Having now a plentiful store of provisions, they content themselves in their village until the latter part of October, when, without the formality of a council or other ceremony, they again depart from the village, and move in separate parties to various situations on both sides of the Missouri, and its tributaries, as far down as the Platte.
Their primary object at this time, is to obtain, on credit from the traders, various articles indispensably necessary to their fall, winter, and spring hunts: such as guns, particularly those of Mackinaw, powder, ball, and flints; beaver-traps, brass, tin, and camp-kettles; knives, hoes, squaw-axes, and tomahawks.
Having obtained these implements, they go in pursuit {199} of deer, or apply themselves to trapping for beaver and otter. Elk was sometime since an object of pursuit,[pg308] but these animals are now rather rare in the Omawhaw territories.
This hunt continues until towards the close of December, and during the rigours of the season they experience an alternation of abundance and scarcity of food. The men are very much exposed to the cold, and, in trapping, to the water. They are also frequently obliged to carry heavy burdens of game from considerable distances.
The assiduous hunter often returns to his temporary residence in the evening, after unsuccessful exertions continued the live-long day: he is hungry, cold, and fatigued; with his mockasins, perhaps, frozen on his feet. His faithful squaw may be unable to relieve his hunger, but she seats herself by his side near the little fire, and after having disposed of his hunting apparatus, she rubs his mockasins and leggings, and pulls them off, that he may be comfortable; she then gives him water to drink, and his pipe to smoke. His children assemble about him, and he takes one of them upon his knee, and proceeds to relate to it the adventures of the day, that his squaw may be informed of them. "I have been active all day, but the Master of life has prevented me from killing any game; but never despond, my children and your mother, I may be fortunate to-morrow." After some time he retires to rest, but the wife remains to dry his clothing. He often sings until midnight, and on the morrow he again sallies forth before the dawn, and may soon return with a superabundance of food. Such is the life of the Indian hunter, and such the privations and pleasures to which his being is habitually incident.
The squaws, in addition to their occupation of flaying the animals which their husbands entrap, and of preparing[pg309] and preserving the skins, are often necessitated to dig the pomme de terre, noo; and to {200} scratch the groundpea, himbaringa, (the same word is also applied to the bean,) from beneath the surface of the soil. This vegetable is produced on the roots of the apios tuberosa, they also frequently find it hoarded up in the quantity of a peck or more in the brumal retreats of the field mouse, (mus agrarius, Var?) for its winter store. The seeds of the nelumbium luteum, analogous to the sacred bean of the Brahmins, also contribute to their sustenance; these are distinguished by the name Te-row-a, or bison-beaver, [te, bison; and row-a, beaver; in the Oto dialect,] and when roasted are much esteemed. The root of this plant is also an article of food during the privations of this portion of the year; it is either roasted or boiled; and is prepared for keeping by boiling, after which it is cut up in small pieces and dried: in taste it is somewhat similar to the sweet potato.
With the skins of the animals obtained during this hunt, the natives again repair to the traders to compensate them for the articles which they had obtained on credit. But owing to the intrigues of rival traders, the Indians are, with, however, numerous exceptions, not remarkable for any great degree of punctuality in making their returns to cancel their debts. Many obtain credit from one trader, and barter their peltries with another, to the great injury of the first.
Like genuine traders, the Omawhaws endeavour, by various subterfuges, to make the best of their market. An artful fellow will assure a trader that he has a number of skins, but that he does not wish to bring them forward, until he assembles a still greater number; but, in the meantime,[pg310] he must have a keg of whiskey, otherwise he will barter his skins with another trader. Another knave owes his trader, perhaps, twenty skins; but in consequence of the unlucky occurrence of many circumstances, which he proceeds to particularize, he can at present pay but half that number, and the other ten, which he {201} brings with him, he wishes to trade for other articles of merchandize. The trader submits to the imposition thus practised, rather than lose their custom; and is thus deservedly punished for his own deceptive proceedings with respect to his rivals, and for the habit of practising on the ignorance of the natives, in which many of them freely indulge.
Thus the Missouri traders are repaid for hardly more than half the value of the merchandize which they credit; but should they obtain peltries for one-third of the amount, they clear their cost and charges.
After having discharged their debts wholly, or in part, the Indians exchange the remainder of their skins, for strouding for breech-clouts and petticoats, blankets, wampum, guns, powder and ball, kettles, vermilion, verdigrise, mockasin-awls, fire-steels, looking-glasses, knives, chiefs' coats, calico, ornamented brass finger-rings, arm-bands of silver, wristbands of the same metal, ear-wheels and bobs, small cylinders for the hair, breast brooches, and other silver ornaments for the head; black and blue handkerchiefs, buttons, tin cups, pans and dishes, scarlet cloth, &c.