TEXAS INDIAN PAPERS, 1846-1859
356
intentions, and the preliminaries are discussed at a war-dance. When the affair is agreed upon, a certain place is designated near the point of action, where to congregate at a specified time, to which place the chiefs repair, the warriors proceeding sep- arately in small bands by various routes, in order, if discovered, to deceive the enemy as to the point of attack, and to procure subsistence, each party living on the produce of the chase; no provisions being carried for public use. They fight on horse- back with whatever a·:ms they can procure; but their principal reliance is on the bow and arrow. They are the most expert riders in the world. Men are never taken prisoners by them in battle, but killed and scalped in all cases. The women are sometimes made prisoners, in which case their chastity is uniformly not respected. They have dances of various descriptions, always charac- terisitc of the subject. Females are frequently admitted to the dance, but these dances are entirely distinct from those of the men. They have contests in racing, and several games of chance. Their principal game is the same as all the northern bands, called "bullet," ''button," &c., which consists in changing a bul- let rapidly from one hand to the other, accompanied by a song to which they keep time with the motion of their arms, and the opposite party guessing which hand it is in. They sometimes stake all they possess on a single game. When pressed by hunger from scarcity of game, they subsist on their young horses and mules. The flesh of the young wild- horse is considered a delicacy. Their common dress is the breech-cloth and moccasins, with a buffalo robe flung loosely over the shoulders; but some have now begun to imitate the more civilized tribes. They have a great variety of ornaments, many of which are of pure silver, principally fashioned into large brooches. Their decorations are derived from birds and shells which are bartered to them by the traders. The hawk and eagle feathers are the most esteemed of the bird. They use several native dyes, produced from roots, but I am ignorant of the names or the process of manufacture. Vermilion, indigo, and verdigris, are sold them by the traders. They also paint with white and red clay on particular occasions. They are of a light character, with a gay cast of mind, and rather fervid temperament. From observation I am induced to believe that their minds are susceptible of a considerable de-
Powered by FlippingBook