Native American Archives – Page 195 of 341

Wasco Indian Tribe Photo Descriptions

The Wasco, like the Warm Springs Indians, are related to the Walla Walla, and through them to the Sahaptin family. The name signifies “basin,” and the tribe derives its name, traditionally, from the fact that formerly one of their chiefs, his wife having died, spent much of his time in making cavities or basins in the soft rock for his children to fill with water and pebbles, and thereby amuse themselves.” They came originally from around the Dalles. Are associated with the Warm Springs and Tenino on a reservation in Oregon just south of the Columbia. Now number 263, profess … Read more

Shoshone Indian Tribe Photo Descriptions

The Shoshone, or Snake, are a tribe inhabiting the country about the head-waters of the Green and Snake Rivers, and a part of a great family of the same name, including the Comanche, Utah, and Kiowa. They occupy nearly all of the great Salt Lake Basin, to the eastern base of the Sierra Nevada, and extend also easterly to Texas. The Shoshone proper are divided into many bands under various names, the most important being the Buffalo-Eaters, of Wind River; the Mountain Sheep-Eaters, of Salmon River, and the Western Shoshone, near Boise, separated from the rest of the tribe by … Read more

Temiculsa and Tawacanie Indian Tribe Photo Descriptions

A small tribe in the Indian Territory associated with the Caddo, Kiowa, and others on the Wichita agency. They are well advanced toward civilization. List of illustrations 738-739. Dave. 740-741. Caw-Lac-Its-Ca. Son of Dave. Temiculsa A small band of Indians living in the southern portion of California, who are extensively intermarried with the Mexicans. They are a thrifty, prosperous people, fully able to take good care of themselves, and are not under the care of any agent. List of illustrations 993. Ka-Lek. Hanging. Chief of the Temicula, and delegate recently to Washington, to seek from the General Government the restitution … Read more

Seneca Indian Tribe Photo Descriptions

One of the Five Iroquois Nations in Western New York, comprising, originally, the Sinnekaas, as the Batch called them, (hence the word Seneca,) Onondaga, Mohawk, Cayuga, and Oneida. When first known to the French, were living on the south side of Lake Ontario, and engaged in a fierce war with their Algonkin neighbors. By conquest several other tribes became incorporated with them. Missions were established among them by the French as early as 1657. In 1763 the Seneca alone, of the Six Nations, joined in Pontiac’s league to extirpate the English. During the Revolution sided with the English, but made … Read more

Shawnee Indian Tribe Photo Descriptions

The Shawnees or Shawano are an erratic tribe of Algonkin stock, supposed to have been one primarily with the Kickapoo. Were first discovered in Wisconsin, but moved east ward, and, coming in contact with the Iroquois south of Lake Erie, were driven to the banks of the Cumberland. Some passed thence into South Carolina and Florida, and, by the early part of the eighteenth century, had spread into Pennsylvania and New York. At the close of the Spanish and English war those in Florida emigrated and joined the northern bands, and, again coming into contact with the Iroquois, were driven … Read more

Keechie Indian Tribe Photo Descriptions

The Keechie, of whom there are now only a small remnant of about 90 in the Indian Territory, affiliated with the Wichita, Waco, and Tawacanie; were originally from Texas, and are supposed to be the Quitzies of the Spanish authorities of 1780. Even at that time they were a small tribe, numbering about 100 warriors. After the admission of Texas, were placed on a State reservation, where they remained undisturbed until 1859, when their presence became so distasteful to the ‘settlers that it became necessary to remove them. Land was leased from the Choctaws and Chickasaws, and the Keechie settled … Read more

Key to Campbell’s Abstract Index

The following index includes the names of the father and mother, as well as the name of the enrolled citizen. It is arranged alphabetically, both as to the sir and Christian names. We have been very careful in its preparation and have spent months in an effort to make it as complete and useful as possible. We do not expect that it, in connection with the Abstract, will answer all questions in every case. It will however be a very great help to those who will make a proper use of it, and use it in difficult cases in connection … Read more

Preface – Campbell’s Abstract of Creek Indian Census Cards

Tobias Fitch’s Journal to the Creeks

The Creek Indians, at the time of Captain Fitch’s mission, were settled chiefly in the region extending west by north from the middle and upper Chattahoochee River to the west border of Alabama. To the north and northeast of them were the Cherokees; to the northwest, the Chickasaws; and to the west and southwest, the Choctaws. Those in the region of the Coosa and Tallapoosa rivers were known as the Upper Creeks and those on the Chattahoochee as the Lower Creeks. The English at Charleston established a trade with the Creeks even earlier than with the Cherokees. But in 1714 … Read more

The Shetimasha Language

Although my chief purpose in going south was to study the Shetimasha language, I cannot give here a full account of it, for it would fill not less than one hundred pages. This language, of which no other dialects are known to exist now, is vocalic, and nasalizes its vowels to a small degree only. It has a profusion of declensional and conjugational endings, suffixes the personal pronouns to the finite verb, forms a passive voice, and seems to be extremely polysynthetic as far as derivation by suffixes is concerned. Ternary and quaternary compounds are not uncommon. The numerals show … Read more

Shetimasha Tribe

The wide area of Louisiana was once the home of a large number of Indian tribes, whose names and locations are mentioned by the historians of the early colonies. These Indians were distinct from each other in language as well as in race, and if an investigator, of scientific attainments, had visited all of them 150 years ago, he would have probably discovered over forty dialects, belonging to at least eight linguistic families. Unfortunately, such a work was not undertaken at a time when it was possible to perform it, and all that we can do now is to collect … Read more

Schools for the Indians

Schools For The Indians. Location, capacity, attendance, etc., of non-reservation schools during fiscal year ended June 30, 1901. Location of school Date of Opening Number of Employeesa Capacity Enrollment Average attendance Carlisle Pa Nov 1, 1879 85 b 950 1,040 970 Chemawa, Oreg. (Salem) Feb. 25, 1880 43 500 569 502 Chilocco, Okla Jan 15,1884 44 400 508 399 Genoa, Nebr. Feb 20, 1884 30 300 283 248 Albuquerque. N. Mex. Aug. 1884 34 300 336 315 Lawrence, Kan, (Haskell Institute) Sept 1, 1884 57 700 746 633 Grand Junction, Colo. 1886 21 170 229 177 Santa Fe, N. Mex. … Read more

Thirty-Third Annual Report

Thirty-Third Annual Report of the Board of Indian Commissioners includes the history of the Ogden Land Company, the claims of the company to certain of the lands of the Seneca Indian Nation, in the State of New York, and other matters of material interest connected with these Indians.

Conquest of the Coeur d’Alene, Spokane and Palouse

The expeditions of Colonels Steptoe and Wright into the country of the Coeur d’Alenes, Spokanes and Palouses were made without the blare of notoriety; they were not heralded by the press in startling headlines; nor were the minutiae of accompanying details flashed momentarily over convenient wires to an expectant nation. In obedience to orders laboriously conveyed to them, the commanders of these expeditions went forward to their duty.

Lieutenant Colonel Fetterman Impatient for a Fight

Among those at the fort who were impatient for a fight was Brevet Lieutenant colonel William J. Fetterman, a soldier by birth, instinct, and profession, who joined the command at the fort in November. He had his first opportunity on December 6. The wood train was attacked two miles from the fort, and forced to corral for defense. Fetterman was sent, with thirty-five cavalry and a few of the mounted infantry, to relieve the wood party, and drive the Indians across Lodge Trail Ridge, in which direction they usually withdrew, while Carrington, with twenty-five mounted infantry, crossed the Big Piney, … Read more

Pamunkey Indians of Virginia

1910 photo of Pamunkey Indians re-enacting the story of Pocahontas.

The Pilgrim Fathers of New England, the Dutch traders and merchants of Manhattan island and the Hudson, the Quaker colonists of Pennsylvania, the Jesuit missionaries and Cavalier grantees of Maryland and Virginia, all encountered the native tribes and confederacies of this great stock. This collection looks at the past history of the Pamunkey Indians of Virginia up until the 20th century.

Early History of the Pamunkey Indians

At the time of the settlement of Jamestown, in 1607, that region lying in Virginia between Potomac and James rivers was occupied by three great Indian confederacies, each of which derived its name from one of its leading tribes. They were: (1) The Mannahoac, who lived on the head waters of Potomac and Rappahannock Rivers; (2) The Monocan, who occupied the banks of the upper James (3) The Powhatan, who in habited all that portion of the tidewater region lying north of the James. The last-named powerful confederacy was composed of thirty warlike tribes, having 2, 400 warriors, whose disastrous … Read more

Present Home of Pamunkey Indians

The Pamunkey Indians of today live at what is known as “Indian-town” which is situated on and comprises the whole of a curiously-shaped neck of land, extending into Pamunkey River and adjoining King William County, Virginia, on the south. The “town,” as it is somewhat improperly called, forms a very small part of their original territory. It is almost entirely surrounded by water, being connected with the mainland by a narrow strip of land. The peculiar protection which is afforded in time of war by its natural position in all probability accounts for the presence of these Indians in this … Read more

How the Pamunkey Indians Live

The Pamunkey Indians make their living for the most part in true aboriginal style. Their chief occupations are hunting and fishing and although they do not neglect their truck patches they cherish a hearty dislike for manual labor and frequently hire negroes to come in and work their little farms. The deer the raccoon the otter the musk-rat and the mink are captured on the reservation. As many as sixteen deer have been killed in this small area in one season. The skins of all these animals are a good source of income and the flesh except of the mink … Read more

Art of the Pamunkey Indians

In 1891 the writer was sent by the Smithsonian Institution to visit the Pamunkey Indians and make a collection of specimens of their arts. Few articles could be found which were distinctively Indian productions. Of their aboriginal arts none are now retained by them except that of making earthenware and “dug-out” canoes. Until recent years they engaged quite extensively in the making- of pottery which they sold to their white neighbors but since earthen ware has become so cheap they have abandoned its manufacture so that now only the oldest of the tribe retain the art and even these cannot … Read more