Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1867-06-07
How aLs EnGian Cess his wife
--EAeepS House. etc.

The Missouri Democrat spondent
with Hancocks expedition, writing from
Fort Laramie, Kansas, says:
We may sh ocll the sensibilities of ro-
nance loving boys and girls by relating the
manner by which the dark eyed aboriginal
damsel is espoused. There have been
poems sung on the heavenly beauties Of Po-
cahOntas and liiawatha. but we have not
seen an Indian girl yet that we could COM
pose an ode upon. The vOlupiuDus form,
olive features, ripe. red lips. delicate feet
we'll formed ankles, lustrous. humid eyes.
wavy masses Of raven hair, aqucenly liead
and a swanlke neck we have not seen.
But we have seen matter OF fact. practical
and most unpoetical Indian girl. handling
most deXtcrously the ak, cutting wood for
her liege lords supper, with coarse black
/ hair, low forehead, blazing coal black eyes,
nose inclined to be flat, her face of a dirty
/ greasy color. large mouth, mOnstr0us and
/ flat feet. dwarfisll legs, and not over mod
estlv dressed, and sometimes carrying a
staring round-eyed and grinning papOpse.
/ on whom she seemed to scorn those little
foolish endearments so natural to mother :
heart. When an Indian wishes a squaw to
attend his lodge, cook his meals. and wait
/ upon him. he does not launch forth into
lyrical enthusiasm or fervid expressions of
/ love; non does he forget in his wooing mood
the existence of a sky or the green woods
about him, but simply asks the prosaic
question, How much is she worth:' The
amount being asertained. if he has the
means. he lays il at the feet of her father.
and takes her to his loige. From that time
she is his own, bcaght by his own money
and his own hand Probably the manner
in which he has been raised accounts for
the methodical manner of treating the fair
sex. When an infant he was looked upon
seemingly as an useless incumbrance, by
his inexpensive mother, but which a stern
necessity compelled her not to entirely
abandon. This treatment is also the means
of calling forth that Spartan stoicism, cour-
age, endurance and hardihood for which
the North American savage is celebrated
The style and architecture of '.wigwam'
is almost invariably the same, its size
varying from 80 to IS fcetin circumference
at the base, and in hight from the base to
the apex of the tent above, II feet, about
twenty poles planted around and meeting
at the top, where they are tied firmly Will
a covering of tanned buffalo robes form
the wigwam. The topisleft open to repre-
sent window, and flap in the side il
|
tiers it on all fours. In this unpartitioned
lodge sleep the Indian, his wife Tor wives
and children, and, and frequently his chill
dren's husbands and their wives The fur
niture is quite in keeping with the 'house.
Name the saucepan, camp kettle, three ol
four spoons, of homo manufacture, and yor
: have as thorough an inventory as an,
, , knight OF the hammer could make 1t |,
not by inadvert enee that the coffee roast
ing, grinding and boiling apparatus are alb
sent from the list, for the luxury of cuy
ofcoffee is not amongst the home comfort,
of the "poor Indian" unless he has latel,
. been in government fort. Half a dozer
buffalo robes are the only articles approach
ing bed furniture which he possesses. th,
whole forming an accumulation of flth ano
vernin. Towels and soap are of cours,
unknown luxuries, and his personal cos
tune entirely accords with his other do
mestic equipments; his scanty and only
: covering being ''breechclout.' generally
ragged and never washed. OF course il
winter the Indian covers his nakedness witt
! a red blanket, or buffalo robe, or an ARM
overcoat.