The Opelousas patriot. [volume] (Opelousas, Parish of St. Landry, La.) 1855-1863, 1858-08-07
The Frassr River I,.dias

The San SrSrancisoo Herald gives IA Interesting
account ofsthe indiana 81 the Fraz%sgRiver region
where the god discoveries have recently been made
derived from 4 gentleman who has AAsen among them.
Marked difference exists between siese Indians
! other tribes with whose characteristics we lays
come familiar, and Trey seem TO be of a
cast Of character. They are d much noblekss#ple
than the Indians on Puget's Sound, who are called
4 Chenooks.', They ate large. muscular men, fond
Of athletic sports, of lighter color than the southern
tribes, and very brave and determined. Many OIL
their woman are represented as being quite hand.
some, with regular features, and even delicate hands
and feet. The mules are very Jealous OF their wo.
men, and q want ofelIastity ii severely and promptly
punished. One remarkable peculiarly Of the
=" Northern Indians as they are called, is that
many Of them have light hair and eyes, and present
2 marked difference in their general physiagnoIny
from other Indian tribes. They often visit the camps
Of the whites at-night, and engage them In running,
leaping and wrestling matches, at which latter they
are said to be very expert. They are also fond Of
throwing somersaults and exhibiting their physical
powers In other ways. The whites on Pngetas
Sound are much in the habit Of slapping, boxing
and beating the Ghenooks who never make any re.
~sistanee but when anything of the kind IL attemp-
ted on one of the Frazer River Indians, he is GER
tain tn reply IN kind. They also exhibit a remarka-
able trait ia this correction when struck with the
fist, they strike back in the same manner, and will
not have recourse to any other weapon bat one Of
the same nature with which they are assaulted.
The men are nearly all armed with good English
muskets, which they handle with great address,
and are remarkably good shots: They are eager to
obtain Colts l~evolveis, and will offer 500 to $3.50
in gold dust for them ; but as the miners would hang
any man detected IN supplying the Indians with
this formidable weapon, they are not able to obtain
them. Two distinct and hostile tribes reside on
Frazer river, and the enmity existing between them
is said to be as great as that described by Cooper
between the Delawares and Hurors. Like all other
Indians, and d good many white people, they will
steal, and. as usual the emigrants who are rushing
TO the mines are rousing their hostility by murder.
dering them for petty tllefts. For these outrages
they will doubtless seek and secure a blood revenge.
5 The Northern Indians nse very little paint, and
are not tatooed at oil. Since the influx Of imnli
grafton they are much better dressed than before,
and wears their habiliments with much case and
natural grace. The hair is worn quite long, and is
ornamented with feathers. Canoes of colossal pro.
portion are built by them from the immense trees
existing in that region. The tree is carefully feled
ny being burned down, during which operation the
lire Is regularly tended to prevent its expanding ton
lar, and to retain IT in Q given spaSe. The fallen
trunk is then shaged out Into q canoe with excee-
ding Labor. until It arrived dimensions and model,
after which it Is followed out ly burning. AS soon
AZ this process Ii concluded, they fiji the canoe with
water, and then heat large rocks red hat, which are
thrown into the water and generate steam. by which
the wand hecomes plant, when it Ia spread apart
anidIhips by means Of stretehers tightly wedged in
until 1t acquires the requisite breadth OF beam when
the water is bailed out and the caane allowed to dry.
Many OF these are capable Of carrying one hundred
warriors, with their arms, accodtrements and pro-
visions for several weeks. Several OF them have
been purchased BY the whites, one end sawed oil,
and built in to make a fiat stern, and then rugged in.
to sleeps and schooners. some of them capable of
carrying from seven to nine tons of cargo. The
Northern Indians also build extensive forts. large
enough y shelter six or seven hundred warriors
with their families. These forts are built If tress,
very substantial. and exhibiting much skill in
their construction, and ~persettly proof against small
arms. $500
They declare most ernphatieally that the whites
snail not go Into the Thompson river country, which
they claim rs peculiarly their own hut do not hest
tate y exhibit very rich and coarse gold obtained in
that region, aud they report that gald abonds there.