Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1845-1854, 1850-11-11
The Indian Tribes.

. 81 Under orders from the Department. Of
the Interior, our Indian Agents through.
out the country are busily engaged in,gath
ering full statistics Of the various Indian
tribes throughout our borders. With the
smoke of their wigwams they are fading
away. The powereof valor, and whi.key,
is reducing the wild heroic savage TO the
timorous mercy beggar; and the tomaha wk,
the spear, and the poisoned arrows haze
dropped from the strong hand, which now,
with enfeebled muscles, tremulousl ly clutch
es that damnable representa- tive of an inl-
perfect ciyilization-the rum bottle. 1t is
highly proper, therefore, that the govern
ment should collect such facts in relation to
these often abused races, as will enable us
to carve out for them decent epitaph, af-
ter their final bu ial. o -. e.. -g5-.,.-r-
In addition to the usual inquiries as to
their tribe, numbers, location, &C., circu-
lar is issued requesting still further investi-
cations in relation to the different .langua g
es in use amongst them. Tie Agents. are
requested, if possible, to a, certain the words
used by the different t'ibes, in the designa-
tion of spiritual and human existence; the
terms of consanguinity; names Of parts Of
the human frame their words appertain-
ing to war, hunting, travelling, costume
and decorations; those descriptive of astro-
nomicai and meteorological phenomena;
geogra phical terms; their names e metals,
terms used in horticulture and agriculture;
botanical terms and the vegeta bic king dom
generally; articles of food; native quadru-
peds among. them; the domestic animals
introduced among them; their names Of
reptiles and insects, birds and ornithologic-
al terms generally; fishes aud objects in
ichth yolcgy. Their adiectives, pronouns,
personal and relative, adverbs, propositions
and prepositional terms, verbs, participles,
etc. etc. .s ..r.. ,..s SID. r.....t.tz a. =
T Our Indian Agent, Col Johnson, whose
field of inquiry comprises the Pacific coast
within the boundary of California, and all
the country this side Of the Sierra Nevada,
is pursuing his inves,ig cations with diligence,
and will be enabled to communicate much
information in relationto the condition OF
the Indian tribes within our State. He has
already been in the northern portion If the
State, and is preparing for tour through
the lower country In. his Investigations
thus. far we learn the following: That
The Hook tribe lumber 70 to 100 loca-
ted at Hook Farm, on Feather river. 90,
The Yubas-numbes about lS0-locat-
ed at the mouth of the Yuba river.
I The Olip-as--number- so to l0o--locat-
ed about thirty-two miles above the mouth
of Feather river. There is another rancho
near by, called the Bogars. o. 80.
The Jolibos-number l5O-located at
the foot of the mountains, on Feather river,
about sixty miles above Yuba City.
The Erskines 60-localed on
Butte Creek, near Lawson's Ranch.
The Ma-chucks-number 10 to SOLO
Gated in the same valley.
The Chus-nas--located on the Rio Chino,
near BidwelI's and Potter's on the south
branch of the Yuba. = FsTHE ,t7. - '
The above tribes all speak a similar lam
guage, though in prom quotation words vary.
| They use many Spanish, French, and Eng
lish words which are corrupted by. an in
distinct CULTURAL NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
Courier. SIS T. ralrg Ert@