Extract from the Pastoral Letter of the Most Reverend, the Archbishop of Baltimore, and the Right Reverend, the Bishops of the Roman Catholic Church, in the United States of America; Assembled in Provincial Council, in the city of Baltimore, in the month of May 1840. - To the Clergy and Laity of their charge.

 

AMONGST OUR VARIOUS MISSIONS, ONE OF THE of the most interesting is that amongst our aboriginal tribes in the west. Thousands of those children of the forest, are pious members in our communion, and thousands more are desirous of instruction. Their case has been represented to us from a most respectable quarter, as one deserving of your special attention. We therefore recommend it to you in the Lord, advising you that whatsoever you may feel disposed to contribute should be sent through your immediate pastors to your bishop, who will carefully secure its application to this most charitable object.

 

Extract from a letter of FATHER DE SMEDT, Missionary among the Pottowatomi Indians, 1838.

 

THE DAY THAT THE BOAT STOPPED FOR THE purpose of taking in a supply of wood, I went to a considerable distance from the bank; in my excursion I met with an old man, ninety years of age, who at my approach stopped short and looked at me with an expression of astonishment mixed with joy. Judging from my dress that I was a priest, when I had confirmed his impression, he exclaimed, "Ah! my Father, I am a Catholic; it is a great many years since I had the pleasure of seeing a priest; I desired it so ardently before dying! Assist me, then, in my reconciliation with God!" I hastened to satisfy his desire, and we both shed tears in abundance. He accompanied me back to the boat; I took leave of this excellent old man with sentiments which it is impossible to describe.

 

In the conversion of an Indian nation there are a great many difficulties to be overcome, the chief of which arise from an excessive use of ardent spirits, from polygamy, superstitious practices, a language of which it is very difficult to acquire a competent knowledge, a disposition to a wandering life (which is so strong with them that they become melancholy if they remain three months in the same place;) their conversion must be, therefore, entirely the work of God. This portion of the vineyard of the Divine Master requires, on the part of those who propose to labor in it, a life of crosses and privation; we hope, however, that, supported by divine grace, and assisted by your prayers and those of our brethren, the Lord will graciously vouchsafe to grant some success to our feeble efforts. For the last four months the result of our exertions has been truly consoling; a considerable number of savages manifest a desire to be instructed. We have opened a school, but in consequence of the limited size of our but we can receive only thirty children; twice a day we give instructions to those whom we are preparing for baptism. We have already admitted one hundred and eighteen, of which number I had the consolation to baptize one hundred and five. The festival of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin will be long remembered by the Pottowatomies; the church in which Divine service was celebrated is, perhaps, the poorest in the world; but twelve young neophytes, who, three months previously, had no knowledge of the law of God, sang mass in the most edifying manner. Father Verreydt preached on the devotion to the Blessed Virgin; I afterwards gave an instruction of the necessity, and the ceremonies, of Baptism, and conferred that sacrament on twenty adults, among whom was the wife of the chief.

 

This woman is full of charity and zeal, and is much esteemed amongst her nation; her conversion, I trust, will be the means of bringing many others to the knowledge of our holy religion. After mass I blessed four marriages, and, in the evening, visited one of the newly converted families, where I found our little congregation assembled to return thanks to the Almighty for the signal favors which they had received from him on that day. Those poor people are now going through the country, endeavoring to prevail on their relatives to receive instruction, and share in the happiness which they enjoy. Many women, whose pagan relations were unwilling to come for us, crawled, in their sickness, a distance of two or three leagues, to receive baptism from us before their death. I might add many other admirable traits concerning our new converts, but the recital of them would carry me too far.

 

The Pottowatomies are divided into two tribes - those of the forests, among whom are many Catholics, and those of the prairies, who have never had any priests amongst them. The latter form a mixed nation, composed of Pottowatomies, Winnebagoes, Toxes, Chippeways, Saucs, Otteways, Menomenees, and Kicapoos; they amount to more than three thousand; it is amongst them we have opened our mission, under the protection of the Blessed Virgin and St. Joseph. At the commencement of the war of independence, they separated from their brethren of the forests, some taking part with the English, and others fighting for the republic. The Pottowatomies having sold their lands in Illinois and Indiana in 1836, received in exchange from the government, five million acres on the Missouri, towards the 41st and 42d degrees of north latitude. The climate of the country is extremely changeable; heavy rains, accompanied with thunder and lightning, are frequent in the months of June and July. The winter is not so long as in Belgium, but the cold is much more piercing, and the heats in summer much more oppresive. The country is in general interspersed with forests and beautiful plains, and is watered throughout by the Missouri. It is also traversed by three other rivers, the Necshnebatlana, the Musquito and the Boyer. The Pottowatomies are of a gentle and tractable disposition, and are not deficient either in courage or understanding; they recognize no rank or dignity; the only revenue the chief can claim is what he derives from his lance, his arrows, and his carbine; his steed is his throne. He promulgates the law, and, when he can, enforces its observance; he must be more courageous than his subjects; the first in battle, he must be the last to quit the field, whilst in the partition of the spoils he receives only a share equal to the others. The savages are generally capable of supporting a very interesting conversation on subjects which come within the range of their knowledge; they are fond of raillery, but are never disputatious or angry in their conversations; when any matter of importance is under consideration they reflect a few moments before giving their opinion, or even defer it until the following day. In their language they have no word to blaspheme the name of the Lord, their most offensive term being that of dog. The profound peace in which they live together, arises, in a great measure, from each being allowed to do what he likes; years frequently pass without a quarrel occurring amongst them, but when intoxicated (and at this time a considerable quantity of spirits is brought amongst them) all their good qualities disappear, and they preserve no longer even the semblance of men; their shrieks and howlings are horrifying; they throw themselves on one another, bite each other's noses and ears, and disfigure themselves in a most shocking manner. Since our arrival amongst them four Ottoes and three Pottowatomies have been killed in those drunken brawls.

 

Whoever has committed a murder is put to death by the relatives of the victim, unless he redeem his own body, by paying a fine in horses, clothes, &c., &c., &c. If he presents himself before them to expiate his crime, and no one had the sad courage to inflict the fatal stroke (a circumstance which often happens,) he is thus cleansed of the murder, and is not obliged to pay any fine. One of our neighbors, having assassinated his wife, got off by giving a horse to each of her brothers. The murderer, for some time beforehand, paints his face black and his lips red, to show that he thirsts for blood and must be gratified.

 

When the husband or the wife dies, the survivor pays the parents of the deceased the debt of the body, in silver or in horses, according to his means; he who neglects to pay this debt is in danger of having everything belonging to him destroyed. The wife is obliged to be a year in mourning for her husband; that is, she can neither comb nor wash herself; however, when eaten with vermin, a relative of the deceased may, out of compassion, render her that service.

 

During an entire year the Pottowatomie feeds the soul of his deceased relative, by throwing a part of his food at each meal into the fire, under the impression that the soul is thereby comforted and strengthened. The Ottoes, who are next neighbors, usually strangle one or two of their best horses over the grave of their comrade, that he may ride on them in his great journey to the other world. Heaven, according to their notion, is an immense prairie, beyond the setting sun, where there is an eternal spring, and where there is found every species of plant and every kind of animal fit for the chase.

 

When a chief, or any distinguished warrior of the nation is buried, all the warriors who have taken a trophy from the enemy, assemble to render him the last honors. They accompany the coffin to the place of burial, when one of their principal orators pronounces the funeral oration. He recalls to mind all the good qualities of the deceased, the most remarkable actions of his life, the enemies whom his battle-axe has laid low, the scalps he has won, and the wild beasts he has killed. They then place him in the grave, his face turned to the setting sun, with his carbine, his lance, his bow and arrow by his side; they fill his powder-horn and shot-bag, which, together with his pipe, a good stock of tobacco and some provisions (such as sugar, dried meat, maize, &c.) they put into the grave with him for his journey to the region of souls. A1 wish him a happy journey, and shake hands with him for the last time when the grave closes. They then plant before it the stake of the brave; on the summit a red animal, or dodeme, is painted-the guardian spirit of the deceased; it is besides notched by the assistants with many red crosses, by which it is intended to represent the names of the enemies killed by them in battle, and whom they destine to serve as slaves to their companion in the other world. I saw some poles that had as many as eighty or a hundred crosses.

 

The parents of a child had made a small opening in the grave in which it reposed, to leave it room to pass to the other world; the disconsolate mother spent two days at the grave, in order to ascertain if the object of her tenderness was happy or wretched in the other world. The signs by which she pretended to discover this, were: if she saw a pretty bird or beautiful insect, she augured favorably for her child; but if the first animal she met was a reptile or a bird of prey, she regarded his destiny as wretched. Fortunately the weather happened to be fine at the time, and butterflies and a variety of other beautiful insects were fluttering about in all directions. This poor mother then returned home, consoled as to the fate of her child. Some time after she came to me to receive instructions in our holy religion, and to have her two little daughters baptized.

 

As soon as an Indian desires to be married, he makes known his wishes by playing on a kind of flute, called the popokwen; he goes about the village painted and dressed, and often serenades before the but of her whom he wishes to have as wife. As soon as the young woman consents to marry him; her parents or brothers fix the price; he must give each of them a horse or some other object of value; she is then given over to him. In general, however, parents, without consulting the inclinations of their daughters, sell them to whom they please; and so accustomed are these to this, that they seldom murmur at it. The wife of a savage is no better than a slave. The Indians say, that the Great Spirit, in a council held between him and their ancestors, decided `that man should protect his wife and hunt wild animals, but that every thing else should be at the charge of the wife;' to this decision they scrupulously adhere. The wife is, therefore, charged with all the dometic concerns; she washes, mends, cooks, and is even obliged to build the huts, cultivate the fields, and hew wood, &c., &c., &c.; hence, at thirty, or thirty-five, she has all the marks of old age. As to the men, with the exception of the time the spend in hunting, they lead a life of idleness; they talk together whilst smoking the pipe, play cards, or hide the ball under the slipper, but nothing more.

 

When a name is to be given to a child, the parents give a great feast; they send to each of their guests a piece of tobacco leaf, or a little rod, such being the manner in which they invite each other. After the repast the oldest of the family announces the name to be given to the child, which has generally a reference to some distinctive mark of the child, to some dream he has had, or to some good or bad trait of character which has been noticed in him. This ceremony takes place for boys when they have attained their seventeenth year; they must previously go through a severe fast of seven or eight days, during which the parents recommend them to be particularly attentive to the dreams which the Great Spirit may send them, and which are to reveal their future destinies; thus he is to be a great chief, or warrior, according to the number of animals he may kill, or of scalps he may win from the enemy in his dreams. The animal which he may dream of becomes his dodeme, and during the remainder of his life he must bear the mark of it upon him, in the form either of a claw, a tooth, a tail, or a feather.

 

The false priests of the Indians belong to a particular caste, known by the name of great medicine. Each of them is furnished with a large bag, in which are some roots and medicinal plants, to which they render a kind of worship. They make a profound secret of their religious belief, and are very slow in admitting disciples. On the occasions when they meet together, they dance and sing a great deal. There is one very remarkable circumstance which I have heard from many persons who have witnessed it; it is that they discontinue their superstitious practices when any person baptized, bearing the mark of his religion, as a cross for instance, passes near the place of their meeting. An aged female, whom I have at present under instruction, and who for a long time belonged to the great medicine, was threatened with death if she became a Christian; this threat has not, however, shaken her resolution, strengthened as it is by the example of her husband and six children, who were baptized by me. The chiefs of this sect are much dreaded by the savages; they persuade them that they can assume at will the form of a serpent, or wolf, or any other animal; that they can foretell future events, and discover the authors of a murder or robbery. Their knowledge of the simple medicines enables them often to effect extraordinary cures. When they have administered medicine to the sick, they shout in the most frightful manner, pretend, with long pipes, to suck out the disease from the body, and dance round the sick, making at the same time the most ridiculous grimaces

 

Their songs have reference, almost invariably, to their religious opinions, and are often addressed to Na-nabush, or the friend of man, the nephew of the human race. They pray him to be their interpreter, by presenting their prayers to the Master of life. Their songs are also often consecrated to Me-suk-kum-mik-okwi, that is to the earth, the great-great-mother of mankind. In those songs they relate how Na-na-bush created the earth, by the command of the Great Spirit, and how the great-great-mother received orders to provide for all the wants of the uncles and aunts of Na-na-bush, by which expression they intend to signify men and women. Na-na-bush, the benevolent mediator between mankind and the Great Spirit, obtained from the latter the creation of animals, to furnish food and clothing for man. He also procured for man medicinal roots and plants, to enable him to cure all diseases, and kill animals at the chase. All those things were entrusted to Me-suk-kum-mik-okwi, and in order that the uncles and aunts of Na-na-bush might never invoke him in vain, the latter begged Me-suk-kum-mik-okwi to remain always in a hut; hence, whenever a savage gathers any medicinal herbs, he buries a portion of them in the ground as an offering to Me-suk-kum-mik-okwi.

 

All those songs are engraved on the bark of the birch, or on flat pieces of wood, the ideas being represented by emblematical figures.

 

Amongst the Pottowatomies there prevails a tradition, that there is a woman in the moon, who is always employed in making a large basket. If she succeeds in finishing her work, the world is to be destroyed; but a large dog is continually watching her, and destroys her work when it is on the point of being finished. The struggle between the woman and the dog takes place at each eclipse of the moon. They believe that the black spot observed on the surface of the moon is the large dog.

 

They are persuaded that the thunder is the voice of some living beings, which are thought by some to have the form of men, and by others to resemble birds. Every time they hear thunder, they burn some tobacco, which they offer as a sacrifice to it. I doubt whether they are acquainted with the connection which exists between the thunder and the lightning which precedes it.

 

There is a very singular tradition, which I have learned from the chief of the nation; it prevails amongst all the tribes of Illini, or the States of Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio. In ascending the Mississippi beyond St. Louis, between Alton and the mouth of the Illinois, the traveller discovers, between two large hills, a narrow passage where a little stream flows into the river. This stream is called in the language of the natives Piasa or the bird which devours man. In this spot there is remarked, on a perpendicular rock, the figure of an enormous sized bird, carved in the rock itself, with its wings extended. The bird which this figure represents and which has given name to the stream, is called by the Indians Piasa. They say that many thousand moons (months) before the arrival of the white men, when the great mammoth, or mastodon, who was destroyed by Na-na-bush, and whose bones are found even to this day, was devouring the grass of their immense and verdant prairies, there existed a bird of such monstrous size, that it used to seize a stag in its claws with the greatest facility. This bird having once tasted human flesh, could never after be satisfied with any other prey. Once it seized upon an Indian, and carried him away into one of the caverns of the rock, where it devoured him. In vain did hundreds of warriors endeavor to destroy this monster; for many years whole villages were desolated by it, and terror spread throughout the tribes of the Illini. At length a warrior chief named Outaga, whose fame extended beyond the great lakes, retired from the rest of his tribe, fasted in solitude during the space of a moon, and prayed the Great Spirit, the master of life, to deliver his children from the ravages of Piasa. The last night he fasted, the Great Spirit appeared in a dream to Outaga, told him to select twenty warriors, each armed with a bow and poisoned arrow, and to place them in ambush in a certain spot. A single warrior was to show himself and become the victim of Piasa, who was to be shot at by the others the moment he was about to dart on his prey. On awaking, the chief related the dream to his tribe, and selected without delay the designated number of warriors, whom he placed in concealment, and offered himself as a victim to save his nation. Placed on an eminence, he saw Piasa perched upon a rock, and, with his hand upon his heart, intoned with a firm voice the warrior's death song. Piasa soon discovered his prey, and darted upon the chief. Every bow was bent and sent forth its arrow, which entered the body of the monster; it fell dead at the feet of Outaga, who, in recompense of his generous self-devotion, had an invisible shield suspended over his head by the Master of life. In memory of this event, the image of Piasa was carved on the rock. Such is the Indian tradition as I received it. What is certain of the matter is, that the figure of an enormous bird is seen on the rock at a considerable height. No savage ever passes this spot in his canoe without firing at the figure, and innumerable are the marks which the balls have left on the rock. In the caverns around the Piasa, the bones of many thousand men are heaped together; how and why they were brought there it is not easy to divine.

 

The Panis-Loups, who are only three days' distance from us, and whom we hope to be able shortly to visit, offered a horrible sacrifice a few months ago, in the per son of a female Sciouse, only fifteen years of age, whom they had made prisoner. They fattened her up to the time when they were to sow their fields. On the 22d of last April, she was summoned to appear before the whole nation; she was not aware that she was to be the victim of the sacrifice they were preparing to make. She was escorted by more than a hundred warriors, who kept their bows and arrows concealed under their clothes. She was led from hut to hut to receive a small log, which she handed to the nearest warrior, by whom it was given to another, until each was provided with one. Thus furnished, they marched in silence to the place destined for the sacrifice; each laid down his log, and fire was set to the heap; two bars were then fastened over the fire. Perceiving at length the fate that awaited her, the unfortunate victim threw herself, all trembling and in tears, at their feet, and in the most piteous manner implored their mercy. A merchant from St. Louis, who happened to be present, offered a considerable sum for her ransom, but could not prevail on them to change their determination; they tied her feet to the bars, and her hands to the two trees, so that she was suspended in the form of a cross; her body was painted half in red and half in black. When these preparations were completed, her feet and hands were burned with lighted brands, whilst her tormentors set up a horrible cry, called Sas-sah-kwi, or war cry. At this shout, mixed with an expression of ferocious joy, each let fly his arrow at the body of the unfortunate victim. The chief then twisted the arrows and plucked them out of the body, tore out her heart and devoured it; he afterwards literally made a hash of the remains of the victim, with which he rubbed the maize, potatoes, and other seed which was intended to be sown. They are persuaded that such a sacrifice is agreeable to the Great Spirit, that it will impart fertility to their fields, and procure them an abundant harvest. I have learned those particulars from four persons who were eye witnesses to this shocking scene.

 

Three chiefs of this nation came to visit us, and lodged in our huts. They took notice of the sign of the cross which we made before and after our meals; upon their return home, they taught every one in their village to make the same sign, as something agreeable to the Great Spirit; through an interpreter they invited us to visit them. Though the government had sent them a Protestant minister, they would have nothing to do with him. The use of spirituous liquors is forbidden in this tribe. When they are offered any, they answer that they are already fools enough without being made more so by drunkenness. They have also a very singular custom: they eat each other's vermin, and render the same service to those who visit them. The Panis are about ten thousand.

 

 

The Protestant minister of the Omahas, a tribe of about two thousand souls, has been also obliged to depart. Two of their chiefs, Kaiggechinke and Ohio, with forty warriors, came to dance the calumet, or dance of friendship, before us. This dance is well worth seeing: but it is impossible to give a correct idea of it; they shout and strike their mouth with their hands, whilst at the same time they jump in every possible manner, sometimes on one foot, sometimes on another, turning to the right and then to the left without any regularity in their movements, but keeping perfect time to the sound of a drum. They all manifest the greatest affection for us, and have invited us to smoke the calumet with them. I showed our chapel to the chiefs, who appeared to feel an interest in the explanation I gave them of the cross, and the images of the passion of our Lord. They earnestly begged me to visit them for the purpose of baptising their children, and made me a present of a castor's skin to serve as a tobacco bag. I gave them in return some beads for their children, and a handsome brass cross for each of themselves; they received it with gratitude, and kissing it respectfully put it around their neck. The tribe is only a hundred miles from Council Bluffs.

 

According to a recent arrangement of the government, the new Indian territory will have for boundary the Red River to the South, the State of Arkansas, that of the Missouri and the river of the same name, to the East. This territory now contains the following nations: Punchas, Dourvas, Ottoes, Kanzas, Osages, Kicapoos, Pottowattomies, Delawares, Shawanees, Weas, Piankashaws, Peorias, Kaskaskias, Ottawas, Senecas, Saucs, Quapaws, Creeks, Cherokees, and the Choctaws. They amount to about a hundred thousand, the sad remnants of nations formerly powerful. When the new world was first visited by Europeans, the islands and coasts were extremely populous; but many tribes that were then flourishing have disappeared from the face of the earth: many of their names are now not even known. In proportion as the white men extended their dominion in the East, the savages retired to the West, leaving after them sad monuments of their misfortunes and decay. To day a hundred thousand of them are driven towards the vast and uninhabited prairie; the chase can no longer suffice for their subsistence, and they are not accustomed to manual labor; serious apprehensions must then be entertained as to their fate. Ah! if our number were more considerable and our resources greater, now is perhaps the moment to effect permanent good amongst them, and prevent their total extinction. There are besides many other nations on this side of the Rocky Mountains, and beyond them, to the number of many thousand; many of those tribes have invited us to settle amongst them. I should say that almost all the nations of North America manifest a decided predilection for Catholic missionaries, notwithstanding the millions of dollars which the Protestant societies expend for those poor people: for, in reality, all this money only goes to enrich the missionaries with their wives and children, who always accompany them.

 

Bears are often met with in our neighbourhood, but unless attacked at first, they rarely turn upon any one. The wolves come often to our very doors, and lately took away all our poultry; they are of two kinds, the wolves of the prairie, which are small and timid, and the black wolves of the mountain, which are large and dangerous. We are, therefore, obliged to be on our guard against those bad neighbours, and never to go out without being provided with a large knife or a sword-cane. There are also found here serpents of different kinds, and mice in such quantities as to eat up the little fruit we have. Insects, but especially butterflies, are in great numbers and variety: there is one which is of every color and of an enormous size, being at least eight inches long. We have also myriads of mosquitos that allow us no rest, night or day.

 

I should like to give you some idea of the architecture of an Indian village: it is as whimsical as their dance. Imagine then a large number of huts and tents, made of the bark of trees, buffalo skins, coarse canvass, mats, green sods of all sizes and forms, some supported on one pole, others on six, and all of the most sorry appearance, imagine them ornamented in every possible manner and in every possible design, scattered here and there in the greatest confusion, and you will have an Indian village.

 

We have a nice little chapel twenty-four feet square, surmounted by a little steeple, and four small huts made of rough logs, the roofs of which protect us but badly against the rain and hail, and will be still less protection to us against the snow of winter.