Indian Life and Adventure
I:Life in the Woods THE month of September recalls to every Indian's mind the season of the fall hunt.I remember one such expedition which is typical of many.Our party appeared on the northwestern side of Turtle mountain;for we had been hunting buffaloes all summer,in the region of the Mouse river,between that mountain and the upper Missouri.
As our cone-shaped teepees rose in clusters along the outskirts of the heavy forest that clothes the sloping side of the mountain,the scene below was gratifying to a savage eye.The rolling yellow plains were checkered with herds of buffaloes.
Along the banks of the streams that ran down from the mountains were also many elk,which usually appear at morning and evening,and disappear into the forest during the warmer part of the day.
Deer,too,were plenty,and the brooks were alive with trout.Here and there the streams were dammed by the industrious beaver.
In the interior of the forest there were lakes with many islands,where moose,elk,deer and bears were abundant.The water-fowl were wont to gather here in great numbers,among them the crane,the swan,the loon,and many of the smaller kinds.The forest also was filled with a great va-riety of birds.Here the partridge drummed his loudest,while the whippoorwill sang with spirit,and the hooting owl reigned in the night.
To me,as a boy,this wilderness was a paradise.It was a land of plenty.To be sure,we did not have any of the luxuries of civilization,but we had every convenience and opportunity and luxury of Nature.We had also the gift of enjoying our good fortune,whatever dangers might lurk about us;and the truth is that we lived in blessed ignorance of any life that was better than our own.
As soon as hunting in the woods began,the customs regulating it were established.The coun-cil teepee no longer existed.A hunting bonfire was kindled every morning at day-break,at which each brave must appear and report.The man who failed to do this before the party set out on the day's hunt was harassed by ridicule.As a rule,the hunters started before sunrise,and the brave who was announced throughout the camp as the first one to return with a deer on his back,was a man to be envied.
The legend-teller,old Smoky Day,was chosen herald of the camp,and it was he who made the announcements.After supper was ended,we heard his powerful voice resound among the teepees in the forest.He would then name a man to kindle the bonfire the next morning.His suit of fringed buckskin set off his splendid physique to advan-tage.
Scarcely had the men disappeared in the woods each morning than all the boys sallied forth,ap-parently engrossed in their games and sports,but in reality competing actively with one another in quickness of observation.As the day advanced,they all kept the sharpest possible lookout.Sud-denly there would come the shrill "Woo-coo-hoo!"at the top of a boy's voice,announcing the bringing in of a deer.Immediately all the other boys took up the cry,each one bent on getting ahead of the rest.Now we all saw the brave Wa-coota fairly bent over by his burden,a large deer which he carried on his shoulders.His fringed buckskin shirt was besprinkled with blood.He threw down the deer at the door of his wife's mother's home,according to custom,and then walked proudly to his own.At the door of his father's teepee he stood for a moment straight as a pine-tree,and then entered.
When a bear was brought in,a hundred or more of these urchins were wont to make the woods resound with their voices:"Wah!wah!wah!
Wah!wah!wah!The brave White Rabbit brings a bear!Wah!wah !wah!"All day these sing-song cheers were kept up,as the game was brought in.At last,toward the close of the afternoon,all the hunters had returned,and happiness and contentment reigned absolute,in a fashion which I have never observed among the white people,even in the best of circumstances.
The men were lounging and smoking;the women actively engaged in the preparation of the evening meal,and the care of the meat.The choicest of the game was cooked and offered to the Great Mystery,with all the accompanying ceremonies.
This we called the "medicine feast."Even the women,as they lowered the boiling pot,or the fragrant roast of venison ready to serve,would first whisper:"Great Mystery,do thou partake of this venison,and still be gracious!"This was the commonly said "grace."Everything went smoothly with us,on this oc-casion,when we first entered the woods.Noth-ing was wanting to our old way of living.The killing of deer and elk and moose had to be stopped for a time,since meat was so abundant that we had no use for them any longer.Only the hunting for pelts,such as those of the bear,beaver,marten,and otter was continued.But whenever we lived in blessed abundance,our braves were wont to turn their thoughts to other occupations--especially the hot-blooded youths whose ambition it was to do something note-worthy.
At just such moments as this there are always a number of priests in readiness,whose vocation it is to see into the future,and each of whom con-sults his particular interpreter of the Great Mys-tery.(This ceremony is called by the white people "****** medicine.")To the priests the youth-ful braves hint their impatience for the war-path.
Soon comes the desired dream or prophecy or vision to favor their departure.
Our young men presently received their sign,and for a few days all was hurry and excitement.
On the appointed morning we heard the songs of the warriors and the wailing of the women,by which they bade adieu to each other,and the eligible braves,headed by an experienced man--old Ho-tanka or Loud-Voiced Raven--set out for the Gros Ventre country.
