Page:Historical and Biographical Annals of Columbia and Montour Counties, Pennsylvania, Containing a Concise History of the Two Counties and a Genealogical and Biographical Record of Representative Families.pdf/34

 COLUMBIA AND MONTOUR COUNTIES being left in the center to let out the smoke. These were often fitted up in a very com fort­ able manner, and formed the model after which the white settlers built their hrst habitations. The whites^ however, fa r exceeded the savages in craftsm anship and design, and (heir homes were fitted with that highest evidence o f superior civilization— the chimney. M any persons have read of the Indian "lodge/* yet few are fam iliar with its construc­ tion. L ^ g e s were not used fo r permanent habitation, but mostly for camping and war purposes. Saplings were stuck in the ground in the form o f a bow, something like a series o f croquet hoops set in a row, only about five feet in height. A "lodge-pole*' w as lashed along the tops of the hoops and over all were thrown skins or matting, thus forming a long hut. in whicl) the sleepers lay. Cooking w*as done outside at (he camp fire. T he agricultural operations of the savages were crude and their tools still more primitive. Ilocs were made from sharpened sticks and the earth was simply scratched to receive the seed. C om, beans, pumpkins and tobacco were the crops, and the tilled spots remained unfenced, the horses being pastured at a dis­ tance to prevent dcprcdattons. A fte r the coming of the whites seeds were purchased from the traders and the*variety o f crops was more extensive, some fruit trees being also set out and tended. The rude implements w'cre replaced by others better fitted for the cultivation of the soil, and better tools were introduced into the wigwams. Steel traps took the place o f "dead falls’* and p its; muskets replaced the bow and a rro w; aw ls and needles made from the bones o f birds and animals were no longer used tn sewing the skin cloth­ ing and fitting together the matting coverings of the w igw am; and the iron hoc made culti­ vation easier for the overburdened squaw. B efore the introduction o f (he pots and pans o f civilization food w as p r c | ^ r ^ by roasting on twigs stuck over the fire or, in the absence o f clav pots, boiled in skin kettles, heated by dropping hot stones in them. MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OP T n e IN D IA N S

T h e squaws bore the burden and toil o f life in an In d b n camp. There was no "suffragette** propaganda then. W hile the male members of the village hunted, fished, went on foraging and w arlike expeditions, or slumbered before the fire, the females did the heaviest and most degrading labor. They cut poles and built the wigwams and cabins, performed all the vil­

lage drudgery and cooking, cared fo r the ponies, gathered fuel, cultivated the soil, planted the seed and harvested the crops, cut up and preserved the meat brought in by the hunters, tanned the skins and made the cloth­ ing for the entire family, bore and nursed the children, and when on a jo u m ^ carried great bundles o f camp equi{>agc. They were un­ demonstrative and patient, bearing up under their eternal burdens with much fortitude, and when in (he pain o f childbirth uttered not a sound. The squaw who cried or groaned w as forever disgraced. It w as believed that her sons would grow up to be cowards. Not­ withstanding all these hardships the squaws were loyal and divorces were unknown, while the custom w as for a w arrior to Itave but one w ife, except in rare cases. T he w arrior was the head of the w igw am; his wishes were obeyed without question and his word was law. The papooses were taught from infancy to be quiet and scarcely ever cried. T he only occasion in which the writer ever heard an Indian baby cry w as when he as a child wandered down to the river and found half a dozen papooses suspended on boards from the branches o f a tree. They were facing each other and making a queer cooing sound, but as soon as they caught sight of the strange white face they set up a chorus o f howls that quickly brought the .squaws to the spot. They set upon the trespasser with canes and c h a s ^ him cr)*ing from the vicinity. In the winter the babies were allowed to roll around over the dirt floor of the wigwam, and in summer along the lanes between the tepees. When carried they were hashed to a forked stick or rough hewn board, with ample wrappings o f skins and blankets. When a halt was made they were sometimes susfxnded from a tree i f the parents were likely to be absent, thus protecting them from anim als; but i f the stop w as short the tightly bound infant was simply stood against a convenient tree, and not alw ays in (he shade; yet the little one would blink in the glaring sun without a whimper. .As they grew older the children were given ail the training that would fit them for their savage life. T he boys were early turned over to the men. who gave (hem ins(nic(ions in fishing, hunting and woodcraft, while the girls were soon forced into the dreary routine o f (he squawks life o f drudgery. T he young of both sexes developed e a rly; at (he age o f fifteen the boys were free to come and go without restraint: two years before that the girls had budded into womanhood, and it was