The Minnesota pioneer. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn. Territory) 1849-1855, 1853-05-12

orders issuo from the hya4i The proc'amations
were made at this encampment by man nearly blind
who has since been killed by the Chippewas. In
the morning he stood out and publicly announced the
name Of young man who was sent out to ascertain
where the buffalo were. On his return he spoketo no
by the way, but proceeded to the soldiers lodge,
and after smoking with the red pipe stem whispered
his message in the Of the eympah1, who made
proclamation Of the same.
When meat is plenty in the camp, there is no lack
Of it at the soldiers lodge although it is entirely de-
pendent Cor its supplies the free will offerings Of
the women. Bat then every woman who brings
piece Of meat has her and the fact proclaimed
throughout the camp. When they are out Of wood
at the tiyotp the crier stands out and makes known
the fact, and every boy takes up an armlul from his
mothers wood-p and HES away with it to the
soldiers lodge.
When animal. are hunted in this way, all engaged
have of right some claim on what is killed. The
laws regulating the distribution in these cases set
forth in the following from letter written
some time since by Faumaiokya:
ala the buffalo hunt, whoever kills takes home
the skin, half the breast, hind quarter, the ribs Of
sidc the tongue, the paunch and the fat thereof.
These are his portion. He who up second
quarter and the large entras. These are his por-
ton. The third who takes the head the
backbone the rump, both arms and the small en-
trails. These his portion.
''When one kills deer he takes home the skin,
the runp and both the hind quarters. These his
portion. He who comes up next takes one side, one
arm, the neck, head and paunch. These are his
portion. The third takes one arm, one side, the
back bone, the lights and entrails. These are his
portion.
"When shoots bear, he takes the skin, the
heart and the entrails. These are his portion.--
The man who comes up next after him takes the
rump and both the hind legs These are his portion.
The that comes takes one arm, one side and
the fat of one kidney. These are his portion. Who
ever comes next, takes arm and one kidney with
the fat thereof. If there are many people, the re-
mainder is divided into many PORTIONS
These are the laws Of division in the chase among
the Dakotas. SO wei! understood are they that we
seldom hear Of difficulties occurring among the claim
ants. But the common property system does not
stop here When Il man has brought home his por-
ton Of meat, it Immediately passes into the hands OF
his wife, other principal female Of the family.
Sometimes it is ali consecratei to making a feast.
But If this is the case and all the families in the
encampmtnt are not so fortunate as TO be supplied
the neighbor women gather in ''hesecchng and be.
sesing" for portion. And so it often happens that
the skiiiul aud industrious hunter and his family eat
less Of what he brings home, than his more ndolent
ghbors. The skin, however, is his to use or SELL
Blu. the who'll. it must be acknowledged that the
community system far as we have regarded it,
solely in connection with hunting, although less pro-
duc,ve of injurious results here than elsewhere does
still encourage idleness rather than industry. In
the hunters lie it may be pleaded a necessity but
this plea be made FOR it in other circumstances
10 my next propose to examine the effects Of the
common property system in other conditions Of life,
and to show that SO long this system is continued
among the Dakotas there is but little hope Of clcva-
ting them. Yours truly,
S. X. RIGGS.