While we know our northern friends may not feel it, in the South, Spring is
here. So we thought we'd share a few of our gardening sites appropriate
for this time of the year. Along with gardening, there's grilling, and getting
ready to diet so that you can fit back into that bathing suit this summer!
Camping and Camp circles. Each North
American tribe claimed a certain locality as its habitat and dwelt in
communities or villages about which stretched its hunting grounds. As all the
inland people depended for food largely on the gathering of acorns, seeds, and
roots, the catching of salmon when ascending the streams, or on hunting for meat
and skin clothing, they camped in makeshift shelters or portable dwellings
during a considerable part of the year. These dwellings were brush shelters, the
mat house and birch-bark lodge of the forest tribes, and the skin tent of the
plains. The rush mats of different sizes, woven by the women, were rolled into a
long bundle when a party was traveling. The oblong frame was made of saplings
tied together with bark fiber. The longest and widest mats were fastened out
side the frame to form the walls, and smaller ones were overlapped to make a
rain-proof roof, an opening being left in the middle for the escape of the smoke
from the central fire. For the skin tent, 10 to 20 poles were cut and trimmed by
the men and preserved from year to year. To tan, cut, fit, and sew the skin
cover and to set up the tent was the special work of women. Dogs formerly
transported the long tent poles by means of travois, but in later years they w r
ere dragged by pomes.
Hunting, visiting, or war parties were more or less organized. The leader was
generally the head of a family or of a kindred group, or he was appointed to his
office with certain ceremonies. He decided the length of a day's journey and
where the camp should be made at night. As all property, save a man's personal
clothing, weapons, and riding horses, be longed to the woman, its care during a
journey fell upon her. On the tribal hunt the old men, the women and children,
and the laden ponies formed the body of the slowly moving procession, protected
on either side by the warriors, who walked or rode, encumbered only by their
weapons. The details of the camp were controlled by the women, except with war
parties, when men did the work.
When a camping place was reached the mat houses were erected as most convenient
for the family group, but the skin tents were set up in a circle, near of kin
being neighbors. If danger from enemies was apprehended, the ponies and other
valuable possessions were kept within the space inclosed by the circle of tents.
Long journeys were frequently under taken for friendly visits or for intertribal
ceremonies. When traveling and camping the people kept well together under their
leader, but when near their destination, the party halted and dispatched one or
two young men in gala dress with the little packet of tobacco to apprise the
leading men of the village of their approach. While the messengers were gone the
prairie became a vast dressing room, and men, women, and children shook off the
dust of travel, painted their faces, and donned their best garments to be ready
to receive the escort which was always sent to welcome the guests.
When the tribes of the buffalo country went on their annual hunt, ceremonies at
tended every stage, from the initial rites, when the leader was chosen, through
out the journeyings, to the thanksgiving ceremony which closed the expedition.
The long procession was escorted by warriors selected by the leader and the
chiefs for their trustiness and valor. They acted as a police guard to prevent
any straggling that might result in personal or tribal danger, and they
prevented any private hunting, as it might stampede a herd that might be in the
vicinity. When on the annual hunt the tribe camped in a circle and preserved its
political divisions, and the circle was often a quarter of a mile or more in
diameter. Sometimes the camp was in concentric circles, each circle representing
a political group of kindred. The Dakota call themselves the "seven council
fires", and say that they formerly camped in two divisions or groups, one
composed of 4 and the other of 3 concentric circles. The
Omaha and close
cognates, when on the annual buffalo hunt and during the great tribal ceremonies
camped in a circle. Each of the 10 Omaha gentes had its unchangeable place in
the line. The women of each gens knew where their tents belonged, and when a
camping ground was reached each drove her ponies to the proper place, so that
when the tents of the tribe were all up each gens was in the position to which
it was entitled by the regulations that were connected with ancient beliefs and
customs. For particular ceremonies, especially the great annual sun dance (q. v.
), the Kiowa,
Cheyenne, and others camped in a circle made up of the different
political divisions in fixed and regular order.
The tribal circle, each segment com posed of a clan, gens, or band, made a
living picture of tribal organization and responsibilities. It impressed upon
the beholder the relative position of kinship groups and their interdependence,
both for the maintenance of order and government within and for defense against
enemies from without, while the opening to the E. and the position of the
ceremonial tents recalled the religious rites and obligations by which the many
parts were held together in a compact whole.
See Dorsey in 3d and 15th Reps. B. A. E.; Fletcher in Publ. Peabody
Mus.; Matthews in 5th Rep. B. A. E.; Mooney in 14th and 17th Reps.
B. A. E. (A. C. P.)
This site
includes some historical materials that may imply negative stereotypes
reflecting the culture or language of a particular period or place. These
items are presented as part of the historical record and should not be
interpreted to mean that the WebMasters in any way endorse the stereotypes
implied .
Handbook of American Indians North of Mexico, Frederick Webb Hodge, 1906
