Post by ephriam on May 1, 2014 6:40:45 GMT -5
Meany Interview:
Flesh
Cho-ku-lai
67 years
born north of Black Hills
Pine Ridge, S.D., 8 VII [July] 07
John Monroe, Interpreter
Once upon a time Little Eagle, a war prophet, [and] another man decided to take war trail and made war feast and called in special young men. Little Eagle did not announce publicly that he was going on trail but made special invitation and 18 came to feast. After they had had the feast L[ittle] E[agle] told them they would start in the morning. Flesh was one of 18 men who went to feast. Told others to go on while he went to some traders for powder for his gun. When he got back from the traders he found out that quite a number of men had one out on the trail.
They started the next morning and overtook the others and travelled until the could see the enemy, Pawnees. About noon we stopped and the war prophet told us to paint up our horses and also to paint ourselves. After they had painted themselves the prophet told them to go around in a circle four times. After they had finished that they went right up to the edge of the enemy's village.
When they got close to the enemy the war prophet commenced to sing holy songs to find out what would happen to these warriors that he had got. After he got through with these holy duties he told his warriors that the Great Spirit in his songs showed him a man on a horse and if they would do everything as the holy prophet told them they would not lose any men.
So now the war prophet picks out the young men who had good speed horses. Flesh was one of these. Now the Holy Prophet told them to do as he told them. If they did they would see this man and horse on the road. So they all start. They did not see anything at the start. When they go so far away from the Prophet they come to a place where they found a man asleep and a horse beside him. When they got close to him the Indian got up from his sleep but it was too late for him. He had an arrow in his hand and he was hollering and holding up his arrow as they were charging upon him. They struck him with a stick as was the custom and then shot him and then took his scalp.
After they had done all this, they took all the horses from the Pawnee camp, Flesh getting two of the horses.
After they Pawnees saw their horses were gone they made a charge on these. So they had a running fight on horseback. They fought all that afternoon in a running fight and it was dark when the Pawnees turned back.
Before they had charged on the man who was laying down, one of the warriors sneaked away and charged on to the Pawnees alone and took some horses away from the Pawnees and Pawnees were after him when Sioux warriors came upon them. The Pawnees shot his horse so he runs into the brush and was surrounded by the Pawnees who began to shoot at him with arrows and all they could do.
It was dark when the Pawnees left and the Sioux travelled all night and daylight come and the war party divided. One party came west with Flesh as one of them, the other party went north. They had nothing to eat and were all tired out. So the picked out the best warrior to shoot straight and Flesh was selected as this warrior to shoot game for food.
So he starts out ahead to look for game and came up on a hill and looked down. As he looked down he saw two antelopes and he took aim and killed one of them. So he signaled to other party that he had killed an antelope and they came on command to dress him and ate the livers, kidneys, tripe raw and the meat they roasted over a little fire.
After they had had this meal, they started and came to a big hill. There they stopped and got off their horses and let the horses graze and warriors smoked their pipes. As they were smoking and looking around they saw a big smoke which looked like the prairie was on fire. As they were looking they saw one horseman coming toward them to where these fellows were sitting up on a hill. He came there and told them they had killed some Pawnees. He was from the party that had gone north and he told them that one of the Sioux was shot in the eye with an arrow.
All at once they saw another horseman coming from the east towards these men sitting on the hill. So the warriors said to call this one that was coming, thinking he was a Sioux. They used a looking glass to send a signal. So he did not understand the signal of the glass and was coming a very slow gait though he was signaled to come fast. So the Sioux knew he was not a Sioux, and so they charged on him and Flesh was in the lead about 300 yards as he had a good horse.
So Flesh starts on and there was a creek and all at once four warriors came out to meet him and the one horseman got in with the four and the five began to retreat toward the west.
Flesh signaled with his blanket to come fast and he starts to cross the creek. After he had crossed the creek he found a horse that had been led by the four men. He got off and hobbled the horse.
So Flesh then charges on these Pawnees. Two of them had guns and three had bows and arrows. Flesh shot one of them with an arrow and then one at a time shot the other four with arrows. All this time the Pawnees turned back and shot at him but never hit him. Two of them the horses he wounded so two of the Pawnees were on foot. While running on foot one of the riders took one of the runners on his horse and rode double and they left the other runner behind on foot.
Then Flesh charges on the footman and the Pawnee charged on him. When they got close Flesh was going to hit him, the Pawnee shot at Flesh and hit his horses with an arrow under the left eye, it if had not been for that Flesh would have got the arrow.
Just as Flesh's horse was hit the 5 Sioux charged in from behind. When the 5 Sioux came up they charged on the Pawnee and he was awful brave. Two Sioux on horseback charged on him. The first one tried to hit him with a war club but missed him. The second one also charged on him to hit him with a war club but his horse stumbled and the Sioux fell from the horse and fell right in front of the Pawnee and the Pawnee shot him in the right shoulder. Just as the Sioux got up he was shot in the left shoulder. When the Sioux got up he ran for life and the Pawnee behind him.
Flesh got off his horse and ran up behind the Pawnee to save the Sioux warrior. Flesh turns back and his horse standing still he got on his horse. As soon as Flesh got on his horse he saw a Sioux on horseback charge the Pawnee and with his gun shot the Pawnee.
When this Sioux shot him the other Sioux were all around in a circle and the Pawnee was in the center. Flesh starts to go in but the other Sioux told him not to go in as the Pawnee was yet alive and he might get hurt. But he went in anyway and hit him with his war club and turned back. Got off his horse and scalped him and took his bow and arrows and quiver and also he took away his peace medal which had been give by the President. ("Must have been Grant" said Monroe) but he don't know which President.
So after this they had scalped the Indian they went home. This is the end of the story but he must tell about the Prophet.
The man who had charged along had disobeyed the Prophet's orders. They found out afterwards that he and his horse were killed. One of those who had gone toward the north had been shot in the eye. All this had been caused by disobedience of the Prophet's orders.
Soap weed, sharp at end. Root used for soap.
Center stick cut in two. Pith of elder berry. Halves of soap weed stick rubbed with pitch until spark caught on buffalo chip. His father and grandfather told him they used to make fire that way, and so on for generations. Later took two white rocks and struck them together and thus produced spark and transferred to buffalo chip. File and flint with rotten stump
Great Spirit showed them but he does not know when or where.
In those days bones of elk and buffalo were used for arrow points.
In his boyhood they had no stone pipe but used bone of antelope wrapped around with rawhide. Only lately has red stone pipes come in.
Flesh
Cho-ku-lai
67 years
born north of Black Hills
Pine Ridge, S.D., 8 VII [July] 07
John Monroe, Interpreter
Once upon a time Little Eagle, a war prophet, [and] another man decided to take war trail and made war feast and called in special young men. Little Eagle did not announce publicly that he was going on trail but made special invitation and 18 came to feast. After they had had the feast L[ittle] E[agle] told them they would start in the morning. Flesh was one of 18 men who went to feast. Told others to go on while he went to some traders for powder for his gun. When he got back from the traders he found out that quite a number of men had one out on the trail.
They started the next morning and overtook the others and travelled until the could see the enemy, Pawnees. About noon we stopped and the war prophet told us to paint up our horses and also to paint ourselves. After they had painted themselves the prophet told them to go around in a circle four times. After they had finished that they went right up to the edge of the enemy's village.
When they got close to the enemy the war prophet commenced to sing holy songs to find out what would happen to these warriors that he had got. After he got through with these holy duties he told his warriors that the Great Spirit in his songs showed him a man on a horse and if they would do everything as the holy prophet told them they would not lose any men.
So now the war prophet picks out the young men who had good speed horses. Flesh was one of these. Now the Holy Prophet told them to do as he told them. If they did they would see this man and horse on the road. So they all start. They did not see anything at the start. When they go so far away from the Prophet they come to a place where they found a man asleep and a horse beside him. When they got close to him the Indian got up from his sleep but it was too late for him. He had an arrow in his hand and he was hollering and holding up his arrow as they were charging upon him. They struck him with a stick as was the custom and then shot him and then took his scalp.
After they had done all this, they took all the horses from the Pawnee camp, Flesh getting two of the horses.
After they Pawnees saw their horses were gone they made a charge on these. So they had a running fight on horseback. They fought all that afternoon in a running fight and it was dark when the Pawnees turned back.
Before they had charged on the man who was laying down, one of the warriors sneaked away and charged on to the Pawnees alone and took some horses away from the Pawnees and Pawnees were after him when Sioux warriors came upon them. The Pawnees shot his horse so he runs into the brush and was surrounded by the Pawnees who began to shoot at him with arrows and all they could do.
It was dark when the Pawnees left and the Sioux travelled all night and daylight come and the war party divided. One party came west with Flesh as one of them, the other party went north. They had nothing to eat and were all tired out. So the picked out the best warrior to shoot straight and Flesh was selected as this warrior to shoot game for food.
So he starts out ahead to look for game and came up on a hill and looked down. As he looked down he saw two antelopes and he took aim and killed one of them. So he signaled to other party that he had killed an antelope and they came on command to dress him and ate the livers, kidneys, tripe raw and the meat they roasted over a little fire.
After they had had this meal, they started and came to a big hill. There they stopped and got off their horses and let the horses graze and warriors smoked their pipes. As they were smoking and looking around they saw a big smoke which looked like the prairie was on fire. As they were looking they saw one horseman coming toward them to where these fellows were sitting up on a hill. He came there and told them they had killed some Pawnees. He was from the party that had gone north and he told them that one of the Sioux was shot in the eye with an arrow.
All at once they saw another horseman coming from the east towards these men sitting on the hill. So the warriors said to call this one that was coming, thinking he was a Sioux. They used a looking glass to send a signal. So he did not understand the signal of the glass and was coming a very slow gait though he was signaled to come fast. So the Sioux knew he was not a Sioux, and so they charged on him and Flesh was in the lead about 300 yards as he had a good horse.
So Flesh starts on and there was a creek and all at once four warriors came out to meet him and the one horseman got in with the four and the five began to retreat toward the west.
Flesh signaled with his blanket to come fast and he starts to cross the creek. After he had crossed the creek he found a horse that had been led by the four men. He got off and hobbled the horse.
So Flesh then charges on these Pawnees. Two of them had guns and three had bows and arrows. Flesh shot one of them with an arrow and then one at a time shot the other four with arrows. All this time the Pawnees turned back and shot at him but never hit him. Two of them the horses he wounded so two of the Pawnees were on foot. While running on foot one of the riders took one of the runners on his horse and rode double and they left the other runner behind on foot.
Then Flesh charges on the footman and the Pawnee charged on him. When they got close Flesh was going to hit him, the Pawnee shot at Flesh and hit his horses with an arrow under the left eye, it if had not been for that Flesh would have got the arrow.
Just as Flesh's horse was hit the 5 Sioux charged in from behind. When the 5 Sioux came up they charged on the Pawnee and he was awful brave. Two Sioux on horseback charged on him. The first one tried to hit him with a war club but missed him. The second one also charged on him to hit him with a war club but his horse stumbled and the Sioux fell from the horse and fell right in front of the Pawnee and the Pawnee shot him in the right shoulder. Just as the Sioux got up he was shot in the left shoulder. When the Sioux got up he ran for life and the Pawnee behind him.
Flesh got off his horse and ran up behind the Pawnee to save the Sioux warrior. Flesh turns back and his horse standing still he got on his horse. As soon as Flesh got on his horse he saw a Sioux on horseback charge the Pawnee and with his gun shot the Pawnee.
When this Sioux shot him the other Sioux were all around in a circle and the Pawnee was in the center. Flesh starts to go in but the other Sioux told him not to go in as the Pawnee was yet alive and he might get hurt. But he went in anyway and hit him with his war club and turned back. Got off his horse and scalped him and took his bow and arrows and quiver and also he took away his peace medal which had been give by the President. ("Must have been Grant" said Monroe) but he don't know which President.
So after this they had scalped the Indian they went home. This is the end of the story but he must tell about the Prophet.
The man who had charged along had disobeyed the Prophet's orders. They found out afterwards that he and his horse were killed. One of those who had gone toward the north had been shot in the eye. All this had been caused by disobedience of the Prophet's orders.
Soap weed, sharp at end. Root used for soap.
Center stick cut in two. Pith of elder berry. Halves of soap weed stick rubbed with pitch until spark caught on buffalo chip. His father and grandfather told him they used to make fire that way, and so on for generations. Later took two white rocks and struck them together and thus produced spark and transferred to buffalo chip. File and flint with rotten stump
Great Spirit showed them but he does not know when or where.
In those days bones of elk and buffalo were used for arrow points.
In his boyhood they had no stone pipe but used bone of antelope wrapped around with rawhide. Only lately has red stone pipes come in.