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15 Chapter II Men, Women, Children, Family Relations, Totems

Elsewhere we have spoken of the history of the indians and we crossed out: now come to the consideration of the animal as we find him, and to discuss the intelligently them intelligently will take up the subject now under different heads.

The men of the Dakota nation, are as a rule well built and to all appearance robust, from their youth up they are subjected to hardship and exposure, in child hood the indian baby receives little more attention than does the young of some of the crossed out: other representatives higher branches of the animal kingdom, crossed out: the infant will receive attention under the head of children. The men are about average height of five feet six or eight inches, and generally fat, or inclined to be fleshy; not to the degree of obesity, but with a well-rounded figure, this is especially the case with the adult males and it is only in rare instants that a spare old man is found. The youths are lithe slender, and agile as kittens and as the blood begins to flow less rapidly, as they grow older, nature seems to provide them with a heat preserving coating of fat, as she does in the case of animals exposed to the rigors of the elements. With the indian this is a real necessity as his dress at best is extremely scanty, and provided as he is with fat he can stand exposure that would kill the average white man, instinct has taught him many acts for preserving his vitality. In the north the traders say, that the indians of both Dakota & Ojibway nations will come to their stores, and buy a flannel shirt or pair of pants or socks as the case may be and put them on over the other articles they have been wearing for a year or so and when asked why they do so; explain it by saying that the first set have become saturated with grease or oil from the body, and if they took them off and put on the new they would be sick as the others had no oil in them, hence they adapt this filth as a sanitary measure. to our mind a poor one but to them excellent.