72 
VIEWS OF LOUISIANA. 
the whole family seem to pay the utmost reverence. I saw in the 
village of the Mandan chief, She-he-ke, in an open space before 
the temple or medicine lodge, an enclosure of about six feet 
square, in which were four on these heads on elevated mounds 
Of earth. 
I had not sufficient time to form any idea of their languages, 
but from what I was able to learn there are about six primitive 
ones: it is very probable that a more accurate scrutiny would 
discover of those, several common to other nations of the conti¬ 
nent. It appeared to me that the Snake Indians, both in language 
and in appearance were different from any Indians I had ever 
seen. In the sound of the language there is a good deal of re¬ 
semblance to those of Africa which I have heard. I am inform¬ 
ed that copious vocabularies have been made by Lewis and 
Clark, of nearly all the Indian languages of the Missouri. As 
their journal is expected shortly to appear, I shall not publish 
the collections made by me, which must necessarily be much 
inferior to theirs, they having had more time and much greater 
opportunities. A few primitive words of different nations will 
suffice in this view. 
OSAGE. 
They call themselves Wasashe, and are divided into three 
bands, 1. The Great Osage, 2. Little Osage, 3. The band of 
44 Big, Track,” from a chief who left the nation some years ago 
and is now settled on the Arkansas. Their language may be con¬ 
sidered the primitive of several others, which are spoken by 
neighbouring nations, without any great difference ; as the Ar¬ 
kansas, Kansas, and Mahas. Their trade is principally in deer 
skins, bear skins, beaver, otter, muskrat, and the Buffaloe. 
These people have been noted for their uncommon stature ; this 
is somewhat exaggerated,, though they are undoubtedly above 
the ordinary size of men. The wandering or semi-wandering na* 
&ons of Louisiana, may be characterised as exceeding in stature 
the whites. The Osages are reputed warlike, but this arises from 
their being at war with all their neighbours, and not from any 
uncommon degree of bravery. When compared with the Sha- 
wanese, and the nations east of the Mississippi, they might with 
more propriety be regarded as a treacherous and cowardly race. 
