The Wahpeton times. [volume] (Wahpeton, Richland County, Dakota [N.D.]) 1879-1919, 1907-04-11
NORTH DAKOTA HISTORY.
First Volume Is out-A Valuable Con
tribution.

'"Ss vosouse % Oug-A valuable Con-
tribution.
With Volume l Of Collections" the
State Historical Society of North Da-
'kota makes its bow to the public as
the custodian of the states archaeo-
logical records.
Perhaps no state III the Union pre-
sents larger opportunities or more
valuable material for the antiquarian.
North Dakota possesses the only re-
naming fragments of two famous
tribes, the Mandans and the Grasven.
tres, as we'll as remains Of three 9th.
ers. the Pawnees, the Sioux and the
Caippewas. To gather up and pre-
serve these old myths, tribal records
and customs, the accounts of early
settlers, all of which material. CT
priceless value. Is rapidly disappear.
ing, is a duty Of vital Importance.
Much of this is unique, practically
nothing having been done along these
lines except by such travellers as
Lewis and Clark, Catlin and Maximil
ian.
Among the more notable contribu
lions TO this work may be mentioned
The account Of the medicine dance of
the kakotas, by Prof. j. NJ. Gillette;
the interlinear translation of a Gros.
ventre legend by Rev. C. l.. Hall, the
only living authority on this language
and an illustrated account of the Five
Knife River Villages by the editor.
This last article contains the first pic
turc of the holy tepee of the Mandans
ever published. and also the first com.
plete picture CT each Of these impor-
sant Villages drawn Ivy one OF their
own number. From the chronological
roin, OF view the material in this
sketch is important not merely as be.
ing the latest contribution ON the sub.
ject, but also as showing the possible
ties for research i'll the future.
But the work Of this society is no,
wholly archaeological. North Dakota
has had but eighteen years of legal ex.
istence as a separate state. and con-
ditions are undergoing very remarka'
bic transformations. Within the mem.
DRY of most Of her inhabitants the
state has passed from the primitive
buffalo-hunting condition of the latter
los through ranching stage to an
agricultural condition. These changes
have all come about in less than {
generation and so 1t Is still possible
to find in different parts Of the state
conditions which recall all the differ
ent stages of her growth. This re-
markable development has come about
largely from an immigration into the
state that itself is phenomenon
worthy of study. How the state has
been transformed from a primitive
hunting community to one OF adj
vanced agriculture and how the heter'
ogeneols foreign population Is being
assimilated into the body polite. are
problems which have been discussed
in the present volume issued by the
State Historical society, and this dis.
cussion will be continued in future
volumes.
Two very scholarly papers appear in
Part of the volume, Uses OF an
Historical Society,"" by Prof. McLaugh'
lin, of the University of Chicago, and
Data of the Archaeology Of the Da'
kotas," by Harlan I. Smith. of the
American Museum of Natural History,
New York. Not the least noteworthy
of the contributions is one by Rev. {.
l.. Hall, on the spelling of the Indian
name of the Bird Woman, the guide OF
the Lewis and Clark expedition IN the
Snake River country. The blunder OF
certain editors and authors In author.
izing the erroneous spelling "Sacaja'
YEA" is clearly pointed out and the
spelling "Sa.ka-ka.wea' is shown to be
the correct form.
The book is credit to the state
The editing has been done with pains
taking care and only those having mad
experience with the difficulties OF ed
itorial work can intelligently judge
and estimate the worth Of what mas
been done in the preparation OF thls
volume. OF special merit is the last
mart of the volume on the life and
customs Of the Indians OF North Da
kota. This is new material, and DE-
Libby. the secretary of the society, de-
serves great credit. For several years
he has devoted his vacations to the
work of gathering information, inter
viewing eye-witnesses, sitting evil
dence, verifying reports, and putting
results in proper form. Judging by
this first volume, the North Dakota
series will rank among the first of the
~ thn country.