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• 54 T H R O U G H T H E M A C K E N Z I E B A S IN
' bodies i n the country, met and dined w i t h our party, after
which all adjourned to the treaty ground, where the people
had already assembled, and where a l l soon seated themselves
on the grass i n front of the treaty tent— a large marquee—
the Indians being separated by a small space f r om the half-breeds,
who ranged themselves behind them, a l l conducting
themselves i n the most sedate and orderly manner.
M r . L a i r d and the other Commissioners were seated along
the open front of the tent, and one could not but be impressed
by the scene, set as it was i n a most beautiful environment
o f distant mountains, waters, forests and meadows, all
sweet and primeval, and almost untouched by c i v i l i z e d man.
The whites of the region had also turned out to witness the
scene, which, though lacking the w i l d aspect of the old
assemblages on the plains i n the early ' seventies, had yet a
character of its own of great interest, and of the most hopeful
promise.
The crowd of Indians ranged before the marquee had lost
a l l semblance of wildness of the true type. W i l d men they
were, i n a sense, l i v i n g as they d i d i n the forest and on their
great waters. But it was plain that these people had
achieved, without any treaty at a l l , a stage of c i v i l i z a t i on
d i s t i n c t l y i n advance of many of our treaty Indians to the
south after twenty- five years of education. Instead of paint
and feathers, the scalp- lock, the breech- clout, and the buffalo-robe,
there presented itself a body of respectable- looking men,
as well dressed and evidently quite as independent i n their
feelings as any l i k e number of average pioneers i n the East.
Indeed, I had seen there, i n my youth, many a time, crowds
of white settlers inferior to these i n sedateness and self- possession.
One was prepared, i n this w i l d region of forest, to
behold some savage types of men; indeed, I craved to renew
the vanished scenes of old. B u t , alas! one beheld, instead, men
w i t h well- washed, unpainted faces, and combed and common
h a i r ; men i n suits of ordinary " store- clothes," and some
even w i t h " boiled " i f not laundered shirts. One felt dis-
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| Title | Page 62 |
| OCR | • 54 T H R O U G H T H E M A C K E N Z I E B A S IN ' bodies i n the country, met and dined w i t h our party, after which all adjourned to the treaty ground, where the people had already assembled, and where a l l soon seated themselves on the grass i n front of the treaty tent— a large marquee— the Indians being separated by a small space f r om the half-breeds, who ranged themselves behind them, a l l conducting themselves i n the most sedate and orderly manner. M r . L a i r d and the other Commissioners were seated along the open front of the tent, and one could not but be impressed by the scene, set as it was i n a most beautiful environment o f distant mountains, waters, forests and meadows, all sweet and primeval, and almost untouched by c i v i l i z e d man. The whites of the region had also turned out to witness the scene, which, though lacking the w i l d aspect of the old assemblages on the plains i n the early ' seventies, had yet a character of its own of great interest, and of the most hopeful promise. The crowd of Indians ranged before the marquee had lost a l l semblance of wildness of the true type. W i l d men they were, i n a sense, l i v i n g as they d i d i n the forest and on their great waters. But it was plain that these people had achieved, without any treaty at a l l , a stage of c i v i l i z a t i on d i s t i n c t l y i n advance of many of our treaty Indians to the south after twenty- five years of education. Instead of paint and feathers, the scalp- lock, the breech- clout, and the buffalo-robe, there presented itself a body of respectable- looking men, as well dressed and evidently quite as independent i n their feelings as any l i k e number of average pioneers i n the East. Indeed, I had seen there, i n my youth, many a time, crowds of white settlers inferior to these i n sedateness and self- possession. One was prepared, i n this w i l d region of forest, to behold some savage types of men; indeed, I craved to renew the vanished scenes of old. B u t , alas! one beheld, instead, men w i t h well- washed, unpainted faces, and combed and common h a i r ; men i n suits of ordinary " store- clothes," and some even w i t h " boiled " i f not laundered shirts. One felt dis- |
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