Lewis: May 13, 1806
Clark spent the morning treating Native patients while the party prepared to move. At 1 P.M., escorted by several Chopunnish on horseback, they traveled about 3.5 miles southeast and north through a creek bottom to the Kooskooske River to meet a canoe being brought downriver. The canoe did not arrive until after sunset, so they unloaded the horses to graze and camped for the night, racing horses with the Natives in the evening. Lewis recorded extensive observations on Chopunnish appearance, character, horses, dress, and ornaments, including Hohastillpilp's tippet of human scalps.
Tuesday May 13th 1806. This morning Capt. C. as usual was busily engaged
with his patients untill eleven OCk. at 1 P.M. we collected our horses and
set out for the river escorted by a number of the natives on horseback. we
followed the creek downwards about two miles, passing a stout branch at 1
m. which flowed in on the wright. our course S. E. we now entered an
extensive open bottom of the Kooskooske R. through which we passed nearly
N. about 11/2 miles and halted on the bank of the river at the place
appointed to meet the canoe. the man had set out early this morning for
the purpose but had not yet arrived with the canoe we therefore unloaded
our horses and turned them out to graize. as the canoe did not arrive
untill after sunset we remained here all night; a number of the natives
continued with us. in the evening we tryed the speed of several of our
horses. these horses are active strong and well formed. these people have
immence numbers of them 50, 60 or a hundred hed is not unusual for an
individual to possess. The Chopunnish are in general stout well formed
active men. they have high noses and many of them on the acqueline order
with cheerfull and agreeable countenances; their complexions are not
remarkable. in common with other savage nations of America they extract
their beards but the men do not uniformly extract the hair below, this is
more particularly confined to the females. I observed several men among
them whom I am convinced if they had shaved their beards instead of
extracting it would have been as well supplyed in this particular as any
of my countrymen. they appear to be cheerfull but not gay; they are fond
of gambling and of their amusements which consist principally in shooting
their arrows at a bowling target made of willow bark, and in riding and
exercising themselves on horseback, racing &c. they are expert
marksmen and good riders. they do not appear to be so much devoted to
baubles as most of the nations we have met with, but seem anxious always
to obtain articles of utility, such as knives, axes, tommahawks, kettles
blankets and mockerson alls. blue beads however may form an exception to
this remark; this article among all the nations of this country may be
justly compared to goald or silver among civilized nations. They are
generally well cloathed in their stile. their dress consists of a long
shirt which reaches to the middle of thye, long legings which reach as
high as the waist, mockersons, and robes. these are formed of various
skins and are in all rispects like those particularly discribed of the
Shoshones. their women also dress like the Shoshones. their ornaments
consist of beads shells and peices of brass variously attatched to their
dress, to their ears arrond their necks wrists arms &c. a bando of
some kind usually surrounds the head, this is most frequently the skin of
some fir animal as the fox otter &c. tho they have them also of
dressed skin without the hair. the ornament of the nose is a single shell
of the wampum. the pirl and beads are suspended from the ears. beads are
woarn arround their wrists necks and over their sholders crosswise in the
form of a double sash. the hair of the men is cewed in two rolls which
hang on each side in front of the body as before discribed of other
inhabitants of the Columbia. collars of bears claws are also common; but
the article of dress on which they appear to bstow most pains and
ornaments is a kind of collar or brestplate; this is most commonly a strip
of otterskin of about six inches wide taken out of the center of the skin
it’s whole length including the head. this is dressed with the hair on; a
hole is cut lengthwise through the skin near the head of the animal
sufficiently large to admit the head of the person to pass. thus it is
placed about the neck and hangs in front of the body the tail frequently
reaching below their knees; on this skin in front is attatched peices of
pirl, beads, wampum peices of red cloth and in short whatever they
conceive most valuable or ornamental. I observed a tippit woarn by
Hohastillpilp, which was formed of human scalps and ornamented with the
thumbs and fingers of several men which he had slain in battle. their
women brade their hair in two tresses which hang in the same position of
those of the men. they also wear a cap or cup on the head formed of
beargrass and cedar bark. the men also frequently attatch some small
ornament to a small plat of hair on the center of the crown of their
heads.
Read this entry in modern English AI-translated
Tuesday May 13th 1806. This morning Capt. C. (Capt. Clark) as usual was busily engaged with his patients until eleven o'clock. At 1 P.M. we collected our horses and set out for the river, escorted by a number of the natives on horseback. We followed the creek downwards about two miles, passing a stout branch at 1 mile which flowed in on the right. Our course was S.E. We now entered an extensive open bottom of the Kooskooske River, through which we passed nearly N. about 1½ miles and halted on the bank of the river at the place appointed to meet the canoe. The man had set out early this morning for the purpose but had not yet arrived with the canoe, so we unloaded our horses and turned them out to graze. As the canoe did not arrive until after sunset, we remained here all night; a number of the natives continued with us. In the evening we tried the speed of several of our horses. These horses are active, strong, and well formed. These people have immense numbers of them; 50, 60, or a hundred head is not unusual for an individual to possess.
The Chopunnish are in general stout, well formed, active men. They have high noses, many of them of the aquiline type, with cheerful and agreeable countenances; their complexions are not remarkable. In common with other savage nations of America, they pluck out their beards, but the men do not uniformly remove the hair below; this is more particularly confined to the females. I observed several men among them whom I am convinced, if they had shaved their beards instead of plucking them, would have been as well supplied in this particular as any of my countrymen. They appear to be cheerful but not gay; they are fond of gambling and of their amusements, which consist principally in shooting their arrows at a rolling target made of willow bark, and in riding and exercising themselves on horseback, racing, etc. They are expert marksmen and good riders. They do not appear to be as devoted to baubles as most of the nations we have met with, but seem anxious always to obtain articles of utility, such as knives, axes, tomahawks, kettles, blankets, and moccasin awls. Blue beads, however, may form an exception to this remark; this article among all the nations of this country may be justly compared to gold or silver among civilized nations.
They are generally well clothed in their style. Their dress consists of a long shirt which reaches to the middle of the thigh, long leggings which reach as high as the waist, moccasins, and robes. These are formed of various skins and are in all respects like those particularly described of the Shoshones. Their women also dress like the Shoshones. Their ornaments consist of beads, shells, and pieces of brass variously attached to their dress, to their ears, around their necks, wrists, arms, etc. A band of some kind usually surrounds the head; this is most frequently the skin of some fur animal such as the fox, otter, etc., though they have them also of dressed skin without the hair. The ornament of the nose is a single shell of the wampum. The pearl and beads are suspended from the ears. Beads are worn around their wrists and necks and over their shoulders crosswise in the form of a double sash. The hair of the men is queued in two rolls which hang on each side in front of the body, as before described of other inhabitants of the Columbia. Collars of bear claws are also common; but the article of dress on which they appear to bestow most pains and ornaments is a kind of collar or breastplate. This is most commonly a strip of otterskin about six inches wide, taken out of the center of the skin its whole length, including the head. It is dressed with the hair on; a hole is cut lengthwise through the skin near the head of the animal, sufficiently large to admit the head of the person to pass through. Thus it is placed about the neck and hangs in front of the body, the tail frequently reaching below their knees; on this skin in front are attached pieces of pearl, beads, wampum, pieces of red cloth, and in short whatever they conceive most valuable or ornamental. I observed a tippet worn by Hohastillpilp, which was formed of human scalps and ornamented with the thumbs and fingers of several men whom he had slain in battle. Their women braid their hair in two tresses which hang in the same position as those of the men. They also wear a cap or cup on the head formed of beargrass and cedar bark. The men also frequently attach some small ornament to a small plait of hair on the center of the crown of their heads.
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