The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1880-12-03
REDS IN REALITY.

Government under his care, resolved that
| His Excellency Governor Newell, should
have a chance to see Use in their true
glory and accordingly arranged for an
excursion from Olympia to Squaxon Is
land by the steamer Zephyr on Saturday
the 9th inst, and invited the Governor
and his daughters to accompany the
party The ruthless reporter aforesaid
| was of course one of the number and we
subjoin some of the facts concerning the
| Indians as they appear in every day life.
FROM THE SUBLIME TO THE RIDICULOUS.
| No allusion to the habits and customs of
aboriginal life would be complete with
out some reference to either Cooper or
Longfellow, but to quote from either
author anything which would apply to
the miserable remnant of degenerate
race, without making that undigEifed
summersault indicated in the sub
heading, would be simply impossible.
We reproduce from the "Song of Hia-
watha" the few lines which may be made,
in the most charitable spirit, to serve our
purpose:
sBy the shining Big-Sea-water,
Stood the wigwam oi Nakomis.
Daughter of the Moon, Nakomis.
Dark behind it rose the forest,
Rose the black and gloomy p1ne-trees,
Rose the frs with cones upon them;
Bright before it beat the water,
Beat the clear and sunny water,
Beat the shining BigSea-Water
The wigwam, the pine-trees and the
Big-Sea-Water, were all spread out be-
fore us in delightful panorama, but we
could not discover in the motley group
of human beings and quadrupeds which
assembled at our approach any semblance
of the beautiful Nakomis, or the lily-like
form of Winona. If even the old ar
row-maker was there he did not show
himself. The first object of interest Wis
tied was the
'sPeTLATcH HOUSE,
A large lodge or wigwam, about forty
feet Wide and probably $50 feet in
length. It consists of rude but mas
sive framework of trees, the sides COW
cred with shakes, the roof being sup
ported by slender saplings without any
intermediate support of collar beam or
truss A portion of the roof, along the
conbing, has been left open to allow the
egress of smoke, but it very inadeq uately
served the purpose, for the eyes of yisi-
tors continually ached from the preva-
lence of the dense vapor which arose
from score or more of fires, on which
was stewing, in pots and kettles of all
shapes and sizes, the MONDAY meal.
Around the lodge, on an elevated plat
form about four feet wide, running its
whole length, sat or reclined the women
and children, in all the grotesque, not to
say picturesque, attitudes Imaginable.
Here a comely squaw, clad in the faded,
| cast-of garments OF some one OF her
| aristocratic white sisters, sat knitting or
| sewing; there an ancient dame, clad in
| rags and filth, patiently watching and
stirring the boiling caldrons of peas and
| wheat, the sole course of the meal soon
to follow. Near the entrance sat q
| pleasant-faced klotchman making
| bread. Her manner was peculiar.
The flour was first moistened and stirred
| in a pitcher, and then poured into pan,
when it was kneeded just enough to give
| it the shape of flat loaves, which were
placed in fry-pan and inclined to the
! blazing fire. The loaves appeared after
baking still flat and decidedly soggy. In
another part of the wigwam he saw
| loaves which would have been admitted
| for competition at our Territorial Fair,
| but upon inquiry we ascertalned they
| were baked in the oven of that innovation
upon savage custom, cook stove, and
| probably this was the one thing needful
| to have made all their pastry as inviting.
There were possibly 150 women and chill
dren
LoUNGING ON THE PLATFORMS,
| Which served the purpose likewise of
beds at night. Under them and on the
girders overhead, were stored flour, pota-
toes and fruit; q freshly slaughtered car
cass of beef being an extra tid-bit laid
away for the crowning ceremonies when
the Potlatch began. Salmon we're like
| wise a conspicuous article of diet-not
the dainty, delicate favored fish of COM
| merce, but the blotch skinned, lean dog
| salmon-and many of these fish, impaled
On sticks, slowly roasted before the fires.
THE BRAVES AT DINNER.
| The pots were taken from the fires,
| where their contents had been simmer
ing all day long, and ranged in line
| the entire length of the lodge. This
brought them about five feet apart.
| Strips of mating were then stretched on
| either side, upon which, after much
clamor and continuous shouting by one
who apparently filed the place of master
of ceremonies, finally knelt two long
lines of dusky savages, prepared for gas
tronomic battle. Immense spoons, OF
ladies, made from wood or horn, were
then distributed, accompanied by small
cedar sticks, the use OF which was {
mystery soon solved. Each Siwash 3m
mediately applied himself to the busi
ness of the moment. Dipping a full La
die of the steaming soup Or stew (of pea
and wheat) from the nearest pot, he
placed the smaller end of the vessel be
tween his teeth and by the aid of th'
stick, showed the food into his mouth
Just as Cinnamon eat rice from
saucer with the use of chop-sticks
The capacity of the savage stomach, a
demonstrated by this feast, was some
hing wonderful. We have long known
that-it revolts at scarcely any kind
food, but never before had our eyes be
held the feat of slowing away the larges
possible quantity within . given space, i
SO short period of timel 1t was Won
derful No device could have been SC
lected better calculated for the rapi