The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1880-01-01
INDIAN LIFE.
As Described by Miss Meel<er in Her Lee
ture on Her Ute Captivity.

As Described by Miss MeeIer in Her Lee
ture on Her Ute Captivity.
The Denver Tribune gives the follow
ing synopsis of Miss Josephine Meeker's
lecture in that city:
The first thing the Ute squaw does
when she rises in the morning-the Utes
all rise at daybreak-is to go off into the
woods and bring fuel for the fire, carry
ing ON her back any quantity less than
half a cord. Then comes the kindllng
of the fires. They are very awkward in
striking matches. Persune's squaw
proved especially so, and for some
reason conceived the idea that the bot
tom of Miss Josephine's moccasin was
the very best match-scratcher Obtaina-
BILE. Miss Josephine slept with her moe
casins on her feet, and she was generally
awakened in the morning by the sauaw
reaching for her moccasin that she
might ignite the match after her favorite
manner.
By all odds the most entertaining bit
of Miss Meeker's discourse is her de-
scription of the manner of cooking
among the Indians. This is a all done,
of course, by the women. The Utes live
principally on bread and meat. When
they can't get bread they live on meat,
and when they can't get meat they live
on bread. When they have a great
quantity of provisions on hand they eat
it all up before getting any more. The
same is true when they have a small
quantity on hand. They are dirty.
They are even very dirty. Their meat
is generally permitted to lie about on
the ground or any place. Each Indian
family possesses any number of dogs,
from eight to fifteen, and these animals
help themselves to the meat. After
they have satisfied themselves, and when
the Indians become hungry, they cut
off this same piece on which the dogs
feed. They generally boil their meat,
but sometimes they broil it. They put it
in water and let it remain only few
moments, just long enough to heat it,
when they take it out and begin to eat
They use the same water and the same
pail for boiling over and over again I'M
til the water becomes perfect slime of
filth. Miss Meeker relates one instance
in which she fried meat and made gravy.
The gravy was particularly pleasing to
the Ute palate, and they could not be
satisfied. They continued to call for
more until the entire supply was ex-
hausted, and when it was, they all left
the dining board and betook themselves
to the pot which, as did Jack and Jill,
they licked clean, like so many dogs.
Talking of pots, it is not believed that
the Utes have any plural for this word.
They are one-idead set. One pot gen.
orally does service for the entire family.
This particular pot is frying-pan.
When the Utes get out of bed they
wash their faces and battle the baby in
it., after which they bake the bread and
boil the meat. Then they eat out of
the vessel and then the dogs lick up the
leavings.
Miss Josephine attempted to teach
the Indians>a few things about cooking.
She made slap-jacks for them, using
equal quantities of -four and dirt, be-
sides few other simple ingredients.
But she was not allowed to use knife
in turning these cakes. The Indians
have a superstition about knives, that if
they are dropped in the fire sickness
will follow. Hence she was compelled
to sharpen a stick when she desired to
make slap-jacks.
The Indians are not particular about
the time or frequency of their meals,
capacity for eating or for long fasting.
She has frequently seen them eat hearth
~ four or five times inside of an hour,
and has as often seen them 90 all day
without bite, enduring all kinds of
hardship, and yet remaining as cheer
full as if they had been feasted.
They clothe themselves with skins of
animals or with blankets. They gener-
ally take blanket or skin and cut a
hole in the middle of it and throw it over
their heads, cutting arm-holes and fas-
tening the garment at the waist with. a
wide belt, while they close up the neck
with buckskin string. When the gar
ment wears out they cut the string and
let it drop-but not before. Sometimes
the Indian will wear as many as five of
these garments at time, always keep
ing the cleanest one on the outside.
The Utes generally place their dead
under stones SO as to keep the wild ami
mails away from the remains. One wom-
an died while she was at White River
and was buried with great ceremony.
Her body was placed in a box and put
in the ground, and her tent and all her
effects were burned over the mound. A
pony and 10 dogs were killed.
Miss Meeker related one anecdote
which is worthy Of repetition at this
time, when we hear so much of the
hostile demonstrations of the Uintah
Utes. She says that she was sitting in
her tent one night when . strange In
dian came in and asked her what her
name was. She told him, and he asked
her numerous other questions, all of
which she answered. He then told her
that he was Uintah Ute who had been
sent by the agent among that tribe to
ascertain the whereabouts and condition
of the captives. He professed great
friendliness for the white women, and
told them to be brave. He asked Miss
Josephine to write letter to the agent
and have it ready by next morning.
She obtained stub of a pencil from
squaw Susan and wrote the note on the