The morning news., 1889-02-18
QUEER INDIAN NAMES.
The Polysyllable CoRnomen Attached
to an Indian Treaty.
From the Washington Star.


pire toward the land Of the setting sun is
manifested every year by the course of legis-
lation in the halls Of congress affecting the
Indians, and the committees to whom are
intrusted bills pertaining to Indian mat
ters are kept busy III invest gatlng and re-
porting upon the merits or dement's OF them.
Bills granting Fright of way" to pushing
railroad corporations through the several
Indian reservations are frequently intro
duced, and bills to ratify aud confirm agree
metns made by the authority of congress
with Indian tribes are also to be seen. The
latest contribution to this latter class is
bill III which it is provided that the United
States shall countenance an agreement con-
cluded in 1886'87, between commissioners
on the part of the United S ates and GER
tain Indians in Montana, looking to the ces-
sion to the United States Of their right to
certain lands in that territory. In this
agreement the names of the Indians sign
ing it appear in their native tongue and
spelled out In hyphened words where this is
necessary, which it is in the vast majority
OF cases, as the names range all the way
from one to eight syllables in length. I'm
medlately following the Indian name is its
equivalent in English, and it is safe to say
that, should the bill be read before the
House Of Representatives, 1t would furnish
great amusement to members who are not
too seriously absorbed in work to listen. If
these appellations are intended to portray
the characters, habits, or any peculiarlties
of @thelr owners dis positions and manners
among the aborigines of America must diff
fer, as among their white supplanters, and
observers will conclude that after all there
is considerable in a name. What is also all
the more singular is that there does not ap-
pear in this large number to be single repe-
tition in the Indian vernacular, though
after the translation into English few
are similar, and e. II objects and things, ami
mate and inanimate, seem to have been
drawn upon to supply material for names,
serving more clearly to demonstrate the sim
pie, stern and enduring nature OF the Indian.
In the absence of something better each Iu-
dian has properly affixed his tx" mark
SPECIMEN NAMES.
A few of the names culled from the large
and interesting number which adorn
this particular bill will be inter
esting reading and will afford an
idea of those of many The first one the
eye rests upon is Medicine Bear" whose
| Indian name, briefer than many others, is
Mattowakan, yellow Eagle" whose In
dian name is Wamadege, follows Medicine
Bear. He has learned to revere the symbo-
| of American liberty, and has honored him
by taking his name, thus doing a great deal
more toward perpetuating one of our honored
| institutions than congress-, which is disposed
| to overlook such matters, dear to the heart
of every true American lover of liberty
Deer Tail" who has probably distin-
| guished himself in the chase with this class
| of quadrupeds, is the third signer. BLACK
Hawk" next follows. History's story of
the Black Hawk war is familiar to this
| generation, and the present warrior of that
name will lose none of the reputation of his
namesake for bravery by belonging to the
| Sioux. 'Big Eagle" next appends his name
| He may or he may not be bigger man than
| Yellow Eagle, but his name is not so smooth
and agreeable to the auricular organs as
| that of his brother. He also adds his mite
in perpetuating the reputation of the en-
| blematic bird of liberty, in return for what
| the white man, with his progressive and
aggressive nature, has rendered him-a poor
outcast driven to the untrOdden, unbroken
| wilds of the western country before his ad-
vancing state of civilization.
PLRHAPs HE IS A sQUIRMER
In regular order comes "White Maggot, "
| who also consents to the agreement 1t is
| to be earnestly hoped that this Iudian is
! higher in nature than this appellation would
Indicate, and that he has risen above the
| delights of his namesake, whatever his pro-
pensities may be for wriggling squirmiug
| or ufesting that which is uuwhoesome
| When an Indian takes upon himself the
| name of Afraid of Bear" which a Sioux
| u.
| in contradiction of his name, he has no
mortal fear Of anything that has the shape
| of bruin. This Indians name is designated
| as "Matocokepa," which of itself would
| frighten a person if it were spoken in his
ear snrreptitiously or if it were uttered III a
nightmare.
RUDDY APPE LLATIONS
"Red Lodge" "Red Thunder" "Red
| Door, ''Red Boy. "''Rad d Dog, - "Red Hoof''
| kDoI arraa 20 10 t.bo to,,,
predecessors have done. 1t is not known
that this ALTERATION in christian, or, more
| properly, heathen names has any special
| significance except to the person himself
| Out of them the poet might compose some
beautiful rhymes, tho writer of fiction in
| terweave some very fanciful story; the
muse might sing them out in feet of ialnbic,
| dactylic, or trochaic meter; the warrior
might inscribe them on his shield and he'll
met, and the funny man might write puns
| on them, but to the unlettered and uutu-
| tored aborigines they are as honored and
cherished those of our own dear ancestry
| The boundessness of the Indians domain
and their habits of roaming at leisure, un-
| fettered and unrestrained, over the land,
have educated them to this degree of wild
fancy. Rushing Eagle,n Eagle Ears
| walking Eagle" Bear Eagle have
also adopted in part the name of some OF
their fellows and all indicate to a greater or
| less degree the instructive and natural hat its
and inclinations of these queer people, with
| their whole nature always alert. "IroH
| Necklace was also present when the con-
| tract was executed. Inspired by the thrill
| ing tradl ions which have descended upon
him, he has probably selected this significant
name as truly demonstrating the invulner-
| ability of his race aS whole, and appar-
| entity rejoIces in the cognomen.
II the ordinary Chicago girl, with the
| reputation st. Louis has succeeded in at
taching to her for the large pedal extreIni-
| ii S, or the Chinese girl of noble family
! could have seen this bill and have noticed
the self-assumed name of big Foot or
''Seeahtonkan they wolld have breathed a
sigh of relief and concluded that after all
men, at any rate Indian men, do not re-
gard an appellation of this kind with much
shrinking. OF course it is not assumed that
big Foot's" shoe is of larger number
comparatively speaking, than those Of many
of his white friends, but the name, to use
slang ter -, is "a dead give away" "Medi-
cine Bear Track, GRAY Hand, Lightning
Bull BLACK Duck standing Elk
Charging Crow" white Bill BLACK
Shield" "Good Track" also appropriately
append their "X' mark. yellow Horse
also shows up with his skin in this agree
ment.
THE LONGEST NAME.
Probably the longest name after trans
| lation ls that of "Iong Polen or "Red