Historic Diaries: James Doty, 1820
July 28, 1820: A Buffalo Hunt
Editor's Note:
Doty, in his summary of the trip downriver written on July 31st, gave the context for the remarkable birch bark message:
"The Sioux, who inhabit the country around the falls, had been up the Mississippi before our descent, to negotiate a peace with the Chippeways. They made 23 camps from the falls to the place where they stopt. They advanced a short distance into the country claimed by the Chippeways — it might have been 300 miles. Here they left a letter for the Chippeways, informing of their readiness to cease hostilities. It was a piece of birch bark, on which was marked with the point of a knife the rivers Miss. & St. Peters, the American Camp, the journey of the Sioux, their numbers, a few Chippeways and the leaders of the 2 bands shaking hands. It showed also the Chiefs present, and where those absent, who were willing to join had gone. The Gov. preserved the letter."
Schoolcraft went on at great length about the American bison, including this account of the methods tribes further west used to hunt them prior to the introduction of firearms:
"One of the most common of these is the method of hunting with fire. For this purpose a great number of hunters disperse themselves around a large prairie where herds of buffalo happen to be feeding, and setting fire to the grass encompass them on all sides. The buffalo, having a great dread of fire, retire towards the centre of the prairie as they see it approach, and here being pressed together in great numbers, many are trampled under foot, and the Indians rushing in with their arrows and musketry, slaughter immense numbers in a short period. It is asserted that a thousand animals have been killed by this stratagem in one day.
"They have another method of hunting by driving them over precipices, which is chiefly practised by the bands inhabiting the Missouri. To decoy the herds, several Indians disguise themselves in the skins of the buffalo, taken off entire, and by counterfeiting the lowing of this animal in distress, they attract the herds in a certain direction, and when they are at full speed, suddenly disappear behind a cleft in the top of a precipice when those animals which are in front on reaching the brink, are pushed over by those pressing behind, and in this manner great numbers are crushed to death. These practices are less common now than formerly, the introduction of fire arms among most of the tribes, putting it into the power of almost every individual to kill sufficient for the support of his family."
Location: vicinity of modern Fort Ripley, Minn.
View Schoolcraft's complete description in his 1821 Narrative
[Schoolcraft:] Embarked at half past four... Being now in the region of buffalo, we concluded to land, in the course of the day, at some convenient place for hunting them. This we were soon invited to do by seeing one of those animals along the shore of the river, and on ascending the bank, we observed, upon a boundless prairie, two droves of them, feeding upon the grass. All who had guns adapted for the purpose, sallied forth in separate parties upon the prairie, while those who felt less ambition to signalize themselves upon the occasion, or were more illy accoutred for the activities of the chase, remained upon an eminence which overlooked the plain, to observe the movements of this animal while under an attack of musketry, and to enjoy the novel spectacle of a buffalo-hunt.
The buffalo is a timid animal, and flies at the approach of man. It is however asserted by the hunters, that when painfully wounded, it becomes furious, and will turn upon its pursuers. There is a particular art in killing the buffalo with a rifle, only known to experienced hunters, and when they do not drop down, which is often the case, it requires a person intimately acquainted with their habits, to pursue them with success. This has been fully instanced in the futile exertions of our party, upon the present occasion, for out of a great number of shots few have reached the object, and very few proved effectual, and the little success we met with is chiefly attributable to the superior skill of the Indians who accompanied us...
Having spent several hours in the chase of this animal, and driven the herds off to a great distance, we embarked, and proceeded down the river until three o'clock, when we again landed on a high prairie bank on the west shore, at the site of an old Indian encampment of sixteen lodges...
The first object which attracted our attention on landing was an Indian sign, or letter of birch bark, affixed to a long pole in the centre of the deserted encampment. This had been left for the information of the Chippeways by a large party of Sioux, on the termination of an excursion up the river, for the purpose of meeting with the former. As we carried embassadors of peace from the Chippeway nation, they approached the hieroglyphical sign with great eagerness, and learned its import with equal satisfaction. By it, they were informed, that at the solicitation of the commandant of the American garrison at St. Peter's a large party of the Sioux had proceeded thus far up the river on a mission of peace, but not meeting with any of the Chippeways, had returned; and that they were equally disposed for peace or war. The number of the party, -- the chiefs who headed them, -- their route, -- the situation of their villages on the St. Peter's, -- the American garrison, and other particulars were accurately delineated, or represented by symbols and characters in common use, so that they experienced no difficulty in the perusal, and explained to us with great facility the import of the message...
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