Teton Sioux confrontation near Pierre, SD — Patrick Gass: September 27, 1804
Gass and several men visited the nearby Indian camp of about eighty lodges, observing women dressing buffalo skins and noting the people's friendliness, though also their tendency to pilfer and their unsanitary water practices. They were served unfamiliar dishes. The hosts described a recent battle with the Mahas in which they killed 75 men and took 25 women captive, and promised Captain Lewis they would return the prisoners and make peace. That evening, the party watched a scalp dance with drumming and singing. Returning at 1 a.m., the pirogue broke the boat's cable, and the anchor was lost.
myself and some of the men, went over to the Indian camp.
Their lodges are about eighty in number, and contain about
ten persons each; the greater part women and children. The
women were employed in dressing buffaloe skins, for cloth-
ing for themselves and for covering their lodges. They are
the most friendly people I ever saw; but will pilfer if they
have an opportunity. They are also very dirty: the water
they make use of, is carried in the paunches of the animals
they kill, just as they are emptied, without being cleaned.
LEWIS AND CLARK EXPEDITION 39
They gave us dishes of victuals of various kinds; I had never
seen anything hke some of these dishes, nor could I tell of
what ingredients, or how they were made.
About 15 days ago they had had a battle with the Mahas,
of whom they killed 75 men and took 25 women prisoners,
whom they have now with them. They promised to capt.
Lewis that they would send the prisoners back and make
peace.
About 3 o’clock we went aboard the boat accompanied
with the old chief and his little son. In the evening captain
Clarke and some of the men went over, and the Indians made
preparations for a dance. At dark it commenced. Captain
Lewis, myself and some of our party went up to see them
perform. Their band of music, or orchestra, was composed
of about twelve persons beating on a buffaloe hide, and shak-
ing small bags that made a rattling noise: They had a large
fire in the centre of their camp; on one side the women, about
80 in number, formed in a solid column round the fire, with
sticks in their hands, and the scalps of the Mahas they had
killed, tied on them. They kept moving, or jumping round
the fire, rising and falling on both feet at once; keeping a
continual noise, singing and yelling. In this manner they
continued till 1 o’clock at night, when we returned to the boat
with two of the chiefs. On coming aboard, the periogue run
across the bow of the boat and broke the cable. All hands
were roused to row the boat ashore; the chiefs called aloud,
and a number of the warriors came to our assistance, but we
did not need it: the circumstance, however, showed their
40 GASS’S JOURNAL OF THE
disposition to be of service. This unfortunate accident lost
to us our anchor.
Read this entry in modern English AI-translated
Some of the men and I went over to the Indian camp. Their lodges number about eighty, and each contains about ten people, mostly women and children. The women were busy dressing buffalo skins to make clothing for themselves and coverings for their lodges. They are the most friendly people I have ever seen, but they will steal if they get the chance. They are also very dirty: the water they use is carried in the paunches of the animals they kill, just as they are emptied, without being cleaned.
They gave us dishes of food of various kinds. I had never seen anything like some of these dishes, nor could I tell what ingredients were in them or how they were made.
About 15 days ago they had a battle with the Mahas, in which they killed 75 men and took 25 women prisoners, whom they still have with them. They promised Capt. Lewis (Capt. Lewis) that they would send the prisoners back and make peace.
About 3 o'clock we went aboard the boat, accompanied by the old chief and his little son. In the evening Captain Clarke (Captain Clark) and some of the men went over, and the Indians made preparations for a dance. At dark it began. Captain Lewis, I, and some of our party went up to watch them perform. Their band of music, or orchestra, was made up of about twelve people beating on a buffalo hide and shaking small bags that made a rattling noise. They had a large fire in the center of their camp. On one side the women, about 80 in number, formed in a solid column around the fire, with sticks in their hands and the scalps of the Mahas they had killed tied on them. They kept moving, or jumping, around the fire, rising and falling on both feet at once, keeping up a continual noise, singing and yelling. They continued in this manner until 1 o'clock at night, when we returned to the boat with two of the chiefs. As we came aboard, the pirogue ran across the bow of the boat and broke the cable. All hands were roused to row the boat ashore. The chiefs called aloud, and a number of the warriors came to our assistance, but we did not need it. The incident, however, showed their willingness to be of service. This unfortunate accident cost us our anchor.
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