PAWNEES. h 



all its advantages, savage life has no charm for me. I 

 know that many wonld tell us, and some who have tasted 

 the l)itter and the sweet of savage life, that it has the ad- 

 vantage in the scale of enjoyment over the civilized, l)nt 

 such is not my opinion. 



In order to be able to judge on this point we must know 

 what the life of a savage is. My object at the present time 

 is to impart some information in regard to the life of the 

 North American Indians. My remarks apply principally 

 to the Pawness as they were more than twenty years ago, 

 when I resided with them for about three years. AVhat 

 facts I propose to give, were derived from personal obser- 

 vation. In some respects I was not so favorably situated 

 to learn all their customs and manners, as some others. 

 My object was not so much to enquire of them, as to teach 

 them. To acquire their language and to give instruction, 

 required all the energies I could command. The time 

 allowed me at present, would not be suificient to give all 

 that would be necessary to a perfect understanding of the 

 chequered life of those wild men, " the Arabs of the prai- 

 rie," as they were often denominated. It would require 

 an ordinary sized volume to do them justice. But let us 

 occupy faithfully what time we have. 



Were we to be introduced into the midst of an Indian 

 village, for they live in villages, a great many enquiries 

 would instantly arise about what we should see. Nor 

 should we be very particular about the arrangement of our 

 questions. Every thing about us would be strange and 

 unaccountable. Our attention would be directed to a 

 thousand things, in relation to which we should wish to be 

 informed. But let us first direct our attention to the house 

 or, as we have learned to call it, lodge, we are about to 

 enter. Its external appearance is as much like a coal-pit 

 of New England, as any thing we can compare it with. A 

 hole is open in the centre of the top from which proceeds 

 smoke. Around that hole are men standing taking ob- 

 servations ; perhaps gazing at us or perhaps watching with 

 interest some games or sonae medicine performance. Here 



