186 NOTES ON THE NORTHWEST. 



She ought to be industrious, in order that her husband may 

 be wealthy, and able to extend his hospitality widely. 



# 



" Wennebea thought that when the Master of Life made the 

 white man, he gave him the power to improve in knowledge 

 and the arts : he taught him how to manufacture all the arti- 

 cles that he wanted, such as cloth, guns, &c. To the red 

 man he gave nothing but his bow and his dog, intending him 

 therefore for no other occupation than that of hunting. 



" This appeared to be a favorite idea with Wennebea, and 

 from it he drew the inference that the red man was predes- 

 tined to remain stationary, and to live by hunting. 



" There is probably a similar system of ethics to that above 

 explained by Wennebea, adopted by most of the red nations 

 in the valley , though there is a diversity of national traits ; 

 and the habits and conduct of all may not conform equally 

 well with the standard fixed by their principles. There is 

 also, of course, every shade of individual character, as among 

 the whites. It is very common for white men who go among 

 the Indians, or meet with them, to judge of the character of 

 the tribe or nation from the character or act of an individual ; 

 and the traveller who loses any of his chattels among a com- 

 pany of red men, reports the nation to which they belong as 

 a nation of thieves. That is as sensible and just as if a 

 party of Indians on a visit to W^ashington, or New York, 

 should be robbed of some article, and upon that circumstance 

 should say that the Americans were a nation of thieves. 



" The red man has usually a great deal of sagacity, shrewd- 

 ness, cunning, and practical wisdom, in part resulting from 

 his want of education. The same thing is observable from 

 the same cause in the white man. Those who study men 

 instead of books, acquire a greater sagacity than those who 

 read much, for the reason that they who devote their time to 



