He epitomized the epic, tragic story of my kind. His life spanned the gulf between the days of our freedom and the death of every custom native to us. He saw the invader come and he watched the buffalo disappear. Within the half century of his conscious life he witnessed greater changes and comprehended more of my tribe’s tragic history than any other red man.
These are the words of my father, the chief of the “Silent Eaters,” and his voice was tremulous as he spoke them: “Ta-tank-yo-tanka was a great chief and a good man. He had nothing bad about him. He was ever peacemaker, and just and honorable in his dealings. He cared only for the good of his people. He was unselfish and careful of others. He will grow bigger like a mountain as he recedes into the past. He was chief among red men and we shall never see his like again. If the Great Spirit does not hate his red children, our Father is happy in the home of the spirits—the land of the returning buffalo.”
THE END
FOOTNOTES:
[1] In Indian use the word “medicine” should be understood to mean magic power. A medicine man may heal the sick, but a healer is not necessarily a medicine man. A medicine man is a seer, a yogi.
[2] A substantially true account of an incident well-known to border men.
BOOKS ABOUT INDIANS
Published by
HARPER & BROTHERS
The House of Harper has won the deserved reputation of having on its list many of the best books on the American Indian available—books of Indian history, lore and romance, by such authorities as Frederic Remington, Hamlin Garland, Buffalo Bill (W. F. Cody), and others. Readers of every age will find fascinating and valuable books about Indians among those listed below.
TRACK’S END by H. Carruth