6

IN NORTH AMERICA.

49

'been carefully drawn. No. 1 denotes the flag of the Union No. 2 the cantonment, then recently 'established, at Cold Spring, on the western side of 'the cliffs, above the influx of the St. Peters: No. 4 is the symbol of the commanding officer (Colonel 'H. Leavenworth), under whose authority a mission of peace had been sent into the Chippewa country: 'No. 11 is the symbol of Chakope, or the Six, the leading Sioux chief, under whose orders the party 'moved: No. 8 is the second chief, called Wabedatunka, 'or the Black Dog. The symbol of his name is No. 10; 'he has fourteen lodges. No. 7 is a chief, subordinate 'to Chakope, with thirteen lodges, and a bale of goods (No. 9), which was devoted by the Government to the objects of the peace. The name of No. 6, whose wigwam is No. 5, with thirteen subordinate lodges, was not given.'1

This was intended to imply that a party of Sioux, headed by Chakope, and accompanied or at least countenanced by Colonel Leavenworth, had come to this spot in the hope of meeting the Chippewa hunters and concluding a peace. The Chippewa chief, Babesacundabee, who found this letter, read off its meaning without doubt or hesitation.

On one occasion a party of explorers, with two Indian guides, saw, one morning, just as they were about to start, a pole stuck in the direction they were going, and holding at the top a piece of bark, covered with drawings, intended for the information of any other Indians who might pass that way. This is represented in fig. 9.

1 Schoolcraft's Indian Tribes, vol. i. pp. 352, 353.

E

50

INDIAN BIOGRAPHY.

No. 1 represents the subaltern officer in command of the party. He is drawn with a sword to denote his rank. No. 2 denotes the secretary. He is represented as holding a book, the Indians having understood him to be an attorney. No. 3 represents the geologist, appropriately indicated by a hammer. Nos. 4 and 5 are attachés; No. 6 the interpreter. The group of figures marked 9 represents seven infantry soldiers, each of whom, as shown in group No. 10, was armed with a musket. No. 15 denotes that they had a separate fire,

and constituted a separate mess. Figs. 7 and 8 represent the two Chippewa guides. These are the only human figures drawn without the distinguishing symbol of a hat. This was the characteristic seized on by them, and generally employed by the Indians, to distinguish the Red from the White race. Figs. 11 and 12 represent a prairie hen and a green tortoise, which constituted the sum of the preceding day's chase, and were eaten at the encampment. The inclination of the pole was designed to show the course pursued, and there were three hacks in it below the scroll of bark, to indicate the estimated length of this part of the journey, computing from water to water. The following figure (fig. 10) gives

the biography of Wingemund, a noted chief of the Delawares. 1 shows that it belonged to the oldest branch of the tribe, which use the tortoise on their symbol; 2 is his totem or symbol; 3 is the sun, and the ten strokes represent ten war parties in which he was engaged. Those figures on the left represent the captives which he made in each of his excursions, the men being distin

guished from the women, and the captives being denoted by having heads, while a man without his head is of course a dead man. The central figures represent three forts which he attacked; 8 one on Lake Erie, 9 that of Detroit, and 10 Fort Pitt, at the junction of the Alleghany and the Monongahela. The sloping strokes denote the number of his followers.1

Fig. 11 represents a petition presented to the President of the United States for the right to certain lakes (8) in the neighbourhood of Lake Superior (10).

1 Schoolcraft, vol. i. p. 353.

SAVAGE ORNAMENTS.

53

No. 1 represents Oshcabawis, the leader, who is of the Crane clan. The eyes of his followers are all connected with his to symbolise unity of views, and their hearts to denote unity of feeling. No. 2 is Wai-mit-tigoazh, whose totem is a marten; No. 3 is Ogemageezhig, also a marten; 4 is another marten, Muk-o-mis-udains, the Little Tortoise; 5 is O-mush-kose, the Little Elk, belonging, however, to the Bear totem; 6 belongs to the Manfish totem, and 7 to the Catfish. The eye of the leader has a line directed forwards to the President, and another backwards to the lakes (8).

In some places of Western Europe, rock sculptures have been discovered, to which we cannot yet safely ascribe any meaning, but on which perhaps the more complete study of the picture-writing of modern savages may eventually throw some light.

We will now pass to art as applied to the purposes of personal decoration. Savages are passionately fond of ornaments. In some of the In some of the very lowest races, indeed, the women are almost undecorated, but that is only because the men keep all the ornaments themselves. As a general rule, we may say that Southerners ornament themselves, Northerners their clothes. In fact, all savage races who leave much of their skin uncovered delight in painting themselves in the most brilliant colours they can obtain. Black, white, red, and yellow are the favourite, or rather, perhaps, the commonest colours. Although perfectly naked, the Australians of Botany Bay were by no means without ornaments. They painted themselves with red ochre, white clay, and charcoal; the red was laid on in broad patches, the white generally in stripes, or on the face in spots, often