46 THE GEORGE CATLIN INDIAN GALLERY. 



DAKOTA— OSAGES. 



The Osages were placed on the Missouri in 1673, by Marquette, who called them the 

 Wasashe; were allies of the Illinois, and near the last of the past century had been 

 driven down to the Arkansas. Coming in contact with the French, they became 

 their firm allies, and joined them in many of their operations against Spanish and 

 English and other Indians ; in 1804, made peace with the Sacs and Foxes, with whom 

 they had been at war, and settled on the Great Osage River. Their numbers were 

 estimated then at G,300. The usual succession of treaties ceding lands, and wars with 

 neighboring Indians followed, reducing them very much in numbers, until the break- 

 ing out of the civil war, when 1,000 of them went south aud joined the Confederacy. 

 Treaties of 18G5, 1866, and 1870 provided for the conveying of their lands in trust to 

 the United States, and for their removal to the Indian Territory, where they have 

 been placed under the care of the Society of Friends, and are now making rapid pro- 

 gress toward a self-supporting condition. They now number 3,001, of whom 323 are 

 civilized, self-supporting mixed bloods. — W. II. Jackson, 1877. 



There were 1,570 Osages at Osage Agency, Indian Territory, June 

 30, 1881. The agent reported :' 



The Osages numbered 1,570 in June, 1884, consisting of 1,215 full-bloods and 355 

 mixed bloods. They are steadily decreasing in numbers, and must continue to do so 

 until they give up their old customs of religion, pleasures, and dress. 



August 20, 1885, Agent L. J. Miles reports: 



In compliance with office instructions, I have the honor to make my seventh annual 

 report of this agency, situated south of the State of Kansas, west of the 96th principal 

 meridian, and east and south of the Arkansas River, comprising an area of 1,570,196 

 acres, and occupied by the Osage, Kaw, and part of the Quapaw Indians. The res- 

 ervation was purchased of the Cherokees by the Osages, as they claim, with the spe- 

 cific understanding that they should have a title to the same in "fee" from the Cher- 

 okee Nation. Ten years after the land was purchased and paid for with Osage funds, 

 through which time they were clamoring for a deed, Congress, without the knowledge 

 of the Osages, demanded a deed to Osage lands to be made to the United States, in 

 trust, from the Cherokee Nation, a copy of which was sent to this office. On pre- 

 senting this to the Osage council they were much disappointed, and asked that the 

 paper be returned, and a request made for a deed such as had been promised them 

 when the land was purchased. 



The Osages numbered in June 26. 1885, 1,547, of which 1,170 were full and 377 mixed 

 blood. The full bloods mostly cling to their blanket dress, converse in their native 

 tongue, and are indolent in their habits, the men lounging about their lodges or houses 

 most of the time, allowing the women to do most of the work. The mixed bloods ail 

 wear citizen's dress, speak English, and are all to some extent engaged in farming 

 and stock-raising. 



With the full-blood Osages farming is a failure, at least with the present genera- 

 tion, as they look upon work as degrading, and to plow and hoe only fit occupations 

 for poor white men who have to work for a living, and they are careful to impress 

 this idea on the minds of their children. They all manage to plant small patches of 

 corn and vegetables, and if their duties as consistent Indians are not too pressing, 

 with the assistance of the stronger and more energetic members of the family (the 

 women) they manage to raise a fair crop, which they dry and otherwise prepare for 

 winter. 



They own large numbers of horses and ponies, and also plenty of swine. Steadily 

 decreasing in numbers. 



