The Arkansas advocate., 1830-06-16

aY-e were summoned to tila front of : inc yard. where there were placed five men singing and beating upon drums, made of gums and covered in q similar manner to our own. The older chiefs kept the ground for long time. per forming vigorous and active accom- paniment to the music; initiating the various movements of war, and pitching their voices to the notes of victory and resenge.n
 Alter older warriors had finished, the young men took up the amusement and continued 1t. The first were all deck ed for the occasion, with their iaiple- nents of val, ornamented with tateir best dresses, and variegated with differ ntcolouFedpaints-butthe latter danc- ed anarmed, and were painted white, with clay.
 @The Osages are a tall race of men, and well formed; their noses are aqui- line, almost without an exception, and the general resemblance to each other II person, was 50 great, that they ap- peared set of men all cast in one mould. The women place their chil- dreD, soon after they are born, upon a board, to which they are tied dow for the most part of the time, hand and foot, until they are able to walk. This practice tends to fatten very much the back part Of their heads, and probably renders them so very straight in their persons. The color Of the Osages is much fighter than any other Indians l have ever seen5 and they have, in the place of black, so common among other Indians, light brown hair. The men shave their heads to the skin, leaving only a small tuft of hair, with a tri-an- gular base, on the top and back part of the head; to this tuft they attach feath- CTS and other ornaments, each token of some particular exploit. The one who bears the highest mark of distinc- ton, is the greatest war chief
 The Pedestrian powers these Indi- ans is almost incredible.
 :. To give you some idea their speed in travelIine-a young warrior was dis patched, on foot, from Col. Choteaus, with an express to the Creek Agency, a distance of about 40 miles: he started at F o'clock, noon, and returned with an answer, het.rccssl 2 2 iasfs. ard ia se o'clock, On the same evening; performing a walk of nearly eighty miles in less than ten hours! This happened while l was a- mong them. IL is, indeed, very eom- mon, for the men and women to proceed with their skins, from Clainnont's vil- lage to Col. Choteau's, do their trading and return home, on the same day, the distance, going and coming, being not less, certainly, than 70 miles.
 The correspondence Of the following custom among them, with one of the customs of the ancient Spartans, is won- derfui, and worthy of remark.
 ss ssI'heY consider stealing as no crime, and fit be done without detection, the thief receives q mark of distinction, when q certain number of these acts of distinction have been enacted on the goods and chattels of a neighboring tribe, the honorable performer is raised fo the rank Of chief
 Of the religion of the Osages, our friend remarks, that
 "They believe in q Great Spirit, to whom they render sacrifices, and pray night and day. During the time Of their deyotions, they prostrate them selves to the earth, and make the great est imaginable lamentations, aecompa- nyiag them with tears"
 Concerning their other habits, GUS toms, and condition, our friend relates, that,
 "The men do nothing but hunt the game, in which they take great de light, and go to war with other tribes, as is the custom among all Indians. The women make their houses, plant their corn, and do all other labor, at the bid- ding of their husbands. The men are allowed to have a plurality of sisters for wives; by marrying the eldest, the oth- CTS come in their possession by right. If they are unable to support them all, they are at liberty to sell any part of them for any thing they can obtain. Their lodges areucoyered with mats made of flag flag grass, and 50 ingeniously wrought as to be proof against rain.- Their floors are covered with the same materials upon which they sit, having mo seats of any sort. The lodges are very compact, but form very irregular streets. .'-Reg.
 Although the general habits of life
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