Southport telegraph. [volume] (Southport, W.T. [i.e. Kenosha, Wis.]) 1840-1850, 1842-06-14

Hhu du lneXnauStOle variety OF SUBJECTS
for his easel-he departed at once for the
west, on voyage lite rally in search of the
picturesque.' The present volumes pre-
sent the results Of his sojourn among the
Indian tribes, and exhibit a multitude of
details of great curiosity, singularity, and
interest.
Sixteen millions, it is computed, the
numbers of the wild nations inhabiting
North America when the Europeans land
ed amongst them. The progress of des-
tructlon has reduced them al present to
about two millions; and of these nearly
two-thlrds belong to frontier tribes, who
are IN constant intercourse with ne white
man, and therefore no longer in a state of
nature, bu: far worse;-inoculated with his
vices, weakened by the diseases and drunk
enness which he has introduced, degraded
! from their national pride and honor, and
impoverished by the spolation OF the hunt
| ing fields from which they derived their
subsistence. These tribes are the naked,
savage, remorseIess race. which some wr-
ters, in their anxiety to excuse the wrongs
inflicted upon them, have represented all
the Red Men to be. Mr.. Catlin left all
such behind him, and wandered on till he
encountered the few remnants Of the gene
rous, unsophisticated sons Of nature; and
these he saw under the most favorable cir
cumstances for learning their true condi
ton. Living with them as one Of them
selves; having no tradingpurposes TO serve;
exciting no enmity by the well-meant but
suspicious preaching of new religion
ha riA nd
sketching and noting whatever he saw
worthy Of record; and wisely abandoning
| all search for the ancient history of a peo-
| pie who knew no writing, he confined his
Iabors TO the depicting exactly what he
saw, and that only. Notes and sketches
were transmitted, as occasion served, to
| New York, and the collected results now
! appear, partly in Il gallery which has been
for some time exhibited in London contain
ing some four hundred pictures Of Indian
personages and scenes, drawn upon the
spot, with specimens Of their dress and
manufactures, their arts and arms; and
partly, as just stated in the volumes under
our hands, which display engravings Of
most OF those specimens and pictures, ac-
companied by narrative, written in We
ry pleasant homely style, of his walks and
wanderngs in the $" far west"
The word medicine" is the epthet
which the Indians afix TO ever thing unn-
telligIbe, or rather the usual translation Of
the many native words which mean the
same thing; but whose more correct trans
lation would be magic" or " magical"
rs it implies veneration as we'll as wonder
and is associated with whatever exists Of
religious feeling. Thus Mr.. Ca,lin's gun
was " medicine" as we'll as his painting
brush--having percussion lock--the
steamer was d" the big medicine canoe with
eyes," seeing its way through the winding
channels, and always following the line
of the deepest water-a falling star was
medicinc-and yellow bear or q white
buffalo 'very great medicine" and almost
worshpped.-Every warrior likewise had
a medicine bag formed of skin, which he
supposed TO be the gift of the Great Spirit,
and kept as talisman both in life and
death. Great disgrace attended the loss of
this bag in batile-disgrace which could
only be wiped away by the production of |
another torn from the side Of a slain enemy;
when the second became more worthy |
than the first, and the possessor more he |
no:ed. The veneration Of this talisman is
we'll calculated TO suit the spirit OF a people !
SO daring and warlike; to whom, as to our
scandinavian ancestors, religion was little |
else than worship Of valor. To the |
minds of both. cowardce was the greatest |
sin; while to delight in danger, to fear no
enemy, TO endure hunger and pain, and to
die with glory, were the attributes of a |
good man. To future state, also, Swallowed |
itself forth in promise Of similar enjoy
ments; the Morse hero, after death, was to
pursue the chase and the foe, and, when
wearied with this pleasing toll. to drink
mead in the halls Of Odin. The Indian
warrior looked forward to the beautiful !
prairies, where the Great Spirit would
welcome his children, where the bufflo
should always abound, and the white trader
quentlp buried in the same fashion, and
supplied with provisions for their distant
iourney-with horse and arms for their
equipment in the promised land.
AT Fort Yellow Stone, the author wit
messed the mummeries performed by
"medicine man" over Blackfoot Indian,
who had been desperately wounded by
shot from knis,eaux rhe.-These med-
cine men are the only characters among
them approaching 10 those of priests or
religious tunctionaries; -offices which they
combine with the profession Of physic,
sooothsaying, and the art-magic, and are
much venerated and trusted by every tribe. |
Their dress is formed Of the skin of yell !
low bear, surmounted by his head, within
which that Of the man is concealed, and |
hung round, by way of charms, with the
skins of every rare or ugly animal in the
country;-"the stuffed forms of frogs,
Snal.oS and hatS. the hnakS toes Nd ais |