MALLEKY ON THE DAKOTA CALENDAR. 13^ 



¥ig. 8, 1807. — "Eed Coat", a chief, was killed. The figure shows the 

 red coat pierced by two arrows, with blood dropping from the wounds. 

 It is proper here to remark that throughout the chart the totem of the 

 clan of the person indicated is not generally given, though it is probably 

 always used in i^edigree records, but instead a pictorial representation 

 of his name, when it admitted of such illustration. The clans are di- 

 visions relating to lineage, and neither coincide with, nor are limited by, 

 the political tribal organizations. The number of the clans, or distinct- 

 ive totemic families, of the Dakotas is believed to be less than that of 

 their organized bands, if not of their tribes, and considerably less 

 than that of the totems appearing on this chart. Although it has 

 been contended that the clan-totem alone was used by Indians, there 

 are other specimens of picture-writing among the Dakotas where the 

 name-totem appears, notably the set of fifty-five drawings in the library 

 of the Army Medical Museum narrating the deeds of Sitting Bull. A 

 pictured message lately sent by a Sioux at Fort Eice to another at a 

 distant Agency, and making the same use of name-signs, came to the 

 writer's notice. Captain Carver, who spent a considerable time with 

 these Indians (called by him "IsTadowessies") in 1766-67, explains that 

 "besides the name of the animal by which every nation or tribe (clan) 

 is denominated, there are others that are personal, which the children 



receive from their mother The chiefs are distinguished 



by a name that has either some reference to their abilities or to the hiero- 

 glyphic of their families, and these are acquired after they have arrived 

 at the age of manhood. Such as have signalized themselves either in 

 their war or hunting parties, or are possessed of some eminent qualifi- 

 cation, receive a name that serves to perpetuate the fame of their actions 

 or to make their abilities conspicuous." The common use of these name- 

 signs appears in their being affixed to old treaties, and also to some peti- 

 tions in the Office of Indian Affairs, their similarity in both character 

 and actual design irresistibly recalling the signatures of Locksley, 

 Wamba & Co. to the famous cartel delivered at the Castle of Ivanhoe. 



Fig. 9, 1808. — The Dakota who had killed the Eee shown in Fig. 7 was 

 himself killed by the Eees. He is represented running, and shot with 

 two arrows, blood dripping. These two figures, taken in connection, 

 afford a good illustration of the method pursued in the chart, which was 

 not intended to be a continuous history, or even to record the most im- 

 portant event of each year, but to exhibit some one of special pecu- 

 liarity. War then raging between the Dakotas and several tribes, 

 doubtless many on both sides were killed in each of the years ; but 

 there was some incident about the one Eee who was shot as in fancied 

 security he was bringing down an eagle, and whose death was avenged 

 by his brethren the second year afterward. Hence the selection of those 

 occurrences. It would, indeed, have been impossible to have graphically 

 distinguished the many battles, treaties, horse-stealings, big hunts, &c., 

 so most of them were omitted and other events of greater individuality 



