Cogewea, the Half-Blood

of the Schu-ayl-p^k, had their village on the banks of the Swa-net^k-qha. The snow was just covering the earth, the first calling of the Great Spirit. We had plenty of food for the winter moons. The seasons had been abundant in roots, berries and game; and the red salmon which comes up the streams, had been as the wild geese that flock to their nesting in the north-land after the Chinook has melted the snow. The Giver of Life had been kind and we thought to thank him with a bigger dance than usual. He had favored us on the war path, had made us strong in battle. We had defeated the Blackfeet who came against us and driven them back across the great mountains. For all this, we would prayer-dance a longer time. We were building our big festive lodge, when some of my warriors came running to me in excitement and said:

“ ‘ “We have again seen the pale faces, the strangers! The Great Spirit has sent them to show us the right way to reach Him.”

“ ‘We were all frightened! We thought of the prayers that the Black Robes had taught us and we tried to repeat the little which we remembered. We thought that the Great Spirit was angry with us, because we had neglected worshipping Him in the way of the pale faces. It might be that He had sent the strangers to punish us in some fearful way. I was scared! But I was a big Chief, and it is not for the chief to show fear, not even in death. A chief must not flinch at pain or fright.

“ ‘The two pale faces camped close to our village. They did not live in a teepee. They built a lodge of logs and covered it with moss and dirt. The moss they gathered on the banks of the Swa-net^k-qha, where it grew of the green shade and was plentiful.

“ ‘They also made a fireplace of rocks and clay, and a way for the smoke to escape as in our teepees. In one side of the lodge they put rawhide so the light would come through. It covered only a small space, but it lighted the room well.

“ ‘We were perplexed, astonished! We prayed to them and worshipped them from a distance. It was some time before I had the courage to go to their lodge. But finally I went with some of my bravest warriors, fearless warriors. I took a medicine man with us for protection.43 I had made up my mind to see them and if they killed me, I would die brave. My name would not be lost! My children and grandchildren would think of my great name with honor. I believed the strangers to be men who had in them the Great Spirit, who might be angry. For this, I hesitated before taking the rash step, as I then thought it to be.

“ ‘With my warriors, I reached the lodge which they had completed and were occupying. I did not knock at the door. According to our own custom we walked in. When we entered, the pale faces were both holding weapons against us. Even the strange Indian woman who was with them, held a gun in aim. She was a brave squaw! We found afterwards that she came to show them the trail to the big water, towards the sunset.

“ ‘When I saw that they wanted to fight or defend themselves, I held out the peace pipe, but the woman alone understood. We all got on our knees and prayed, of the little we remembered of the Black Robe’s teaching. I felt ashamed when they laughed instead of pointing us the right way to reach the Great Spirit. When they laughed before our faces, I knew not what to do.

“ ‘But we smoked the pipe with them, to show that we would be friends while they remained in our country.

“ ‘They had several ponies, and since they had come from the direction of the big mountains, I knew what those horses meant for us. If our fierce enemies, the Blackfeet, knew we had them at our village, they would never stop until they possessed them. We could expect an attack in the night, a battle for a small band of ponies. That the ponies belong to the white-gods, would make no difference to those on the war path.

“ ‘This troubled me and one day I decided to speak to the strangers even if they were higher beings. My people were uneasy! They knew what attending evil awaited them and their children, should the Blackfeet come. Only after many signs in talking did I make the pale faces understand why we did not want the horses with us. But they laughed at our fears. Then I thought that they, being greater than the Indians, knew everything, so made my mind easy concerning the enemy.

“ ‘One of the pale faces had the Indian woman who came with them as a wife. Of another tribe and beyond the big mountains, we could not understand her tongue. The other pale face had no wife, and to honor him I gave him my only sister, Wan-na-ka, the handsome Okanogan princess. Chiefs and warriors of our own, as well as of distant tribes, had sought her, but she was valued above any gifts offered. It was to show my friendship and worship for the pale faced god that I gave him my sister to be his wife. It was to please him and the Great Spirit.

“ ‘Wan-na-ka went to her white god and soon loved him. She prayed hard to please him and the Great Spirit. My people took them food, dried roots and berries, fresh game and fish.

“ ‘The strangers had been with us one moon, when what we had dreaded took place. The Blackfeet came on the war path for those ponies, traveled days for them. They stole on our village at night, killing some of my people, while we killed some of them. They