Arikara villages near present-day Mobridge — John Ordway: October 10, 1804
Around 2 PM, chiefs and warriors of the three Arikara villages gathered at the camp under the American flag for a council. Captain Lewis delivered a speech, three guns were fired from the bow, and the three chiefs received equal shares of presents including flags, medals, red coats, cocked hats, paint, and tobacco. The captains demonstrated the air gun, astonishing the Arikara. The chiefs shook hands warmly and returned home, promising corn and further talks the next day. Ordway and another man visited the second village four miles upriver, where a chief hosted them with bowls of beans, corn, and other foods.
Journal continued from 90th page at R. Ree vilP 10th Oc4
About 2 oClock P. M. the Chiefs & Warries of the RickaRees
Nation assembled at our Camp under the american flag to
Counsel with our Officers. Cap* Lewis read a Speech to them
Giving them Good counsel &. C. after the talk was inded to
them three Guns was fired from our Bow peace, then our officers
Gave the three Chiefs1 Some presents & 3 flags & each Chief a
meddel. their is 3 villages of this nation & three chiefs one at
each village, our officers Gave Each an equal proportion of the
Goods. [To] Each [an] american flag, a red coat & cocked hat
& feathers & meddels as ab° mn [and] Some Paint they divided
the Goods & paint among themselves & tobacco &.C. &.C. after
all was over our Capts Shot the air Gun they appeared to be
astonished at the Site of it & the execution it would doe.2 they
were verry thankful to us for what they had Recd from us, & Sd
that all were So Good that we must go where we pleased after
they would have a talk tomorrow & Give us Some Corn &. C.
the chiefs Shook hands with our officers in the most friendly
manner, & returned to thier villages. I & one man went to the
2nd village with them in the evening which is about 4 miles from
the lower village, the chief took us into his lodge which was
verry large & their village is built nearly in the Same form as the
lower village, the chiefs wife Brought us a bowl full of Beans
& corn. We Eat Some of it. She then brought 3 more one after
another of different kinds of victuals, we Eat some of each &
found it verry Good, we Smoaked a while with them, they were
> There were three Arikara villages in the vicinity, the one on the island
below the camp, and two others on the river above it. The chiefs of the two
latter were late in coming to the council. Lewis and Clark attributed this to
a feeling of “gellousy” between the villages, inspired by the fear that the leader
of the lower village would be made first chief by the explorers.
2 Another prodigy displayed to the wondering red men was woolly-headed
York. Clark records that they “wcr much astonished at my Servent, they
never Saw a black man before, all Hocked around him & examind him from
top to toe, lie carried on the joke and made himself more turribal than we
wished him to doe.” “By way of amusement,” adds Biddle, “he told them
that he had on.c been a wild animal! and caught and tamed by his master.”
1804] SERGEANT ORDWAY’S JOURNAL 151
verry friendly to us & Seemed to be desirous to talk with us &
Scarcely kept their Eyes off us (we returned to camp late)
Read this entry in modern English AI-translated
Journal continued from page 90 at Rickaree Village, October 10th. About 2 o'clock P.M. the Chiefs and Warriors of the Rickarees (Arikara) Nation assembled at our camp under the American flag to council with our officers. Capt Lewis (Capt. Lewis) read a speech to them giving them good counsel, etc. After the talk was ended, three guns were fired from our bow piece, then our officers gave the three chiefs some presents and 3 flags, and each chief a medal. There are 3 villages of this nation and three chiefs, one at each village. Our officers gave each an equal proportion of the goods. To each, an American flag, a red coat and cocked hat and feathers and medals as above named, and some paint. They divided the goods and paint among themselves, and tobacco, etc., etc.
After all was over, our Captains shot the air gun. They appeared to be astonished at the sight of it and the execution it would do. They were very thankful to us for what they had received from us, and said that all were so good that we must go where we pleased. After that they would have a talk tomorrow and give us some corn, etc. The chiefs shook hands with our officers in the most friendly manner, and returned to their villages.
I and one man went to the 2nd village with them in the evening, which is about 4 miles from the lower village. The chief took us into his lodge, which was very large, and their village is built nearly in the same form as the lower village. The chief's wife brought us a bowl full of beans and corn. We ate some of it. She then brought 3 more, one after another, of different kinds of food. We ate some of each and found it very good. We smoked a while with them. They were very friendly to us and seemed to be desirous to talk with us, and scarcely kept their eyes off us. (We returned to camp late.)
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