| Show TALES of ofie the TRIBES by EDITHA L WATSON the Aric kara in indian sign language the arle aric kara are called corn eaters they they had a smalle small e eared are d lorn corn which hl h was very delicious delicious and so popular that it was used as an article I 1 of trade corn was a prominent ar article t lee I 1 in their ceremonials and some of the ears were kept for generations hind and were regarded with reverence the emblematic ble matic ear car of Aric kara corn wa was a addressed d as alother certain rituals ritual were observed at planting and harvesting harvesting as well as at certain times during during the growth of the corn even the picture writing symbolizing bol izing the people stressed the corn motif and s sometimes ome times they were drawn as an ear of cori corn with human members it Is hardly necessary to say then that from the earliest days of their legendary history the arlera Aric kara were agricultural people although althou gli they spent the winter season hunting buffalo while a sedentary people are usually supposed to lack the courage of roving folk it Is evident that fear was an almost unknown emotion to Aric kara hearts they would capture disabled buffalo as they crossed the river swimming up to the grout great beasts boldly early writers have often described the fv ferocity rocity of a wounded buffalo so that the temerl temerity t y of the Aric kara in catching these animals thus Is beyond comparison another extremely bold exploit which they performed yearly was the gi gathering of wood which they took from the river inthe in the spring when the lee ice broke into cakes and floated swiftly and dangerously down the stream these fearless indians men women and children engage engaged d in the occupation of hauling wood ashore it required a sure foot and a quick hand to leap lightly across the shifting ice fee cakes tie a cord to the drifting wood and return io to shore hoie to pull the fuel in the Aric kara besides this fearless manner of providing meat and fuel could boast boak considerable versatility in the more sedentary arts they made boats of buffalo hide fastened over a round frame of willow in which they could cross the missouri three at a time they made basket traps to baith flab pottery cooking utensils basketry stone mortars for crushing corn horn spoons flint knives and hoes made from the shoulder I 1 blades of bai baffaro baff falo alo were among the products of the Aric kara before these implements could be obtained from traders in simpler and better form they had a manner of melting glass beads and pouring the colored liquid into molds to make ornaments and they also embroidered garments with dyed porcupine quills to make a very effective decoration one of their strange customs was that chatot of packing meat on their heads and backs instead of loading it an their horses heavy packs were carried in this way vay tor for great distances find and those who excelled exel led in transporting the heaviest burdens sometimes gave the meat to the poor that they might gain merit with the lord of afe life th thereby the Aric kara were also skilled in magle magic which Is so remarkable when e effected if acted by a trained indian wizard not every tribe was fortunate enough to have members who excelled in the art of legerdemain but those who did regarded this talent with great reference certain forms of mi englc gl were believed in by all indians and their legends often embody the use of this power their history shows that this was once a southwestern tribe closely with the skid the two tribes moved north but when the settled on loup river nebraska the Aric kara continued northeastward mee meeting ting some of the gilb tribes with whom they were sometimes a at i war and sometimes at peace long a ago go they built houses along aloag the missouri misa ailsa almost as far south as omaha and these dwellings were later occupied jy by the tribes who were drifting west lewis and dark clark met the Aric kara in dakota in 1804 and found them not unfriendly to tile the united states but later they became hostile and since the rivalry between trading companies caused many of their troubles they even attacked a traders boat killing billing thirteen men for a time after tilts this there was considerable unpleasantness and to add to their unrest their crops failed for two years they decided to leave the country where so BO many bad things had come to pass pass and to go buck back to loup river where they thay had bad left the but this became a stay of only two years as their hostility to the whites prompted the request that they return to the missouri and by this time it wits very certain that the whites were master this was the list last eventful move they made tor for in 1880 the fort berthold reservation was established for the Aric kara mandan manda n and illda tsa and in EWO 1000 they were glyen given land in severalty and made citizens of the united states subject to the taws laws of north Q 1931 western newspaper union |
