Wanderings of an artist among the Indians of North America : from Canada to Vancouver's island and Oregon through the Hudson's Bay Company's territory and back again

Front matter

LIST OF BIOGRAPHICAL WORKS.

A GNES STRICKLAND'S LIVES of the QUEENS

-£L of ENGLAND, dedicated to QUEEN VICTOEIA. New Edition : wilh Portraits of e

Preface

On my return to Canada from the continent of Europe, where I had passed nearly four years in studying my profession as a painter, I determined to devote whatever talents and proficiency I possessed to the painting of a series of pictures illustrative of the North American Indians and scenery. The subject was one in which I felt a deep interest in my boyhood. I had been accustomed to see hundreds of Indians about my native village, then Little York, muddy and dirty, just struggling into existence, now the City of Toronto, bursting forth in all its energy and commercial strength. But the face of the red man is now no longer seen. All traces of his footsteps are fast being obliterated from his once favourite haunts, and those who would see the aborigines of this country in their original state, or seek to study their native manners and customs, must travel far through the pathless forest to find them. To me viii

PREFACE.

the wild woods were not altogether unknown, and the Indians but recalled old friends with whom I had associated in my childhood, and though at the commencement of my travels I possessed neither influence nor means for such an undertaking, yet it was with a determined spirit and a light heart that I had made the few preparations which were in my power for my future proceedings.

The principal object in my undertaking was to sketch pictures of the principal chiefs, and their original costumes, to illustrate their manners and customs, and to represent the scenery of an almost unknown country. These paintings, however, would necessarily require explanations and notes, and I accordingly kept a diary of my journey, as being the most easy and familiar form in which I could put such information as I might collect. The following pages are the notes of my daily journey, with little alteration from the original wording, as I jotted them down in pencil at the time; and although without any claim to public approbation as a literary production, still I trust they will possess not only an interest for the curious, but also an intrinsic value to the historian, as they relate not only to that vast tract of country bordering on the great chain of American

PREFACE.

ix lakes, the Red River settlement, the valley of Sascatchawan, and its boundless prairies, through which it is proposed to lay the great railway connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, through the British possessions ; but also across the Rocky Mountains down the Columbia River to Oregon, Puget's Sound, and Vancouver's Island, where the recent gold discoveries in the vicinity have drawn thousands of hardy adventurers to those wild scenes amongst which I strayed almost alone, and scarcely meeting a white man or hearing the sound of my own language.

The illustrations — executed from my sketches, or finished paintings, for the purpose of illustrating the present work — constitute only a few specimens of the different classes of subjects which engaged my pencil during a sojourn of near four years among the Indians of the North-west. In that period I executed numerous portraits of chiefs, warriors, and medicine-men of the different tribes among whom I sojourned, and also of their wives and daughters. The Indian fishing and hunting scenes, games, dances, and other characteristic customs, also occupied my pencil; while I was not forgetful of the interest which justly attaches to the scenery of a new and unexplored country, and especially to such parts

X

PREFACE.

of it as were either intimately associated with native legends and traditions, or otherwise specially connected with the native tribes — as their favourite fishing or hunting grounds, the locations of their villages, or the burying-places of the tribes. The whole of these sketches are now in my possession, and I have already been honoured by a commission to execute a series of paintings from them for the Legislature of the Province of Canada, which now have a place in the Library of the Provincial Parliament. A much more extensive series of oil paintings had been executed by me, from my sketches, for George W. Allan, Esq., of Moss Park, the liberal patron of Canadian art ; and I would gladly indulge the hope that the present work will not prove the sole published fruits of my travels among the Indian tribes of North America, but that it will rather be a mere illustration of the novelty and interest* which attach to those rarely explored regions, and enable me to publish a much more extensive series of illustrations of the characteristics, habits, and scenery of the country and its occupants.

PAUL KANE.

Chapter I

Departure from Toronto. — An Indian Village. — The "Big Pike's " Likeness. — The Chiefs of Saugeen. — An Island Labyrinth. — The Encampment. — An Indian Kettle of Fish.

— The Household Drudge. — Manetouawning. — Anecdote of the Chief Sigennok. — The Egyptian Sphynx on Indian Pipes. — A Serenade. — The Conjuror. — The Power of Love. — The Escape. — Heraldic Devices. — Departure for the Sault St. Marie - Page 1

Chap. II

Mackenaw, the " Turtle Island." — Famished Dogs. — The Chief He-Devil. — Green Bay, a Commercial Port. — Consolation in Sorrow. — An Indian Council. — Gambling Habits.

— Illicit Traffic in Spirits. — Anecdote of Revenge. — A young Assassin. — Day of Reckoning. — Scenes of Drunkenness •• - - - - - - 26

Chap. III

Sir George Simpson. — My Start. — Difficulties of the Route. —The Sault St. Marie.— The "White Fish" and "Thunder Point." — A Day behind the Fair. — Pulling against Stream.

— Mangeurs du Lard The Lost Men's Portage. — The

Blanket of the Dead. — A Compliment from Sir George. — Running from a Bear - 42 xii

CONTENTS.

Chap. IV

Four Miles of Swamp. — Lake of a Thousand Isles. — Virtue of a Silver Bullet. — A wild Tale. — Living One upon Another. — The Great Medicine-Man. — A Timid ''Little Rat." — A Caterpillar Plague. — Butter in the Wilderness. — A Leap into the Grave. — Going down the Winnipeg. — A novel Viameter ----- Page 56

Chap. V

Fort Alexander. — Mr. Lane. — A Western Career. — Value of Bark to the Indian. — The Medicine Lodge. — A Double Shot. — Fort Garry. — The nearest Market Town. — Red River Settlement. — White Horse Plain. — Hunting the Buffalo - - - - 68

Chap. VI

Plain of Roses. — A Desert Filter. — Making Pimmi-kon. — Canine Camp-followers. — Dry Dance Mountain. — Vigils of the Braves. — Death at the Feast. — Successful Ambush. — The Scalp Dance. — A Hunter's Appetite. — The Grand Chase. — Marking the Game. — Head over Heels. — Sketching under Difficulties. — A Troublesome Tenant - 77

Chap. VII

Camping amongst the Slain. — Wholesale Slaughter. — A Sick Guide. — Parting from the Half-breeds. — A False

Alarm. — Dismal Night's Lodging. — Dreadful Position

Stinking River. — Death of the Guide. — Paternal Government. — The Fire -Water Curse - - 90

Chap. VIII

Catching the Boat. — Queer Fish. — Fatal Thunder-bolt. — Killing Portraits. — Raising the Wind. — An Island with Wings. — Norway House. — Playgreen Lake. — Bound to

CONTENTS.

xiii the Rock. — A Model Athlete. — Shooting a Buck Moose.

— Luxury of a Clean Shirt. — Life for Life A Violent

Puss. — Buffalo Pounds. — A Perfect Centaur - Page 99

CHAP. IX. Beautiful Valley Crossing the Water. — The curious Ca~

bree A shouting Aide-de-Camp. — Strange Memento

Mori. — The Love of Indian Mothers. — No Coat, no Fire. — The "Little Slave." — A Voyageur's Trust. — Surrounded by Beef. — A spirited Cow - - - - 123

Chap. X

Long Grass Prairie. — An obstinate Bear. — Abandoning a tired Horse. — Dried-up Lakes. — Shooting wild Geese. — A dangerous Swim. — Boat-building. — The Blazing Prairie.

— Setting Fire to fight Fire. — A cool Confession. — Indian want of Gallantry. — An Indian Strongbow - - 132

Chap. XI

Leaving Fort Edmonton. — The Last of the Buffaloes. — Sir George's Highland Piper. — An Indian Delicacy. — Freak of an Evil Spirit. — Singular Cradle. — Jasper's House. — The Snow and the Cold. — First Steps in Snow Shoes. — Nearly Roasted Alive. — Going down Hill. — Wading an Icy Torrent. — Making up for lost Time. — Shooting the Dalle de Mort. — A Narrow Escape. — A Wet Voyage 142

CHAP. XII. Fort Vancouver The Flatheads. — Hereditary Names

Ravages of Fever. — The Evil Genius. — How to flatten

the Head. — The Sign of a Slave An impracticable

Tongue. — "Clark, how are you?" — Revolting Habits. — Chinook Costume. — Baskets Water-tight. — How they cook the Camas. — Chinook Olives. — Chinook Lodges. — Good-tempered Gamblers - - • - -171 xiv

CONTENTS.

Chap. XIII

Leaving Fort Vancouver. — Seven Degrees below Zero. — The Magic Bullet A Match for the Indians. — A Jesuit Mission. — Harmonious Gamesters. — A Wild Calf Chase. — The Swallow -tailed Coat. — The Haunted Volcano. — The Cocked Hat. — Dead Men's Canoes. — Filching a Good Name The Prairie de Bute - Page 191

Chap. XIV

Fort Victoria Accidental Clover. — Blankets of Dog's Hair.

— Aprons of Bark. — A Chief's Inauguration. — Monstrous Sturgeon. — Crows which Feed on Fish. — The Domestic

Institution The Dead Slave. — Frightening a Native. —

Washing the Dead. — The Game of Lehallum. — An Expensive Feast. — Medicine Caps - 208

Chap. XV

A Coasting Trip Indian Curiosity. — Rather Violent Quacks.

— An Awkward Hint. — Fighting for a Whale. — A Warm Siege. — Running a deadly Muck. — Catching Wild Ducks.

— A Great Unknown. — The Fate of the "Tonquin."—-

Fishing for Money Shawstun the Ugly. — Caledonian

Suttee. — Beautiful Biglips. — Price of a Second Spouse 223

Chap. XVI

Searching for a lost Wife. — A simple Ruse. — A Harvest of

Fish. — The Legend of the Rock. — The little Fisherman

Battle of the Dwarfs and Geese. — A Ride on a Whale. —

An Indian Niobe. — Naming the Dead Licensed to get

Drunk. — Settling old Scores. — Stealing a Skull. — Punishing a Deserter. — Amateur Surgery. — Scarcity of Wood. — Rattlesnakes in Plenty. — The Chimney Rocks. — The Grasshopper and Wolf. — The Wolf and his Wives - 246

CONTENTS.

XV

CHAP. XVII. Fort Walla- Walla. — Salmon the Staff of Life Burrows for

the Winter. — Ride to see a Cataract. — Splendid Fall of

Water. — Desert of burning Sand. — A jealous Spouse

Respect to a dead Chief - - - Page 271

CHAP. XVI II.

The Stream dried up. — American Presbyterian Mission. — A perfect Savage. — Scorched to Death by the Sun. — Disastrous Expedition. — The Messenger of Woe. — The " Yellow Serpent." — A Father of Sorrow. — A Grave-side Address. — The Living and the Dead. — The lost Cup. — Taken for a Scpocoom. — A dreadful Disappointment 278

Chap. XIX

The Horrors of Thirst. — The Lake of Pelicans. — A queer Bedfellow. — Steering by the Sun. — Sweet Water at Last.

— Rather a hardy Horse. — Losing each Other. — Wonderful natural Walls. — The Grand Coulet. — A Great Treat.

— The River Columbia. — Indians again - - 293

CHAP. XX. A Dangerous Path. — Incredible Sagacity. — Levying Black

Mail Fort Colville. — Hiding-Places of the Indians. —

Indian Baptism — The Kettle Falls. — Tilting at the Ring. — Chief of the Waters. — Dead Salmon by Thousands. — Dislike to Salt Meat. — A Widow's Consolation. — A Wife for the Woods 303

CHAP. XXL

Dreadful Tidings. — Horrible Tragedy. — A Devoted Husband.

— A Joyful Surprise. — Perilous Pass. — Walk on Shore.

— The Rapid of the Dead. — The Detected Cannibal. — A

a xvi

CONTENTS.

Western Honeymoon. — The Last Embrace Capote Blanc.

— Boat Encampment. — A bothered Steed. — Forest Swept away The Flooded Athabasca. — Shoes long as Yourself.

— Crossing Jasper's Lake In for it everyway. — Rising

of the River. — Starving the Dogs. — Waiting for a Frost- Bridge. — Too Thin to be Eaten. — Fort Assiniboine. — Pleasure after Pain - Page 317

Chap. XXII

An easy Time. — Clever Rabbit-snare. — Fort Edmonton. — Buffalo Ice-pits. — The Horse and its Keeper. — A tame Battue. — Saving the Credit of the Herd. — Harnessing the

Dogs My Big Head. — Sober Mirth. — Christmas-day in

the Wilds. — Our Fare. — The Feast and the Dance. — " One that looks at the Stars." — Fighting to the Death. — The better part of Valour. — Making a Calf. — An affectionate Bull. — The Aurora Borealis - - - 363

Chap. XXIII

A pleasant Wedding. — Sledges and Carioles. — Useful but Dangerous Dogs. — The Hunter's Bravado. — Journey through the Snow. — An unwilling Chase. — A Tumble in a Drift. — Indian Etiquette. — The Spotted Leg. — The Indian in Heaven. — Battle of the Dogs. — Arrival at Fort Pitt. — The Medicine Pipe-stem and its Carrier. — Digging up the Hatchet. — Crying for War. — Invoking the Great Spirit. — Preparing for the March. — Eating a Warrior's Heart 385

Chap. XXIV

Departure from Edmonton — Taming a Wild Calf. — A Raft of Ice. — Rocky Mountain Fort. — Stuffing a Dead Foe. — A Token of Friendship. — A Lecture on Lying. — Honest

Thieves "I can't get out." — Start for Norway House. —

Drowned Buffaloes. — Meeting a War Party. — Smoking

CONTENTS.

xvii with "Big Snake." — Camping with the Braves. — Avenging a Slight. — A Cowardly Shot. — The Olive branch refused.

— A Busy Pencil. — Disinterested Kindness - Page 406

Chap. XXV

Fort Carlton. — Battle of the Indians. — Death of a Hero. — Cumberland House. — An Unwieldy Wife. — Shooting the Grand Rapids. — Norway House — Child Suckled by a Man.

— "Big Snake's " Fate. — Storm on the Winnipeg. — " The Constant Sky." — A Midnight Incantation. — Powers of the Medicine. — Fort Alexander. — The Grand Bonnet.— The Plague of Mosquitoes. — Stopped by a Fog. — Deserted Mission. — Two Days' Feast. — The Lake of the Woods. — Watermen indeed. — Fort Frances. — An Express Canoe. — Lake Superior. — Sault St. Marie. — Conclusion - 428