The daily gazette., 1878-10-15
Wild Babies.

Wild Babies.
Atouch of nature makes the whole world
kln,So we have chosen a trite illust alton
of the truth of this statement, and ven
ttire to exhibit by showing to our parents
the manner III which certain savage peo-
pie treat their offspring, because pleas
ant and envious notion is entertained
here and in other civilized precincts that
young Indians grow--jllst as Topsy
thought she did. But it is not so they
have sore eyes and bad tempers they
wake up in the night with lusty yells and
the collie they have fits; they raise riots
when cutting their teeth and they are
just as much petted and just as mischiev-
| ous as our own.
The mothers of Pocahontas and Red
Jacket worried over them with just as
much earnestness as, perhaps, did the
maternal progenitors of Mrs. Hemans
and George Washington, while quite as
much paternal supervision was given
doubtless to one as to the other. When
the question of love and tenderness alone
| is mooted, then it should be said without
hesitation that the baby born to-day in
the shadow and smoke of savage life, is
| as carefully cherished as the little stran-
ger that may appear here, simultaneously
with it, amid all the surroundings of civil
| lized wealth and the difference between
| them does not commence to show itself
| until they have reached that age where
the mind begins to feed and reason upon
what it sees, hears, feels, and tastes
then the gulf yawns between our baby
and the Indians; the latter stands still,
while the former is moving onward and
upward.
The love of an Indian mother for her
| child is made PLAIN to us by the care and
labor which she often eXl ends upon the
cradle; the choicest production of her skill
in grass and wooden weaving, the neatest
| needle work, and the richest bead en-
broidery that she can devise and bestow
are lavished upon the quaint-!ooking
cribs which savage mothers nurse and
carry their little ones art und in. This
cradle, though varying in minor details
| with each tribe, is essentially the same
| thing, no matter where 1t is found, be-
| tween the Indians of Alaska aud those
far TO the south in Mexico. The Esqui-
maux are the exception, however, for
they use no cradle whatever, carrying
their infants snugly enscOnced in the
hoods to their parkies and otter fur jump
ers. The governing principle OF a pap
poo; e cradle is an unylelding board upon
which the baby can be firmly lashed at
full length on its back.
| This board is usually covered by softly
dressed buckskn, with flaps and pouches
In which to envelop the baby; other
tribes, not rich or fortunate enough to
procure this material, have recourse to
I -. ~ 4
| reed splnts, grass mating, and the soft
and fragrant ribbons Of the bass or linden
tree bark. Sweet grass is used here as a
bed for the youngsters tender back, or
| else clean dry moss plucked from the
bended limbs OF the swamp frs then,
with buckskln thongs or cords Of plated
grass, the baby is bound down tight and
and secure, for any and all disposition
that iTs mother may see fit to make Of it
tor the next day or two.
| IUdian babies, as rule, are not kept
In their cradles more than twenty to
twenty-four consecutive hours at any
| one time they are usually unlimber-
ed for an hour or two every day, and
allowed to roll and tumble at will on
the blanket, or in the grass or sand if
the sun shines warm aud bright. But
this liberty is always conditional upon
their good behavior when free, for the
moment baby begins to fret or whim-
per, the mother ciaps it back into its
cradle, where it rests with emphasis,
| for it can there move nothing save his
head but so far from disliking these
rigid couches, the babies actually sleep
better in them than when free, and
positively cry to be returned to them
/ ,,la off hap
usual at liberty. This fact is cer'ainly
an amusing instance OF the force OF
habit.
When the pappoose is put away in its
cradle, the mother has little or no more
concern with it, other than to keep
within sight or hearing. Ii she is engag-
| ed about the wigwam or in the village,
she stands il up in the lodge corner or
hangs it to some convenient tree, taking
it down at irregular intervals to nurse.
When she retires at night the baby is
brought and suspended at some point
within easy reaching; If the baby is
lin, it is kept at her side, or she sits up
ali night whit in the most orthodox
fashiop. When the women leave the
village on any errand. such as going to
the modntai1s for berries or to the river
canon for fish, the cradles with the ba-
bies therein are slung upon the mothers
backs, and carried, no matter how far,
how rough the road, or how dismal the
weather.
Indian babies are born subject to all
the ills that baby flesh is heir to, but
with this great difference between them
and ours-when sick they are either
killed or cured without delay. This
does not happen, however, from sinister
motives; il is not done to avoid the
lirksome care of sickly, puny child
it is not the result Of lack of natural
love for ofi-spring-not any or all OF
these ; it Is due to. their wonderful
"medcine," their fearful system of iG-
cantation.
| pappoose becomes i'll it refuses to
eat or to be comforted and after sew
eral days and nights of anxious, tender
endeavor to relieve her child, the mother'
begins 10 fear the worst, and growing
thoroughly alarmed, she at last sends
tor the "shamap," or a doctress of the