This article is extracted from writings produced by a "Military Gentleman" in 1819 and published during the next year or so as a series of magazine articles. A force consisting of the 6th infantry regiment and the 1st rifle regiment was assembled near St. Louis in early June of 1819 for the purpose of increasing military presence along the Missouri River. Four large steamboats were contracted to help move troops upstream. Settlements already planted hundreds of miles up the river as far as Fort Osage were farther out from St. Louis than several of the closest Indian tribes were. There was some concern about how those settlements would be defended in the event that peaceful conditions should fail. In this article our "Military Gentleman" writes about his apparently quite considerable amount of contact with the actual Osage Indians of 1819. Now this is a good article. Of course we expect some at least slightly rude remarks about the Indians, this was in 1819 after all, but on the whole this fellow probably was a gentleman for the time in which he lived. His attitude towards the Indians seems to have been largely positive and respectful. There are some odd spellings, some seemingly random punctuation, and such. What might look like a typo probably is not, but is rather all part of the charm. —fadedpages.com

At the distance of ninety miles south of fort Osage, live the great Osage tribe of Indians. The proper name of this nation is Wash Shash, the French traders have given them the name of Osages. They are divided into three bands. The Chawees or Arkansaw tribe residing on the Arkansaw river counts about 550 warriors, the Great Osage tribe reside on the Osage River 400, [and the] the Little Osage tribe living on the Nec Ozho 250.

The bands by which this confederacy are held together, consist exclusively in their attachment to national glory, no authority is exercised by one tribe over another, nor do any assemblages, occur for general purposes. But a participation, in wars appear always to take place as well from necessity as choice. The Little Osages separated from the Great Osages about one hundred years ago, and moved to the Missouri river, they were however so sorely pressed by their enemies that they begged permission to return, and now reside within six miles of the Great Osage village. The Arkansaw schism was effected in about 1796, and there is reason to believe that the other villages will join the Arkansaw, rather than the Arkansaw return to its ancient residence, inasmuch as the Great and Little Osages are obliged to hunt every winter on the Arkansaw, and the nations they are least afraid of, reside westward of that river and it is from thence they get all their horses.

Their government is oligarchical, but still partakes of the nature of a republic, for although the power is nominally vested in a small number of chiefs, yet no measure of importance is ever decided upon, without the consent of the majority of the nation.

The chiefs are hereditary in most instances, yet there are many men who have risen to more influence than those of illustrious ancestry, by their activity and boldness in war; and the usurpations upon this nominal hereditary right are so frequent, that almost every man in the nation can boast that the supreme power was at one time vested in some of his family. When the regular heir is too young, the power is assumed by his uncle, or next nearest relation; this is now the case with the Little Osages, their chief died some time since, leaving a young child, the power was assumed by the uncle, who still holds it, and will probably not he dispossessed during his life.

The Osages in their hunting excursions rove over a vast extent of country, comprising the head waters of the White, St. Francis, Merrimach, Gasconade, the whole of the Osage river and its branches, the middle region of the Arkansaw, and the southernmost branches of the Kanses, far the greater part of this immense tract is prairie. Sometimes they hunt even beyond the Arkansaw, and their war excursions often extend to the waters of Red river and to the north-west branches of La Platte. But their war and hunting excursions are more limited than they were a few years ago, and are yearly growing less extensive.

Their agriculture is very limited and probably has been the same for one hundred years; corn, beans, pumpkins, and melons are all they raise. These are planted early in May, at some spot near their village; they remain at their village until about the 25th of the month, when they hoe their corn, and leave it for their summer's hunt on the plains after buffaloe. They do not return until the corn begins to ripen in August, and as soon as they have gathered it, they start again on their winter hunt.

Osages procure deer, beaver, otto, muskrat, and buffaloe skins, these they exchange for blankets, guns, kettles, beads, and paint, either at the trading-house near their village, or at the United States factory at fort Osage; residing, as they do, so far south, their furs are not very valuable.

These people have been noted for their uncommon stature, and they are undoubtedly somewhat above the common size of men; this probably is to be attributed to their living plentifully in a very healthy country, the constant exercise of hunting, the frequent removal of their camps, and from being cleanly in their persons, and making free use of the bath.

The Osages appear to have emigrated from the north-west, as they speak very nearly the same language as the Kanses, Ottoes, Missouris, and Mahaws, there is also great similarity of manners. The Osages by parting from these tribes, and leaving the Missouri river escaped the small-pox and their mortal enemies the Sioux; they have, however, fallen into the hands of the Iowas, Sacs, Kickapoos, Cherokees, Caddoes, and Tetars, with several or with all of whom they have since been at war. They are now at war with the Pawnees, Ottoes, and Cherokees, and are on the most friendly terms with their neighbours the Kanses.

At their councils or debates on subjects of national concern, as going to war, making peace, selecting hunting grounds, &c., the greatest order and decorum is preserved, the chiefs, warriors, and other distinguished men, alone speak on these occasions; the question is discussed with great freedom; if a chief happen not to be a good speaker he generally employs an orator to deliver his sentiments.

Polygamy is allowed among all Indian tribes. An Indian takes as many wives as he is able to support, of his capacity to do so the parents of the woman are the judges, and the affair is exclusively managed through their medium. Female virtue is much prized among the Osages, and the women are extremely guarded in this respect. No people in the world can have a more horrid repugnance to an incestuous intercourse, cousins are forbidden to marry.

It appears to be the general opinion of traders, that the Osages are decreasing in number. This is owing to the continual wars in which they are engaged, in the course of which, latterly, they have met with severe losses. They have now so far to go in pursuit of the buffaloe, that their enemies frequently meet them on those excursions. Not long since, a party of Kanses and Osages hunting together, were fallen upon by their enemies and one hundred of them killed; soon after this, a war-party of Osages consisting of fifty men, were attacked and forty-nine killed. If they were less addicted to war, they would probably increase rapidly.

The Osages believe in a great and powerful being, who created and governs the world, and dispenses favours to the good and punishments to the bad; his face is the sun, and the moon is his wife: their prayers are addressed to God the great father and to the moon their good mother; they believe also in what they call the God of all bad things, who they suppose to be very powerful, and to whom they often address themselves when in great misery and distress. They believe that rewards and punishments are inflicted during their lives and that when they die their affairs, as regards this world, are finally closed; they appear to believe in a future state of existence, but give themselves very little care or concern in what it will consist; and no certain opinion, or belief exists among them on that subject.

After death the bodies of the dead are dressed by their relations and friends in their best apparel, their faces painted with vermilion and verdigris, and deposited in graves without coffins, piling logs and stones over them to prevent their being dug up by the wolves.

When they mourn for the death of relations they paint themselves black, and frequently retire to the woods and lacerate their bodies, the women mourn aloud with hideous cries, not only for the loss of relations, but in most difficult and unpleasant situations. An Iowa Indian was about eight years ago confined in the jail at St. Louis for the murder of a white man, some of his relations came to St. Louis to solicit his release, a few mornings after their arrival they painted their faces black, placed a blanket over their shoulders which they fastened by sticks thrust through the fleshy parts of their arms and bodies, and singing their death songs, and with blood streaming from their wounds, they went to the house of the governor to make their solicitations.

The Osages possess all the vices peculiar to Indians who have been long in contact with the whites; they are deceitful in the extreme, much addicted to stealing, lying, and gaming, and are very great beggars. They believe their own nation superior to all the rest of the world, the Americans they think next to themselves, and the Spaniards the most contemptible of all.

The Osages are armed with fuzees and rifles for hunting and war. In hunting the buffaloe, which they do mounted, they prefer using bows and arrows; they have also tomahawks, spears, and lances; they are subject to but few disorders; fevers, dysenteries, cough, itch, meazles, and sore eyes are the principal, consumptions are rare. Indian children suffer from dentition, and hydrophobia is a disorder not unknown.

There are probably forty or fifty white men living among the Osages, they are of the worst class, lazy, vicious, and every way degraded, they have intermarried with their women, and although looked upon as a species of public servants, they have considerable influence, and are a great evil to the tribes.

The Osages are considered by the nations south of them as a brave and warlike people; they have by no means the same character with the northern Indians, and those on the Missouri, who are armed with guns, consider themselves their superiors; the Ottoes say, if the Osages were their only enemies, they would lose but little sleep.

The Osages, like all other Indians, are hospitable; when received into their village you present yourself to the chief, who receives you as his guest, and spreads before you the best things to eat that he has in his possession, you are then invited to a feast by all the considerable men in the village.

In 1808 a treaty was made with the Osages, by which they surrendered a large tract of country to the United States; when the commissioners of the United States arrived with the treaty at fort Osage, it was laid before the chiefs assembled at that post, with no other explanation than that it was a treaty that they must sign, the Indians, at first, objected to signing it, they were, however, told that they must either sign it or be considered as enemies of the United States. The United States were very tardy in fulfilling their part of the contract, and the Indians supposed it had been forgotten; they were, however, called to St. Louis to finish the treaty by receiving the stipulated purchase money. The Osages objected to receiving it, and at a council held on the occasion, the principal speaker, Le Sonneur, addressed governor Howard in these words, 'He was much surprised to hear of this purchase, that had been forgotten by his nation; and, he supposed, had also been forgotten by his great father; the sale was made by those who had no authority to make it; and his great father not having complied with his part of the bargain, by delaying two years the stipulated payment, and not performing other parts of the treaty, his nation ought not to be held to their part of it, even if fairly entered into. But,' said he, 'the Osage nation have no right to sell its country, much less have a few chiefs, who have taken upon themselves to do so; our country belongs to our posterity as well as ourselves; it is not absolutely ours, we receive it only for our life time, and then to transmit it to our descendants; our great father is good and just, will he permit his children to sell the bones of their fathers? or fathers to sell the inheritance of their children? No, my father, keep your goods and let us keep our lands.'

The pathos or justice of this appeal was unavailing; they were told they might take the goods or not, as they thought proper, but that the lands should be considered as belonging to the United States.

There are many incitements to war among these people. Glory and distinction appear to be the idols of their hearts. If a young Indian, who has not distinguished himself, wishes to marry a squaw, and there is no objection to the match as he is a good hunter, and able to support his wife; when the youth asks the consent of the father, he will probably say, I have no objection to you, but you know I am of a considerable family, what reputation will you bring into it as you have never been to war, and are no warrior? When you have acquired a name in war, you shall have my daughter. The Indian now becomes anxious for war; he joins the first war-party; or, if he is an aspiring youth he paints his face, raises a small fire near the village, and begins the song of invitation to war, he is joined probably by some of his companions, and a war-party is raised which sallies out to kill their enemies and steal horses.

An old woman carrying a burden will frequently be heard to exclaim aloud, 'I am old and have to carry a large burden, I have a son, a grown man and stout, but he has never been to war, to steal a horse for his old mother.' This reproach frequently repeated drives the son eventually to war.

Warning - This information has been transcribed from a source that is well over 100 years old. It may be incorrect or outdated in some cases. It is also possible that errors were made during the transcription process. This information is being made available for entertainment purposes only.