CHEMAWA « AMERICAN
Printed at Che maw a, Oregon, and Devoted to the Interests of Indian Education
Wednesday, Jan. 29, 1930
Vol. XXXI
No. 20
WOUNDED FOOT’S STORY
We are indebted to Katie Looking, a granddaughter of Wounded Foot, for
this interesting story, as related by her grandfather. Katie is now a stu
dent at Chemawa.
(F rom
the
Q uiver of E verett D ean M artin )
jw
------->-
Men make a virtue of their faith when in fact they
are victims of it.
am
>
If our education is to proceed we must get over our
delusion of infallibility.
flwy.uyj
Our existence is not measured by what we can get
or what we can do, but what with our getting and
doing we may become.
While a bachelor’s degree is not exactly a social
necessity, there are many who would have something
like an inferiority complex without it.
Whoever leaves an institution of learning with the
same outlook on life that he had when he first came
might well have employed his time otherwise.
One does not get an education anywhere. One be
comes an educated person by virtue of patient study,
quiet meditation, intellectual courage, and a life devoted
to the discovery of service and truth.
The habit of reading good books, ability to know
the good ones from the inferior, capacity to enjoy
good books for the beauty and wisdom that may be
found in them, are essential parts of a liberal educa
tion.
Many enter institutions of learning with the mis
taken notion that it is education they desire, when
what they really want is a good time and a little train
ing in what they think are the maners and ways of
speech of polite society.
Anyone who does not continue his studies through
the years of a busy life and thinks that the brief intro
duction to the tools of scholarship which he received
in his adolescence is education, should apologize to
his college, not criticise it.
Wounded Foot was one of the warriors of the As-
siniboine tribe which combatted with the Piegan In
dians in January, 1878, near Little Rock Mountain,
a few miles west of Zortman. Montana. His story
follows:
“We (Assiniboine Indians) left our homes near
Wolf Point, Montana, in the hope of meeting onr ad
versaries, the Piegans, who roamed far to the west
near Little Rock Mouatian. Our party consisted of
fourteen men. Walking Bull was appointed as medi
cine man.
“Four days after leaving our homes, Walking Bull,
as was customary with us, sang a medicine song to
render himself worthy, and then went into a trance
to receive vision of where our enemy was located and
what would happen the following day.
“Next morning one young man volunteered and
was sent forth to try to spy out where the Piegans were
located and how we could best approach their encamp
ment.
“Hours passed while we were awaiting his return
during which time we were mending our moccasins
and preparing for the coming battle. All of a sudden
we heard a sound similar to the barking of a coyote
which we recognized as a signal from our spy that he
had detected the Piegan camp. At last he returned
and informed us that our foes were situated a half-day’s
journey further west. So we continued our march.
“That night when we drew near their camp we
stopped to prepared ourseives for whatever might
happen. Several of our braves went into the camp while
the rest of us waited on tne outskirts.
“It was only a short time until our men returned
and brought with them some horses they had stolen,
but they reported that the Piegans were aroused, as
they had seen lights in the several tepees. This gave
us warning that the Piegans were aware of our
approach to do them mischief.
“In order to save ourselves we thought it best to
hide on the mountain where the forest was dense
enough to conceal us. Meanwhile, the seven who had
stolen the horses went on their way home, toward the
East.
(Continued on page 2)