The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1883-08-11
The Tradition Of Scalp Taking.

the main range of the Rocky Mount
aims, following an old-forgotten Indian
trail. At noon he stopped among the
pines on the summit to rest his pony
and to lunch. While thus engaged his
attention was attracted to a solitary
horseman coming up the trail from the
west, who, on near approach, proved
10 be an old Indian. When he came
up he stopped and said ''howr' and ON
being invited to dismount, he did so
slowly and carefully. The old braves
form was bent with age. His long.
hair, once like the ravens wing, was
now bleached by the suns and storms of
perhaps century. His eyes had lost
the brightness, of youth. His step, I'M
certain and slow, gave evidence that
his journey of life was drawing to a
close. t..
He was asked to eat, and did so with
avidity. The traveller asked him a few
questions and found that he spoke En-
glish well. On being asked what tribe
he belonged to, he said he was Mohi-
can. Nearly one hundred years ago, he
said, his tribe, numbering only about
one hundred in all, removed from New
York to west of the great lakes. Some
OF them he believed to still be there.
Soon after this, while he was a small
boy, he had been stolen by a hostile
band of western Indians and had been
with the British Crees for many wears.
and had been advanced to the position
of chief medicine man. This he filled
until few weeks ago, when, by failing
to save the life of sick daughter Of
one OF the principal chiefs, he was com
PEELED, IN order to save his life, to leave
the tribe. He was now making his way
East to the great lakes, where he hoped
to lind some remnants of his people.
The newspaper man had quite a long
and interesting talk with Otowatse, as
he called himself, and among other
things asked him the purpose of the In
dams IN Scalping their enemies, and
where and how the custom originated.
Otowatse replied that the custom had
now become one of revenge and hatred
but that scalps at one time were only
taken to show after battle how many
OF their enemy had been slain. A war
party, by comparing the number of
scalps taken with the number of their
own warriors missing, could tell which
side was victorious in point of execu-
ton on the foe. The origin of the Gus
tom, he said, was only explained by
tradition. The tradition is in substance
as follows:
Hundreds of years ago-perhaps
the Indians were all
one tribe and under one great chief, a
dispute arose in the tribe as to who
should become chief, the old chief hay
ing died without leaving a son to sue
coed him. There were two principal
aspirants for the chieftaincy, and each
of them had strong following. The
dispute ended in dividing the tribe and
in war. Previous to this time scalpinp
was unknown, as there were no enc
mics to scalp, the land being occupied
by only one people. Peace was never
made between the two factions. The
chief OF one side had beautiful daugh-
ter, and one of the leading warriors
was a sutton for her hand. .The"chief,
as condition to cOnsenting to give his
daughter to her warrior lover, required
him to kill the chief of the opposing
tribe (his old-time rival for the chief
taincy,) and to bring him proof 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
set out upon his mission.
After lying in wait near the enemy's
camp for days, and undergoing great
suffering from the extreme cold without
having an opportunity of carrying out
his plan, he finally, one night, boldly
entered the camp, walked into the great
chiefs lodge, slew him, and cutting off
his head to take back with him as proof,
started to return to his own people.
The next morning the murder was dis
covered, also the murderer's tracks in
the snow and drops of blood which had
fallen from the dead chieftain's capt
ured head. Two hundred warriors
started in pursuit of the murderer.
They almost overlook him, and he could
hear them on his track. He was almost
tired out, and the dead chiefs head was
growing heavy, yet he struggled on with
it through the snow and the cold, de-
:ermined 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
ais trophy. They finally gained on the
weary brave so fast that it seemed that
he must either relinquish his prize or
De captured, which, of course, would be
Heath. Whipping out his rude knife Git
vas before the time of steel knives
tmong the Indians, he hurriedly stripped
off the scalp from the dead mans head
ind sped on, Thus lightened of his
Dad he made his own camp in safety.
The scalp was accepted as sufficient
proof that he had fulfilled his mission,
he old chief no longer withheld his
consent, and the bright-eyed daughter
If the forest became his own. Thus
originated the custom of scalping
,mong the American Indians. Helena
fMontana) INDEPENDENT