Jeffersonian Republican. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1840-1853, 1849-02-08
The United Nation.

The United Nation.
A late visit 10 that department of the Bureau
of Indian Affairs ,ha is under the Management.
Of MIR. Henry R. Schoolcrafi, says The Nation
al Inielligencer, has elected the following facts
respecting the Sioux, or Dah-ko-lah, Indians
The territory now claimed by this nation is
principally waiered by the 81. Peters river,
and is about nine hundred miles in length, and
from two 10 five hundred in width The orr
gna name of the tribe was Dah-ko-tah, The ln-
erpretalion of which is said TO be conleder-
acy or united nation the name of Sioux, for
which there seems 10 be no acknow edged
meaning, having been given 10 them by the
early Jesuit missionaries. The population
Of this tribe is estimated al about fifteen thou
sand, and they ale divided into bands number
ing from fifty 10 thousand souls Occupying
as they do an immense prare region, they
make use Of The horse ns cad of The canoe; and
The wealth Of Sioux chief is universally es-
Imated by the number of his horses. Private
rights are respected among them They COM
pute lime by The four seasons, but their month
contains only twenty. eight days. They desig.
nate The mon'h Of January as the hard moon
March the moon of sore eyes April, the moon
when the geese lay j; May, the moon for plan
ting June, the moon for strawberries and hoe
ing corn; July, the midsummer monIh; August,
the moon for gathering corn; September, the
moon when they gather wild rice Oclorber
and November, the moon for the running of the
doe; and December, the moon when the deer
sheds his horns. They are kind 10 the sick,
but lake more care of their youth than hey do
of their old men. They are ayerse 10 the GUS
Tom of bleeding, and seldom draw blood, excep-
in severe cases Of illness. Their medicines
are chiefly composed of roots and plants, and
they never make use of metallic Medicines
They are partial TO yapor baths, and resort 10
them for the cure of many diseases. Their
bodily sickness they frequently attribute 10 the
dispeasure Of some animal which they have
hunted with difficulty and slain. The Sioux
Indians consider il lawful 10 take the life of
felIow-being by way Of revenge, but grea,
crime 10 take life under any O her circumstan-
ces. They invariably have great fear for the
spirits of the dead. who they think have the
power of injuring the living and il is thought
hat this fear is wha, prevents them from COM
hitting murders more frequently than they do.
The practice Of lying is considered as excee-
dinghy wrong. They believe in Great Spirit,
but have no definite idea of his altrlbules.-
Whenever any calamity happens 10 them, they
alege that the Greal Spirit is angry, and so,
when they receive blessing, they acknowl-
edge it as coming from the same beng They
look on the death of a human being as msn-
Hesitation of Divine displeasure. They resor.
at times 10 sacrifices, and cases have been
known where Sioux fathers have sacrificed
their children 10 appease the anger of the Grea,
Spirit They are much afraid of creature
which they look upon as kind of vampire, and
10 see this creature is sure sign of approach.
ing death. They are exceedingly supersritious
in regard 10 fire, which they consider off,
from the Great Spirit. In former times they
obtained it from friction of wood. but al the
present time chiefly from tne flint. When a.
bout to parlake of a religious feast. they remove
all the old fire from The lodge, and reknde 1t
Tor The purpose OF cooking The food, so that they
may be sure that there will be noihing unclean
about The least. They have no idols or images
which they worship, but are in The habi, of
making offerings of tobacco and other articles
which they value. They venetae the raule-
snake, and seldom or never deprive il of life,
excepting when they wish TO employ It's skin
and .aules in their incantatons They believe
in fairies, which they allege have the power Of
taking The form of any animals. and of living
either on land or in The water all their rivers
and lakes are closely associated with litle peo-
pie. They look upon thunder as enanaiing
from large bird. Among their fabled mon
s'efs they acknowledge huge giant, ~ho
destroy an Indian by the glance OF his eye
When man dies they place his remains upon
a scaffold, which they ornament with trophies
Of war and when The flesh has deoayed, they
bury The bones in the earth, aud cover the grave
with pckels or a rude house. They do not
bury in sitting posture. but Invariably elohe
the deceased in bis finest robes, covering him
with all his favoriIe ornaments. They express
their grief a, The loss OF friend by cutting off
The hair going barefooied, dismal shouting.
muillaling their bodies, aud by making feast
for The dead.