Omaha daily bee., 1911-07-09
INDIANS WHO MET De SOTO
Tribes that Made Their Homes Along
the Lower Mississippi.
NATCHEz THE Principal TRrBE
Highest In Point of Civiiisatiou and
General Advancement - Social
Relations and Tribal Con-
ditions Disclosed.

The language, customs and manners Of
the Indian tribes Of the lower Mississippi
valley and adjacent coast Of the Gulf OF
Mexico are graphically described in Buiie-
tin q, just issued by the Bureau OF Amer
lean Ethnology of the Smithsonian Insti-
tuition. The bulletin was compiled and
edited by DR.. John r. swanton a careful
painstaking investigator. with special at
tention TO detail and research work.
1t is one Of the most exhaustive studies
Of the central southern Indians and will
become one OF the text books on the
American Indians OF that section Of the
country and an invaluable addition to the
existing lore of the aborigines.
Details Of the story of the years gone
BY are told in the bulletin. as well as the
conditions prevailing in the remnant of
the once great tribes in existence Today.
The work is generously illustrated With
modern photographs. sketches made In the
times Of the earliest explorers, and with
localized drawings by artists from descrip-
lions taken from the writings OF old
French explorers.
All authorities treating on the life and
habits, customs and practices OF the In
dams OF the district covered have been
carefully collated by DR.. swanton, Charlie
voix, Dumont Gu Pratz and others being
freely quoted.
The work Is a classic on the Natohez
tribe. More than two-thirds Of the book
Is devoted TO this tribe. This, however, is
but natural in view of the fact that 1t
was one OF the largest on the lower Mis-
sissppi, but It has commanded attention
the more because Of it's highly centralized
form of government the sanguinary NOR
tuary rites of it's ruling class. and finally
the massacre perpetrated by the tribe upon
the French settlers.
The region with which the bulletin has
to do Is one of the most interesting. both
TO the ethnologist and the Archaeological;
TO the former, because of its exceptional
linguistic completely in which the terri
tory north of Mexico Is exceeded only by
the Pacific coast, and to the archeologlst
for the reason that the lower Mississippi
valley Is one OF the richest fields for ex-
ploration in the United States.
This interest is intensified by the pres
ence OF the Natchez. q tribe so highly
organized socially that II Is often pointed
out as a remnant of that culture to which
the mound builders" are supposed to
have belonged.
One thing to which special attention is
called is the fact that babel Of tongues
IL found in the low rolling country similar
TO that which has heretofore been ac-
credited to mountainous regions and pro-
duced by mountain ranges forming sep
arate communities, with far less inter-
change of intercourse. On the basis of
language the writer divides the tribes of
this section into five family groups:
Natchez, Muskhogean, Tunican, Chit
machen and Atakapan, the first two OF
these being also related to each other.
The tribes. now almost extinct. formerly
occupied the banks OF the Father OF
Waters and its tributaries from near the
northern boundary of the present state OF
Louisiana to the Gulf OF Mexico and the
shores of the gulf for some distance east
and west, to present gulf coast resorts on
the east and to Galveston bay and Trinity
river on the west.
The Natchez villages we're scattered
along st. GATHERINGS creek. east OF the
pi esent city Of Natches. Like many other
tribes Of American Indians the Natchea
impressed travellers as tall, strong, robust
and possessed of naturally proud air
They were agreeably favored in the matter
Of voice. not having the strong. throaty,
grmf voices so common 10 the Indians oil
tribe were painstaking in the matter Of
ptrsonal appearance and in the work thai
fell to their lot The Natchez cut thelr
hair so as to leave a crown after the styl,
affected by the canuchlns, with onl,
enough long hairs to permit the making o.
twisted tress that hung like an ornament
over the left ear. In the middle OF this
crown they left about two dozen hairs fol
the attachment Of feathers.
Although head.flattening Is mentioned b,
all writer's. Dr. swanton points out that
the only good description OF the method
by which 1t is brought about in this par.
tioular region Is the following from the
Luxembourg memoir:
They have the head pointed and almos
OF the shape Of mitre. They were no
lorn soi u is charm which Is given thea
in early years. What a mother does Il
the head Of an infant in order to force 1t.
tender bones TO assume this shape is al
, most beyond belief. She lays the lnfan
on the end Of board ON which 10 spread
the skin Of an animal One extremity o.
this board has hole where the head /,
placed and II is lower than the rest. Phi
infant bsing laid down naked she pushs,
back its head into this hole and applies I,
II on the forehead and under the head ,
mass OF clay, which she birds with ali hel
strength between the two little boards
The infant erica. turns completely black
and the strain II IL made 10 suffer is suci
that white fluid is sssn to come from Il,
nose and ears at the time when the meths
presses on its forehead, IL sleeps this wa,
every night until its skull has taken on IN,
shape which custom wishes II 10 receive.
The Matches made their knives eFdinarli,
OF a rather small variety Of cane Thl
was split into four pieces. each Of which
formed q knife that cut very we'll Tor /
little while. Bear deer and bison wer
the principal animals hunted for food Tn,
Indians fed willingly on the flesh OF IN
bear, but Tor that purpose n had 20 be lean
In any other condition only the feet wer,
eaten.
Feather work was one Of the things /,
which the Natehez attained a high degre
Of perfection. With the thread obtained
from the bark of the bass tree they mad
for themselves a kind OF mantle whiei
they covered with the fne.t swan ath
ers. fastened on the eloiA one by one.
long piece Of work In truth. bat they &C
counted their pains and time as noihInl
when they wanted 70 satisfy themselves
On tho lower Mississippi the only kin,
OF canoe In common use was the dugout