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that attended the mission school; buried a tomahawk in their brains, severed their hands and set them up in the sand. Mr. Riggs narrates an insident [sic] of some of the upper bands of Dakotas pursuing a weak Ojibay mother. To save her life she swam a stream. Half naked she reached the opposite bank and dropped down to much exhausted to attempt to proceed. With the delight of demons just let loose from hell, her pursuers came over, stabbed and scalped her. Prematurely ushering into existence her unborn babe they dashed its brains out upon the ground. Returning with the mother's scalp, they came home as "conquering heroes come," and were received with pride & honors. Such is savage warfare, and such is the savage idea of true glory. But, notwithstanding their horrid mode of warfare, they are not destitute of affection for their own offspring or friends." Hennepin relates that the Dakotas at Lake Pepin seeing a frenchman shoot a wild turkey with a gun they called the [?"Manza Ouachange"?] "iron that has understanding." or more correctly "Maza Wakando" "this is the [?] metal."
Spring and Summer was the time for war. In former days the Dakota and Ojibway met together in bands upon the common hunting grounds during the long northern winter and lived in the same villages. and even intermarried. but as soon as spring came broke up their camps. and returned to the permanent villages, and the parties had hardly separated before they retraced their steps and attacked each the other to kill and take scalps. after killing a relative or one who had been united by marriage to them. as it was the custom when the camp broke up for the families to separate and the husband and wife go with their tribe. The belief of the indians was that to scalp an enemy subjected the soul to eternal torment in the world beyond. and if the body was mutilated it had the same effect. If the Dakota (and it is likely the same belief existed with the Ojibway) wanted to have a servant in the "happy hunting ground" the place of departed spirits. he did not scalp the enemy he had killed. this he claims is a certain method of subjugating him. and making him his servant. The weapons of the indians for the chase and used in war are not numerous and we give drawings of the various types of those used in recent day. and have reason to believe that they have been for centuries in used [sic] among the indians as they are a people so seldom change their customs and [?]. necessarily however some of these weapons [?] falling into disuse. The spear is one such.