The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1873-08-29
miscellaneous.
LIFE AMONG THE INDIANS.
OMAHA AGENCY, NEBRASKA, !
Sth Month ILL. 1879. (

QUO Mo"w llU, 1919.
Week after week, for many months that
have now flown away into the abyss of the
past, THE Kgis & InteUigencer has sped its
weary way through beautiful valleys, deep
mountain gorges, and across the broad ex-
panses OF the western prairies and the dark
and turbid waters OF the great Missouri,
and at last reached us in our far away home
on the prairies of Nebraska. Many changes
have taken place since we bid adieu, more
than four years ago, to the beloved shores of
my Maryland" Many of these have been
brought into view through the columns of
The Asgis 81 Latelligencer, and as have never
contributed any thing to swell the volume
OF intelligence for the benefit of the general
readers who have never seen live wild In
dianS may possibly feel an interest in know
ing some of the peculiarties developed by
four years experience and observation
amongst this once powerful, but now al
most extinct race of people.
The Omaha Indians, among whom, in
the ordering Of Providence, my lot has
been cast, occupy reservation of 200 900
acres OF fertile land on the west bank of the
Missouri river, 70 miles north of the city of
Omaha.
small, and their present condition may be
set down us semi-ciyilized. AS a class they
are mild, peaceable and amiable people !;
temperate, truthful, slow to anger. In
these and many other particulars all my
preconceptions of Indian character, ESQ far
at least as the Omahas are concerned, have
been completely at fault Instead of being,
as was taught to believe, blood thirsty,
revengeful and cruel, wanton, lascivious,
drunken and pilfering, they have proved to
be, as class, precisely the reverse of all
these.
1t has been time-honored custom with
this tribe to go twice year on buffalo
hunt; and though strenuous efforts have
been made during the past four years to
substitute the sober pursuits of agriculture
for the more precarious means OF subsis-
tence by the fruits of the chase vet the
want OF money necessary for etfecting so
great change in their mode of living, has
necessarily tended to retard the work.
Some OF their habitations are called mud
lodges" and are made by setting POSTS in
the ground in circle from 30 to so feet in
diameter, and feet high; with poles for
rafters, converging to the centre, where q
hole is left for the smoke to pass out; the
whole being covered with sods from one to
two feet thick, resting on layer of poles
covered with brush, coarse grass, sc. A
gallery some 20 feet long leads to the door
Of entrance, which is kept closed during
cold weather by buffalo robe stretched on
stick. Around the interior walls of these
lodges rude berths or hunks for sleeping
apartments are constructed of poles, dashed
together with bark. Several families &C.
cupy one Of these lodges. Others are simp-
ly tents OF coarse muslin, set up on poles in
circular and conical shape, some ten or
twelve feet across at the ground, and like
the Others provided with hole at the top
for the smoke to escape. A forked stick
set up diagonally in the ground near the
centre of the lodge, from which shor
chain with hook is suspended, on which
to hang the pot, comprising their chief
paraphernalia in the culinary department.
The squaws have way of their own in
cooking for the family, in which frequent
hand-washlng forms no part of the ceremo-
ny. Ordinarily it is simple enough; being
merely the boiling ola pot of corn, prepar-
ed by half roasting it In the ear, while in
the milk or dough state, and then cutting
from the cob and drying in the sun on skins
VI IeH1 Clotns unu Then storing away In
holes or caves dug in the ground, called
coaches" AS a rule no salt is used in their
cooking. The practice may have original
ed in the difficulty of obtaining it at places
remote from civilization. This mess, when
prepared, is turned out into rude wooden
bowl, and soon disL osed ofby the family,
each being provided with we'll used piece
OF buffalo horn instead of spoon.
On great occasions, when a sack of wheat
flour finds it way into the family, and
store OF coffee and sugar happens to be
available, the mode of procedure is some.
what varied. Then the squaw, seated flat
on buffalo robe spread on the ground,
with legs stretched out, a board on her lap
and rolling pin in hand, proceeds to roll
out the dough, composed of flour mixed
with water and soda to the proper consis-
tence. This she rolls out to about the size
OF breakfast plate, cuts couple of gashes
in it with her knife, and shifts it into
skillet of boiling fat or tallow. When halt
done she adroitly turns it over with sharp
ened stick, and it comes out well Drowned.
and looking very much like dough nut or
cruller, only on large scale. When lot
OF these Indian cakes is piled up on the