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Old Indian Days

C >> Charles Eastman >> Old Indian Days



OLD INDIAN DAYS



BY
CHARLES A. EASTMAN
(Ohiyesa)





To
My Daughters
DORA, IRENE, VIRGINIA, ELEANOR, AND FLORENCE
I Dedicate
these Stories of the Old Indian Life,
and especially of
the Courageous and Womanly Indian Woman


CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

PART I. THE WARRIOR

I. THE LOVE OF ANTELOPE
II. THE MADNESS OF BALD EAGLE
III. THE SINGING SPIRIT
IV. THE FAMINE
V. THE CHIEF SOLDIER
VI. THE WHITE MAN'S ERRAND
VII. THE GRAVE OF THE DOG

PART II. THE WOMAN

I. WINONA, THE WOMAN-CHILD
II. WINONA, THE CHILD-WOMAN
III. SNANA'S FAWN
IV. SHE-WHO-HAS-A-SOUL
V. THE PEACE-MAKER
VI. BLUE SKY
VII. THE FAITHFULNESS OF LONG EARS
VIII. THE WAR MAIDEN

GLOSSARY




PART ONE

THE WARRIOR



I


THE LOVE OF ANTELOPE


I
Upon a hanging precipice atop of the
Eagle Scout Butte there appeared a
motionless and solitary figure--almost
eagle-like he perched! The people in the camp
below saw him, but none looked at him long.
They turned their heads quickly away with a
nervous tingling, for the height above the plains
was great. Almost spirit-like among the upper
clouds the young warrior sat immovable.

It was Antelope. He was fasting and seek-
ing a sign from the "Great Mystery," for such
was the first step of the young and ambitious
Sioux [who wished to be a noted warrior among
his people.

He is a princely youth, among the wild
Sioux, who hunts for his tribe and not for him-
self! His voice is soft and low at the camp-
fire of his nation, but terror-giving in the field
of battle. Such was Antelope's reputation.
The more he sought the "Great Mystery" in
solitude, the more gentle and retiring he be-
came, and in the same proportion his courage
and manliness grew. None could say that he
was not a kind son and a good hunter, for he
had already passed the "two-arrow-to-kill,"
his buffalo examination.

On a hot midsummer morning a few weeks
later, while most of the inmates of the teepees
were breakfasting in the open air, the powerful
voice of the herald resounded among the pine-
clad heights and green valleys.

"Hear ye, hear ye, warriors!" he chanted
loudly. "The council has decreed that four
brave young men must scout the country to
the sunsetward of the camp, for the peace and
protection of our people!"

All listened eagerly for the names of the
chosen warriors, and in another moment there
came the sonorous call: "Antelope, Ante-
lope! the council has selected you!"

The camp was large--fully four hundred
paces across; but in that country, in the clear
morning air, such an announcement can be
heard a great way, and in the silence that fol-
lowed the hills repeated over and over the mu-
sical name of Antelope.

In due time the four chosen youths appeared
before the council fire. The oath of the pipe
was administered, and each took a few whiffs
as reverently as a Churchman would partake
of the sacrament. The chief of the council,
who was old and of a striking appearance, gave
the charge and command to the youthful
braves.

There was a score or more of warriors ready
mounted to escort them beyond the precincts
of the camp, and the "fearless heart" song
was sung according to the custom, as the four
ran lightly from the door of the council teepee
and disappeared in the woods.

It was a peculiarly trying and hazardous
moment in which to perform the duties of a
scout. The Sioux were encroaching upon the
territory of hostile tribes, here in the foot-hills
of the Big Horn Mountains, and now and then
one of their hunters was cut off by the enemy.
If continual vigilance could not save them, it
might soon become necessary to retreat to their
own hunting-grounds.

It was a savage fetish that a warrior must
be proof against the alluring ways of pretty
maidens; that he must place his honor far
above the temptations of self-indulgence and
indolence. Cold, hunger, and personal hard-
ship did not count with Antelope when there
was required of him any special exertion for
the common good. It was cause to him of
secret satisfaction that the council-men had se-
lected him for a dangerous service in prefer-
ence to some of his rivals and comrades.

He had been running for two or three hours
at a good, even gait, and had crossed more
than one of the smaller creeks, yet many deep
gulches and bad lands lay between him and the
furthest peak that melted into the blue dome
above.

"I shall stand upon the Bear's Heart," he
said to himself. "If I can do that, and still
report before the others, I shall do well!"
His keen eyes were constantly sweeping the
country in his front, and suddenly he paused
and shrank back motionless in a crouching at-
titude, still steadily keeping an eye upon a
moving object. It was soon evident that some
one was stealthily eying him from behind
cover, and he was outwitted by the enemy!
Still stooping, he glided down a little ravine,
and as he reached the bed of the creek there
emerged from it a large gray wolf.

This was very opportune for Antelope. He
gave the gray wolf's danger-call with all his
might; waited an instant and gave it a sec-
ond time; then he turned and ran fleetly down
the stream. At the same moment the wolf ap-
peared upon the top of the bank, in full view
of the enemy.

"Here he comes!" they whispered, and had
their arrows on the string as the wolf trotted
leisurely along, exposing only his head, for this
was a common disguise among the plains In-
dians. But when he came out into the open,
behold! it was only a gray wolf!

"Ugh!" the Utes grunted, as they looked
at each other in much chagrin.

"Surely he was a man, and coming directly
into our trap! We sang and prayed to the
gods of war when our war chief sent us ahead
to scout the Sioux people, to find their camp.
This is a mystery, a magic! Either he
is a Sioux in disguise, or we don't know their
tricks!" exclaimed the leader.

Now they gave the war-whoop, and their
arrows flew through the air. The wolf gave
a yelp of distress, staggered and fell dead. In-
stantly they ran to examine the body, and found
it to be truly that of a wolf.

"Either this is a wonderful medicine-man,
or we are shamefully fooled by a Sioux war-
rior," they muttered.

They lost several minutes before they caught
sight of Antelope, who had followed the bed
of the creek as far as it lay in his direction
and then came out of it at full speed. It would
be safer for him to remain in concealment
until dark; but in the meantime the Ute war-
riors would reach the camp, and his people
were unprepared! It was necessary to expose
himself to the enemy. He knew that it would
be chiefly a contest of speed and he had an ex-
cellent start; but on the other hand, the Utes
doubtless had their horses.

"The Sioux who played this trick on us must
die to-day!" exclaimed their leader. "Come,
friends, we cannot afford to let him tell this
joke on us at the camp-fires of his people!"

Antelope was headed directly for Eagle
Scout Butte, for the camp was in plain view
from the top of this hill. He had run pretty
much all day, but then, that was nothing!

"I shall reach the summit first, unless the
Ute horses have wings!" he said to him-
self.

Looking over his shoulder, he saw five horse-
men approaching, so he examined his bow and
arrows as he ran.

"All is well," he muttered. "One of their
spirits at the least must guide mine to the spirit
land!" where, it was believed by them, there
was no fighting.

Now he was within hearing of their whoops,
but he was already at the foot of the butte.
Their horses could not run up the steep ascent,
and they were obliged to dismount. Like a
deer the Sioux leaped from rock to rock, and
almost within arrow-shot came his pursuers,
wildly whooping and yelling.

When he had achieved the summit, he took
his stand between two great rocks, and flashed
his tiny looking-glass for a distress signal into
the distant camp of his people.

For a long time no reply came, and many
arrows flew over his head, as the Utes ap-
proached gradually from rock to rock. He,
too, sent down a swift arrow now and then, to
show them that he was no child or woman in
fight, but brave as a bear when it is brought to
bay.

"Ho, ho!" he shouted to the enemy, in
token of a brave man's welcome to danger and
death.

They replied with yells of triumph, as they
pressed more and more closely upon him. One
of their number had been dispatched to notify
the main war-party when they first saw Ante-
lope, but he did not know this, and his courage
was undiminished. From time to time he con-
tinued to flash his signal, and at last like light-
ning the little white flash came in reply.

The sun was low when the besieged warrior
discovered a large body of horsemen approach-
ing from the northwest. It was the Ute war-
party! He looked earnestly once more
toward the Sioux camp, shading his eyes with
his right palm. There, too, were many moving
specks upon the plain, drawing toward the foot
of the hill!

At the middle of the afternoon they had
caught his distress signal, and the entire camp
was thrown into confusion, for but few of the
men had returned from the daily hunt. As
fast as they came in, the warriors hurried away
upon their best horses, singing and yelling.
When they reached the well-known butte, tow-
ering abruptly in the midst of the plain, they
could distinguish their enemies massed behind
the hanging rocks and scattered cedar-trees,
crawling up closer and closer, for the large war-
party reached the hill just as the scouts who
held Antelope at bay discovered the approach
of his kinsmen.

Antelope had long since exhausted his quiver
of arrows and was gathering up many of
those that fell about him to send them back
among his pursuers. When their attention was
withdrawn from him for an instant by the sud-
den onset of the Sioux, he sprang to his feet.

He raised both his hands heavenward in
token of gratitude for his rescue, and his friends
announced with loud shouts the daring of Ante-
lope.

Both sides fought bravely, but the Utes at
last retreated and were fiercely pursued. An-
telope stood at his full height upon the huge
rock that had sheltered him, and gave his yell
of defiance and exultation. Below him the war-
riors took it up, and among the gathering
shadows the rocks echoed praises of his name.

In the Sioux camp upon Lost Water there
were dances and praise songs, but there was
wailing and mourning, too, for many lay dead
among the crags. The name of Antelope was
indelibly recorded upon Eagle Scout Butte.

"If he wished for a war-bonnet of eagle
feathers, it is his to wear," declared one of
the young men. "But he is modest, and scarcely
even joins in the scalp dances. lt is said of
him that he has never yet spoken to any young
woman!"

"True, it is not announced publicly that he
has addressed a maiden. Many parents would
like to have their daughters the first one he
would speak to, but I am told he desires to
go upon one or two more war-paths before
seeking woman's company," replied another.

"Hun, hun, hay!" exclaimed a third youth
ill-naturedly. He is already old enough to
be a father!"

"This is told of him," rejoined the first
speaker. "He wants to hold the record of
being the young man who made the greatest
number of coups before he spoke to a maiden.
I know that there are not only mothers who
would be glad to have him for a son-in-law,
but their young daughters would not refuse to
look upon the brave Antelope as a husband!"

It was true that in the dance his name was
often mentioned, and at every repetition it
seemed that the young women danced with
more spirit, while even grandmothers joined
in the whirl with a show of youthful abandon.

Wezee, the father of Antelope, was receiv-
ing congratulations throughout the afternoon.
Many of the old men came to his lodge to
smoke with him, and the host was more than
gratified, for he was of a common family and
had never before known what it is to bask
in the sunshine of popularity and distinction.
He spoke complacently as he crowded a hand-
ful of tobacco into the bowl of the long red
pipe.

"Friends, our life here is short, and the life
of a brave youth is apt to be shorter than most!
We crave all the happiness that we can get,
and it is right that we should do so. One who
says that he does not care for reputation or
success, is not likely to be telling the truth. So
you will forgive me if I say too much about
the honorable career of my son." This was the
old man's philosophic apology.

"Ho, ho," his guests graciously responded.
"It is your moon! Every moon has its full-
ness, when it lights up the night, while the little
stars dance before it. So to every man there
comes his full moon!"

Somewhat later in the day all the young
people of the great camp were seen to be mov-
ing in one direction. All wore their best attire
and finest ornaments, and even the parti-col-
ored steeds were decorated to the satisfaction
of their beauty-loving riders.

"Ugh, Taluta is making a maidens' feast!
She, the prettiest of all the Unkpapa maid-
ens!" exclaimed one of the young braves.

"She, the handsomest of all our young
women!" repeated another.

Taluta was indeed a handsome maid in the
height and bloom of womanhood, with all that
wonderful freshness and magnetism which was
developed and preserved by the life of the wil-
derness. She had already given five maidens'
feasts, beginning with her fifteenth year, and
her shy and diffident purity was held sacred by
her people.

The maidens' circle was now complete. Be-
hind it the outer circle of old women was equally
picturesque and even more dignified. The
grandmother, not the mother, was regarded as
the natural protector of the young maiden, and
the dowagers derived much honor from their
position, especially upon public occasions, tak-
ing to themselves no small amount of credit
for the good reputations of their charges.

Weshawee, whose protege had many suitors
and was a decided coquette, fidgeted nervously
and frequently adjusted her robe or fingered
her necklace to ease her mind, for she dreaded
lest, in spite of watchfulness, some mishap
might have befallen her charge. Her anxiety
was apparently shared by several other chap-
erons who stole occasional suspicious glances
in the direction of certain of the young braves.
It had been known to happen that a girl un-
worthy to join in the sacred feast was publicly
disgraced.

A special police force was appointed to keep
order on this occasion, each member of which
was gorgeously painted and bedecked with
eagle feathers, and carried in his hand a long
switch with which to threaten the encroaching
throng. Their horses wore head-skins of fierce
animals to add to their awe-inspiring appear-
ance.

The wild youths formed the outer circle of
the gathering, attired like the woods in au-
tumn, their long locks glossy with oil and per-
fumed with scented grass and leaves. Many
pulled their blankets over their heads as if to
avoid recognition, and loitered shyly at a dis-
tance.

Among these last were Antelope and his
cousin, Red Eagle. They stood in the angle
formed by the bodies of their steeds, whose
noses were together. The young hero was com-
pletely enveloped in his handsome robe with
a rainbow of bead-work acros the middle, and
his small moccasined feet projected from be-
neath the lower border. Red Eagle held up
an eagle-wing fan, partially concealing his face,
and both gazed intently toward the center of
the maidens' circle.

"Woo! woo!" was the sonorous exclama-
tion of the police, announcing the beginning
of the ceremonies. In the midst of the ring
of girls stood the traditional heart-shaped red
stone, with its bristling hedge of arrows. In
this case there were five arrows, indicating that
Taluta had already made as many maidens'
feasts. Each of the maidens must lay her hand
upon the stone in token of her purity and chas-
tity, touching also as many arrows as she her-
self has attended maidens' feasts.

Taluta advanced first to the center. As she
stood for a moment beside the sacred stone, she
appeared to the gazing bystanders the embodi-
ment of grace and modesty. Her gown,
adorned with long fringes at the seams, was
beaded in blue and white across the shoulders
and half way to her waist. Her shining black
hair was arranged in two thick plaits which
hung down upon her bosom. There was a native
dignity in her gestures and in her utterance of
the maidens' oath, and as she turned to face the
circle, all the other virgins followed her.

When the feast was ended and the gay con-
course had dispersed, Antelope and his cousin
were among the last to withdraw. The young
man's eyes had followed every movement of
Taluta as long as she remained in sight, and
it was only when she vanished in the gathering
shadows that he was willing to retire.

In savage courtship, it was the custom to
introduce one's self boldly to the young lady,
although sometimes it was convenient to have
a sister introduce her brother. But Antelope
had no sister to perform this office for him,
and if he had had one, he would not have made
the request. He did not choose to admit any
one to his secret, for he had no confidence in
himself or in the outcome of the affair. If
it had been anything like trailing the doe, or
scouting the Ojibway, he would have ridiculed
the very notion of missing the object sought.
But this was a new warfare--an unknown hunt-
ing! Although he was very anxious to meet
Taluta, whenever the idea occurred to him he
trembled like a leaf in the wind, and profuse
perspiration rolled down his stoic visage. It
was not customary to hold any social inter-
course with the members of the opposite sex,
and he had never spoken familiarly to any
woman since he became a man, except his old
grandmother. It was well known that the
counsel of the aged brings luck to the youth
in warfare and love.

Antelope arose early the next morning, and
without speaking to any one he made a cere-
monious toilet. He put on his finest buckskin
shirt and a handsome robe, threw a beaded
quiver over his shoulder, and walked directly
away from the teepees and into the forest--he
did not know why nor whither. The sounds
of the camp grew fainter and fainter, until at
last he found himself alone.

"How is it," mused the young man, "that
I have hoped to become a leader among my
people? My father is not a chief, and none
of my ancestors were distinguished in war. I
know well that, if I desire to be great, I must
deny myself the pleasure of woman's company
until I have made my reputation. I must not
boast nor exhibit myself on my first success.
The spirits do not visit the common haunts of
men! All these rules I have thus far kept,
and I must not now yield to temptation. . . .
Man has much to weaken his ambition after
he is married. A young man may seek oppor-
tunities to prove his worth, but to a married
man the opportunity must come to try him.
He acts only when compelled to act. . . . Ah,
I must flee from the woman!. . . . Besides,
if she should like someone else better, I should
be humiliated. . . . I must go upon a long
war-path. I shall forget her. . . ."

At this point his revery was interrupted by
the joyous laughter of two young women. The
melodious sing-song laughter of the Sioux
maiden stirred the very soul of the young war-
rior.

All his philosophy deserted him, and he
stood hesitating, looking about him as if for
a chance of escape. A man who had never
before felt the magnetic influence of woman
in her simplicity and childlike purity, he be-
came for the moment incapable of speech or
action.

Meanwhile the two girls were wholly uncon-
scious of any disturbing presence in the forest.
They were telling each other the signals that
each had received in the dance. Taluta's com-
panion had stopped at the first raspberry bushes,
while she herself passed on to the next
thicket. When she emerged from the pines
into an opening, she suddenly beheld Antelope,
in his full-dress suit of courtship. Instantly
she dropped her eyes.

Luckily the customs of courtship among the
Sioux allow the covering of one's head with the
blanket. In this attitude, the young man made
a signal to Taluta with trembling fingers.

The wild red man's wooing was natural and
straightforward; there was no circumspection,
no maneuvering for time or advantage. Hot
words of love burst forth from the young
warrior's lips, with heavy breathing behind
the folds of the robe with which he sought to
shield his embarrassment.

"For once the spirits are guiding my for-
tunes! It may seem strange to you, when we
meet thus by accident, that I should speak im-
mediately of my love for you; but we live in
a world where one must speak when the oppor-
tunity offers. I have thought much of you
since I saw you at the maidens' feast. . . . Is
Taluta willing to become the wife of Tatoka?
The moccasins of her making will cause his
feet to be swift in pursuit of the game, and
on the trail of the enemy. . . . I beg of you,
maiden, let our meeting be known only to the
birds of the air, while you consider my pro-
posal!"

All this while the maiden stood demurely
at his side, playing with the lariat of her pony
in her brown, fine hands. Her doeskin gown
with profuse fringes hung gracefully as the
drooping long leaves of the willow, and her
two heavy braids of black hair, mingled with
strings of deers' hoofs and wampum, fell upon
her bosom. There was a faint glow under-
neath her brown skin, and her black eyes were
calm and soft, yet full of native fire.

"You will not press for an answer now,"
she gently replied, without looking at him. "I
expected to see no one here, and your words
have taken me by surprise. . . . I grant your
last request. The birds alone can indulge in
gossip about our meeting,--unless my cousin,
who is in the next ravine, should see us to-
gether!" She sprang lightly upon the back
of her pony, and disappeared among the scat-
tered pines.

Between the first lovers' meeting and the sec-
ond was a period of one moon. This was wholly
the fault of Antelope, who had been a prey
to indecision and painful thoughts. Half re-
gretting his impulsive declaration, and hoping
to forget his pangs in the chances of travel
and war, he had finally enlisted in the number
of those who were to go with the war-leader
Crowhead into the Ute country. As was the
custom of the Sioux warriors upon the eve of
departure, the young men consulted their spirit-
ual advisers, and were frequently in the purify-
ing vapor-bath, and fasting in prayer.

The last evening had come, and Antelope
was on the way to the top of the hill behind
the camp for a night of prayer. Suddenly in
the half-light he came full upon Taluta, lead-
ing her pony down the narrow trail. She had
never looked more beautiful to the youth than
at that moment.

"Ho," he greeted her. She simply smiled
shyly.

"It is long since we met," he ventured.

"I have concluded that you do not care to
hear my reply," retorted the girl.

"I have nothing to say in my defense, but
I hope that you will be generous. I have suf-
fered much. . . . You will understand why
I stand far from you," he added gently. "I
have been preparing myself to go upon the war-
path. We start at daylight for the Ute coun-
try. Every day for ten days I have been in the
vapor-bath, and ten nights fasting."

As Taluta well knew, a young warrior under
these circumstances dared not approach a wo-
man, not even his own wife.

"I still urge you to be my wife. Are you
ready to give me your answer?" continued An-
telope.

"My answer was sent to you by your grand-
mother this very day," she replied softly.

"Ah, tell me, tell me, . . ." pressed the
youth eagerly.

"All is well. Fear nothing," murmured
the maiden.

"I have given my word--I have made my
prayers and undergone purification. I must
not withdraw from this war-path," he said
after a silence. "But I know that I shall be for-
tunate! . . . My grandmother will give you
my love token. . . . Ah, kechuwa (dear love)!
watch the big star every night! I will watch
it, too--then we shall both be watching!
Although far apart, our spirits will be to-
gether."

The moon had risen above the hill, and the
cold light discovered the two who stood sadly
apart, their hearts hot with longing. Reluc-
tantly, yet without a backward look or farewell
gesture, the warrior went on up the hill, and the
maiden hurried homeward. Only a few moments
before she had been happy in the anticipation
of making her lover happy. The truth was
she had been building air-castles in the likeness
of a white teepee pitched upon a virgin prairie
all alone, surrounded by mountains. Tatoka's
war-horse and hunting pony were picketed near
by, and there she saw herself preparing the
simple meal for him! But now he has clouded
her dreams by this untimely departure.

"He is too brave. . . . His life will be a
short one," she said to herself with fore-
boding.

For a few hours all was quiet, and just be-
fore the appearance of day the warriors' de-
parture was made known by their farewell
songs. Antelope was in the line early, but he
was heavy of heart, for he knew that his sweet-
heart was sorely puzzled and disappointed by
his abrupt departure. His only consolation
was the knowledge that he had in his bundle
a pair of moccasins made by her hands. He
had not yet seen them, because it was the cus-
tom not to open any farewell gifts until the
first camp was made, and then they must be
opened before the eyes of all the young men!
It brings luck to the war-party, they said. He
would have preferred to keep his betrothal se-
cret, but there was no escaping the custom.

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