64 THE GEOEGE CATLIN INDIAN GALLERY. 



The chief, who was wrapped in a buffalo robe, is a noble specimen of native dig- 

 nity and philosophy. I conversed much with him; and from his dignified manners, 

 as well as from the soundness of his reasoning, I became fully convinced that he de- 

 served to be the sachem of a more numerous and prosperous tribe. He related with 

 great coolness and frankness the poverty and distress of his nation; and, with the 

 method of a philosopher, predicted the certain and rapid extinction of his tribe, which 

 he had not the power to avert. Poor, noble chief, who was equal to and worthy of a 

 greater empire ! He sat upon the deck of the steamer, overlooking the little cluster of 

 his wigwams mingled amongst the trees ; and, like Cains Marius, weeping over the ruins 

 of Carthage, shed tears as he was descanting on the poverty of his ill-fated little com- 

 munity, which he told me ''had once been povv'erful and happy; that the buffaloes 

 which the Great Spirit had given them for food, and which formerly spread all over 

 their green prairies, had all been killed or driven oat by the approach of white men, 

 who wanted their skins ; that their country was now entirely destitute of game, and 

 even of roots for their food, as it was one continued prairie ; and that his young men, 

 penetrating the countries of their enemies for buffaloes, which they were obliged to 

 do, were cut to pieces and destroyed in great numbers. That his people had foolishly 

 become fond of fire-water (whisky), and had given away everything in their country 

 for it ; that it had destroyed many of his warriors, and soon would destroy the rest ; 

 that his tribe was too small and his warriors too few to go to war with the tribes 

 around them ; that they were met and killed by the Sioux on the north, by the Paw 

 nees on the west, and by the Osages and Konzas on the south; and still more alarmed 

 from the const-ant advance of the pale faces — their enemies from the East, with whisky 

 and small-pox, which already had destroyed four-fifths of his tribe, and soon would 

 impoverish, and at last destroy, the remainder of them." — Ibid., page 212. 



96. Hee-ldh-dee, the Pure Fountain, wife of Shoo-de-gii-cha (No. 95). 1832. 



(Plate No. 88, page 212, vol. 2, Catlin's Eight Years.) 

 I painted at full length a young and very pretty woman (Plate 88), wife of No. 96, 

 whose name is Hee-Mh-dee (the Pure Fountain). Her neck and arms were curiously 

 tattooed, which is a very frequent mode of ornamenting the body amongst this and 

 some other tribes, which is done by pricking into the skin gunpowder and vermilion. 

 1832.— Ibid, page 212. 



97. Hongs-hay-dee, the Great Chief, son of the chief. 



This young fellow, about eighteen years of age, glowing red with vermilion, sig- 

 nalized himself by marrying /our wives in one day whilst I was in his village. He took 

 them all at once to his v.igwam, where I saw them and painted one of them. This 

 made him a great medicine. 



(1832. Plate No. 90, page 213, vol. 2, Catlin's Eight Years.) 



Mr. Catlin fully describes the ceremony on pages 213, 214, vol. 2, Cat- 

 lin's Eight "Years. (See also " Polygamy amongst the North American 

 Indians," herein.) 



I visited the wigwam of this young installed medicine-man several times, and saw 

 his four modest little wives seated around the fire, where all seemed to harmonize 

 very well, and for aught I could discover were entering very happily on the duties 

 and pleasures of married life. I selected one of them for her portrait, and painted 

 it (Plate 89, see No. 98, below, Mong-shong-shaw, the Bending Willow) in a very 

 pretty dress of deer-skins, and covered with a young buffalo's robe, which was hand- 

 somely ornamented, and worn with much grace and pleasing effect. 



Mr. Chouteau, of the Fur Company, and Major Sanford, the agent for the Upper 

 Missouri Indians, were with me at this time ; and both of these gentlemen, highly 

 pleased with so ingenious and innocent a freak, felt disposed to be liberal, and sent 

 tiiem many presents from the steamer, - 



