malleky.] DAKOTA WINTER COUNTS, 1862-1869. 125 



With the assistance of the name the object intended for his totem may 

 be recognized as a swau swimming on the water. 



No. III. Minneconjou Dakota chief, named Swan, died. 



Mato Sapa's record has a better representation of a swan. 



Interpreter La vary says: Little-Swan died in this year on CherryCreek, 

 75 miles northwest of Fort Sully. 



Major Bush says this is historically correct. 



18G7-'68. — No. I. Much medicine made. 



No. II. Many flags were given them by the Peace Commission. The 

 flag refers to the visit of the Peace Commissioners, among whom were 

 Generals Sherman, Terry, and other prominent military and civil officers. 

 Their report appears in the Annual Report of the Commissioner of In- 

 dian Affairs for 1868. They met at Fort Leavenworth, August 13, 1867, 

 and between August 30 and September 13 held councils with the various 

 bands of the Dakota Indians at Forts Sully and Thompson, and also at 

 the Yankton, Ponka, and Santee Reservations. These resulted in the 

 great Dakota treaty of 1868. 



No. III. Made peace with General Sherman and others at Fort Lara- 

 mie. 



Mato Sapa says : Made peace with General Sherman aud others at 

 Fort Laramie. 



Major Bush agrees with Mato Sapa. 



See Corbusier's Winter Counts, No. II, page 144. 



1868-'69. — No. I. First issue of beef by Government to Indians. 



No. II. Texas cattle were brought into the country. This was done 

 by Mr. William A. Paxton, a well-known business man, resident in Da- 

 kota in 1877. 



No. III. Dakotas had plenty of white men's cattle (the result of the 

 peace). 



Mato Sapa agrees with No. III. 



18G9-'70.— No. I. Eclipse of the moon. . 



No. II. An eclipse of the sun. This was the solar eclipse of August 

 7, 1869, which was central and total on a line drawn through the Dakota 

 country. This device has been criticised because the Indians believe 

 an eclipse to be occasioned by a dragon or aerial monster swallowing 

 the sun, and it is contended that they would so represent it. Au im- 

 swer is that the design is objectively good, the sun being painted black, 

 as concealed, while the stars come out red, i. c, bright, and graphic 

 illustration prevails throughout the charts where it is possible to employ 

 it. In addition, it is learned that Prof. Cleveland Abbe, who was famed 

 as an astronomer before he became so as a meteorologist, was at Sioux 

 Falls, with a corps of assistants, to observe this very eclipse, and ex- 

 plained the silbject to a large number of Indians there at that time, so 

 that their attention was not only directed specially to that eclipse, but 

 also to the white men as interested in it, aud to its real appearance as 

 apart from their old superstition. 



