USA > Texas > The history of the republic of Texas, from the discovery of the country to the present time; and the cause of her separation from the republic of Mexico > Part 17
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CHAPTER VI.
The Indians of Texas-General Remarks-Manners, Habits, Customs, and Institutions of different tribes --- Comanches- Carancahuas -Tawackanies-Tankaways -Waccos -- Caddos - Lipans - Cushatees - Cherokees-Creeks - Kickapoos- Shawnees, and their fugitive tribes-Indian system of reckou- ing time compared with the Gregorian-The Maminchic Dance-Debate in Congress on the Cherokee Land Bill- Discovery of an unknown tribe, &c.
THERE is not a more interesting branch of the great human family, still in its primitive -state, than the Indians of Texas, who, notwithstanding the mur- derous depredations of their Christian brethren, are still free, and whose institutions are not tainted with modern corruption. The number of Indians still wandering in the western, northern, and eastern parts of Texas, may be estimated at about 80,000 souls, and the following sketch of their general character, will not be more interesting than the history of the many individual tribes into which they are divided.
When an European first beholds an Indian war- rior or hunter, a thousand erroneous conjectures take possession of his mind; but on a second view he detects a perfect model of human symmetry, a brow, bold and unfraught with expressions of care,
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though most expressively marked with intellectual power, whilst the decision with which the simplest motion of his beautifully rounded limbs is per- formed, shows the vigour of his nature, and the marvellous and almost unconquerable energy of the unvitiated man. Add to this the primitive freedom and simplicity of the Indian character, which have been preserved by unremitting vigilance and valour through all ages, and the European sees in this wandering child a true portrait, em- bracing at once the accomplishments and charac- teristics of his own primitive forefathers ; hence the Indian becomes an interesting object of contempla- tion, and being thus associated, he cannot fail to draw forth the warmest sympathy of his civilized brethren.
The wants of man in his primitive state are but few, particularly in Texas, a country where game abounds, such as the buffalo and deer : with the skin of the latter the Indians clothe themselves, while the robe of the buffalo supplies them with a bed ; and the flesh of both, a nutritious and plentiful repast. What is the property of one Indian, is the property of the whole tribe to which he belongs; therefore, stealing from each other is a vice unknown among them, while the exercise of their simple virtues is neither checked by a prospect of future want, nor by the introduction of rigid laws (too common among civilized men) for the suppression of vice.
Hospitality is the inmate of every Indian's bosom ; he neither asks nor cares whence those who seek it
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INDIANS OF TEXAS.
come ; what his hut or tent contains, he holds as the right of those who seek relief; and without sus- picion, which too often suggests the use of a mask, he gives all, even to the last morsel. Freedom is the basis, and justice the text of their every social compact. They do not wage war for the love of conquest, nor to add fresh laurels to their fame. Trespassing on the territory of a neighbouring tribe, who have only a sufficient stock of game on their range to supply their own wants, is held at all times to be a sufficient provocation for hostilities, which are commenced with alacrity, and carried on with great determination and valour on both sides. But with the white man who robs the Indian of his freedom -- his territory or range-his only means of subsistence --- and of life-their revenge is unconquerable, and their wars are always wars of extermination. Yet, if the counsel of Heaven were invoked to decide the justice of the claims of the contending parties in these sanguinary conflicts, to forbearance, justice, and humanity, the palm would be awarded to the oppressed Indian, whose sufferings in these wars with the white man, few tongues but their own can tell.
But what strikes the European inquirer most for- cibly, is the profound veneration with which these Indians, one and all, though remnants of powerful and distinct nations, cherish the memory of Mon- tezuma, (emperor of Mexico, who reigned upwards of 300 years ago,) and under whom and his pre-
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decessors civilization made such rapid strides among their forefathers, who, under that monarch's fostering solicitude, had converted the wilds of Huastecapan into what was formerly designated, and is to this day described by the Indian race, as the paradise of Montezuma's empire, and by all modern travellers as the most fertile region in the world.
Hence we find a people, whose hearts, after a lapse of three hundred years, are beating with love and gratitude, and whose lips are constantly uttering the most pitiful lamentation for a generous bene- factor who would, long ere this, have raised them above the reach of those who think it no crime to butcher them in cold blood; and having done so, declare themselves innocent of the lives of their fellow-creatures. The gratitude of these people alone shows what may yet be done with them; for where, may I ask, does tradition hold out more hope, or nature present a nobler foundation (sim- plicity-love of freedom-gratitude-and hospi- tality) for the great structure of civilization ? And what nation, I may also ask, can, on any just grounds, interfere with any plan that may be laid down for their protection and civilization ? There is no proof on record of the subjugation of these people by any nation. They are, though wandering and houseless, a free and sovereign people, and as such, they have an indisputable right to ask and to receive protection from any nation, European as well as American; and it is to be hoped that this
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imperfect picture of their long sufferings, will induce some civilized nation to extend to them the hand of pity. That England, a Christian country, has not done so before, is a lamentable reflection. Eng- land has entered into treaties with the wild Arabs of the eastern desert, and yet she hears with the greatest apathy the cries of the children of the western wilderness, where she has interests as vital and immediate as in any region of the world ; to her the creation of a new country, whether re- publican or monarchical, must be of as much im- portance as the dismemberment of the old empire of Montezuma; and as these two great political revolutions are now going forward and concur, as if to draw the attention of the British statesman to- wards that quarter, it is to be hoped the Indians will not be overlooked. For degraded as they are, and have been, by the murderous depredations of the white man, still if the hand of true friendship were extended to them, and if ever so small the boon, "the effect merely of a generous courtesy" were granted to them, it would be received with unutterable thankfulness, and the gratitude of the father would be handed down to the son as the memory of Montezuma has been, through ages even to this day.
The Indians of Texas can never be brought into subjection by the Texans. They must be extermi- nated; to exterminate S0,000 souls, is not the work of a day ; and if at the end of twenty years,
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PAST SUFFERINGS OF INDIANS.
the last poor wanderer should fall under the rifle or the " Bowie knife" of the Texan murderer,-how far will civilization be advanced, or what can com- pensate the lovers of humanity for the useless and merciless effusion of human blood ?
The past sufferings of Indians, during the several attempts that have been made to exterminate them, few tongues, as I have said, but their own can tell ; however, their extermination commenced with the colonization of Texas by Anglo-Americans in the year 1821. The prosecution of the Indians was prefaced by base accusations and falsehoods, which were speedily followed by publicly whipping, brand- ing, and cutting off the ears of the falsely accused natives, a course which soon led to retaliation on their part. The Carancahuas, a tribe consisting of about 100 families, were the first to taste and resist the tender mercies of their invaders, and therefore they were the first marked for extermination ; a task which was undertaken by General Austin, at the head of sixty riffemen, in the spring of 1822. 'The result of the first attack upon these defenceless people, was the slaughter of half the tribe. More than one half of the survivors were subsequently surprised in small parties, and cut to pieces; while the remainder, amounting to about forty in all, sought and found protection at the mission of San Patricio. From the above date down to 1S27, the Indians were assailed on all sides by the settlers, and suffered much. From the latter date to 1836,
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EXTERMINATION OF THE INDIANS.
Texas was the theatre of constant war and blood- shed between the Mexicans and Texans; and the Indians, for refusing to act as allies on either side, were often mercilessly slaughtered, during the whole period of the war of independence. It is believed that during that period 8,000 Indians pe- rished ; and that from the year 1836 down to the present time, the expeditions under Generals Hous- ton, Rusk, Burleson, and Morehouse, have slain upwards of 5,000 more.
I would not here venture to avow, that the Texans at all times kill the women and children of the Indians ; but this I do say, that they have done so on several occasions; and although I was in the country while an Indian war was going on, I never saw nor heard of such a thing as an Indian prisoner of war.
But the following extracts from the diary of an emigrant in Texas, published in New York by William Allen, under the title of " Texas in 1840, or the Emigrant's Guide to the New Republic," will serve to show how these exterminating works are being carried on :--
" January 6 .- In the afternoon we visited an eccentric indi- vidual, who, with no other associates than his dog and chickens, lives on the borders of the forest. He is an aged Frenchman, who has been many years in the country, and has formerly been a soldier in Texas. In giving some reminiscences of his life in the early settlement of the country, he related several anecdotes of Indian characters and warfare ; among others, he mentioned, that once being left in charge of the camp equipage, while his
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messmates were abroad on duty, he left his place for a few mo- ments to procure water from the river Guadalupe, which was just at hand. While here, he caught a glimpse of an Indian, gliding swiftly through the thickets towards the river above him, with a blanket he had just stolen from the camp. He immedi- ately fired upon the savage with a rifle, but without effect, as the Indian pressed on into the stream. By the time he could seize another gun, and be ready to fire, the redman had nearly attained the middle of the river with his booty. We again fired, and, it would seem, with better aim, for the thief sunk, and was seen no more, while the stolen blanket was observed floating down the current." ៛
How the narrator's mind was affected by such events, did not appear otherwise than by an appa- rently perfect indifference.
"At another time, he said, an Indian was shot at night, while crouching at a corn crib, attempting to steal the grain. In the morning it was found to be a woman, who, by the shot, had both her Kuces broken, and had died of the wounds. This incident must certainly awaken regret, as there is too much reason to con- clude, that the unhappy woman was induced to the act by the cravings of hunger, or, perhaps, by the cries of her starving children.
" In another place, while the troops were encamped at night, and their horses tied in the prairie to feed upon the grass, a dark object was seen to approach one of the animals. On being fired upon, the figure disappeared. In the morning a trace of blood was followed some distance to a hollow, where a wounded savage lay, (not the murderer, but an Indian.) On being interrogated why he attempted to steal the horse, he remained silent, in either Haughty sullenness (more likely being unable to speak,) or else despair. An officer (a white man ! a Christian) present then pre- sented his riffe, and asked him where he would be shot ? He (the wounded Indian -- the savage) opened his bosom, pointed to
----
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the centre of his breast, and was immediately pierced by a ball at the place indicated. A rope was then attached to his legs, by which the body was dragged some distance, and hung upon a tree, as a warning to other Indian depredators, where it remained for several months, and until eaten up piecemeal by the wolves and vultures."
" January 8, page 46 .- This day, as usual, passed through a country interspersed with woodlands and elevated prairies. At a little distance in the woods stood two young men, loading their rifles, to make further trial of their skill in the use of that deadly weapon. Their appearance was sufficiently rustic for every forest or hunting purpose, and their language and conversation smacked strongly of the spirit of border fighting and hatred to the Indians. They had learned, but a few hours before, from a traveller, that Indians had been seen further up the country, (whether friendly or not, they seemed not disposed to inquire,) and hence they were thus preparing for such emergencies (from friendly Indians) as they supposed might likely transpire."
In answer to a suggestion that the Indians men- tioned by the traveller might be a company of friendly Indians, and not disposed to do mischief, the young husband, with a mingled frown, sncer, and angry laugh, answered, " Friendly ? Yes, they will be friendly enough if they once come within the range of my rifle." This remark was received by the junior members of the family with a laugh of pleasure. "It required but little penetration to dis- cover that our hosts were accustomed to the vicis- situdes attendant upon settlers on the borders of the haunts of savages, and that to them, sporting and the killing of Indians were merely synonymous terms."
TERRITORIAL RIGHTS, ETC., OF TEXAN TRIBES. 233
We are also informed, by the same author, that the Indians were plundered of 25,000 head of buffaloe by General Burleson, in 1840, and, as if forgetting this provocation, he brings down a long list of crimes committed by the Indians, to justify the white man's Christian retaliation.
. The territorial rights and claims of the western tribes of Texas are simply those of uninterrupted possession of the soil for upwards of 200 years, a title which the Mexicans have at all times respected, and which the land and colonization laws of Mexico strengthen ; while the eastern tribes, namely, Che- rokees, Shawnees, Creeks, Kickapoos, and their fu- gitive tribes, claim the lands they accepted in Texas, on the earnest solicitation of the Mexican govern- ment, under the colonization laws of Mexico, and the state of Coahuila and Texas, which give, after the native or western tribes, to foreign or wander- ing Indians on the frontier, the following portions of land. To every head of a family one sitio, 442S acres ; and to every single male adult a quar- ter of a league, 1107 acres; therefore, if we esti- mate the territory claimed by the Indians according to the colonization laws, allowing that the Indian population (80,000) would only give 10,000 heads of non-adult families at one sitio, (442S acres,) and 5000 single male adults a quarter of a league, or 1107 acres cach, their portion of the soil of Texas would be 19,815,000 acres, which would be equal to about 662 acres per head for the native
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INTERNATIONAL RIGHTS OF THE TEXAN INDIANS.
Indian population, and, after deducting 49,815,000 acres claimed by the Indians from the superficial surface of Texas, which is estimated at 300,000 square miles, or about 192,000,000 of acres, it leaves the white population (which I can prove to be under 60,000) 142,185,000 acres, or 2369 acres per head.
Hence it will be seen that the territory claimed by the Indians does not amount to one-third of their native country, and therefore it cannot be said that the savage wants to monopolize all to himself, to the inconvenience and prejudice of his civilized brethren. The international rights of the Indian na- tions of Texas are precisely the same as those that England has acknowledged by treaty with the Arabs, and various other wandering nations in Africa and America, viz., that of entering into treaties, offen- sive and defensive, with foreign powers. And we find, in many cases, that the exercise of this right by the Indians has given to British subjects the right of trading with them, without the interference or concurrence of the power who merely exercises a nominal sovereignty over the territory they in- habit. And, in order to secure these interests to British subjects in Texas, and to advance the cause of humanity, justice, and civilization, I have fre- quently and publicly proposed the following plan for the protection of the Texan Indians, and which I strongly recommend to the serious consideration of the Aborigines Protection Society, viz., That
PLAN FOR PROTECTING THE TEXAN INDIANS. 235
hier majesty's government be earnestly intreated to send out a commissioner to Mexico, to solicit the Mexican government to enter into a treaty for the establishment on the eastern frontier of Mexico, of a commission to be composed of one commis- sioner on the part of England, and one on the part of Mexico, for the purpose of protecting the lives and property, and adjusting the claims of the In- dian tribes of Texas.
The means proposed to carry the views of this commission into execution will be best under- stood by detailing its benevolent objects. The primary duties of the commissioners would be to remonstrate with the murderers and enemies of the aborigines; to hear and report their grievances to their respective governments; to watch over the general interests of the Indians; to create and foster a friendly intercourse between the different tribes; to grant the utmost protection to per- sons who may be desirous to trade with or visit the Indians for the purpose of instructing them in the arts of civilized life ; and by a judicious distribution of presents, to draw them into bonds of friendship with their civilized brethren.
If such a course were pursued I have no hesita- tion in saying, particularly as there is nothing on record to prove that such a plan has failed, that we should, within five years, have the satisfaction of seeing these people settled down into a position that would not admit of their wandering from place to
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PLAN FOR PROTECTING THE TEXAN INDIANS.
place ; whereas if they are to be left, abandoned, to be hemmed in by the white men on every side, their total extermination will be but the work of a few short hours.
But this plan will be scoffed at by the blind exter- minators of the human race, like every other that has been laid down for the civilization of the savage. The exterminators commence by magnifying the dangers of approaching the Indians, the expense attending their civilization, and lastly, by reminding their hearers of the distressing poverty and abso- lute starvation of our own countrymen. To these unsophisticated political economists I would how- ever observe, that there are very many productive, and consequently highly valuable sections of the globe, and in our own colonies, where the white man cannot labour in the cultivation of the soil; and wherever this is the case, we find that the greatest exertions (all attended with a correspond- ing waste of human blood and considerable ex- penditure) have been made to destroy the natives, whose physical condition is, by nature, adapted to continuous labour, which is fully exhibited in their ordinary exercises, but more particularly in the daily exertions and renewed fatigues of the chase. Were these energies directed to the cultivation of their native soil, they would legitimately and speedily develope its spontaneous resources and artificial capabilities. And by our extending the hand of Christian fellowship to the savage, at the
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BENEFITS OF CIVILIZATION.
same time that we teach him to sow, in order that he may with his fellow man in the harvest field, behold, and his heart be made glad with the merciful bounty of his Creator, we raise him above the level of the beast, make him an useful member of society, and by creating sentiments of civilization, we produce wants as yet unknown to savages, and thus open new markets for British industry, and millions of people would become consumers of British labour .* By this extension of our com- merce we strike at once at the true cause of the distress so loudly and justly complained of at home. But has not the policy of Great Britain towards the natives of all newly discovered and conquered countries from the earliest period down to the pre- sent, tended to the extermination of the natives ? And what was the consequence of this in the onset ? The introduction of slavery! A system whereby the African, with all his primitive barbarism, indo- lence, and physical defects, was to be kidnapped, (at the great risk of the lives of his captors,) torn from his kindred and country, and from thence transported, at a great expense, to supply the place of the slaughtered natives in the colonies of Chris- tian countries.
The wisdom of exterminating the natives of newly discovered countries, and, above all, of the West Indies, and the United States of America,
* Vide Appendix.
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TRUE ORIGIN OF. SLAVERY.
simply because they were, and are, merely supposed to be irreclaimable, and supplying their place with men who are said to be equally incorrigible, and indeed inferior, in every respect, to the natives of those regions, remains a mystery which I fear no one will attempt to explain. Whereas it can be demonstrated to proof, that the extermination of the natives of countries where the white man cannot labour, is the true origin of slavery and the slave trade; and if but one-tenth of the danger, expense, and trouble attending slavery, to say nothing of the 20,000,000/. sterling recently paid for its abolition, had been expended on the civilization of the abori- genes, wherever God had placed them, and the white man had found them, millions of souls would have been spared, instead of being hurried from this world, by their Christian discoverers and con- querors, as they came into it, alike strangers to their God and the blessings of civilization.
Trusting to my readers' forgiveness for this di- gression, I will now proceed to give a sketch of the manners, habits, customs, and institutions of the Texan Indian tribes, individually, namely,
The Comanches, Carancahuas, Tackankanics, Kankaways, Waccos, Caddos, and Lipans; these, with their fugitive tribes, have entered Texas from the west, and are supposed to be remnants of the va- rious nations that formed the Mexican empire at the time of the conquest of Mexico by the Spaniards.
The Cushatees are supposed, from one or two
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customs still extant among them, to be the de- scendants of the original inhabitants of Texas, the Natchez.
The tribes that entered Texas from the north, and last, are the Cherokees, Creeks, Kickapoos, and Shawnees, with a few small fugitive tribes. The Indians here named are scattered all over the eastern and northern parts of Texas, from the Sa- bine to the Trinity river; from thence, taking a straight line to about twenty miles north of Milam on the Brazos, to the Colorado, about five miles above the city of Austin, in the west, for the southern frontier of their territory, to the Red River on the north ; while the Comanches and the other western tribes possess the whole territory west of the Colo- rado, and south of the Nueces to the Rio Grande, as marked on the map, and following the latter river (on both sides) to its source in the Verde mountains ; thus embracing within its known limits the rocky mountains of Chihuahua, New Mexico, and the fer- tile plains, called the Bolson Mapimi, and Parras.
The Comanches are by far the most warlike nation in Texas, and are also the most powerful tribe that has entered Texas from the west. They may be considered a settled people, though they do not cultivate the soil, but rely on the shore for subsistence, which is not at all times to be found in the same regions, therefore at stated seasons they are obliged to lead a wandering life, and live in tents. The men carry themselves remarkably
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COSTUME OF THE COMANCHE INDIANS.
erect, and are tall, and beautifully proportioned ; face oval, features bold, regular, and expressive ; their hair fine, black, straight and long, except at the sides, where it is cut as close as possible, but growing from the forehead along the crown of the head as plaited, and hangs down upon the shoulder, and not unfrequently as low as the small of the back.
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