104 



ASSINIBOIN 



[b. a. e. 



hospitality is noted by most traders who 

 have visited them. Polygamy is com- 

 mon. While the buffalo abounded their 

 principal occupation consisted in making 

 pemmican, which they l)artered to the 

 whites for liquor, tobacco, powder, balls, 

 knives, etc. Dogs are said to have been 

 sacrificed to their deities. According to 

 Alexander Henry, if death happened in 

 winter at a distance from the burial 

 ground of the family, the body was car- 

 ried along during their journeying and 

 placed on a scaffold, out of reach of dogs 

 and beasts of prey, at their stopping 

 places. Arrived at the l)urial place, the 

 corpse was deposited in a sitting posture 

 in a circular grave about 5 feet deep, 

 lined with bark or skins; it was then 

 covered with bark, over which logs were 

 placed, and these in turn were covered 

 with earth. 



The names of their bands or divisions, 

 as given l)y different writers, vary con- 

 siderably, owing to the loose organiza- 

 tion and wandering habit of the tribe. 

 Lewis and Clark mention as divisions in 

 1805: (1) Menatopa (Otaopabine of Max- 

 imilian), Gens de Feuilles [for fines'] 

 (Itscheabine), Big Devils (Watopach- 

 nato), Oseegah, and another the name 

 of which is not stated. The whole peo- 

 ple were divided into the northern and 

 southern and into the forest and prairie 

 bands. Maximilian (Trav., 194, 1843) 

 names their gentes as follows: (1 ) Itsche- 

 abine (gens des lilies); (2) Jatonabine 

 (gens des roches); (8) Otopachgnato 

 (gens du large) ; (4 ) Otaopabine (gens des 

 canots); (5) Tschantoga (gens des bois); 

 (6) Watopachnato (gens de I'age); (7) 

 Tanintauei (gens des osayes); (8) Chabin 

 (gens des montagnes). A band men- 

 tioned by Hayden (op. cit., 387), the 

 Minishinakato, has not been identified 

 with any named by Maximilian. Henry 

 (Jour., II, 522-523, 1897) enumerated 11 

 bands in 1808, of which the Red River, 

 Rabbit, Eagle Hills, Saskatchewan, Foot, 

 and Swampy Ground Assiniboin, and 

 Those - who - have - water- for- themsel ves- 

 only can not be positively identified. This 

 last may be Hayden' s Minishinakato. 

 Other divisions mentioned, chiefly geo- 

 graphical, are: Assiniboin of the Mead- 

 ows, Turtle Mountain Sioux, Wawaseeas- 

 son, and Assabaoch (?). The only Assin- 

 iboin village mentioned in print is Pas- 

 quayah . 



Porter (1829) estimated the Assiniboin 

 population at 8,000; Drake at 10,000 be- 

 fore the smallpox epidemic of 1836, dur- 

 ing which 4,000 of them perished. Galla- 

 tin ( 1836) placed the number at 6,000; the 

 U. S. Indian Report of 1843, at 7,000. In 

 1890 they numbered 3,008; in 1904, 2,600. 



The Assiniboin now (1904) living in 



the United States are in Montana, 699 

 under Ft Belknap agency and 535 under 

 Ft Peck agency; total, 1,234. In C'an- 

 ada there were in 1902 the Mosquito 

 and Bears Heads' and Lean Man's bands 

 at Battleford agency, 78; Joseph's band 

 of 147, Paul's of 147, and 5 orphans at Ed- 

 monton agency; Carry-the-Kettle band 

 under Assiniboin agency, 210; Pheasant 

 Rump's band, originally 69, and Ocean 

 Man's, 68 in number, at Moose mtn.; 

 and the bands on Stony res., Alberta, 

 661; total, 1,371. See Powell in 7th Rep. 

 B. A. E., Ill, 1891; McGee, Siouan In- 

 dians, 15th Rep. B. A. E., 157, 1897; 

 Dorsev, Siouan Sociology, ibid., 213; 

 Hayden, Ethnog. and Ph'ilol. Mo. Val., 

 1862. (,i. M. c. T. ) 



Apinulboines. — Lloyd in Jour. Anthrop. Inst., v, 

 240, 1870 (misprint). Arsenipoitis. — Barcia, En- 

 savo, 238, 1723. Arsenipoits. — McKeniiev and 

 Hall, Ind. Tribes, hi, SO, 1854. Asinbols.— Trum- 

 bull, Ind. Wars, 18o, 1851. Asiniboels. — .\nville. 

 Am. Sept. map, 1756. Asiniboines. — Morgan in 

 N. Am. Rev., 44, Jan., 1870. Asi'-ni-bwa". — Am. 

 Natur., 829, Oct., 1882 (wrongly given as Dorsey's 

 spelling). Asinibwanak, — Cuoq, Lex. de la Lan- 

 gue Algonquine. 77, 1886. A-si-ni-poi'-tuk. — Hay- 

 den, Ethnog. and Philol., 381, 1802 (Cree and 

 Chippewaname). Asinipovales, — Barcia, Ensayo, 

 176, 1723. As-ne-boines. — Bonner, Life of Beck- 

 wourth, 1.58, 1850. Asseenaboine. — Franklin, Journ. 

 Polar Sea, 108, 1824. Asseeneepoytuck. — Ibid., 55 

 (Cree name). Asselibois. — Doc. of 1083 in N. Y. 

 Doc. Col. Hist., IX, 798, 1855. Assenepoils. — Henne- 

 pin, New Discov., map, 1698. Asseniboines. — Per- 

 rin, Voy. dans les Louisianes, 203. 1805. Asseni- 

 boualakl— l)n Lhut (1678) in Margry, Dec, vi, 21, 

 1880. Assenipoels. — Chauvignerie (173()) in N. Y. 

 Doc. Col. Hist., IX, 1055, 1855. Assenipoils.— 

 Hennepin, New Di.scov., map, 1098. Assenipoua- 

 lacs. — Hennepin quoted by Shea, Disc, 131, 

 1852 (trans. ' .stone warriors ') • Assenipoualak. — 

 Shea, ibid., note. Assenipouals. — Hadout (171(1) 

 in Margry, Dec, vi, 14, isst;. Assenipouel. — Ibid., 

 11. Assenipoulacs. — Hennepin misquoted by 

 Neill, Hist. Minn., 134, 1858. Assenipoulaes. — 

 Hennepin (KM)) in French, Hist. Coll. La., i, 212, 

 1846. Assenipoulaks.— Du Unit (1678) in Margry, 

 D(5c., VI, 22, IMSO. Assenipouvals. — Coxe, Carolana, 

 43, 1741. Assenipovals. — .\lcedo,l)ict.Ge0g.,IV,.557, 

 1788. Assenniboins.— Schoolcraft, Trav., 245, 1821. 

 Assenpoels.— N. Y. Doc. Col. Hist., index, 289, 1801. 

 Assilibouels.— Iljcrville (1702) in Margry, Dc'C, 

 IV, OUO, 1880. Assimpouals. — Lahontan, New Voy., 

 I, 231, 1703. Assinaboes.— Smith, Bouquet's Ex- 

 ped., (;9, 1700. Assinaboil.— Boudinot, Star in the 

 West, 125, isio. Assinaboine.— Ind. Aff. Rep., 498, 

 1839. Assinaboins. — Ibid., 297, 183.5. Assina- 

 bwoines.— Schoolcraft, Ind. Tribes, V, 99, 1855. As- 

 sineboes.— Hutchins ( 1705), ibid., in, 556, 18-53. As- 

 sineboin. — Brackcnridge, Views of La., 79, 1815. 

 Assineboines. — Ricliardson, Arct. Exped., I, map, 

 1851. Assinebwannuk. — Jones, Ojebway Inds., 

 178,1801. Assinepoel.— Chauvignerie (1730)quoted 

 by Schoolcraft, Ind. Tribes, iil, 5-50, 18,53. Assine- 

 poils.— Hayden, Ethnog. and Philol. Mo. Valley, 

 380, 1802. Assinepoins. — Ramsey in Ind. Atf. Rep. 

 1849, 70, 1850. Assinepotuc— Balbi, Atlas Ethnog., 

 .55, 1826. Assinepoualaos. — Coxe, Carolana, 43, 

 1741. Assiniboelle. — Beauharnois and Hoci|nart 

 (1731) in Margry, DcJc, VI, 568, ISSO. Assini- 

 boels,— Frontenae" (1695) , ibid., v, 63, iss3. Assini- 

 boesi.— Capellini, Rieordi, 185, 1867. Assiniboile,^ 

 Vaudreuil and Bcgon (1710) in Margry, I)ec,vi, 

 496, 1880. Assiniboils. —Carver, Travels, map, 1778. 

 Assiniboines.— West, Jour., 86, 1824. Assiniboins.— 

 Ctass, Jour., 09, 1807. Assinibois.— Denonville 

 (1085) in N. Y. Doc Col. Hist., ix, 280, 18.55. As- 

 sinlboleses.— Alcedo, Dice Geog., i, 105, 178(i. As- 

 siniboualas.— Perrot in Minn. Hist. Coll., ll, pt. 2, 

 24, 1804. Assinibouane.— Pachot (1722) in Margry 



