The weekly clarion., 1879-10-22
THE NATCHEz TRIBE OF INDIANS.
Extract from Clsiborne's History Of Missis-
sippi, now IN press by Power & Barksdale.)

i slpp1s now IN press py FOW6E q 0AEksOalo.J
1900 Iberville, Bienville and Tonti a.
cended the river to the Natchez village:
where they arrived February 11th. The
: were charmed with the country. 1t wa
determined to post garrison there, an
: lay out town which should be called al
e Vile de Rosalie aux Natchez." They foun,
I here Father St. Cosme, recently arrive,
from Africa.
The great chief, or "Sun," with a trail
of six hundred followers received the visit
ors. They had been, according to their Owl
: account, numerous and powerful people
) holding in subjection many other tribes
t Father LIE Petit, Superior of the Jesuits
who was long time stationed in New Or
/ leans, says:
''They inhabited a beautiful country, anC
were the only tribe that seemed to have al
established worship. They had a tempt,
>, filled with idols, rudely carved. Thi
, | temple resembled an earthen oven, the
back of a tortoise, and was one hundred feet
in circumference. They entered it by one
small door, and there was no window
Above, on the outside of the roof, were
three wooden eagles, painted red, yellow and
white. In front of the door was a shed
where the guardian of the temple kept
watch. All around was circle of pointed
pickets, capped with the skulls of their en-
terror was lined with shelves on which were
. baskets holding the bones of their most re-
nowned chiefs, while beneath these were
piled the bones of their favorite followers,
who had been strangled, to attend their
masters i'll the spirit world. In the temple
they kept a small, but perpetual fire, made
of bark, provided by the patriarchs of the
tribe. No woman except the mother and
sisters of the Great Sun, were allowed to
| enter the sacred p6Itpa The
pie dared only approach the Threshold.
The sun was their deity their great chief
was called by the same name, and he in
turn called the sun his brother Every
morning at dawn, attended by his retinue,
the chief ascended a mound to converse
with his celestial brother. AS soon as the
sun appeared in the heavens, the chief sa-
luted with long howl, and then waved
his hand from east to west, and directed
| what course he should traYerse!"
Chateaubriand, in his charming romances
and some of the early French writer's, who
often drew upon their fancy for their facts,
| have thrown an interest around the NatcheZ
as a semi-civilized and noble race, that has,
passed into history. We find no traces of
civilization in their architecture or in their
social life and customs. Their religion was
| brutal and bloody, indicating an Aztec ORR
| gin. They were perfdious and cruel and if
| they were at all superior to the neighboring
tribes it was probably due to the district
thev nrcnpicd-the most beautiful. healthy
| and productive III the valley OF the MlSslS-
5ippi-and the influence of its attractions in
substituting permanent for temporary occu-
| patton.
The residence of the grand chiefwas mere
| ly spacious cabin, of one apartment, with
| a mat of basket work for his bed and log
for his pillow. In the middle of the room
| was a square stone. Those of his courtiers
/ wi antara6 to nav their commitments rnado
| the circuit of this stone three times before
| they dared to look towards the royal couch.
| Then they saluted by bowling three times
The chief responded with a grunt, and the
| degree of his favor was measured by the EN-
phasis of his response. The gratifed cour-
other prolonged howl. Whenever the chief
condescended to ask question, the etiquette
was to howl before answering. When retir-
ing the visitor howled at every step, until
he crossed the royal Threshold. From this
linked sweetness long drawn out" Camp
bell, many years afterwards, probably deriv-
ed his musical line, =" the VOLTS long howl
on Oonalaska's shore" He who howled
longest and loudest stood highest in the ia.
vor of the great chief of the Natchez!
"When this parsonage dies" says Father
Petit, "they demolish his house and throw
up mound, and on that they build dwell
ling for the new brother of the sum-"
Their notion of future life-one of the
best tests of civilization-was as low as the
rest of the barbarian tribes They believed
that the good would enjoy perpetual feast
Of green corn, venison and melons, and the
bad be condemned to a diet of aligators and
spoiled fish. What their notion was as to the
distinction between the bad and the good,
does not appear.
Their government was an absolute des-
potism. The supreme chief was master of
their labor, their property, and their lives.
He never labored, and when he needed pro-
visions he issued invitations for feast, and
all the principal inhabitants were required
to attend, and to bring supplies sufficient
for the entertainment and for the support of
the royal family, until he chose to proclaim
another festival. He selected his servants
from the highest circles, and when he came
to die, they felt it an honor to be strangled
by their nearest relatives, to howl for him
in the other world.
When an heir presumptive was born,
each family that had new born infant ap-
peared in the royal presence, and a certain
number were selected to be his attendants.
When this heir died, whether in infancy or
in manhood, the persons thus selected were
strangled. The same ceremony was observed
in the families of the brothers and sisters of
the chief. The government was hereditary,
with however, this remarkable popularity.
got the succession, but the son of his eldest
sister, or, in default of a sister, the son of
the nearest female relative of the blood
royal. This custom implies rooted want
of confidence in the virtue of the royal la
dies The most rational custom among
them-one peculiar to the Natchez-was
one prohibiting a princess from inter-mar-
rying with member of the blood royal
No mingling of kindred blood, no husband
brought up in incidence and effeminacy, but
one chosen from the ranks of the people for
his vigor and courage. The princeses were
thus restricted in their choice from motives
of state, but they had the right to dismiss
him and choose another as often as they
pleased. If the husband, poor fellow, had
indulged peaehdnt for one fairer and fonder,
the noble dame very cody ordered his head
cut off She herself, however-in this the
Natehez, perhaps, exhibited the nearest
approach to civilization-was not subject to
the same retribution. She might have as
many lovers as he fancied, and the husband
had no right to complain. In the presence
of his wife, and even of her lovers, he was
required to exhibit the most profound re-
spect and satisfaction, never dared appear
at her table, and howled with all his might
when ever he met herl Penicault, whom
we have already quoted, was at Natchez, in
1903, when the Great Female Sun diedi
!" She was really the Great Sun, in her
own right. Her husband, who was not of
the blood royal, was strangled by their eld-
est son, 90 that in death, as In life, he might
be her submissive attendant, and howl to
her ghostl On the outside of her house
they placed all her effects on scafold, and
on these they deposited the two e0rpses.
They likewise put there the bodies of twelve
children whom they had just strangled.
These children had been brought by their
parents. by order Of the eldest son Of the
deceased, who had the right ~ her succes-