The Idaho recorder. [volume] (Salmon City, Idaho) 1886-1927, 1917-08-24
THE ORIGIN AND EXTENT or
The lEMt4l INDIAN TRIBE

t1ah tue ohoshnhlss ANerSe 10 manu-
al labor but brave IN war, Outlines be
ing heartqss, cTue! and biaodthirsty.
MT Langsford writing OF the results
OF the battle OF Bear river, says.
The lesson this battle taught the
bannaeks has never been forgotten,
The instance OF an attack BY other
bands upon the emigTants. has never
been known since that day. Ii 30
reduced their tribe In number. that
they have ever since bessn broken
and dispirited people They are the
Migrants Of the mountains: as re-
Lnarkable for pusillanimlty. as, ia the
days OF Bonneville. thay we're for
their bravery. and the commanding
position they held among the noun
tain tribes"
The Shoshonis wege a low. heavy
built people. very dark, with small
feet and hands, but large chests and
shoulders. While usually Ut peace
with the whites. especially after a
Few years acquaintance, ya when
aroused were brave people and
when wrongad became very tracher.
Gus They were quite amenable To
civilized ways and ia dealing with
whites, shrewd but always suspicious.
They were excellent horsemen.
The Tukuarikas were slender and
wiry people. their haunts being the
most secluded and at times the high
est points oS the mountains, being
destitute of modern implements, US.
ing instead the obsidian knife aud
hatchet; dressed IN ragged skins,
they We're truly designated "hermits''
or wild mGn" of the mountains. In.
tellectnally, they were very inferior,
some not far removed from Lower an
imals and were usually reckoned a
timid and harmless people
Some OF the remnants of these
tribes had gathered into one congre-
CATION and had selected Tendoy their
chief and as they did not constitute
separate tribe, mbecame known as
Tendoy's band. After they had been
settled on a reservation Ia Lemhi
valley. where they mtermarried, they
soon coaleseed into a tribe now call.
ed Lemhis. but which their southern
kinsmen called 'lguyarika,' meaning
l'Iguy." salmon" and Mark /"
eater" or "Salmoneaters / was
census enumeFator OF theFe Indians
in 1900 and among other things We
made searching inquiry INTO their
tribal relations, but as they had In
termarried 30 extensively that, ex.
cepting some old people. there we're
no full blood Shoshonis, Bannacks,
or Tukuarikas among them. so they
were enumerated as a single tribe.
Tendoy did his best 10 provide FOR
his band. They were nomadic in
| their nature. having to wander 10 oh.
tain necessary RubEiStAnce which
was derived mainly from hunting
buffalo on the Yellowstone river. fish.
ing for salmon along the Lemhi and
Salmon riyeTs and digging camaa
root on Big CamRs prairie IN Central
Idaho, thus partaklng OF the traits
OF the hunting, fishing and root dig.
ging Indians At last the attention
of the government was called To the
miserable and destitute condition 81
| this band OF Indians and of the pre-
cArious life. they we're leading and in
| 1868 the United States entered into
an agreement with them TO supply
the band, as might seem proper BY
the government, with the necessarieF
Of life, IL the Indians would c"de
their claim 10 all lands lying outside
Iof a reserve which was To contain
two townships OF land described ~
commencing AZ a point OF Rocks
near where Lemhi postoffioe now
stands Under this agreement the
government furnished these Indians
some supplies and rations through
Nathan r, Hall. a trader who KEEP,
small store south Of pattee eresSi
opposite TO Fort Lemhi. Hall sold
out his business In 1870, after which
the government attributed goods and
rations TO the Indians through A. J
smith of BannAck. Mont, who event
ally came TO Lemhi and bad SONS
buildings erected for Indian purpoAei
on a small creek, called On thls &C
count, Agency creek. but MT. smits
dying in 1879, John RAinHford was ap
pointed 20 succeed him.
This method did not improve tn
condition OF the Indians. They still
had to depend upon their sagactt
in tTads with settlers and miners
The agreement made In 1868 bad neN
er been ratified and news became
treaty The attitude Of these Indian
toward the whites had always beel
friendly and having rendered Walt
able service 10 the settlers BY prt
ltaEtinR them from wandering band
Of unfriendly indians. the white pee
pie desired that a reservation De ~
aside for them. Col Bhoup took th
matter up with Hon John Hailfg
then Idaho's delegate 10 Congress =
answer TO a letter Of inquiry. Al
HALEY wrota me as follows: Will
in Washington. d C., in the %pftn
Iof 1874, ! received q letter from Co
George l. shoup stating there was
band Of a few hundred In 'ians .
II.smhi county. under Chief sndol
who had always bssn friendly 70 th
whites. and that the white settler
wished them 20 remain there -
Ithay acted as q protection 70 the -
tiers against other Indians who Wer
mot good. The Colonel wanted 70
70 see II there was not some va
that a small reservation could BE- -
aside in Lemhi county for these u
dians. I called on the Indian Depar
msnt and learned that they yer
willing these indians should renal
there provided q small and suitaol
place could Be selected for them TIA
satisfactory 60 all concerned: ale
the settlers on public lands wro'
L. Hw EFHTHfa