Indian Boyhood [72]
such power to the Washechu (the rich)-- sometimes we called them by this name--and not to us Dakotas.
For the same reason," he answered, "that he gave to Duta the skill to make fine bows and ar- rows, and to Wachesne no skill to make anything."
"And why do the Big Knives increase so much more in number than the Dakotas?" I continued.
"It has been said, and I think it must be true, that they have larger families than we do. I went into the house of an Eashecha (a German), and I counted no less than nine children. The eldest of them could not have been over fifteen. When my grandfather first visited them, down at the mouth of the Mississippi, they were comparative- ly few; later my father visited their Great Father at Washington, and they had already spread over the whole country."
"Certainly they are a heartless nation. They have made some of their people servants--yes, slaves! We have never believed in keeping slaves, but it seems that these Washechu do! It is our belief that they painted their servants black a long time ago, to tell them from the rest, and now the slaves have children born to them of the same color!
"The greatest object of their lives seems to be to acquire possessions--to be rich. They desire to possess the whole world. For thirty years they were trying to entice us to sell them our
First Impressions of Civilization 283
land. Finally the outbreak gave them all, and we have been driven away from our beautiful country.
"They are a wonderful people. They have divided the day into hours, like the moons of the year. In fact, they measure everything. Not one of them would let so much as a turnip go from his field unless he received full value for it. I understand that their great men make a feast and invite many, but when the feast is over the guests are required to pay for what they have eaten before leaving the house. I myself saw at White Cliff (the name given to St. Paul, Minne- sota) a man who kept a brass drum and a bell to call people to his table; but when he got them in he would make them pay for the food!
"I am also informed," said my uncle, "but this I hardly believe, that their Great Chief (President) compels every man to pay him for the land he lives upon and all his personal goods--even for his own existence--every year!" (This was his idea of taxation.) "I am sure we could not live under such a law.
"When the outbreak occurred, we thought that our opportunity had come, for we had learned that the Big Knives were fighting among themselves, on account of a dispute over their slaves. It was said that the Great Chief had al- lowed slaves in one part of the country and not in another, so there was jealousy, and they had to fight it out. We don't know how true this was.
"There were some praying-men who came to us some time before the trouble arose. They ob- served every seventh day as a holy day. On that day they met in a house that they had built for that purpose, to sing, pray, and speak of their Great Mystery. I was never in one of these meetings. I understand that they had a large book from which they read. By all accounts they were very different from all other white men we have known, for these never observed any such day, and we never knew them to pray, neither did they ever tell us of their Great Mystery.
"In war they have leaders and war-chiefs of different grades. The common warriors are driv- en forward like a herd of antelopes to face the foe. It is on account of this manner of fighting--from compulsion and not from personal bravery--that we count no coup on them. A lone warrior can do much harm to a large army of them in a bad country."
It was this talk with my uncle that gave me my first clear idea of the white man.
I was almost fifteen years old when my uncle
First Impressions of Civilization 285
presented me with a flint-lock gun. The posses- sion of the "mysterious iron," and the explosive dirt, or "pulverized coal," as it is called, filled me with new thoughts. All the war-songs that I had ever heard from childhood
For the same reason," he answered, "that he gave to Duta the skill to make fine bows and ar- rows, and to Wachesne no skill to make anything."
"And why do the Big Knives increase so much more in number than the Dakotas?" I continued.
"It has been said, and I think it must be true, that they have larger families than we do. I went into the house of an Eashecha (a German), and I counted no less than nine children. The eldest of them could not have been over fifteen. When my grandfather first visited them, down at the mouth of the Mississippi, they were comparative- ly few; later my father visited their Great Father at Washington, and they had already spread over the whole country."
"Certainly they are a heartless nation. They have made some of their people servants--yes, slaves! We have never believed in keeping slaves, but it seems that these Washechu do! It is our belief that they painted their servants black a long time ago, to tell them from the rest, and now the slaves have children born to them of the same color!
"The greatest object of their lives seems to be to acquire possessions--to be rich. They desire to possess the whole world. For thirty years they were trying to entice us to sell them our
First Impressions of Civilization 283
land. Finally the outbreak gave them all, and we have been driven away from our beautiful country.
"They are a wonderful people. They have divided the day into hours, like the moons of the year. In fact, they measure everything. Not one of them would let so much as a turnip go from his field unless he received full value for it. I understand that their great men make a feast and invite many, but when the feast is over the guests are required to pay for what they have eaten before leaving the house. I myself saw at White Cliff (the name given to St. Paul, Minne- sota) a man who kept a brass drum and a bell to call people to his table; but when he got them in he would make them pay for the food!
"I am also informed," said my uncle, "but this I hardly believe, that their Great Chief (President) compels every man to pay him for the land he lives upon and all his personal goods--even for his own existence--every year!" (This was his idea of taxation.) "I am sure we could not live under such a law.
"When the outbreak occurred, we thought that our opportunity had come, for we had learned that the Big Knives were fighting among themselves, on account of a dispute over their slaves. It was said that the Great Chief had al- lowed slaves in one part of the country and not in another, so there was jealousy, and they had to fight it out. We don't know how true this was.
"There were some praying-men who came to us some time before the trouble arose. They ob- served every seventh day as a holy day. On that day they met in a house that they had built for that purpose, to sing, pray, and speak of their Great Mystery. I was never in one of these meetings. I understand that they had a large book from which they read. By all accounts they were very different from all other white men we have known, for these never observed any such day, and we never knew them to pray, neither did they ever tell us of their Great Mystery.
"In war they have leaders and war-chiefs of different grades. The common warriors are driv- en forward like a herd of antelopes to face the foe. It is on account of this manner of fighting--from compulsion and not from personal bravery--that we count no coup on them. A lone warrior can do much harm to a large army of them in a bad country."
It was this talk with my uncle that gave me my first clear idea of the white man.
I was almost fifteen years old when my uncle
First Impressions of Civilization 285
presented me with a flint-lock gun. The posses- sion of the "mysterious iron," and the explosive dirt, or "pulverized coal," as it is called, filled me with new thoughts. All the war-songs that I had ever heard from childhood