The Minnesota pioneer. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn. Territory) 1849-1855, 1849-06-28
!, s:s: :. For the Assneer
aEase DaEOssta or SisQx Indians.

s@sFase Ssakosa or SisQx Indians.
Pha# 4ss ole of the l;tegest tribes in the
country esaimed BY the United States. The
.essAnistss: occupied ~ them is probably sssse
extensive than that of any Other trssa sS bsse
aboriginal insss5itants of Nssuk A ssssfea.-
h;extends from the Mississippi on the East
ffseeen degrees of Longitude with an average
breadth Of not less than four degrees of lati-
tude or about 500 miles.
Their proper name, by which they are
known among themselves, is Dakota (a)
being sounded as in father. 1t signifies AL
lies, or United, and implies that many clans
are united into one nation. Among white
men they have been generally known by the
name Of Sioux, pronounced as if written
sooz The early French writer's, who gave
them this name, wrote il Scioux. Carver,
who was among them upwards of eighty
years ago, and who claims to have been the
first Englshman who ever entered their
country, wrote it NaolowessiouX. He esti-
mated the number of their warriors at 1000.
If he was as correct in this estimate, as in
that Of the other tribes he visited, instead of
diminishing as other tribes are supposed to
have done, they have increased and are
now twice as numerous as they were eighty
years ago. For many years, the whole
population of the tribe has been estimated,
by those having the best opportunities OF
knowing, at not less than %, 900 or sc, 900.
In form, color, mode of life, religion, and
the structure of their languages, there is a
general resemblance among all the Abor-
IglneS of North America; but this is much
less clearly marked, than might be supposed,
from much of what has been published con-
corning them. The first inhabitants of the
temperate zone of this continent, with whom
Europeans became acquainted, were of the
Algorgnin, or Mobilan stock. individuals
Of those families of nations, are the models
whence more than nne-tenths of the de-
scriptons, and pictures of Indians have been
drawn. The prominent cheek bones, broad
nose, projecting jaws, and large thick lips,
which are so characteristic of these, and
pei haps of other races of Red men, are not
particularly remarkable among the Dako
tas. After residing many years among
them, | am unable to specify any particular,
in the form Of the Sioux face from the eyes
downwards, which might serve to distin-
guish them from Europeans. From the
eyes upward, in general the form of their
heads is easily distinguished from that of
W hite men, aud approaches more nearly to
that of the Red. The part Of the face,
above the nose and between the eyebrows,
is full and prominent; and the upper part of
the orbits, in many individuals, much more
elevated above the eyes, than is seen IN
Europeans indicating that what Pheno
logists call the perceptive faculties or organs
especially Individuality and Locality are
very large. This prominence, about the
iunerpart of the hrows, makes the Dakota
forehead appear narrower, and lower, than
1t really is. The upper part Of the head IS
more round and conical, aud less tiattened
on the sides, and forehead, than that OF the
European. The diameter Of the head of
the latter is considerably greater from before
backwards than from side to side, and some
what fattened on the top as well as sides,
while ia the former the several diameters
seem to be about equal; and the central part
of the top of The head comes to an apex
near the place where Psychologists locate
the organ of firmness; considerably farther
forward than is the apex IN the head OF the
African. The hair of the Sioux is generally
black, and straight, aud men as well as wo-
ssssen count il al honor 10 wear ioSg haig.--
But know several children, supposed to be
full blooded Dakotas, who have yellow hair,
and aside from what is artificial iii both races
CURED mar Is nearly DIS Conituoil ainoiiS tAeiT
men as white men.
The color Of their skins is a little whittier
than that of the Chippewas, who are their
neighbors on the Northeast. This is not
always observable in the full blooded In
dians, because in most Of these the true col
or of the skin is mostly concealed by paint
or dirt. 1t is very obvious when we look at
the half breeds of the Two tribes: many of
the half breed Sioux being as fair as the
generality of Europeans. Some of the
fairest skinned children have ever seen
have Sioux grand-motherS Us dark as the
average of the tribe.
Owing to their mode of life the women
are shorter and heavier built than most white
women and the men are generally lighter
with smaller arms and hands than white
men. Their bodies are straight and well
formed generally; and where there is any
defect natural or accidental they are very
careful to conceal it, and their mode Of dress
is such as to exhibit their persons to the best
advantage. Obesity is rare and never, ex-
cept from disease or starvation, do we see
Dakota so lean, as are many laborng
white men who ENJOY good health.