Alexandria gazette & advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1822-1824, 1823-02-08

Their, uncle. Thirteen cniiotoh nave
occurred in one family A womanhad
three children a. Dir th-sn lived.
They bear sickness and pain with
great for,itude, seldom uttering COM
plant; bystxnders sympathise with
them, and try every means to relieve
them. Insanity is unknown the blind
are taken care Of by their friends and
the nation generally, aud are well dres.
sed and fed. Drunkenness is rare and
IL much ridiculed, q drunken man is
said to be bereft Of his reason, and il
avoided. As to the origin of the ma
ton, their beliefis. that the master of
life formed man, and placed him on
the earth; he was solitary, and cried
to the Master Of life for companion,
who sent him down woman; from
the union of the two proceeded q son
and daughter, who we're married, and
built themselves a lodge distinct from
that of their parents-all the nations
proceeded from them, excepting the
whites, whose origin they pre- end 20
to know. When a man is killed IN
battle, the thunder is supposed to take
him up, they do not know where In
going to battle each man traces an
ina inary figure of the thunder on the
soil and he who represents it incor-
rectly is killed by the thunder. A per.
son saw this thunder one day on the
ground, with beautiful pair OF moe.
kasins on each side of +; having
much need of pair, he took 'hem up
and went his way; but on his return
bv the same spot, the thunder took him
off and he has not since been heard
Of. They seem to have vagoe notions
efthe future state They think that
brave warrior, a good hunter. will
wal in good path, but bad man,
coward, will find bad path. Think.
ing the deceased has far to travel, they
bury with his body mockasins, some
articles of food, &c. to support him on
the journey. Many persons, they be-
lieve, have become terminated, who
had been during their apparent death,
in strange villages. but as the inhab-
itauts used them i'll. they returned,
They say they have never seen the
Master Of life, and therefore cannot
pretend to personify him but they
have often heard him speak in the
thunder /: they wear often q she'll which
is in honor or in representation of him,
but they do not pretend that 1t resem
bles him. or has any thing Uncommon
with his form, organization, or dimen-
sioDs
This nation having been at pro-
found peace with the Osages since the
year 1896, (see Pike, =. l44.) have in
ternarried freely with them, so that in
stature, features, and customs they are
moro and more closely approaching
tina. people. They are la &c and SYM
mstrically we'll formed, with the usual
high cheek bones. the more or less q.
quilise, color reddish coppery, the hair
black and straight. Their women are
small aud homsly, with broad faces
We saw bu. a single squawin the viii
lage who had any pretens'ons 10 oean>
": she was recently married to an en-
terprizing warrior, who invited US to
a feast. apparently in order to exhibit
his prize to Us. The ordinary dress of
the man is breech cloth, OF blue or
red cloth, secured in its place by CIR.
die: a pair of leggiDgs. made OF dress
ed deer skin, conrsaling the leg, ex.
cepting small portion of the upper
part OF the thigh pair Of mockas'ns,
made of dressed deer, elk. or bison
skin, not orna nented and blanket
to cover the upper part OF the body, Of
ten thrown over one arm In hot wea'
Their, leaving that part naked; or It is
even thrown aside The outer cartil-
age of the ear is cut through in three
places, and upon the rims thus sepa-
rated various ornaments are suspended.
such as wampum. string beads. silver
ar tin tripkets, &c. The hair OF most
Of their chiefs and warriors is scrupu-
lously removed from the head, being
careful, however, to leave enough, as
in honor they are bound to do. to sup.
ply their enemy with a scalp, in case
they should be vanquisbea. This resi.
dunn consists of portion on the back
Of tho head about the breadth Of the
hand, rounded at it's upper termination
near the top Of the head. the sides rec
.ilinear, and nearly parallel, though
.hghtly approaching each other towards
the origin of the neck, where it abrupt
" terminates" &c.
"Both sexes, Of all ages. battle fire..
quently, aud enter the water indiscrim.
ina,ely. The infant is washed in cold
water soan after it's birth. and the alb
luton 10 frequently repeated-the mo