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HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY
323 THE ORIGINAL OCCUPANTS
Less than half a century ago, the great
State of Iowa, an empire in extent, was a vast uncivilized
wild, inhabited only by untutored red men and animals native
to the climate, herbage and grasses. Of all this region,
now so full of life, of princely farms and farmhouses,
of towns and cities, schools, colleges and churches, railroads
and telegraphs, and all the other adjuncts of modern civilization,
but little was known. It was an unexplored territory, to
the interior of which no white man had ever penetrated.
Until the close of the Black Hawk war in
1832, the country was in the undisputed possession of the
Indians. Different tribes occupied different parts of the
Territory. They toiled not, neither did they spin. They
subsisted upon the fruits of the chase, and dwelt in rude
tents or camped in the open air. To them the arts of industry
were unknown and unpracticed. They occupied the land, but
improved it not. The command of the great Creator that
by the sweat of his brow man should earn his daily bread,
was lost upon them. Of flocks and herds they had none,
while the earth was regarded by them as only a hunting-ground
that had been created by the Great Spirit for their special
benefit and occupancy. The history of such a people is
one full of interest.
The Sauks and Foxes* inhabited the [the]
eastern slope of Iowa, including the county whose history
is being considered, and a history of the last years of
their dominion is as much a part of the history of the
county as are the incidents that have occurred since they
gave way before the advancement of enlightened civilization.
These sketches will necessarily extend to and include the
area of several of the adjacent counties, but they will
preserve to the present and future generations a record
of aboriginal events that were familiar to the men and
women who pioneered the way to the fertile prairies of
the Black Hawk Purchase, and almost kindled their camp-fires
from the smoldering embers left by the Indians when they
turned their backs upon the lands that had been theirs
for generations agone.
Human improvement, rushing through civilization,
crushes in its march all who cannot grapple to its car.
This law is as inexorable as Fate. "You colonize the lands
of the savage with the Anglo-Saxon," says Stephen Montague;
"you civilize that portion of the earth; but is the savage
civilized? He is exterminated! You accumulate machinery,
you increase the total wealth; but what becomes of the
labor you displace? One generation is sacrificed to the
next. You diffuse knowledge, and the world seems to grow
brighter; but
_____
*The Sauks or Saukies
(white clay), and the Foxes or Outagamies (so called
by the Europeans),
and Algonquins, respectively, but whose true name is Mus-quak-ki-uk
(red clay), are in fact but one nation. When the French
missionaries first came in contact with them in 1665, they
found that they spoke the same language, and that it differed
from the Algonquins, though belonging to the same stock.—Albert
Gallatin. 
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Discontent at Poverty replaces Ignorance
happy with its crust. Every Improvement, every advancement
in civilization, injures some to benefit others, and
either cherishes the want of to-day or prepares the revolution
of tomorrow.
It is only yesterday, as it were, since
the prairies and grove-covered hillsides of Eastern Iowa,
now so full of happy homes and agricultural and mechanical
industry, re-echoed the mournful dirge of the departing
red men. The years are comparatively few in number since
the sorrowful cortege passed slowly toward the
setting sun, leaving behind the noble dead, sleeping
in the cold embrace of the grim monarch, by the side
of their beloved white father; leaving the homes they
had been taught to claim as their own; leaving all, even
hope, behind. There still live, in different parts of
the country, many persons who beheld the strange sight
of a remnant of a race departing forever from the scenes
of their early life, and such will, doubtless, be disposed
to sneer at the pen which finds a source of sadness in
the contemplation of this event. But worthy hands have
written lines of living power upon the theme, nor can
the harsh character of the fact denude the subject of
a glamour which poetry and romance have cast around the
dusky subject and his fate. There is a grandeur in the
record of the race which the stern force of truth is
powerless to dispel.
Those men who were compelled to meet
the groveling band which had survived the first shock
of defeat, saw only the ruin which the strong had wrought
upon the weak. The native power had fled; a subjugated
race was subsisting in its helplessness upon the bounty
of its conquerors. There was no spot on earth left for
them. Foot by foot their might possessions were taken
from them, not in the din and whirl of battle, but by
the humiliating process of peace. Here, at last, they
stood, with bowed heads, meekly awaiting the decree which
should compel them to resume their endless march. Behind
them was the tradition of their strength; before them,
annihilation of their clans. Even their warlike instincts
were dwarfed in the presence of their masters. Had they
disputed titles with the whites, the memories clustering
about them now would be far different. But that resort
to arms, that defiant struggle to the end, that disappearance
in dramatic furor—all was denied them. Had they
been other in nature than they were, this placid surrender
to fate would seem less pitiful. Once fierce and bloody,
then subdued, their stolid acceptance of destiny carried
with it a mournful air that will be breathed through
history's pages while our race shall live.
The Indian is the embodiment of the dramatic,
and when the curtain is rung down upon a scene so spiritless
and tame as this of which we write, the admiration which
is his due is turned to pity. The actual spectators of
the final drama find it impossible to forget the sordid
character of the players, it is true; but at so short
a remove of time as this which has already elapsed since
this country was the theater of the play, a shade of
romance is imparted and the events become absorbing in
their interest.
In the State history which precedes this
department of the work, an extended history of the several
tribes is given. It is the purpose of this chapter to
take up the thread of narrative at the point where this
immediate section becomes the scene of action, extending
backward far enough to merely gather the scattered ends.
In this work the writer is dependent
largely upon a series of papers from the pen of the late
Maj. John Beach, son-in-law of the original Indian Agent,
Gen. Street, and who in turn was agent after the death
of the General in 1840. These papers were prepared in
the summer of 1874, and published in the

325
Agency Independent. Maj. Beach
died September 2, 1874, or before the series was published
in full. That such forethought was manifested by him,
is a matter of congratulation among all who are interested
in this country. It is to be regretted, however, that
the Major did not prepare a still more elaborate history
of the tribes he was so long associated with. While we
do not consider it essential to preserve, in exact form,
the series of articles alluded to, we have carefully
extracted all salient points, and have added to them
much more information, obtained from those conversant
with the matter.
THE GREAT BLACK HAWK WAR
Black Hawk, the great
chief, was born in Sac Village, about three miles from
the junction of
Rock River with the Mississippi, in Illinois, in 1767.
He came of a brave stock nd began the life of a warrior
at fifteen years of age. Black Hawk's name is variously
given, but Maj. Beach, who was personally
acquainted with the chief, writes that the real orthography
is Muck-a-ta-mish-e-ki-ak-ki-ak,
which means a black hawk. The history of this chief is
not intimately associated with Jefferson County, and
this paragraph is only introduced for the sake of preserving
the spelling of the name. A fact is mentioned in Maj.
Beach's sketch which is here produced:
The Sacs and Foxes, according to their
traditions, once dwelt upon the shores of the great lakes.
Gradually they were pushed westward, until in time they
came to occupy a large portion of Northern Illinois.
In spite of the pressure of the whites, this band occupied
a site on the east shore of the Mississippi, near Rock
River. Here Black Hawk was, in 1832, the controlling
spirit. "He was never a chief, either by inheritance
or election," declares Maj. Beach, "and his influence
was shared by a wily old savage, of part Winnebago blood,
called the Prophet, who could do with
Black Hawk pretty much as he pleased; and also by a Sac
named Na-pope, the English of which
is Soup, and whom the writer found to be a very
friendly and manageable old native, as was also Black
Hawk."
If this be true, as there is every reason
to esteem it, the character of Black Hawk, stands out
as a "self-made Indian," if an Americanism can be thus
parodied, and he appears in the nature of a dictator
as well as that of a great ruler.
Of the famous Black Hawk war, it is not
within the province of this sketch to speak; it belongs
to the history of Illinois, and has been repeatedly written.
After the defeat of the chief, in 1832, he was captured
and taken to Prairie du Chien. After an imprisonment
in Jefferson Barracks, and, subsequently, in Fortress
Monroe, whither he was taken, he was returned at the
intercession of Keokuk to this region. In his old age,
Black Hawk sought the company of the garrison, his band
was broken up and the once great chief was left alone
in his declining years. Maj. Beach relates the following
incident derived from personal observation:
"Black Hawk's lodge was always the
perfection of cleanliness, a quite unusual thing for
an Indian.
The writer has seen the old woman busily at work with
her broom, by the time of sunrise, sweeping down the
little ant-hills in the yard that had been thrown up
during the night. As the chiefs of the nation seemed
to pay him but little attention in the waning years of
his life, Gen. Street, the Agent, looked out for his
comfort more carefully than otherwise he would have thought
it needful to do, and, among other things, gave him a
cow — an appendage to an Indian's domestic establishment
hitherto unheard of. The old squaw and daughter were
instructed in the art of milking her, and she was

326
held among them in almost as great reverence
as the sacred ox Apis was held among the ancient Egyptians.
"This was in the summer of 1838, when
the Agency, for which our town was named, was in process
of erection, and Black Hawk had established his lodge
on the banks of the Des Moines, about three miles below
Eldon. Close by was the trading-house of Wharton McPherson,
with whom the writer stayed one night in August of that
year (1838), and as he rode past the lodge, Mme. Black
Hawk was complacently sitting upon a log by the side
of her cow, under a heavily-shaded tree, industriously
brushing the flies and mosquitoes from the bovine with
a rag tied to the end of a stick. Mr. McPherson said
this was her daily occupation in fly-time, often following
the animal around as it grazed at a distance. This was
the last occasion that ever the writer had an interview
with Black Hawk, as he died within two months of that
time (October 3, 1838), and was even then so infirm that
he could barely move about his wigwam.
"Not long after his burial, his
body was stolen from its grave by some sacrilegious person,
and, some years later, the bones came into the possession
of a physician of Quincy, Ill., who sent them to Gov.
Chambers, who, as Governor of the Territory,was also
the Superintendent of Indian Affairs. The writer was
intrusted to notify the family they could have the bones,
as he did; but they seemed indifferent about the matter,
and did nothing whatever about it."
WAPELLO AND OTHER CHIEFS
Wapello, the chief after
whom Wapello County and the county seat of Louisa County
were named,
was a powerful ruler among his people, but was a fast
friend of the whites, especially of the first Indian
Agent Gen. Street. Incidents illustrative of his character
are dispersed through the following pages. He died in
1841, and was buried by the side of his friend, the General,
on the Agency Farm. His grave was recently cared for
by the managers of the C., B. & Q. Railroad, which
passes near by, and is now in a condition to withstand
the shocks
of time for years to come.
Poweshiek, a chief co-equal
with Wapello, but of the Foxes, while the latter was
of the Sac tribe, was located on the reserve on the Iowa
River, and does not figure in this history. He died before
the Indians left the State, and thus escaped the humiliation
of the scene.
Keokuk, the grand sachem,
was a man of tall, commanding presence, straight as
an arrow, and, when aroused, could make an eloquent speech
to his tribe. He was selected by the United States Government
to distribute the annuities to the Sacs and Foxes — not
only for his energies when opposed to the nation in battled,
but for his influence among the red men everywhere. But
he was avaricious and intemperate, putting any amount
of whisky under his royal toga, and stealing from his
red brothers the hard silver so kindly given them by
the Great Father at Washington. He had a chronic quarrel
with Hardfish's band, that lived in Kishkekosh, near
Eddyville, and receiving a severe wound from one of this
tribe, he died soon after reaching Kansas, in 1845.
From a sketch of Keokuk, published in
the "Annals of Iowa," 1865, by Uriah
Biggs, one of the
pioneers of Ottumwa, the following interesting extracts
are made:
"Keokuk is deserving
of a prominent page in the history of the country and
a truthful history of his life would be read and cherished
as a memento of one of nature's noblemen. As an orator,
he was entitled to a rank with the most gifted of his
race. In person, he was tall and of portly bearing, and
in his public speeches he displayed a commanding attitude
and graceful gestures.

327
He spoke rapidly, but his enunciation was
clear and distinct and very forcible, culling his figures
from the store of nature, and basing his arguments in
skillful logic. He maintained in good faith the stipulations
of treaties with the United States and with the neighboring
tribes. He loved peace and the social amenities of life,
and was fond of displaying these agreeable traits of
character in ceremonious visits to neighboring chiefs,
in which he observed the most punctilious etiquette and
dignified decorum. He possessed a ready insight into
the motives of others, and was not easily misled by sophistry
or beguiled by flattery; and in the field of wit he was
no mean champion. It is not my purpose to write a history
of his life, but I will give one anecdote in illustration
of these traits of his character.
"While residing near Ottumwah-noc, he
received a message from a Mormom Prophet, Joe Jmith,
[Smith] inviting Keokuk, as king of the Sacs and Foxes,
to a royal conference at his palace at Nauvoo, on matters
of the highest importance to their respective people.
The invitation was readily accepted, and a train of ponies
was soon winding its way to the Mormom city, bearing
Keokuk and his suite in stately procession and savage
pomp.
"Notice had circulated through the country
of this diplomatic interview, and a number of spectators
attended to witness the denouement. The audience
was given publicly in the Mormon temple, and the respective
chiefs were attended by their suites, the Prophet by
the dignitaries of the Morman Church, and the Indian
potentate by the high civil and military functionaries
of his tribe, and the gentiles were comfortably seated
as auditors.
"The Prophet opened the conference
in a set speech of considerable length, giving Keokuk
a
brief history of the children of Israel, as detailed
in the Bible, and dwelt forcibly upon the story of the
lost tribes, and of the direct revelation he had received
from a divine source, that the North American Indians
were these identical lost tribes, and that he, the prophet
of God, held a divine commission to gather them together
and to lead them to a land 'flowing with milk and honey.'
After the prophet closed this harangue, Keokuk, 'waited
for the words of his pale-faced brother to sink deep
into his mind,' and, in making his reply, assumed the
gravest attitude and most dignified demeanor. He would
not controvert anything his brother had said about the
lost and scattered condition of his race and people,
and if his brother was commissioned by the Great Spirit
to collect them together and lead them to a new country,
it was his duty to do so. But he wished to inquire about
some particulars his brother had not named, that were
of the highest importance to him and his people. The
red men were not much used to milk, and he thought that
they would prefer streams of water, and in the country
where they now were there was a good supply of honey.
The points that they wished to inquire into were whether
the new government would pay large annuities, and whether
there was plenty of whisky. Joe Smith saw at once that
he had met his match, and that Keokuk was not the proper
material with which to increase his army of dupes, and
closed the conference in as amiable a manner as possible.
"He was gifted by nature with the
elements of an orator in an eminent degree, and as such
is entitled
to rank with Logan, Red Jacket and Tecumseh; but unfortunately
for his fame among the white people and with posterity,
he was never able to obtain an interpreter who could
claim even a slight acquaintance with philosophy. With
one exception only, his interpreters were unacquainted
even with the elements of their mother-tongue. Of this
serious hindrance to his fame Keokuk was well aware,
and retained Frank Labashure, who had
received a rudimental education in the French and English
languages,

328
until the latter broke down by dissipation
and died. But during the meridian of his career among
the white people, he was compelled to submit his speeches
for translation to uneducated men, whose range of thought
fell below the flights of a gifted mind, and the fine
imagery, drawn from nature, was beyond their powers
of reproduction. He had sufficient knowledge of the
English tongue to make him sensible of this bad rendering
of his thought, and often a feeling of mortification
at the bungling efforts was depicted upon his countenance
while he was speaking. The proper place to form a due
estimate of his ability as an orator was in the Indian
council, where he addressed himself exclusively to
those who understood his language, and where the electric
effects of his eloquence could be plainly noted upon
his audience. It was credibly asserted that by the
force of his logic he had changed the vote of a council
against the strongly predetermined opinions of its
members. A striking instance of the influence of his
eloquence
is related as occurring while the forces under Black
Hawk were invading Illinois, in 1832.
"Keokuk knew from the first that this
reckless war would result in great disaster to the
tribe, and used all diligence to dissuade warriors
from following Black Hawk, and succeeded in retaining
a majority with him at his town on the Iowa River.
But after Stillman's defeat, in what is now Ogle County,
Ill., the war spirit raged with such ardor that a war-dance
was held, and Keokuk took part in it, seeming to be
moved with the current of the rising storm, and when
the dance was over, he called a council to prepare
for war. In his address he admitted the justice of
his complaints against the white man, and to seek redress
was a noble aspiration of their natures. The blood
of their brethren had been shed by the white men, and
the spirits of their braves slain in battle called
loudly for vengeance. 'I am you Chief,' he said, 'and
it is my duty to lead you to battle, if, after fully
considering the matter, you are determined to go. But,
before you take this important step, it is wise to
inquire into the chances for success.' He then represented
to them the great power of the United States against
whom they would have to contend — that their
chance of success was utterly hopeless. 'But if you
now determine to go upon the warpath, I will agree
to lead you, upon one condition—that before we
go we kill all our old men and our wives and children
to save them from a lingering death by starvation,
and that every one of us determines to leave his bones
on the other side of the Mississippi.'
"This was a strong and truthful picture
of the project before them, and was presented in such
a forcible light as to cool their ardor and to cause
them to abandon their rash undertaking. Many other
incidents are related of his eloquence and tact in
allaying a rising storm, fraught with war and bloodshed,
not only in his own tribe, but also some neighboring
tribes, where his people had been the aggressors. Some
of these incidents have been preserved by writers on
Indian research, but many will be lost to history.
He delivered a eulogy upon Gen. Harrison, at the Sac
and Fox Agency, which was interpreted by Mr. Antoine
Le Claire, and considered by many who heard its delivery
as one of his best efforts. This speech, however, was
not written down and is lost to history, but enough
of the incidents of his career as an orator have been
saved from the wreck of time to stamp his reputation
for natural abilities of the highest order, and furnish
another positive refutation of Buffon's theory on the
deterioration of men and animals on the American continent.
"We have thus far portrayed the bright
side of Keokuk's character; but like most, if not all,
great intellects, there is a dark background which
the truth of history demands shall be brought to view.
His traits of character,

329
thus far sketched, may not inaptly be
compared with the great Grecian orator; but here the
similitude ends. The great blot on Keokuk's life was
his inordinate love of money, and, toward its close,
he became a confirmed inebriate. His withering reply
to the Mormon prophet was intended by him as a pure
stroke of wit; it, nevertheless, expressed his ruling
passions.
"A bitter and incurable feud existed
in the tribe during their time of residence on the
Des Moines River, between what was denominated 'Keokuk's
band' and 'Black Hawk's band,' the latter recognizing
Hardfish as their leader. This distrust and, indeed,
hatred were smothered in their common intercourse when
sober; but when their blood was fired with whisky,
it sometimes assumed a tragic feature amongst the leaders
of the respective bands. An instance of this character
occurred on the lower part of the Des Moines, on a
return of a part making a visit to the 'half-breeds'
at the town of Keokuk, on the Mississippi. In a quarrel,
excited by whisky, Keokuk received a dangerous stab
in the breast from a son of Black Hawk. The writer
of the present sketch saw him conveyed by his friends
homeward, lying in a canoe, unable to rise.
"Hardfish and his coadjutors lost
no occasion to find fault with Keokuk's administration.
The payments were made in silver coin, put up in boxes,
containing $500 each, and passed into Keokuk's hands
for distribution. The several traders received each
his quota according to their several demands against
the tribes admitted by Keokuk, which invariably consumed
the greater portion of the amount received. The remainder
was turned over to the chiefs and distributed among
their respective bands. Great complaints were made
of these allowances to the traders on the ground of
exorbitant prices charged on the goods actually furnished,
and it was alleged that some of these accounts were
spurious. In confirmation of this last charge, over
and above the character of the items exhibited in these
accounts, an affidavit was filed with Gov. Lucas by
an individual, to which the Governor gave credence,
setting forth that Keokuk had proposed to the maker
of the affidavit to prefer a purely fictitious account
against the tribe for the sum of $10,000, and he would
admit its correctness, and when paid, the money should
be divided among themselves, share and share alike.
To swell the traders' bills, items were introduced
of a character that showed fraud upon their face, such
as a large number of 'blanket-coats,' articles which
the Indians never wore, and 'telescopes,' of the use
of which they had no knowledge. This shows the reckless
manner in which these bills were swollen to the exorbitant
amounts complained of,in which Keokuk was openly charged
with being in league with the traders to defraud Hardfish's
band. At this time, the nation numbered about 2,300
souls, and only about one-third of the whole number
belonged to Keokuk's party. Gov. Lucas warmly espoused
the popular side in the controversy that arose in relation
to the mode and manner of making the annual payment,
and the matter was referred to the Indian Bureau, and
the mode was changed, so that payments were made to
the heads of families, approximating a per-capita distribution.
This method of making payments met the unqualified
disapprobation of the traders, and after one year's
trial, fell back into the old channel. Keokuk led his
tribe west to the Kansas country, in 1845, and, according
to reports, died some years after of delirium tremens."
Appanoose, Pashapaho, Hardfish and
Kishkekosh all play conspicuous parts
in the drama. An anecdote or two of the last named
will serve as
an illustration of the nature of the men. Kishkekosh did
not rank equal to Appanoose, Pashapaho or Hardfish,
but he seems to have held a prominent place in councils
because of his native talents.

330
George Washington Kishkekosh (whose
last name means cut-teeth, or savage biter)
was a subchief, and had accompanied Black Hawk, as
one of his suite of braves, during the tour of that
renowned chief through the East as a prisoner of war.
With his leaders, he had been hospitably entertained
at hotels and other places, and had a high appreciation
of the sumptuous and cleanly-looking fare that was
set before them. How he was enabled, after such an
experience, to return with a good stomach to the frugal
diet and indifferent cooking of his own people, we
are left to conjecture. At all events, he retained
his partiality
for clean victuals, and was even over fastidious in
this respect, as the following instance will show:
One night, he, with his company of
three or four braves, slept at the house of a white
man with whom he was on very friendly terms, and were
to remain at breakfast. Kish had an eye on the preparations
for this meal, and observed one neglect that his tender
stomach rebelled against. The lady of the house (it
is possible she did it intentionally, for she was not
a willing entertainer of her savage guests), neglected
to wash her hands before making up the bread. Kish,
though he would rather do without his breakfast than
eat after such cooking, and privately signified as
much to his followers, whereupon they mounted their
ponies and left, much to the relief of their hostess.
Arrived at a house some distance from the one they
had left, they got their breakfast and related the
circumstance.
These people, though generally accustomed
and limited to the poorest fare, were not averse to
the best that could be provided, and made themselves
gluttons whenever they could get enough of it. Like
the wolf, they were capable of a long fast, and then
would gorge themselves at a plenteous feast, even to
stupidity.
On another occasion, Kishekosh and
his suite, consisting of several prominent personages
of the tribe, being then encamped on Skunk River, in
Jasper County, went to the house of a Mr. Mikesell,
on a friendly visit, and he treated them to a feast.
Besides Kish and his wife, who was a very ladylike
person, this party consisted of his mother; Wykoma,
the son of Wapello, and his two wives (for polygamy
was not an uncommon practice with these people); Masha
Wapetine, his wife and all their children.
This old woman, on being asked how old she was, replied:
"Mack-ware-renaak-we-kauk" (may be a hundred),
and indeed her bowed from and hideously-shriveled features
would justify the belief that she was fully that old.
The whole party were dressed in more than usually becoming
style, probably out of respect to their hostess, who,
knowing something of their voracious appetites, had
mad ample preparations for them. When the table was
surrounded, Kish, who had learned some good manners,
as well as acquired cleanly tastes, essayed to perform
the etiquette of the occasion before eating anything
himself. With an amusingly awkward imitation of what
he had seen done among the whites, he passed the various
dishes to the others, showing the ladies special attention,
and helped them to part of everything on the table
with much apparent disinterestedness. But when he came
to help himself his politeness assumed the Indian phase
altogether. He ate like a person with a bottomless
pit inside of him for a stomach, taking everything
within his reach, without regard to what should come
first or last in the course, so only that he liked
the taste of it. At length, after having drunk five
or six cups of coffee, and eaten a proportionate amount
of solid foods, his gastronomic energy began to abate.
Seeing this, his host approached him, and, with apparent
concern for his want of appetite, said, "Why,
Kish, do you not eat your dinner? Have another cup
of coffee
and eat something." In reply to

331
this hospitable urgency, Kish leaned
back in his seat, lazily shook his head and drew his
finger across his throat under his chin, to indicate
how full he was. And then in further explanation of
his satisfied condition, he opened his huge mouth and
thrust his finger down his throat as far as he dared,
as much as to say he could almost touch the victuals.
Of course the others had eaten in like proportion,
making the most of an event that did not happen every
day.
Kishkekosh seems to have had in him
the elements of civilization, which needed but opportunity
to spring up and bear pretty fair fruit. Not only did
he become fastidious as to cleanliness, but he observed
and imitated other usages among the whites, even more
radically different from those of his savage people.
It is well known that among the Indians, as well as
among all unenlightened races, the women are, in a
manner, the slaves of the other sex. They are made
to do all the drudgery of the camp, cultivate the corn,
bring in the game after the hunter has had the sport
of slaughtering it, no matter how far away he may be,
he being either to lazy or feeling it beneath his dignity
to bear the burden. They procure all the fuel to cook
with, catch the ponies for their masters to ride, pack
up their tents and household goods when preparing to
move, and set them up when they again come to a halt
in their wanderings. Kishkekosh had noticed the different
fashion of the white settlers in regard to their women,
and had, moreover, been reasoned with by them like
an intelligent being, and he was very ready to admit
the force of their arguments. He made an effort to
institute reform among his people by having the men
do a fair share of the work that, according to ordinary
usage, fell to the squaws. He set them an example by
taking hold heartily himself, and, though it is not
probable that any very extended reformation took place,
owing to the long-continued laziness of the men, and
the deeply-rooted belief that their province was alone
that of the hunter or warrior, yet the movement itself
indicates a capacity in this savage chief for progress
and enlightenment.
The Indians in this region, as far
back as 1841-42, had a novel way of dealing with drunken
people. After the Black Hawk war, they chose rather
to live upon the annuities granted them by the Government,
than upon the products of the chase, as they had hitherto
been forced to do; and as this gave them a good deal
of leisure, they spent most of their time in drunken
orgies, which proved a great mortality to the tribes,
since many accidents happened to life and limb from
that cause. It was therefore a custom for a few of
the red men and squaws to keep sober, so that when
the inebriates got too wild there would be some one
to keep a restraining influence upon them? When a poor
wight became unsafely drunk, he was tied neck and heels
so that he could be rolled about like a ball, which
operation was kept up, despite his pleadings, until
the fumes of liquor had vanished, when he was released.
The sufferer would beg for mercy, but to no avail;
and after he was sobered he showed no resentment, but
seemed to recognize the wisdom of the proceeding.
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Anecdote
of Pashapaho
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