USA > Iowa > Muscatine County > The History of Muscatine county, Iowa, containing a history of the county, its cities, towns, &c. > Part 40
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"Shortly after that failure, the agent received a communication from the Governor, informing him of the facts here related, and notifying him to use all means in his power to prevent the intrusion of his charge upon the white settle- ments. The letter also announced the Governor's intention to visit the Agency in a short time, due notice of which would be given.
" The Governor at last set his time, the bands were all informed, the Gov- ernor arrived at the Agency and a grand council was to be begun. Meanwhile all the Indians except the Iowa River Foxes, who were indisposed to come so far on a matter that did not directly concern them, had gathered and were encamped about the Agency. The Keokuk band occupied the ground along the branch behind the mills, which was then full of plum, hazel and crab-apple thickets. The Hardfishes were on the edge of the river timber, south of the Agency. Long before the appointed hour, the latter tribes, arrayed in full toggery, arrived at the designated place of meeting. The men and ponies were caparisoned in their richest styles of ornamentation. They at once began a display of equestrianism, and performed for some time. They then dismounted, and, after securing their animals, formed in line and marched into the Agency- yard where the Governor was to receive them. Quite a respectable number of whites were in attendance, to witness the scenes and partake in the ceremonies of the occasion. Hardfish took the Governor by the hand, in a way of greet- ing, spoke a few words and sat down upon the grass, surrounded by his followers.
"Now, it was a sacred duty with the Governor to cherish the memory of his friend, Gen. Harrison. He had been Aide-de-Camp to the General in the war of 1812, and rumor told that their mutual sentiments were more like those of father and son than those of simple friendship. Keokuk had been apprised of this fact, and, as subsequent events revealed, knew how to make it tell.' The appointed hour of assembling came and passed, but yet no sign of Keokuk or his party was made at the Agency. As time passed, the Governor, with his sense of promptness offended, grew impatient at the delay. He finally expressed opinions approbatory of Hardfish and derogatory of Keokuk.
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" At length, when the council seemed about to prove a failure by default, the first faint sounds of Keokuk's music came floating on the air. The notes grew more audible as the band approached, but never swelled up to the full tone of joyful marches. As the front of the procession wound slowly into view, the lances and staves, instead of being decked with gaudy ribbons and feathers, were seen to be wrapped about with withered grass. No sound of bells responded to the tramp of their ponies, and the Indian persons, instead of being painted with vermilion and dressed in bright colors, were streaked with the somber, funeral substitute of clay. In fact, all the paraphernalia of woe betokened some sad affliction. The Agent, after a hurried word with the inter- preter, told the Governor that this was a funeral march, and that some one of their leading men must have died during the night, and probably lay yet unburied in their camp. The Hardfishes seemed as much at a loss as anybody, wondering who could have died without their knowing it.
" The solemn dirge ceased, and, dismounting, the several hundred savages formed in line, on foot, and marched, with Keokuk at their head, into the yard. The Chief advanced toward the Governor, who also moved forward to greet the Indians. Keokuk ordered his followers to halt, and, through his interpreter, said : 'Say to our new Father that, before I take his hand, I will explain what all this means. We were told, not long ago, that our Great Father at Washington was dead. We have heard of him as a mighty warrior, who had passed much of his life among the red men, and knew their wants. We believe that we would always have had friendship and justice at his hands. His death has made us very sad, and, as this was our first opportunity, we thought it would be very wrong if we did not use it to show that the hearts of his red children, as well as his white, know how to mourn over their great loss. We have kept our Father waiting here while we have performed that part of our mourning which we must always attend to before we leave our lodges with our dead.' Then amid the murmurs of approbation from his people, he stepped forward and extended his hand. The hearty grasp with which the Governor seized and clung to it showed that the Chief had touched the right spot in his heart, and that the Hardfishes must thereafter be content to take a back seat.
" When, years after, Maj. Beach was enjoying a day of the Governor's hospitality, at Maysville, Ky., the incident came up in conversation. The Governor was told that he must not credit Keokuk with the paternity of the entire plot, and that his ingenuity was put into requisition only to manage the details. The kind old gentleman seemed greatly amused."
Of the visit of the Hardfish band, in the summer of 1840, and of the rebuff received at the hands of Gov. Chambers, the local press of Burlington, of that date says nothing ; but an earlier visit paid Gov. Lucas by the same faction is recorded in the Patriot and Hawkeye. January 23 and 24, 1840, a large delegation, headed by Hardfish and Nasheaskuk-Black Hawk's oldest son-encamped near the town and signified a desire to open council with the Governor. From the cordial reception tendered the Indians by the Governor, one is naturally led to believe that the official sympathy was decidedly on the side of the Hardfish faction, as asserted by Maj. Beach. There was a double . grievance borne to the ears of the Father by his red children, for not only did the Chief declare that a spirit of partiality had been manifested toward the Keokuk wing, in the matter of trade and traders, but the young brave, Nasheaskuk, carried signs of mourning over the recent desecration of his father's tomb. The grave of Black Hawk had been robbed of its dead (as will
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be shown further on in this chapter, and the Indians demanded the restoration of the body.
With these two canses of anger-the one supposititious. perhaps, and the other real-the Indians sought their Father for counsel. Gov. Lucas received them with every mark of respect, and prepared for a great demonstration. He assured Nasheasknk that the spoliation of the grave of his father was a crime under the white man's laws, and would be sternly dealt with. The explanation of the code satisfied the perturbed brave, who joined in friendly converse with the leaders during the remainder of the council. The proceedings termi- nated with a mighty powwow, and, strange to relate, the scene of the dance was none other than the historic church. Old Zion. The Governor is said to have provided for the occasion all necessary privileges, and a festive ceremony betokened the friendliness of the natives. While the dancing was in progress. Hardfish and Nasheaskuk stood by, silent spectators of the scene. Neither of those great men esteemed it dignified for them to join in the dance. It is said that Nasheaskuk disapproved of all festivities, but undoubtedly that sentiment prevailed only when he was in the presence of white men. It is a fact that Indian leaders frequently refrained from demonstrations of any emotion when away from the seclusion of their lodges.
Again taking up the thread of Mr. Biggs' recitals. we quote from the Annais :
" We have thus far portrayed the bright side of Keokuk's character ; but. hke most, if not all, great intellects, there is a dark background which the truth of history demands shall be brought to view. His traits of character thus far sketched, may not inaptly be compared to the great Grecian orator : but here the similitude ends. The great blot on Keokuk's life was his inordi- nate love of money : and, towand its close, he became a confirmed inebriate. His withering reply to the Mormon Prophet was intended by him as a pure stroke of wit: it nevertheless expressed his ruling passion.
" A bitter and incurable feud existed in the tribe, during their time of res ?- dence on the Des Moines River, between what was denominated as . Keokuk's band' and . Black Hawk's band,' the latter recognizing Handfish as their leader. This distrust and, indeed, hatred were smothered in their common intercourse when sober : but when their blood was fired with whisky is sometimes assumed a tragic feature amongst the leaders of the respective bands. An instance of this character occurred on the lower part of the Des Moines. on a return of a party making a visit to the . half-breeds' at the town of Keokuk. on the Mississippi. In a quarrel, excited by whisky. Keokuk received a dan- gerous stab in the breast from the son of Black Hawk. The writer of the present sketch saw him conveyed by his friends homeward. lying in a canoe. unable to rise.
" Hardfish and his coadjutors lost no occasion to find fault with Keokuk's administration. The payments were made in silver coin. put in boxes, contain- ing $1.000 each, and passed into Keokuk's hands for distribution. The several traders received each his quota, according to their several demands against the tribes admitted by Keokuk, which invariably consumed the far greater portion of the amount received. The remainder was turned over to the chief's and dis- tributed among their respective bands. Great complaints were made of these allowances to the traders, on the ground of exorbitant prices charged on the goods setually furnished: and it is alleged that some of these accounts were spurious. In confirmation of this last charge, over and above the character of the items exhibited in these accounts, an affidavit was filed with Gov. Lucas by
D.C. Richman
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an individual, to which the Governor gave credence, setting forth that Keokuk had proposed to the maker of the affidavit to prefer a purely fictitious account against the tribe for the sum of $10,000, and he would admit its correctness, and, when paid, the money should be divided among themselves, share and share alike. To swell the traders' bills, items were introduced of a character that showed fraud upon their face, such as a large number of ' blanket coats,' articles which the Indians never wore, and 'telescopes,' of the use of which they had no knowledge. This shows the reckless manner in which these bills were swollen to the exorbitant amounts complained of, in which Keokuk was openly charged with being in league with the traders to defraud Hardfish's band. At this time, the nation numbered about two thousand three hundred souls, and only about one-third of the whole number belonged to Keokuk's party. Gov. Lucas warmly espoused the popular side in the controversy that arose in rela- tion to the mode and manner of making the annual payment, and the matter was referred to the Indian Bureau, and the mode was changed so that payments were made to the heads of families, approximating a per-capita distribution. This method of making the payments met the unqualified disapprobation of the traders, and, after one year's trial, fell back into the old channel. Keokuk led his tribe west to the Kansas country, in 1845, and, according to reports, died some years after of delirium tremens."
Maj. Beach tells of one of the numerous religious rites of Keokuk's band : " The Sacs and Foxes were quite friendly and manageable ; in fact, were very friendly and agreeable people to live among, and all public and personal intercourse with them rolled smoothly along the well-worn track, without much of incident or marvel, until the final sale of their remaining Iowa domain. Sometimes incidents would occur possessing excitement or amusement enough to encroach for a little upon the monotony that otherwise might have become tedious, of which the writer will endeavor to recover the memory of one or two that may amuse the reader.
" The Sacs and Foxes, like all other Indians, were very religious people in their way, always maintaining the observance of a good many rites, ceremonies and feasts in the worship of the Great Spirit. Fasts did not seem to be pre- scribed in any of their missals, however, because, perhaps, forced ones, under a scarcity of game or other edibles, were not of impossible occurrence among people whose creed plainly was to let to-morrow take care of itself. Some of these ceremonies bore such resemblance to some of those laid down in the books of Moses as to have justified the impression among biblical students that the lost tribes of Israel might have found their way to this continent.
" Maj. Beach was a witness, one delightful forenoon in May, 1841, of a ceremony that seemed full of mystery, even to those Indians who took no part in celebrating it. A large lodge had been set up for the occasion on the level green, near Keokuk's village, and its sides left so entirely open that a view of the proceeding was unobstructed from without. Close around was a circle of guards or sentinels, evidently in the secret, as they were near enough to hear, but far enough away from the center to prevent eavesdropping. Low tones were observed by the speakers. Inside of the first circle of sentinels was a still more numerous row of guards, and a strict watch was maintained. Keokuk seemed to be the chief performer among those who were actively engaged. One old fellow, who held relations of importance with the tribe, seemed to be the one for whom all the display was made. He was distinguished from those about him by being clothed in a much scantier pattern of raiment than the rest. The first part of the ceremony seemed to be a general posturing of the subject, for the performers
0
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would place the old Indian on his feet : then they would force him to sit down, and then compel him to assume some other attitude. Meanwhile. they kept up a vigorous powwowing over him, gesticulating in their wildest manner. Finally, after they had placed him in a sitting position, with a pile of blankets at his back, Keokuk advanced toward him, pistol in hand, and apparently took deliberate aim at the fellow's forehead. There was an explosion quite audible to outsiders, followed by a little puff of powder-smoke, and the old savage fell over as though he was shot dead. The attendants quickly covered him with blankets, and the wise ones of the tribe gathered about in solemn manner. Seated by the supposed dead man, the council indulged in many long talks. At last, Keokuk was inspired with some power from the Great Spirit, and, hastily stepping forward, he seized the hand of the prostrate man. He lifted the dead Indian to a sitting posture, and speedily restored him to full life. The outside witnesses looked on with mute surprise and awe throughout the Entire performance. It was evident from their manner that they believed the old Indian had really been killed, and that their mighty chieftain had raised him to life and health. The ceremony was designed, doubtless, to represent the close relationship between Keokuk and the invisible forces of the Happy Hunting- Grounds, but this is merely speculation, for no interpretation of the ceremony was ever made, so far as Maj. Beach could learn."
Catlin, in his work on the North American Indians, speaks of his visit to Keokuk's lodge, in company with the Indian Agent, Gen. Street, probably in the summer of 1839. At that interview and at a subsequent one, Catlin found the chief to be an "exceedingly vain man." The artist-author sketched the chief's portrait in full Indian costume. He also drew another picture of him. mounted on the "finest horse in the West." This animal is alluded to no less than three times by Catlin, and was so unusually beautiful as to create a degree of admiration for him that was general. Mr. LeClaire claimed to have sold the animal to Keokuk for $300, but that claim is disputed by Capt. Hillhouse. at present a resident of Burlington, who asserts positively that he was the original owner of the famous steed, and that he sold him to the chief for the sum stated.
Catlin relates no specially interesting incidents or anecdotes of the Sacs and Foxes, but confines his letters mostly to descriptions of his own personal suc- cesses as an artist. He drew innumerable sketches of savage scenes and native Americans, many of which are accepted as standard works of art or reference. His letters were, however, of a superficial, desultory character, scarcely worthy of careful perusal, so far, at least, as this particular section is concerned.
Of sundry general customs brief mention is made, as, for example, of the more common dances. From those portions of the work, we quote:
" The slave dance is a picturesque scene, and the custom in which it is founded in a very curious one. The tribe has a society which they call 'slaves,' composed of a number of the young men of the best families in the tribe, who volunteer to be slaves for the term of two years, and subject to perform any menial service that the chief may order, no matter how humiliating or degrading it may be; by which. after serving their two years, they are exempt for the rest
These young men elect one of their of their lives from all menial occupations. number to be their master. * On a certain day they give a great feast, and open it with this dance.
" Another curious custom is called 'smoking horses.' When Gen. Street and I arrived at Keokuk's village, we were just in time to see the amusing scene, on the prairie, a little back of his lodges. The Foxes, who were making
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up a war party to go against the Sioux, and had not suitable horses enough by twenty, had sent word to the Sacs, the day before, according to ancient custom, that they were coming on that day, at a certain hour, to 'smoke' a number of horses, and that they must not fail to have them ready. On that day, the twenty men who were beggars for horses were on the spot, and seated them- selves in a circle on the ground, where they fell to smoking. The villagers flocked around in a dense crowd. Soon after, appeared on the prairie, at half a mile distance, an equal number of young men of the Sac tribe, who had each agreed to give a horse, and who were then galloping the horses about at full speed. Gradually, as they went around in a circle, they came nearer the cen- ter, until they were at last close upon the ring of young fellows seated on the ground. Whilst dashing about thus, each one with a heavy whip in his hand, as he came within reach of the group on the ground, selected the one to whom he decided to present his horse, and, as he passed him, gave him the most tre- mendous cut with his lash over his naked shoulders. This was repeated until the blood trinkled down the fellow's back. Then the Sac placed the bridle of his horse in the sufferer's hands, and said, 'I present you a horse; you are a beggar, but you will carry my mark on your back.' The privilege of marking the recipient of his bounty seemed ample compensation for the gift."
The discovery dance, by which the approach of enemies or wild animals was detected, was a notable ceremony ; also, the berdashe dance, which is performed about a man, dressed in woman's clothes, who submits to all sort of degradation, and thereby becomes a " medicine " or sacred man.
The word "medicine " was so diversified in its meaning as to excite pro- found surprise among the English-speaking races. All sacred, great or peculiar men or things were spoken of as medicine. No Indian would think of going to battle without his medicine-bag or charms.
The medicine dance was performed for fifteen days before the wigwam of a fallen brave, by the survivors of a battle. The widow erected a green bush before her door, and under that she sat and cried, while the warriors danced and brandished the scalps they had taken, and at the same time recounted the brave deeds of the dead.
The beggar's dance will be recalled to the minds of the earlier settlers of this region. The bedecked savages would dance and powwow from door to door, demanding presents for the good of the tribe and the pale-faces.
The list of dances was as varied as the superstition of the tribes was dense. No adequate description can be given in a work not exclusively devoted to the history of the red men.
Catlin was at Rock Island on the day the treaty was signed. He says (p. 216, Bohn's ninth edition, 1857): "As an evidence of the great torrent of emigration to the Far West, I will relate the following occurrence which took place at the close of the treaty : After the treaty was signed and witnessed, Gov. Dodge, of Wisconsin Territory, addressed a few judicious and admonitory sentences to the chiefs and braves, which he finished by requesting them to move their families and all their property from this tract within one month, which time he would allow them to make room for the whites. Considerable excitement was created among the chiefs and braves by this suggestion, and a hearty laugh ensued, the cause of which was explained by one of them in the following manner: 'My Father, we have to laugh. We require no time to move. We have all left the lands already, and sold our wigwams to Chemo- kemons (white men), some for $100 and some for $200, before we came to this treaty. There are already 400 Chemokemons on the land, and several hundred
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more on the way moving in ; and three days before we came away, one Chemo- kemon sold his wigwam to another Chemokemon for $2,000, to build a great town.
" The treaty itself, in all its forms, was a scene of interest. Keokuk was the principal speaker on the occasion, being recognized as the head chief of the tribe. He is a very subtle and dignified man, and well fitted to wield the des- tinies of his nation. The poor dethroned monarch, Black Hawk, was present, and looked an object of pity. With an old frock coat and brown hat on, and a cane in his hand, he stood the whole time outside the group, and in dumb and dismal silence, with his sons by the side of him, and also his quondam Aide- de-Camp, Nahpope, and the Prophet. They were not allowed to speak, nor even to sign the treaty. Nahpope rose, however, and commenced a very earnest speech on the subject of temperance! But Gov. Dodge ordered him to sit down, as being out of order, which probably saved him from a much more per- emptory command from Keokuk, who was rising at that moment with looks on his face that the devil himself might have shrunk from."
Mr. Charles Negus contributed the following anecdotes of Keokuk to the Annals of Iowa :
" In the fall of 1837, the General Government called to Washington a dep- utation from most of the tribes residing in the valley of the Mississippi. Prominent among others were delegations from the Sacs and Foxes and the Sioux, between whom at the time open hostilities existed. The ostensible object in calling these deputations to the seat of government, at this time, was alleged to be for the purpose of restoring peace among the hostile nations, but negotiations were held for the purchase of lands. Cary A. Harris, Commis- sioner of Indian affairs, under the direction of J. K. Pointset, Secretary of War, conducted the business. The council was held in a church, and the negotiations between the Sacs and Foxes and the Sioux were spirited and attracted much attention.
" After the council was opened by a few remarks on the part of the United States, the representatives from the Sioux spoke. Their great effort seemed to be to show that it was useless to undertake to make a peace with the Sacs and Foxes, for they were treacherous and no confidence could be put in anything they might agree to do. 'My father,' said one of their orators, 'you cannot make these people hear any good words, unless you bore their cars with sticks.' ' We have often made peace with them,' said another, 'but they would never observe a treaty. I would as soon make a treaty with that child (pointing to Keokuk's little boy) as with a Saukee or Musquakee.'
" Keokuk did most of the talking on the part of the Sacs and Foxes, and with the spectators was the Cicero of the occasion, and in reply to these philip- pics of the Sioux, he said : 'They tell you that our ears must be bored with sticks, but, my father, you could not penetrate their thick skulls in that way, it would require hot iron. They say they would as soon make peace with a child as with us; they know better, for when they make war upon us, they find us men. They tell you that peace has often been made, and that we have broken it. How happens it, then, that so many of their braves have been slain in our country ? I will tell you, they invade us ; we never invade them ; none of our braves have been killed on their land. We have their scalps, and can tell where we took them.'
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