The Minnesota pioneer. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn. Territory) 1849-1855, 1851-07-10

Hal TaAvss.r DE- s,ors, II /
Monday June 80. 1851.

pr1vtslpnS, tents, arms ana ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
boat load of immigrants. We now look around
for places to pitch our tents. We find suilabe
spot and drive our tent-sticks and hurry up seven
tents, making, in addition to thirty or forty skin
lodges Of the Sioux, scattered along the slope IN
the rear Of The river aud the mission, quite un-
ique village. Near US, is warehouse and another
old log bsildins. which took possession Of, for
culinary and for feeding purposes. cooking
stove and a rough table were put IN service, and
late in the afternoon, we ate our dinner, feeding
upon steaks Of beef just killed, and upon pilot
bread and other Injuries Of the season. After
supper the iadiau girls and women divided into
two parties, to play game Of bah, Of which we
were all spectators. This is game which has
been often described, and is very exciting; esPc-
cially where i. is made interesting by the collec-
tcn of few dollars from the spectators. to DO d.
,ded amongst the winners. ,ersn
This game is just like the game Of football.
except that the ball is small one and instead Of
being kicked Is CO light with "A bat, which has at
the end little network pocket in which the ball
is caught and ,de1trously scooped up from The
ground and thrown. The ball, which is thrown
up in the centre Of the ball. ground, draws every
one after il a. flll speed, it being the object Of
each party to drive it through the bounds Of the
opposite party. The way the girls and women
pick up their red legs and cIat,er along the prairie
il curious 10 see. At night. we retired to our viz
tuous couches in the tents, and closing ourselves
in beneath our bars, from the world Of musqui-
toes. sought quiet siumber and found it.
TUESDAY MORNING, July 4.
II rains; and no news that the Indians Of the
upper bands are on their way here 10 the treaty.
Rather melancholy day this. We dig trenches
around our tents 10 drain the falling water away
from them. AT evening the rain is suspended;
the Indians MAKE dram by stretching grea,
hide over the head Of powder cass and COM
menced singing love .ong,k so they .sy), aud du-
ring the evening we are alternately entertained
with songs in Dakota. in French, and in English.
Early this morning, we heard an awful grooming
at one Of the wigwams asd heard he beating Of
n drum, and learned that the medicine mao was
there, practising his charm. and incantations over
q sick squaw. Shade Of Joyce Heth behold that
old squaw, leaning upon staff, shrivelled, and
benz, and palsied with age, bat her hair fine and
faded black, exactly like that Of an unwenned
pnPoose. Our young men are possessed Of much
curiosity, end are particularly observant Of the
fashions of the squaws; and in fact seem to be
anxiously searching for something, new or old.
The weather continues wet and cool. This is the
first day Of July. and the Indians here are now
planting corn; whereas las. year. we know from
actual observation, that the corn here WINS Shout
der high, and beginning to show It's spindles on
the 18th and 18th of July. ..,...r
WEDNESDAY, Mons July 2.
We are still anxiously awaiting the arrival Of
the upper bands Of Indians. A game Of ball
comes on, after much preparation, between SKIS
band and the band Of Sisse,ons that is resident
here. After the game OF ball, we take a stroll
river. Mr.. Hopkins and family occupy one Of
these houses, and Mr.. Higgins and family the
other. These good people are doing all they can
for the Improvement and civilization Of the saw
ages but II is evident they able to effec, very
little in that way. II is quite as easy for white
man to relapse INTO barbarism, as for red man
TO climb up to civilization. At one Of the wig
vans, we saw Freedman viii, an Indian wife
and half-breed children, looking on with Indian
stoicism and placidity, while his dusky bride was
frying the entras Of beef, (Which justice to her
character as a cook, requires US to say were
rinsed); and in the game Of bah no one was more
active than this Frenchman. In fact. he enjoys
the excitement Of a sca'p-dance quite as much
as any Of the converted Indians ENJOY the excite
ment Of prayer meeting. .-'e' '''
In our company gentleman and lady from
Indiana, and the lady is certainly :he mos: reso-
lutte, enthusiastic admirer Of frontier life that ever
was seen She is the most artess, fearless, con-
filing, enchanting woman that ever went any
where; and her loneliness contrasts so favoraby
with the coarseness Of those wild red women,
with their dirty ears. greasy dresses and lousy
heads. that there is Blu, little danger OF any of that
romantic \a,sachmer. of our young men, for the
biack-buired Sioux girls, which Cooper and ether
novelsts, make the inexperienced reader suppose
Is an Inevitable result Of an acquaintance with
them. o." -a''4il o'iF
Here we may as well name some Of the gen.
ilemen presen, at the treaty. First, the Commits
sioners. Colonel Luke Lea, and Gov. Alexander
Ramsey. Hugh Tyler, DIR. T. Foster, A. s. HI.
White, Wallace b. White, Col. Henderson and