Rocky Mountains. 289 



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along in that direction, and set there, (pointing with his fin- 

 ger to the apparent course of the luminary.) 



The day is divided into morning, noon, evening, and night; 

 and respectively indicated by the words, Cas-aht-te, Me-o- 

 kons-ka, Paz-za and Hon-da. Any particular hour of the 

 day, is denoted by pointing to the apparent place of the sun 

 at the specified time. The years are denoted by the number 

 of winters, and the months by lunations. 



Their geographical knowledge of the country, over which 

 they roam, is remarkably exact. They know intimately every 

 river and creek in the vicinity of the Missouri, from Grand 

 river up to the Arickaree nation, on the left side of the river, 

 and as far down as the Osage river on the right, and south 

 as far as the Black hills, together with their courses and dis- 

 tances. 



Mr. Dougherty, accompanied with two or three young In- 

 dians, arrived at an Omawhaw hunting encampment, late in 

 the evening, and, after inquiring at several of the lodges, at 

 length entered the one in which he intended to remain. Be- 

 ing asked by which way he had come, he pointed out, as he 

 thought, the true direction; at this his fellow travellers smiled, 

 and told him he was mistaken. He was not undeceived, till 

 he went out of the lodge to observe the direction they had 

 indicated, when he became satisfied of their correctness. 

 They had, however, been less frequently in that part of the 

 country, than he had been; but they had, without doubt, in- 

 stinctively noted all the changes of the direction, which thev 

 had made in winding through the temporary village, for they 

 could not avail themselves of previous local knowledge. 



But although they are remarkably accurate, in their know- 

 ledge of the proper direction in which to travel, in order to 

 reach a given point, yet they are often lost during foggy days, 

 or during heavy snow storms. 



Their culinary utensils are few in number, and simple in 

 kind. The original earthenware pots are now rarely used by 



vol. i. 37 



