m to
accompany us to that nation, which they declined, for fear of being
killed by them. We then proceeded to distribute our presents. The grand
chief of the nation not being of the party, we sent him a flag, a
medal, and some ornaments for clothing. To the six chiefs who were
present, we gave a medal of the second grade to one Otoe chief and one
Missouri chief; a medal of the third grade to two inferior chiefs of
each nation--the customary mode of recognizing a chief being to place a
medal round his neck, which is considered among his tribe as a proof of
his consideration abroad. Each of these medals was accompanied by a
present of paint, garters, and cloth ornaments of dress; and to these
we added a canister of powder, a bottle of whiskey, and a few presents
to the whole, which appeared to make them perfectly satisfied. The
air-gun, too, was fired, and astonished them greatly...."

This was the first important conference with the natives. If it was not
rich in results, it served at least the temporary purpose of putting
these allied tribes in a good humor by satisfying their sense of their
own dignity. Nothing more was to be expected. It is well to say
outright, as a commentary upon all meetings such as this, that no
council with Indians, however ceremonious or solemn, has results more
permanent than those which attend the purely diplomatic relations of
civilized nations.

In all our intercourse with the Indians, from the very beginning, too
much stress has been laid upon the importance and the binding
obligation of formal pow-wows. We have been unduly conscious of our own
cunning, while undervaluing the craft that is native to all wild
peoples; we have too often lost sight of the one really imperative
element in any compact that is to be effective and enduring,--mutuality
of honorable purpose. Most men, whether civilized or savage, can
appreciate honest motives and behavior; and so can they detect
dishonest wiles and artifices. Lewis and Clark knew well enough what
was before them. The Indians' past experience with the light-minded
French and the evil-minded Spanish adventurers of the border had left a
deep impression; it had made them wary, if not distrustful, of white
men's protestations. This impression was not to be removed by merely
sitting around in a circle and making speeches; it could only be
removed by long and intimate association in the affairs of actual life.
If the whites meant well, they would do wel