelt. He saw many of the tree men as they climbed up into the large trees, carrying food for their young. Suddenly the Holy Man saw one of their number run into the forest, making a loud cry. As he approached, the tree men at once assembled in large numbers. The cry spread through the forest. The tree men gathered in the place by hundreds. They seemed to be holding a consultation, and there appeared to be among them leaders who took command of the others.

After a time one of their number, more powerful than the rest, started toward the place from which the one who had given the first alarm had come. The others all followed him, armed with clubs and stones. They ran through the forest, keeping very still as they ad¬ vanced. They followed a river which issued from the mountain. When they came near the mountain all halted for another consultation. Soon three of the leading ones moved forward again toward the moun¬ tain. As they came still nearer they advanced very cautiously. In a brief time they arrived at the moun¬ tain, where there was a cave, or what appeared to be an entrance to a cave. Near the place were the bones of many animals. One of the tree men crept into the cave, but soon came running out again, followed by the cave men, who were very large and strong and had hair all over their bodies. Their teeth also were large and strong. They walked upright, as a man does. The cave men were armed with huge clubs and stones and they pursued the tree men, followed by many of their fellows. All rushed into the forest toward the place where the tree men were awaiting their coming. Soon cries were heard as though all were fighting. After a time the cave men came back, bringing with them two of the tree men whom they had captured. They also

FIGHT OF THE TREE MEN AND CAVE MEN 25 brought back some of their own number who had been hurt. All did not return, for some had been killed in the battle.

Then the women come out of the cave, snarling and making a great noise. When they were aware that all their men had not come back from the fight they set up a great cry and attacked the two prisoners, biting them and sucking their blood. The women and children fought for the blood and pieces of the meat which they tore from the bones of the prisoners. After the women and children had satisfied their hunger, the men finished devouring the prisoners.