The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1895-01-16

ed from the hoofs. The shields are arrow
proof and will throw off a rife shot If held
obliquely, and this the Indians can do with
great skill. Since there is no war or occa-
sion for the use of these arms, except In
games of practice, many of the Indians
for few bottles of fire water have sold
their best shields, and now they are seen
scattered over the country, preserved as
curios.
1t is folly to assume that the Indians
nave wholly or even partially done away
with their barbaric customs. In their cele-
brations it is their great joy to cast Off
their clothing and paint their bodies all
colors of the rainbow; wear horns on their
heads and make themselves look as hide
Gus as possible. The arrow game Is intro
duced-never are there demonstrations with
the modern weapons-and the man is
teemed above all others who can throw the
greatest number of arrows in the sky be-
fore the first one falls. In hunting. the
Sioux kill muSkrats with spears as they
did in early days spear the buffalo, manag
ing to get close to them by being dressed
in the VOLTS skin and going on all tours.
| have seen Indians VINO would on horse
back attack and kill a bear with lance
but were afraid to modest the animal I'M
less they had the Inian pony as a means
of escape
The arrow heads of ebert used for hunt
ing are peculiarly fastened, in order to
make the arrow revolve. The Indian
featers the arrow for the same purpose
and also carves the arrow shaft with a
spiral groove. This is not, as has been
supposed. to let the blood out of the
wound, but to make the arrow carry.
Every tribe has its own arrow; it is
| Claimed that the Pawnees are the best man
ufacturers. The Comanches feather their
arrows with two feathers; the Navajoes
| Utes and all Apaches, except the Tontos
| nave three feathers, the Tontos using four
| feathers for each shaft. The bird arrow is
| the very smallest made.
| | have practiced for hours with the Utes
| uselessy trying to blame the twist of the
| feathered arrow for my bad shots. The
! indians say that the carvings and feathers
,, are 50 arranged to give the arrows the cor
| rect motion, and one old chief seeing
| the twist in the ri1e-barel by which the
| ball is made to revolve in the same manner,
| claimed that the white man stole his idea
| from the Indian.
| Oval stones with grooves around their
| greatest circumference secured to a
| handle by withe or thong, and become war
| clubs. They are dangerous weapons in the
| hand of an Indnan. Tomahawks, manufac-
| tured by white men, have succeeded the war
| club in a way it is claimed the rifle has
| the bow and arrow. Recent tomaha wks,
| taken from the Indians. bear an English
trade mark; they originally cost perhaps Is
cents and were sold to the Indians for moth
| ing less than horse, and perhaps two.
| Chief Wolf, an Indian Croesus and the
| Vanderbilt of the red men, though he is
| worth over half million and drives at
| times in an elegant coach, clings closely to
ms tepee. ever demonstrating the savage
! part of his life He lives at Fishhook bay.
| on the Snake river, in the state of Washing
| ton. He is of the Palouse Snake Indians,
| and though he has a comfortable house, he
| never sleeps there, but goes to the tepee no
| matter how Indictment the ather In the
! days when the buffalo were plenty Wolf
| was great hunter. He tells a tale of
| driving three thousand bison over a bluff
| near the Snake river. where they were all
Killed by the fall. This is supposed to be
| true. because until late years the place was
mass OF bones. Though he has his guns
| and all the modern firearms, both he and the
children cling to the primitive weapons of