INDIAN CURIOSITIES AND MANUFACTURES.

Amongst this most extensive and valuable collection of them in existence, a few of the most remarkable are

A CROW LODGE, OR WIGWAM.

A very splendid thing, brought from the foot of the Rocky Mountains, twenty-five feet in height, made of buffalo-skins, garnished and painted. The poles (thirty in number) of pine, cut in the Rocky Mountains, have been long in use, were purchased with the lodge, and brought the whole distance. This wigwam stands in the middle of the gallery, and will shelter eighty or more persons.

Indian Cradles, for carrying their pappooses. Lances, Calumets or Pipes of Peace, Ordinary Pipes, Tomahawks, Scalping Knives, and Scalps.

A very full and valuable collection of Men and Women’s Dresses from the different tribes, garnished and fringed with scalp-locks from their enemies’ heads, Bows, Quivers, Spears, Shields, War-Eagle and Raven Head-dresses, Necklaces, Mocassins, Belts, Pouches, War-Clubs, Robes, Mantles, Tobacco-Sacks, Wampums, Whistles, Rattles, Drums, Indian Saddles, Masks for their Mystery Dances, &c. &c.

Amongst the immense collection of Indian curiosities, &c., too numerous to be described in the catalogue, there are Skulls from different tribes, of very great interest; and particularly several from the Flat-heads, showing perfectly the character of this unaccountable custom, and also the Flat-head cradles, illustrating the process by which these artificial distortions are produced.

Indian Cloths, Robes, &c., manufactured by the Indians from the mountain sheep’s wool, and from wild dogs’ hair, beautifully spun, coloured, and woven.

END OF VOL. I.

[1] If the reader has forgotten to read the Preface, it will take him but a moment to run his eye over it, and by turning back to it he will find it an useful key to what follows.—Author.

[2] The reader, by referring to Appendix A of this volume, will see the comments of the Press on this Collection, in England, France, and the United States.

[3] The noble and unaided efforts of my best of friends, Captain Shippard, to bring into existence such an institution, are, I believe, too well known and appreciated by the English public to require more of me here, than barely to refer to his beautifully illustrated lectures on the “Arabians” and the “Ruined Cities of America;” and whilst wishing all success to his noble enterprise, I beg to refer the reader to Appendix B for a synopsis of his design.

[4] The reader will pardon these expressions, and others of a similar nature that may occasionally occur, for they apply to one who now rests with the silent dead, as will be explained in future pages of this work.

[5] All American Indians are poor in musical instruments, the principal of which, and the “heel inspiring” one, is the drum or tambour. This is rudely, but ingeniously made, by straining a piece of raw hide over a hoop or over the head of a sort of keg, generally made by excavating the inner part of a log of wood, leaving a thin rim around its side. In the bottom of this they always have a quantity of water, which sends out a remarkably rich and liquid tone. Besides this, they use several kinds of rattles and whistles—some of which are for mystery purposes, and others merely for the pleasing and exciting effects they produce in their dances.

[6] Englishmen.

[7] The poor old chief met with a sudden embarrassment at this moment that he had not thought of, and was not prepared consequently to know how to proceed. He had, according to the custom of his country, prepared and brought with him a beautiful calumet or pipe of peace to present, and on rising to make his speech (the moment when it is customary to present it) it for the first time occurred to him that he was about to present it to a woman, the impropriety of which was evident to him. He thought of the Prince, but as the pipe of peace can only be given to the highest in power, he had another misgiving; and, unlike to orators in the Indian countries, continued to hold it in his hand while he was speaking, and brought it away with him.

[8] This word must be whispered, as the War-chief gave it, and not spoken, to be appreciated—after the mode of Indians in their imitations, or exclamations of surprise.

[9] On a subject of so much importance to me, I deem proof admissible and necessary, and therefore offer to the reader the following letter from the former Secretary at War, Mr. Poinsett, to whom I had written on the subject of an expedition, fitting out in the United States, for such a purpose, several years since:—

Washington City, October 19th, 1839.

My dear Sir,

I received your letter of the 11th instant, and am much obliged to you for the information of the contemplated speculations with Indians in foreign countries. I have taken precautions to defeat all such enterprises, and will prosecute the speculators, and saddle them with heavy costs, instead of gains, if I can detect them. I consider such proceedings are calculated to degrade the Red Man, and certainly not to exalt the whites engaged in them.

With great regard,
Yours very truly,
J. R. Poinsett, Sec. at War.

To Geo. Catlin, Esq.

A few days after I received the above letter an order was issued from the department of war to all the surveyors of Atlantic ports, prohibiting Indians from being shipped to England, or other foreign countries, for the purposes of exhibitions, without the consent of the Government of the country.

[10] The numerous conversations held on the subjects of religion and education with the three different parties of Indians, in various parts of England, as well as on the continent, I consider form one of the most interesting features of this work; and as I have been present at them all, I have taken down all the Indians’ remarks on those occasions, and I have inserted them in all cases in this book as I wrote them from their lips, and not in any case from recollection.—Author.

[11] The minds of the Indians had been so much engrossed for several days with the subject of religion, that the inventive powers of the little Sah-mah (Tobacco) had been at work; and when I called on them the next morning one of them handed me his ideas, as he had put them on paper with a lead pencil, and I give them to the reader ([Plate No. 8]) as near as my own hand could copy them from his original sketch now in my portfolio. If the reader can understand the lines, he will learn from it something of the state of the arts in the Indian country, as well as their native propensity to burlesque.

[12] It was stated in some of the papers of the day that the Indian won the golden prize from the members of the club, which was not the case. It was put up, most liberally, by the young men of the society for the Indians to shoot for among themselves, and won in this way, not from the members of the club.

There are no Indians in North America who can equal the shooting of these young gentlemen, who practise much this beautiful and manly exercise. I have often, at their kind invitations, visited their grounds, and I have had the opportunity of seeing the shooting amongst most of the American tribes. The Indian tribes who use the bow and arrow at the present time are mostly the Prairie tribes, who are mounted, and, from their horses’ backs, at full speed, throw their arrows but a very few paces, and use a short bow of two feet or two feet and a half in length, and therefore never practise at the target at the distance of one or two hundred yards. Their skill and power, however, in that mode of using the bow is almost inconceivable, and might puzzle the best archers in England or in the world to equal.

Transcriber’s Note

Hyphenation of compound words follows the text. If a hyphenation occurred on a line or page break, the most common variant was followed. Suspect spellings are noted, but are retained. The modern word ‘grizzly’ is spelled as ‘grizly’ or ‘grisly’.

On p. 273, the numbered list of prints is missing #261.

On p. 291, the asterism (three asterisks forming a triangle) is represented simply three asterisks.

The following table describes how a variety of textual issues, and resolution. Where variants were most likely printer’s errors, they have been corrected, otherwise merely noted.

p. 89visit[e]rssic.
p. 135nonplusedsic.
p. 161chickababbosic.
p. 185[t/T]he wedding in St. Martin’s churchCorrected.
p. 195“Oh, yes, he’s here every day[,/.]”Corrected.
p. 196The Emperor of Russia,Removed.
p. 213tribes of the North American Indians[.]Added.
p. 217landcapes and other scenesRemoved.
p. 219presented to us[.]Added.
p. 252opportunit[it]iesRemoved.
p. 255Mississip[p]iAdded.
legginsVsic.
p. 276made of whi[l/t]e horse-hairCorrected.
p. 278delineatio[u/n]sInverted.
hlik[e]nessesAdded.
p. 279[5/3]28. Rock IslandCorrected.
p. 283the [“]Big Bend[”]Added for consistency.
p. 284MissouriRemoved.
p. 290sp[l]endidAdded.