The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1883-08-30
Tie Tradition Of Scalp Taking.

A representative of Montana paper |
mured on a horse, made trip across |
The pain range of the Rocky Noun |
tans following an old-forgotten Indian
trail At noon he stopped among the |
|oines IN the summit to rest his pony |
sud Inch. While thus engaged his at |
teltin was attracted to solitary horse |
mncoming up the trail from the west, |
whoon near approach, proved to be an
old ldian. When he came up he stop |
pednd said .'how!'' and on being
invbd to dismount, he did so slowly |
andarefully, The old braves form
waaent with age. His long hair, once
likdhe ravens wing, was now bleached
by tie suns and storms of perhaps a
Gentry His eyes had lost the bright
nesOf youth. His step, uncertain and
slov gave evidence that his journey of
lifeyas drawing to close.
f was asked to eat and did so with
aviliy. The traveller asked him a few
questions and found that he spoke Eng
Esh rell On being asked what tribe
he blonged to, he said he was Mohi-
can Nearly 100 years ago, he said, his
tribe numbering only about 100 in all,
remved from New York to west of the
grea lakes. Some of them he still be-
lievd to be there. Soon after this,
Will he was still small boy he was
stolo by a hostile band of Western In
diaB and had been with the British
Cres for many years, and had been ad-
vaned to the position of chief medicine
maj. This he filed until a few weeks,
ago, when, by failing to save the life OF
sic daughter, of one of the principal
chies, he was compelled, in order to
savehis life, to leave the tribe. He was
nowmaking his way East to the grea:
laks where he hoped to find some
remnants of his people.
TIE newspaper man had quite long
andinteresting talk with Otowatse, as
he ,alled himself, and among other
things asked him the purpose of the In.
diaB in scalping their enemies, and
whee and how the custom originated
He replied that the custom had now
become one of revenge and hatred. but
thatscalps at one time were only taker
afte1 battle TO show how many OF
their number had been slain. A war
parry, by comparing the number Of
ther own warriors missing, could tell
whi,h side was victorious in point of ex.
ecuton on the foe. The origin of the
cust,m, he said. was only explained by
tradition. The tradition is in substance
as fdlows:
Hundreds of years ago-perhaps thou.
sanos-when the Indians were all one
tribs and under one great chief, a dis
pute arose in the tribe as to who shoulc
become chief, the old chief having dice
without leaving son to succeed him
There were two principal aspirants fol
the chieftaincy, and each of them had 8
strong following. The dispute endec
in dividing the tribe, and in war. Pre-
vions to this time scalping was unknown
as there were no enemies to scalp, the
land being occupied by only one people
Peace was never made between the two
factions. The chief of one side had g
heantifnl danohter and one of the lead.
The chief, as condition to consentine
to give his daughter to her warrior
lover. required him to kill the chief O.
the opposing tribe (his old-time riva,
for the chieftaincy) and bring him proc.
of the act. The warrior accepted the
condition. 1t was many long miles to
the camp of the enemy, and the snow
was deep, but he Immediately set ou'
upon his mission. After lying in wait
near the camp of the enemy, for days
and undergoing great suffering from the
extreme cold without having an oppor.
tunity of carrying out his plan, he final.
ly, one night, boldly entered the camp
walked into the great chiefs lodge
slew him, and cutting off his head te
take back with him as proof, started t
return to his people. The next morn
ing the murder was discovered. also the
murderer's tracks in the snow and drops
of blood which had fallen from the chief
tain's head. Two hundred warriors
started in pursuit of the murderer
They almost overlook him, and he coulc
hear them on his track He was almos'
tired out, and the dead chiefs head wa.
growing heavy, yet he struggled OF
with it through the snow and the cold
determined not to relinquish the proof
which would win for him his bride. The
pursuers pressed him so at length that
he threw away every weight but his tro-
ply. They finally gained on the weary
brave SO fast that it seemed that he
must either relinquish his prize or be
captured, which, of course, would be
death. Whipping out his rude knife
Gt was before the time of steel knives,
among the Indians,) he hurredly stripped
off the scalp from the dead mans head
and sped on. Thus lightened of his
load he made his own camp in safety.
The scalp was sufficient proof that he
had fulfilled his mission, the old chief
no longer withheld his consent, and the
bright-eyed daughter of the forest be-
came his own. Thus originated the
custom of sca.ping among the Ameri-
can Indians. Helena, (MontanG,) In-
dependent,