The Sun.
London, England, 1851-11-29 00:00:00

COUNCIL OF INDIANS•

(From the New York Herald.)
A correspondent of the St. Louis Republican,
sting from the treaty ground, near Fort Lamarie,
i giving a description of the proceedings of the

says :
When order had been restored, all the Indians
seated after their own peculiar notiuns about
raids and precedence among themselves, Colonel
Mitchell addressed them through the interpreter,
after which the ceremony of smoking commenced.
A large red stone pipe, with a stem about
three feet long, coloured and ornamented
with hair, beads, &c., after the most ap-
proved style of the Indians, was filled with tobacco
and kinne kinnick. When lighted, it was passed by
the interpreter of the Sioux to Colonel Mitchell, and
then to Major Fitzpatrick. After they had smoked,
it was passed successively round to each Sioux, com-
mencing in the east. Many of the principal men, on
taking the pipe, pointed it to the four points of the com-
pass, then up to the Great Spirit and down to the
bad. Another ceremony was observed by nearly
every one. When an Indian took the pipe, the inter-
preter taking the other end, he would extend his
right hand to the bowl, and draw it back along the
stem to his breast. Ssme of them would repeat this
action several times. It is understood to be the most
solemn and sacred attestation of truth they can give.
" When it bad gone the round of the Si
the
pipe was refilled, and, in like manner, handed
first to the Commissioners, and then to each tribe
successively, by the interpreter of the tribe. This
ceremony occupied considerable time, but seemed to
be regarded throughout ,with deep interest by the
Indians. Until the explanation given by Colonel
Mitchell of the interest and force of this ceremony I
had not regarded it in its proper aspect, nor given to
it its due influence.
During the process of smoking, Mrs. Elliott, the
lady of Lieutenant W. L. Elliott, of the mounted
Rifles, came in, and was received by the Commis-
sioners, and assigned a seat within the arbour. Mrs.
Elliott was the only white lady in the encampment,
and her presence created an agreeable sensation
throughout the assemlaifige. Colonel Mitchell, on
receiving her, remarked to the Indians, That in her
presence the white men gave them an evidence of
their peaceful intentions, and thus confidence in
their power to punish any wrongs. Her presence,
too, was also an evidence of the confidence that was
reposed in their honesty and good intentions.'
" Shortly after this another little incident occurred
that for a moment created a thrill of feeling among
the crowd, at least the white portion of it not familiar
with such scenes. A Cheyenne squaw, leading a
horse, with a boy, of about ten or twelve years old,
mounted upon him, made her way into the entrance
cf the council arbour and commenced her chant.
The interruption was sudden, and for a few moments
not understood, but soon stopped by the Cheyenne
chiefs. The purpose was this :—Some years pre-
viously, one of the Shoshonies, a Snake Chief,
Who was then in the council, had killed
her husband, leaving this boy, then an in-
fant, fatherless. She now came to present the boy
and horse to the Shoshonie, by which, according to
their customs, the boy becomes the adopted son of the
Sheshonie, and entitled to all the rights and privileges
of that tribe. The Snake chief had no right, by their
customs, to refuse receiving the gift, and upon its re-
ception became bound to treat the boy in every re-
spect as his own child. These laws of custom which
prevail among themselves are most faithfully observed.
The time and occasion were not appropriate for the
squaw's purpose, and she had to defer her presenta-
tion until another time.

" When the smoking had been gone, through
Colonel Mitchell addressed the Indians. His expres-
sions were short, in simple language, such as they
could readily understand, in many cases adopting
various forms, and employing their own hyperbolical
mode of thought. Between sentences he paused to
s-te that the interpreters understood him correctly,
and to allow time for them to communicate it to their
respective tribes. As many of the Indians understand
the dialect of other tribes, the interpreters announced
their interpretation in a loud voice, that all might
hear, and mistakes in conveying the correct meaning
be corrected. Whenever the Indian understands, or
thinks he understands, what has been said to him, he
signifies it by a guttural exclamation how.'
" At the conclusion, sera Blue, a Sioux chief, an
old and venerable man, dressed in a blue blanket coat,
came up, shook hands with the commissioners and all
others, selected his interpreter, and then addressed
Colonel Mitchell as follows:

" ' Grand Father, I am very glad I have seen you ;
I have heard you were coming ever since the grass
begin to grow, and now you are here. I have not
two hearts—my ears have been open to all you told
us. It seems to me good. I believe our Great
Esther is good, but I will go home and talk to my
people about it—we will think of it.'
" Wahata-Uh, an Arrickaree chief, after shnking
haLds all around—a universal custom—and selecting
his interpreter, addressed Colonel Mitchell :
" Grand Father, your talk is very good. My
ears and the ears of my people have not beers on the
ground, they have been open, and we feel good in our
hearts at what you have told us. The ground is not
now as it used to be. We come here a long way off
from the Missouri river. We come hungry, for we
are very poor and could find no buffalo; but we found
friends, and they gave us something to eat. This
male our hearts glad. We are poor and live far
away, but we will do the best we can to satisfy our
Great Father. We hope he will send us more
buffalo.'
" Wash-ahewee•ha, a Shoshonie, next spoke :
" ' Grand Father, I have come a great distance to
see you and hear you. I threw my family, too,
away to come and listen, and I am glad, and my people
are glad, that we have come. Our hearts are full ;
all our hearts are full of your words. We will talk
them over again. "
Here the council broke up.