977 



NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS. 



NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS. 



878 



coiner of James Bay, to the mouth of Churchill river (about 59 

 N. lat.), and hence they extend westward to the Athabasca lake, and 

 to the plains which lie betwixt the forks of the Saskatchewan, near 

 Carlton House. They do not extend to the Rocky Mountains, the 

 plains lying along the base of this range being in possession of a branch 

 of the Assineboin Indians, who are of the Sioux stock, and speak the 

 language of the Iroquois or Hurons. The Chippeways inhabit the 

 country about Lakes Michigan, Huron, and Superior. But it seems 

 that many other tribes belong to the same stock as the Crees ; for all 

 the nations which are within the limits of the United States north of 

 the Ohio and east of the Mississippi speak languages which may be con- 



them, that "their ancestors, coming from the westward, took 

 possession of the whole country from the Missouri to the Atlantic, after 

 driving away or destroying the original inhabitants of the land, whom 

 they termed Alligewi. In this migration and contest, which endured 

 for a series of years, the Mengwe or Iroquois kept pace with them, 

 moving in a parallel but more northern line, and finally settling on the 

 banks of the St. Lawrence and the great lakes from whence it flows." 

 (Richardson in ' Franklin's First Journey.') The Crees, like the other 

 tribes of North America, live upon the produce of the chase and the 

 fisheries in the numerous lakes and rivers by which their country is 

 watered. No kind of agriculture hag been introduced among them, as 

 among those tribes that inhabit the southern portions of the United 

 States. This is chiefly to be ascribed to the general sterility of the 

 countries which they inhabit, and partly to the rigour of the climate. 

 Even in the European settlements no attempt to BOW and plant has 

 been made north of Carlton House, on the Saskatchewan, and at the 

 latter place only on a small scale. The hardships to which then- manner 

 of life frequently exposes them, and the want of food for some weeks 

 together, sometimes compel them to commit cannibalism ; and Captain 

 Back relates instances of this, and others of their abandoning the old 

 and infirm. Instances of this kind are on record, even of parents 

 having fed on their own children ; but these extreme cases are of rare 

 occurrence. They commonly evince a strong affection for their off- 

 spring, and bewail for a length of time the loss of their relations. 

 Europeans are very little acquainted with the language of the Crees. 

 M'Keevor has added a short vocabulary to his voyage. Dr. Richardson 

 collected a copious and valuable vocabulary, which is still unpublished. 

 Mr. J. Howse of Cirencester, who was in the service of the Hudson's 

 Bay Company for twenty years, has prepared, under the sanction of the 

 London Geographical Society, a grammar of the Cree language. (Back's 

 ' Narrative of the Arctic Land Expedition,' in 1333, 1834, and 1835.) 



Crtt.lt were, at the beginning of the present century, one of the 

 most powerful native tribes within the limits of the United States of 

 America. They occupied nearly all the countries lying north of 31 

 N. lat., between the Flint river, the eastern branch of the Chatahoochee, 

 and the Tombidgee or western branch of the Mobile river, and numbered 

 nearly 24,000 souls. Their wars with the United States were 

 uniformly unsuccessful, and they have now been, together with the 

 Cherokees and Choctaws, transported to a district west of the Missis- 

 sippi, a large tract of country having been ceded to them by the United 

 States. 



Crows is the name of the tribe inhabiting the country in the recesses 

 of the Rocky Mountains, between the Wind River Mountains and the 

 river Platte, the upper part of the Missouri near its junction with the 

 Yellow-Stone river to the Big-Horn river on the south-east. They 

 number nearly 4000, are noted for their predatory habits, horses being 

 especially the objects of their plunder, to procure which they extend 

 their excursions for long distances on each side of the mountains, and 

 are in constant hostility with all the surrounding tribes. 



The Huront between Lakes Huron and Ontario ; the once-powerful 

 Iraqiwl*, who extended on both sides of the Mississippi ; the Mohicans, 

 who were at home in Connecticut ; the Oneidas and Onvndayas, of 

 New York ; the Shaicanoei of Pennsylvania, to which may be added 

 the Delaware* from Delaware B;ty, are now all but extinct. , The last- 

 named two have both possessed Wyoming at different times, and the 

 bones of their ancestors repose on " Susquehanna's banks." Except the 

 Delawares, Shawanoes, and Oneidas, of whom fragments have been 

 located west of the Mississippi, and have become in some degree agri- 

 culturists, only individuals remain. The Iroquois language, however, is 

 gaid to be yet widely spoken. 



The laways, who only number 1100, live between the forks of the 

 Grand River and those of the River des Moines on the west of 

 Illinois. They are probably a branch of the Sioux, whose territory 

 a 1 j >ins them. 



The Kick'ipoos are a small tribe of about 800, living near the south 

 end of Lake Michigan, in IllinoU. 



The Mandam were one of the most curious tribes. They were located, 

 prior to 1840, on the west bank of the Missouri, 1800 miles above St. 

 Louis, and 200 below the mouth of the Yellow Stone. Number, about 

 2000. They did not bury, but placed their dead on scaffolds, there to 

 moulder and decay. When the scaffolds fell, and the flesh had decayed, 

 the skulls were placed on the ground in circles, and the other bones 

 were buried. The colour of the. hair and complexion was various : 

 the hair of females in youth being often of a silvery gray, fine, and 

 ARTS AXD SCI. DIV. VOL. V. 



silky. They swam not like Europeans, but, throwing the body oil one 

 side, the hand was drawn through the water inward under that side, 

 while the other hand reached as far forward as possible, out of the 

 water, till the lower stroke was completed ; then the side was changed, 

 and the other hand was drawn through the water. They were poly- 

 gamists ; as the wars carried off so many men, there were often threo 

 females to one male in a tribe. They raised corn (Indian), pumpkins, 

 &c., all the labour being performed by the women. They have been 

 since exterminated by the small-pox ; only thirty, it is stated by 

 C'atlin, having survived, and these were killed by the Sioux. A smaller 

 tribe, Minatarees, were their allies, or dependents, and have shared the 

 same fate. 



The Micmacs are a small tribe still existing in Nova Scotia. They 

 exhibited themselves and their war-dance to the Prince of Wales on 

 his visit to America in 1860. 



The Monqiiuis or Monkey Indians, inhabit a district south-west of 

 Lake Utah. Little is known of them, but they are said to be as light- 

 coloured as Spaniards, neat in their dress, decorous in their manner, 

 and their women to be beautiful. A theory has been raised that they 

 are the descendants of the Welsh colony led by Madoc, though others 

 suppose the Maudans to have a better claim. Not enough is known of 

 either to warrant a conclusion, and further acquaintance will probably 

 strip them of some of their favourable attributes. 



The Ojibbetcays dwell east of the Rocky Mountains, round the upper 

 part of the Missouri at its junction with the Yellow-Stone. They are 

 undoubtedly a branch of the Chippeways ; and are amongst the best- 

 formed, and the most picturesque in their dress of any of the Indian 

 tribes. They live in a country well-stocked with game, are of robust 

 make, and of middle stature. They number not more than 1500. 



The Osayes, a powerful and warlike tribe, are found chiefly about the 

 Osage and White rivers, on the western borders of Missouri and 

 Arkansas. They hunt the buffalo, but raise some maize. The Kansas, 

 their neighbours, may be a part of the same tribe, as they resemble 

 each other closely, the Kansas ranging along the river of that name 

 and its tributary streams. Together they number upwards of 5000. 



The Pav?nees (who are not to be confounded with the Pawnee Picts, 

 mentioned before) are a numerous tribe of 16,000 souls. They dwell 

 in the plains between the Platte or Nebraski river and the Missouri, 

 in lat. 42 N. and long. 25 to 28 W. They are horsemen, and 

 depredators. 



The Potawattomies and Miamis roam about the district west of 

 Indiana, on the Wabash River, south of Lake Michigan, and number 

 about 7000. 



Sacs and Foxes inhabit the district west of Wisconsin. They are 

 brave and dangerous, and number upwards of 5000 souls, but they 

 sold their hunting-grounds, 256,000 acres, on the loway River, and 

 migrated. 



The Seminriles were once a powerful tribe in Florida, and gave much 

 trouble to the State. They still amount to 5000 in number, but have 

 been removed by the United States government. 



The Sioux or Dacotas are by far the most numerous race of the 

 Indian tribes, numbering it is said 27,000 souls. Their territory is a 

 wide one, extending from about 40 30' to 42 15' N. lat., and from 

 the Mississippi to the Rocky Mountains west. The principal settlement 

 is at the mouth of the Teton river on the Upper Missouri. They are 

 horsemen, well armed, constantly in hostility with the fur-hunters of 

 the west, and with most of the neighbouring tribes, especially with the 

 Blackfeet. 



The Snakes, or Shoshonees, living in the neighbourhood of the Snako 

 river are one of the principal tribes of the southern or American 

 portion of Columbia. They probably amount to about 20,000 souls. 

 The Snakes are the remains of a tribe driven by the Blackfeet from their 

 old possessions on the Missouri. A part of them are called Shooslwofa 

 or Diggers, a degraded race, living on wild roots, whence their name. 

 They are all a poor and depressed race, living chiefly on fish, and often 

 subjected to great privation. Another tribe, the F Catheads, higher up 

 among the roots of the Rocky Mountains, between Lewis river and 

 Clarke's river, a much finer race of men, do not artificially flatten 

 the skull. They are associated with the Nez Percez, and the darnels 

 or Tootonez, on the borders of North California. They are hunters 

 and fishers, possessed of a few horses, but live during the winter 

 chiefly on roots. They number probably altogether about 8000 souls. 



The Winnebagoes and Menemonies dwell in the country east of tlie 

 Mississippi, and west of Green Bay, about the Wisconsin and Fox 

 rivers, but chiefly at the Prairie des Chiens. They were once powerful 

 tribes, but are now reduced, and number about 4000 souls. 



The government of the United States have removed the greater 

 part of the native Indians who were dwelling within their dominions 

 to a territory west of the states of Missouri, Arkansas, and Louisiana ; 

 extending thence to Texas and the Rocky Mountains. From north 

 to south they are located in the following order : the Kickapoos, on 

 an affluent of the Missouri, in about N. lat. 41 ; the Delawares, 

 Shawnees, Kaskaskias, Piankeshaws and Weahs, Oneidas, Tuskaruras 



missioner < 



the United States at 400,764. of whom 271,930 were in California, 



Oregon, Texas and New Mexico. At that date the Indians of the old 



b It 



