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CHAPTER VI
More than four hundred years have passed since
Europeans began the invasion of America, and the savages whose
ancestors exterminated the Mound Builders are rapidly meeting a
similar fate. When Twentieth Century shall have passed away, the
American Indians will have almost, if not quite, disappeared from
the face of the earth. They seem to be incapable of civilization
and consequently their complete extinction is probably near at hand.
Whatever of the history of the Indian nations and tribes of Iowa
can be found must be of interest to the civilized millions who now
occupy the State.
The wresting of Iowa from its Indian inhabitants was
attended with little of the cruelty of war which followed the advent
of the Spanish, English and Portuguese invaders in other portions of
America. Three hundred years of sturdy but unavailing resistance to
the advance of the European races had exhausted the original fierce
and unyielding courage of the Indians and impressed them with the
gloomy conviction that resistance was unavailing. Nation after
nation of their ancestors had been vanquished in the unequal
contest. Slowly but surely they had been dispossessed of their
homes and hunting grounds. The most powerful Indian tribes of
America had disappeared in the warfare. Their lands had long been
peopled by the white men who had forced the savages step by step
westward. Their conquerors must be their historians, and justice
demands that we shall record their virtues as well as their vices.
If they were cruel, treacherous, revengeful and
merciless as enemies, it is no less true that they were brave
warriors, hospitable, devoted and loyal friends. They were as ready
to risk life in defense of their benefactors and allies as they were
to tomahawk, scalp and burn their enemies and prisoners. Their
torture of captives was no more merciless than that exhibited by the
so-called civilized people and government of England, France, Spain
and Italy in crushing out religious freedom during the same
centuries. The Indians used the tomahawk, scalping knife and fire
no more fiendishly than did the white bigots the rack, the
thumbscrew and the blazing fagot.
The Indians resisted the invaders of their country
with a stern and relentless ferocity born of ages of barbarism'
torturing and exterminating their white enemies, the despoilers of
their homes. Their conquerors, many of whom had fled from
persecution and oppression in the civilized countries of Europe,
turned upon the natives, robbing them of their lands, killing men,
women and children. It was an age of disregard of human rights and
human life, in which Christians vied with barbarians in the
infliction of merciless cruelties.
When Iowa was first explored by the whites the
Dakota Indians were found in possession of Minnesota and northern
Iowa. This family consisted of the following tribes: Iowas, Omahas,
Winnebagoes, Osages, Sissetons, Missouris and Otoes. The Algonquin
family, consisting of the Illinois, Sauks, Foxes, Chippewas,
Attouays and Pottawattamies, occupied northern Missouri and southern
Iowa.
THE ILLINOIS INDIANS
The Indians seen by Marquette and Joliet in the
valley of the Des Moines River were of the Illini or Illinois tribe.
Illinois seems to have been the name of of a confederacy embracing
the five sub-tribes - Peorias, Cahokias, Kaskaskias, Michigamies and
Tamaroas. These being of the Algonquin race were hereditary enemies
of the warlike Iroquois, or Six Nations, whose seat of government
was in the Mohawk Valley of New York. During the generations
through which their wars had extended the Illinois had been
gradually driven into the region between Lake Michigan and the
Wabash River and extending thence west across the Mississippi River.
More than two hundred years ago, when visited by Marquette, they
had become greatly reduced in numbers and strength from wars with
the Iroquois on the east and the Chickasaws on the south. When Iowa
was next visited by white men the once powerful Illinois Indians had
been nearly exterminated by the Sacs and Foxes. In 1803 a few Iowas
were found who were friendly with the Sacs and Foxes, with whom they
made an alliance which lasted about twenty years.
THE MASCOUTINES
A tribe called Mascoutines, first mentioned by
Father Allouez in 1670, then found in the valley of the Wisconsin
River, had moved into Iowa. These Indians were on friendly terms
with the Illinois and occupied a portion of Iowa west of Muscatine
Island, where they located, having been driven out of their former
lands by hostile tribes. The Algonquin word "Mascoutenck" means a
place having no woods or prairie. The Mascoutines built a village
on the island of that name, which was a level prairie embracing
about twenty thousand acres.
In 1673 when Marquette and Joliet first penetrated
the Mississippi Valley they found the Mascoutines living near the
Fox River where they had a village near the Miamis and Kickapoos,
who were friendly with them. They were a fierce tribe and usually
at war with some other nation. Long before the advent of the first
French explorers the Mascontines fought a great battle with the Sacs
and Foxes on Iowa waters. These nations in large numbers descended
the Mississippi in canoes. When near the mouth of the Iowa River,
they were attacked by the Mascoutines. A desperate conflict ensued
lasting an entire day. The Sacs and Foxes found themselves
outnumbered and unable to force a passage through the enemy's
country. As night was approaching, their losses being heavy, the
command was given to retreat. As the fleet turned back and
attempted to ascend the river, the Mascoutines left the shelter of
the woods and from the water's edge sent a shower of arrows into the
disordered enemy. Pushing their canoes out into the river, the
Mascoutines continued the conflict. Beset on all sides by superior
numbers, the invaders made a heroic fight for their lives; but one
by one they fell before the enraged Mascoutines, who seized their
canoes and capsized them, tomahawking the occupants as they
struggled in the water. In the darkness that ensued a few of the
Sacs and Foxes escaped in their canoes; but three-quarters of the
army was sunk beneath the Mississippi.
When La Salle descended the Mississippi Valley in
1680, he found this tribe still in that vicinity. The Mascoutines,
displeased with the presence of the white men, sent emissaries to
the Illinois to influence them to join in resistance. Ninety-eight
years later they are mentioned as attending a council when Colonel
George Rogers Clark led a party into that region. Little more is
known of the Mascoutines in later times, save that they lived near
where Muscatine now stands and that the city derives its name from
them.
THE IOWAS
We first hear of the Iowa Indians in 1690 when they
were found in the vicinity of the great lakes. Their noted chief,
Man-haw-gaw, was then at the head of the tribe and under his
leadership they migrated westward. They crossed the Mississippi and
occupied the country about the lower valley of the Iowa River,
giving to that stream its present name, although it was for a long
time called the Ayouas by the earliest French explorers. Lewis and
Clark in the journal of their explorations, in 1804, refer to this
tribe of Indians as the Ayouways. In later years the orthography
became changed to Ioway and finally the y was dropped and we have
the beautiful name Iowa, with the accent on the I.
Antoine Le Claire, a half-breed of French and Indian
parentage, who was familiar with several of the Indian languages,
defines the word Iowa as "This is the place." Theodore S. Parvin, a
high authority, relates an Indian legend as follows:
"This tribe separated from the sacs and Foxes
and wandered off westward in search of a new home. Crossing the
Mississippi River they turned southward, reaching a high bluff near
the mouth of the Iowa River. Looking off over the beautiful valley
spread out before them they halted, exclaiming 'Ioway!' or 'This is
the place!' "
As far back as the history of the Iowa nation has
been traced by Schoolcraft and other, it is found that this tribe
migrated fifteen times. It appears to have moved in about 1693 from
the vicinity of the great lakes to near the mouth of Rock River and
some years later to the Iowa. The next move was to the Des Moines
Valley in the vicinity of Van Buren, Wapello and Davis counties.
Many years later the Iowas journeyed through southern and western
Iowa, up the Missouri Valley, into Dakota. For several years they
lived near the red pipestone quarries in the valley of the Big Sioux
River, roaming over into northwestern Iowa as far as Spirit Lake and
the upper valleys of the Little Sioux and Des Moines rivers.
Leaving these regions they descended the Missouri into southeastern
Nebraska in the Platte Valley. They next wandered into northern
Missouri and from there into southern Iowa in the region of the
Chariton and Grand rivers. They engaged in frequent wars with the
Sioux and Osages. In 1807 they had a battle with Osages. After a
fierce conflict they captured the village, destroying thirty lodges
and massacring all the inhabitants. A few years later the smallpox
ravaged their settlement, destroying more than a hundred of their
warriors and nearly two hundred women and children. Twelve years
later they lost nearly two hundred more of the tribe by the same
disease. In 1819 they were attacked by a superior force of Sioux
and a desperate battle was fought. In the end the Iowas were
defeated, losing scores of their best warriors. The Sioux captured
and carried into captivity many of their women and children.
One of the most noted chiefs after the death of
Man-haw-yaw was his son Ma-has-kah. His home was in the Des Moines
Valley, near where the town Eldon now stands, at the old village of
Iowaville. He had seven wives; the favorite one was a beautiful
woman named Rant-che-wai-me (Female Flying Pigeon). In 1824, when
Ma-has-kah, with a party of warriors, went to Washington to have an
interview with President Monroe, this favorite wife joined the party
the third day after their departure and announced her intention to
accompany her husband and shake hands with the President. She was
permitted to go with him and attracted marked attention in
Washington from her great beauty and intelligence. Her portrait was
painted by an artist at the Capital and for a long time adorned his
studio. She was a kind and generous woman, devoting much of her
time to ministering to the sick and unfortunate. General Hughes,
the Indian agent, who was well acquainted with her, spoke in the
highest terms of her excellent qualities. She returned from
Washington with new views of life and tried to impress upon the
young women of her race useful lessons from her observations of
civilized people. Ma-has-kah was deeply attached to her and was
greatly depressed at her tragic death, which was the result of a
fall from a horse soon after her return from Washington. He never
ceased to extol her many virtues and beautiful character.
Soon after Ma-has-kah became the Iowa chief, he
determined to avenge the assassination of his father. He selected a
party of daring young warriors and led them on a secret raid against
the Sioux. They met a party of their enemies and after a battle,
killed and scalped ten Sioux warriors, among them the chief in whose
lodge his father had been slain. Ma-has-kah was one of the most
famous war chiefs of the tribe of Iowas.
The last battle between the Iowas and Sacs and Foxes
was fought near the old town of Iowaville. here in 1824 the Iowas
had assembled in great numbers to witness a horse race on the river
bottom about two miles from their village. most of their warriors
were present, unarmed and unsuspicious of the impending danger. The
Sacs and Foxes were led by their chief, Pash-e-pa-ho, assisted by
Black Hawk, who was then a young man unknown to fame. Their spies
had watched the assembling of the Iowas and reported to Pash-e-pa-ho
the numbers of the enemy. He secreted his warriors in the forest
not far distant. The old chief led two divisions in the stealthy
attack, while young Black Hawk was sent with the third division to
capture and burn the village. In the midst of an exciting race,
when all eyes were fixed upon the rival horses, the terrible war
whoop burst upon their ears and the fierce Sacs and Foxes rushed
like a whirlwind upon the unarmed and panic-stricken crowd. The
Iowa warriors made a dash for the village, where their arms had been
left, only to find it in flames. Shrieks of agony from their wives
and children mingled with the yells of young Black Hawk's band, as
the cruel tomahawk fell upon the defenseless villagers, nerved the
Iowa braves to superhuman resistance. But few of their arms could
be found in the confusion and they were massacred by scores in a
hopeless effort to rescue their families. They fought with clubs
and stones, until seeing the utter hopelessness of further
resistance, the remnant of the band finally surrendered. Their
power was broken, their proud spirit crushed by this disaster and
the survivors never recovered form the blow. They lingered in
despair about the ruins of their village and the graves of their
kindred, gloomy and hopeless. The renown of their once powerful
tribe had departed. They moved from place to place, through
southern Iowa and northern Missouri. They ceased, as an independent
tribe, to hold any considerable portion of the State to which their
name has been given.
When Ma-has-kah was about fifty years of age members
of his tribe made an incursion into the country of the Omahas to
avenge the assassination of a son of one of their subordinate
chiefs. They returned with the scalps of six Omahas. General
Clark, at St. Louis, was notified of the bloody reprisal and sent
General Hughes to arrest the Iowa braves. Ma-has-kah surrendered
the young men to the military authorities and they were imprisoned
at Fort Leavenworth. They left the disgrace keenly and determined
to be revenged upon their chief. Two of teh number, escaping from
prison and learning that Ma-has-kah was camped on the Nodaway,
sixty miles from the village, stealthily approached his camp at
midnight and killed him while asleep in his tepee. One of his
murderers sought refuge among the Otoes, but when they learned of
his cowardly deed they executed him. The other assassin was killed
by his own tribe.
The Iowas in 1825 sold their undivided interest in
their Iowa lands to the United States. At this time their numbers
were estimated to be one thousand and their principal village was in
the valley of the Little Platte River. In 1838 they ceded their
interest in Iowa to the United States for $157,500, which was kept
as a trust fund; the interest at five per cent, is paid annually to
the tribe. The remnant of the Iowas accepted lands west of the
Missouri River, with the Sacs and Foxes, their former conquerors.
They soon after outnumbered the tribes that subdued them and had
become in some degree civilized. During the Civil War the Iowas
were loyal to the Union and many of them enlisted in the National
Army, making good soldiers. In October, 1891, they finally
surrendered their tribal organization and accepted lands in
severalty.
At the time of the removal of the tribe from Iowa,
the second Ma-has-kah, son of the great Ma-has-kah and his favorite
wife, Rant-che-wai-me, was ruling chief. He was a quarrelsome,
drunken fellow, inheriting none of the virtues of his mother, nor
the administrative ability or military genius of his father.
The Iowas were worshipers of a Great Spirit, the
creator and ruler of the universe. They had a tradition that a very
long time ago a month's rain came and drowned all living animals
and people, excepting a few who escaped in a great canoe. The Great
Spirit then made from red clay another man and woman and from them
all Indians descended. They regarded rattlesnakes and a certain
species of hawks with veneration. Unlike most other Indian tribes,
they are chaste in their social relations; illegitimate children are
never found among them. Among themselves the Iowas were called Pa-hu-cha,
which in English means "dusty nose." Their tradition is that when
they separated from the original tribe, they settled near the mouth
of a river having large sandbars along the shore. The sand and dust
from these were blown into their faces, giving them dusty noses and
their name Pa-hu-chas. Their language was that of the Dakota group,
of which they were a part. They were divided into eight clans,
known as Eagle, Pigeon, Buffalo, Elk, Bear, Wolf, Beaver and Snake;
each clan having a totem of the bird or animal they represented.
Each clan had a particular method of cutting and wearing the hair.
The name of the greatest of the Iowa war chiefs, Mahaska, has been
given to one of the counties in Des Moines Valley, embracing
a portion of our State over which this once powerful tribe held
dominion.
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