THE GEOEGE CATLIN INDIAN GALLERY. 447 



AKRIVAL AT THE MANDAN A^LLAGE. 



On the sev^enth day from Fort Union he arrived at the Mandan 

 village. 



Oa this day, just before night, we landed our little boat in front of the Mandan 

 village; and amongst the hundreds and thousands who flocked towards the river to 

 meet and to greet us was Mr. Kipp, the agent of the American Fur Company, who 

 has charge of their establishment at this place. He kindly ordered my canoe to be 

 taken care of, and my things to be carried to his quarters, which was at once done ; 

 and I am at this time reaping the beuetits of his genuine politeness, and gathering 

 the pleasures of his amusing and interesting society. 



POLYGAMY AMONG THE MANDANS AND OTHER INDIAN TRIBES. 



I mentioned in the foregoing epistle (from the Mandan village. Upper Missouri, 

 July, 1832), that the chiefs of the Mandans frequently have a plurality of wives. 

 Such is the custom amongst all of these Northwestern tribes, and a few general re- 

 marks on this subject will apply to them all, and save the trouble of reiieating them- 



Polygamy is countenanced amongst all of the North American Indians, so far as I 

 have visited them ; and it is no uncommon thing to find a chief with six, eight, or 

 ten, and some with twelve or fourteen wives in his lodge. Such is an ancient cus- 

 tom, and in their estimation is right as well as necessary. Women in a savage state 

 I believe, are always held in a rank inferior to that of the men, in relation to whom 

 in many respects they stand rather in the light of menials and slaves than otherwise ; 

 and as they are the " hewers of wood and drawers of water," it becomes a matter of 

 necessity for a chief (who must be liberal, keep open doors, and entertain, for the 

 support of his popularity) to have in hia wigwam a sufficient number of such hand- 

 maids or menials to perform the numerous duties and drudgeries of so large and ex- 

 pensive an establishment. 



There are two other reasons for this custom which operate with equal if not with 

 greater force than the one assigned. In the first place, these people, though far be- 

 hind the civilized world in acquisitiveness, have still more or less passion for the ac- 

 cumulation of wealth, or, in other words, for the luxuries of life ; and a chief, excited 

 by a desire of this kind, together with a wish to be able to furnish his lodge with 

 something more than ordinary for the entertainment of his own people, as well as 

 strangers who fall upon his hospitality, sees fit to marry a number of wives, who are 

 kept at hard labor during most of the year ; and the avails of that labor enable him 

 to procure those lixuries, and give to his lodge the appearance of respectability which 

 is not ordinarily seen. Amongst those tribes who trade with the fur companies this 

 system is carried out to a great extent, and the women are kept for the greater part 

 of the year dressing buffalo robes and other skins for the market; and the brave or 

 chief who has the greatest number of wives is considered the most affluent and en- 

 vied man in the tribe ; for his table is most bountifally supplied and his lodge the 

 most abundantly furnished with the luxuries of civilized manufacture who has at the 

 year's end the greatest number of robes to vend to the fur company. 



The manual labor amongst savages is all done by the women ; and as there are no 

 daily laborers or persons who will "hire out" to labor for another, it becomes neces- 

 sary for him who requires more than the labor or services of one to add to the num- 

 ber by legalizing and compromising by the ceremony of marriage his stock of labor- 

 ers, who can thus, and thus alone, be easily enslaved, and the results of their labor 

 turned to good account. 



There is yet the other inducement, which probably is more effective than either, the 

 natural inclination which belongs to man who stands high in the estimation of his 

 people and wields the scepter of power, surrounded by temptations which ho con- 

 siders it would bo unnatural to resist, where no law or regulation of society stands in 



