Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1928-11-15

met py captain Lewis Oh the Lew
and Clark exposition across the con-
tinent in 1904. When the expedition
got as far as what is now called the
Beaverhead river in Montana, Captain
Lewis met Camewai. then chief Of this
tribe of Indians. When Sacajawea, who
piloted the way for Lewis and Clark,
met Camewai on the Beaverhead river,
she discovered he was her brother. She
had been captured In this section OF the
country when a small child-and taken
to Fort Union, where she afterward mar
ried a French breeG. From Fort Union
she had led the Lewis and Clark expedi-
ton back to the country where she was
born
1t was by her influence that horses
were sold the whites by Camewai. The
expedition travelled from the Beaverhead
to the head waters of the Bitter Root
river, down this river to Lolo creek,
thence to the head waters of the Clear
water river to it's mouth at Lewiston,
where a city is now located.
There the. horses were left in the care
Of the Nez Perez and boats were used
to float down the Snake to its mouth,
thence down the Columbia to The Dalles,
thence to the mouth of the Columbia,
where Lewis and Clark spent the winter.
The Nez Perez tribe of Indians, origin
ally occupied the entire country from
the mouth of the Clearwater river
(called Lewis river, to the Walla Walla
country.
Honest Indians
These Indians were highly praised by
Lewis and Clark, as not given to theft,
and whose word could be relied on.
When Lewis M Clark ON their retrun
trip from the coast reached Lewiston,
they found the horses they had left In
charge of the Indians were we'll taken
care of, and every one was turned back
to its owner.
When this vast unsettled country over
which the Indians formerly hunted be-
came occupied, the Nez Perez Indians
were allotted a reservation ON certain
lands in Idaho.
To Hunt Buffalo
1t was a custom for these Indians
every fall to make q hunting trip to
what was then the Sioux country in
eastern Montana, to lay in a supply OF
buffalo meat. They followed the same
trail made by Lewis n Clark to the
headwaters Of the Bitter Root river,
thence up the Blackfoot river, thence
through the Deer Lodge valley to the
Madison river and the home of the buff
falo.
1t was in the month of June, 1874,
when looking north from the town Of
Deer Lodge, one could see Indians ap-
preaching In squads of rs or more,
riding fine looking horses.
AT about 10 o'clock a. m. there had
assembled 1900 Nez Perez In this vii
lage. One could notice a large, distin-
guished but hatless Indian riding an
Alapoose stallion at the head of the
procession. The first house the Indians
approached was the station for the fire
department.; the chief of this depart
ment, an Die indian trader, was in
charge. He could speak Chinook. He
saluted the rider and called him Chief
Joseph. This was the nan who led the
Indians in after years In the Nez Perez
war from the reservation in Idaho to
the British lines in northern Montana.
Chief Joseph talked with the chief of
the fire department, who took notice Jo-
seph was hatless, and Who ave him one
OF the water proof hats worn by the
captain of this department. Chief Jo-
seph told the captain he would bring him
buffalo tongues when he returned In
the fall, and this he did not forget to do.
These Indians held a war dance on
the outskirts of this village, and invited
all the people to come and view 1t. Prac-
tically all of the women-and there were
very few at that date In the village
were invited.
A New Dance
The drums sounded and the war dance
was on. The ladies en- masse were In at
tendance, and after awhile when the
excitement was at its height a warrior
who had been sitting with his robe
around him jumped up. threw off his
robe and commenced to dance around the
ring-clad in nothing but sunshine.
There was a sudden exit of all the women
folks.
The following day the entire tribe
mounted and rode toward the buffalo
country, and did not make their re-
appearance in this village until late In
November.
Their ponies were loaded with buf-
falo meat, and some OF this meat had
been put into the paunch of killed buf-
falo, sewed with thongs, spiced with
camas and wild berries. 1t was consid-
cred q delicacy. although an occasional
hair could be found.
Chief Joseph gave to the captain Of
the fire department several packages Of
the detachable buffalo meat and his
friends afterward joined him In dejeuner
q la fourchette.
Three years afterward this captain Of
the fire department and all available
--- $1,000 $50 L. l. T.