838. Indian delegation at the White House.
839-41. St. Mary's Mission, Kansas.
845. The Sergeant of the Guard.
3. IOWAS.
A tribe of Indians of Dakota stock, inhabiting originally the interior of the State of the same name. Marquette in 1673 placed them on his map as the Pa-houtet. Some of the neighboring Algonkins called them Iowas—a name originally applied to a river, and said to mean "the beautiful land"—and others Mascoutin or Prairie Nadouessi. In their own tongue their name is Pahucha, meaning "Dusty Nose." They were famous as great pedestrians, being able to walk twenty-five or thirty leagues a day, and the names of many of their chiefs show that they prided themselves on their walking.
In 1700 they were on the Mankato, and constantly roaming with the Western Algonkins. Early in the present century they numbered about 1,500, and were involved in wars with the Osages, Omahas, and the Sioux, losing heavily. Later they became much decimated through the ravages of the small-pox and other diseases.
First treaty was made with them in 1815. In 1836 the tribe, numbering 992, were removed to the west bank of the Missouri, and from this time rapidly declined in numbers, many of them becoming vagrants in other tribes, and others killed themselves by intemperance. By 1846 had decreased to 700. In 1861 the tribe, now reduced to 305, ceded all their lands except 16,000 acres, which they subsequently, in 1869, shared with some of the Sacs and Foxes, their old friends.
Since the tribe has been placed under the charge of the Society of Friends they have improved somewhat, so that at the present time (1875), although reduced to 219 souls, they are all living in good houses on their fertile reservation in Southern Nebraska, and are raising much more than is needed for their own consumption. They have good schools, at which nearly one-fourth of the tribe attend, and nearly one-half of the whole number can read. They stand in the front rank of civilized Indian tribes.
List of illustrations.
385-6. Nag A-rash. British.