342 Expedition to the 



nerous forbearance that has restrained them from killing 

 more than two white men, within the memory of the present 

 generation. Of these one, a Frenchman, was killed by A-kir- 

 a-ba during the Spanish government; and the other, a Span- 

 iard, by Shaumonekusse, more recently, at the sources of the 

 Arkansa, an act, which, although attended by an extraordi- 

 nary display of bravery, yet it was declared by this young 

 warrior, to be the only martial act of his life that he was 

 ashamed of. 



The hunting grounds of the Oto nation, extend from the 

 Little Platte up to the Boyer creek, on the north side of the 

 Missouri, and from Independence creek to about forty miles 

 above the Platte, on the south side of that river. They hunt 

 the bison, between the Platte and the sources of the Konza 

 rivers. 



A few years since, their numbers were very much dimin- 

 ished by the small pox. 



The language of the Otoes, Missouries, and Ioways, al- 

 though the same, is somewhat differently pronounced, by 

 these respective nations or tribes. The dialect of the Ioways 

 is more closely allied to that of the Oto, than to the Missouri 

 dialect; the former differs chiefly in being pronounced more 

 sharply, as in the word In-ta-ra, friend \ which in the Oto is 

 In-ta-ro. The Missouri dialect differs in being more nasal; 

 the children, however, of this nation, being, from their resi- 

 dence among the Otoes, in constant habits of association 

 with the Oto children, are gradually assuming the pronun- 

 ciation of that nation. 



Originally the same, and still very similar to the above 

 dialects, are those of the Osages, Konzas, Omawhaws, and 

 Puncaws, the individuals of each of which nations can make 

 themselves reciprocally understood, after a very little prac- 

 tice. The two latter dialects are so very closely allied, as 

 not to be distinguishable from each cither, by persons who 

 are not very critically acquainted with the language. The 



