New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-12-15
PRIMITIVE HUNTING

This revolution occurred within the memory Of
an aged Piegan chief Wolf Calf who was borr
about 1893. The whole experience OF race in its
evolution from the stone age is covered by the
lifetime Of this centenarian he described ii TO
1he author Of the book in hand. When he was
inst getting big enough to Use bow. all his ar
1oypoints were made of stone. and the knives
were all made Of flint A few years later the
;ribesmen obtained sheet iron from some source
for their arrowpoints. Then stone knives began
10 be replaced with pieces Of tin set into bone,
so .nat only narrow edge OF the metal was 10 be
seen These were an improvement on the stone
Euives for skinning game 1t was only gradu-
ally that the Indians became possessed of knives
such as white men used. In those days the
Piegans knew nothing about horses. The dog
was their only beast Of burden. and the travels
their only vehicle for transporting their lodges
and other movables from place to place. Tney
hunted the buffalo. not by running the animals
down but by Turing them into traps or pounds
made bv building convergng walls Of stone
which opened at the narrow end upon the verge
o. A precipice. 1t illustrates the habits Of both
Indian and buffalo TO know that the former made
his trap to last for ages and that the latter never
learned 10 avoid IT, The buffalo's curiosity was
rs ruin The task OF awakening this curiosity
was left 10 one Of the trlbesmen. who by the pos
session of what was Known buffalo stone
or by some special skill. was successful In at
tracing the creatures. This man usually mixed
Up business and religion in way characteristic
% indians. He watched the whole night through
rreyi )us 70 the hunt praying necessarily TO the
poxer N which ne relied for success. In some
c,s9s he called in the priest % help him in his
p,avers but quite is often he prayed alone
burning sweet grass ard sweet pine 10 draw his
helper to him. and also purifying himself by pass
ing his arms and body through rhe perfumed
smoke, and grasDng handfuls OF the smoke
and rubbing II over hts body. arms and
legs" In the morning he went to the hunt fast
ing and athirst leaving the women Of his house
hold with strict njunctions not to go out of the
lodge until he returned He approached the herd
Of buffalo before dawn. and az soon as light be-
gan to gleam tell to such antics between the ami
mails and the wide opening Of the trap as were
certain to attract attention. First one buffalo
and then another would gaze at him, and then
walk nearer to him. Finally the whole herd
would be in motion. then in a numbering trot, and
at last in gallop toward certain death Mean
while the caller escaped through the walls Of the
trap
II was at such hunting trap that the Piegans.
according to Wolf Calf, caught sight Of horse
for the first time Like the old Greeks with the
Centaurs they supposed that the horse and the
man which hestrode ii were parts of a single
creature. They were camped At place called
Smash the Heads. abiding to the manner in which
The buffalo killed. and had been successful IN
their hunt. Meanwhile a Kutenai with whose
tribe the Piesans were on Ill terms, had
dered into the neighborhood chasing buffalo.
At first he dared not visit the Piegan camp; but.
as he had no luck, hunger at last drove him to
risk his life With his wife and his three chill
dren, all horseback. he appeared over a hill
just the Piegans were busy with big drive
az buffalo The Piegans gazed in amazement al
the novel sight, and the chief exclaimed, II have
heard Of wonderful things that have happened
from the earlies, times until now but never
heard u anything like ;his This thing must
have come from above. else II must have come
out Of the hill. DO not 90 anything 20 It; bc still
and wait. II we try 10 hunt II. maybe 1t Will
ride into :hat Hill again, or maybe something
had will happen" SO they waited. and the
strange thing resolved itself at last into man
and a beast such as the Plegans had never seen
before. The man showed by signs that ne and
his we're friendly and hungry ana food
given them and he gave his horses to the Pie
gans. Then he brough; more horses from camp
which he had made in the mountains. and the
people wondered and were weary Of gazing
at the strange animals. But they were evidently
convinced that il was better to ride than TO walk
for the end of 1t all was that they persuaded
to visit the Kutenals and soon the whole tribe
became familiar with the animals which had
seemed 90 strange at first. From that day doubt
less they found less and less occasion to make use
OF the buffalo trap, for they had now the means
q running down their game on the open prairie.
They could now select their victims and the In
discriminate slaughter Of whole herds young and
for the white hunters and the dealers in furs
ana SKINS
STONE WEAPONS