Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1929-12-05

mighty tribes to feebleness and de-
Spair. .
One of the results of the terrible
loss of life was the enhancing OF n
bitterness with which the white men
were regarded. Many of the Indians
believed that the disease had been pur-
pOsely introduced among them to DreaK
their power and insure their sublectlon.
The Indians believed the white ACE
stronger than they because their medl-
cine or gods were more powerful n
they found in the scourge OF smallpox
an evidence of this.
At the time the disease was raging,
the men at Fort Union had to use
their best efforts to prevent an at
tack on the fort by the enraged ma
tiveS.
Became a Point of Time
This year of the great havoc OF the
smallpox remained for decades n OF
the few fixed points to which the In
dams Of the plains referred In setting
the relative time of other events.
In Walter McClintOck's "Old Indian
Trails" he speaks of Iron Shirt, a for
mer head-chief of the Blackfeet, and
says of him, He kept winter counts
by making pictures on buffalo ropes.
He recorded important events in the
history of the tribe-places OF tribal
camps, battles and names OF war
chiefs, years OF smallpox, summers OF
drouth ard winters when snow was
deep and food scarce"
One of these records vas of the f1rSt
great sickness of smallpox which Nc
ClintOck sets as 1886.
Winter counts kept by the Sioux In
dams reveal several smallpox epidem1cs
prior to 1887 but it is possible these
did not spread to the Montana tribes.
In one winter count which goes back
to 1861. the first smallpox record
was 1801-02 and was shown by the
head and shoulders of a man covered
with red blotches. The same sign is
used again in 1888 although some
of the Interpreters thought the last
was a measles year, the Indians max
ing little distinction as there were uSu-
ally many deaths from both. The In
dams referred to these years as small
poX-use-them-up-again winters"
Few Diseases Before Whites
The Indians before the white men
came were apparently little subject to
the ravages Of fatal contagious disease
and their system of treatment based
mainly or the use of herbs and the
power of suggestion from those who
treated their ailments was not so in
adequate as it seems.
Stomach and intestinal disorders are
common among the Indians now but in
their nomadic days their diet of buff
falO and other wild game was varied
with roots and berries, dried for winter
use, which gave a fairly good balance.
Some constitutional diseases were rare.
For instance, the fact that a man died
of the drOpsy vas thought worthy of
record on a winter count.
One custom among the Indians which
originated in the religious idea Of puri-
fication but is also considered of thera-
peutiv value, was the sweat lodge. In
it willows or other plant shoots are
bent over in a circular dome-like frame
which is covered over with blankets or
skins. A number of hot stones being
placed in this lodge, water is poured
on the stones after the naked bather
has taken his place under the walls.
He remains in this sweat box as long as
he can endure the heat and then
rushes out and jumps into the icy wa
tiers of a nearby stream. Such heroic
treatment pursued by a sufferer from
smallpox was doubtless one of the rea-
SON. why smallpox took so much great