A Village of Sod Dwellings

The bulk of the tribe, according to their ancient fashion, at once built a village of sod dwellings between the two Black-bird creeks. A few mixed bloods took up separate homes and opened am all farms, while on the military road, the only road through the country at that time, the agency was established and a government farm begun. A number of the, more progressive men followed the lead of La Flesche and erected a village of frame and log houses not far from the mission school, the mill and shops, and the steamboat landing. The illustration (No. 9 of the Exhibit) is taken from a sketch of this village drawn from memory by one of the Indians who lived there.³ One hundred and sixty acres or more on the river bottom land were fenced off, ploughed, and divided, so that each family had a field of its own. La Flesche and a few others started separate farms a little removed from the village. The men raised large, crops of corn, hauling it in winter on the ice to Sioux City and selling it at a good price. Sorghum was another product, and here the first wheat was planted. The children of these families were all in the mission school and some were learning trades in the shops.

1. Um-pa's house
2. The-me-ka-the's house
3. Wa-tha-bas-zin-ga's house
4. Me-ha-ta's house
5. Bron-tee's house
6. Um-pa-spa's house.
7. Joseph La Falsetto's house.
8. Wa-na-shae-zin-ga's house.
9. Tae-on-ka-ha's house.
10. Ca-hae-num-ba's house.
11. Num-ba-tae-wa-thae's house.
12. Ta-hae-zin-gae's house.
13. Ne-ma-ha's house.
14. Du-ba-mon-ne's house.
15. Wa-jae-pa's house.
16. Wa-zin-ga's house.
17. Ne-ou-ga-shu-dae's house.
18. Wa-ne-ta-wa-ha's house.
19. Ma-he-nin-ga's house.
20. Sin-dae-ha-ha's house
21. Wa-ha-nin-gae's house.
22. Ma-wa-da-ne's house.
23. Grae-dun-nuz-ze's house.
24. Bridge over stream.
25. Vegetable garden, La Flesche's.

Number 12 and 13 are sod houses. and No. 7 and 23 are frame houses. The four structures not numbered are barns. All the material used to build these houses was furnished by the Indians themselves. They cut the logs and hauled them to the saw-mill to have them sawn into thick planks and flooring. The shingles they bought themselves. Each man chose his own place to put his house on. The planks were of oak and the flooring of cottonwood. The bridge was built by the Indians, and the material was also furnished by them or more on the river bottom land were fenced off, ploughed, and divided, so that each family had a field of its own. La Flesche and a few others started separate farms a little removed from the village. The men raised large, crops of corn, hauling it in winter on the ice to Sioux City and selling it at a good price. Sorghum was another product, and here the first wheat was planted. The children of these families were all in the mission school and some were learning trades in the shops.

Notes About the Book:

Source: Historical Sketch of the Omaha Tribe of Indians in Nebraska, by Alice C. Fletcher, Washington, Judd & Detweiler, 1885

Online Publication: The manuscript was scanned and then ocr'd. Minimal editing has been done, and readers can and should expect some errors in the textual output.

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