(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Indians 201: A very short overview of Montana's Gros Ventre (A’aninin) Indians [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.', 'Backgroundurl Avatar_Large', 'Nickname', 'Joined', 'Created_At', 'Story Count', 'N_Stories', 'Comment Count', 'N_Comments', 'Popular Tags'] Date: 2023-02-23 The designation “Gros Ventre” is, of course, French and was given to them by the early French fur traders. Gros Ventre means “big belly” and comes from the Plains Indian sign language in which the signfor the group indicated that they were big eaters. The name they use for themselves ,A’ani’ or A’aninin, would translate as White Clay People. In his entry on the Gros Ventre in the Encyclopedia of North American Indians, Joe Horse Capture writes: “The tribe has been referred to by many inaccurate names throughout history, including Rapid Indians, Waterfall Indians, Big Bellies, Willow Indians, Atsinas, and Gros Ventres of the Prairie.” In his book The Seven Visions of Bull Lodge as Told by His Daughter, Garter Snake, George Horse Capture writes: “Even the name we are ‘officially’ known by, the Gros Ventres, is inaccurate. From the dawn to the sunset of time, we will always be the People of the White Clay.” It should be noted that in some sources the Hidatsa were called Gros Ventre because of a similar sign indicating that they were big eaters. The Hidatsa and the Gros Ventre (A’aninin) are not linguistically or culturally related. Prior to the early 1700s, the ancestors of the Gros Ventre were living in the woodlands near the Great Lakes. In the early 1700s they were pushed out onto the Great Plains by the expansion of the tribes involved in the fur trade. In his book Atlas of Indian Nations, Anton Treur reports: “The Gros Ventre abandoned their agricultural traditions as they moved onto the Plains because the soil was not well suited for traditional corn agriculture and because hunting proved to be a more reliable method of obtaining food.” On the Plains, they split into two groups with the northern group becoming the Gros Ventre and the southern group becoming the Arapaho. The Gros Ventre language is a part of the Plains Algonquian sub-family and is thus related to Blackfoot and Cheyenne. Among the Plains Algonquian languages, there is a great deal of difference between Cheyenne, Arapaho/Gros Ventre, and Blackfoot which suggests that these languages have had a separate existence for a very long time. Horses The horse-based Plains Indian culture started to develop after 1700 when Plains Indians began to acquire the horse from the southwestern Pueblo Indians and their trading partners, and from the Spanish settlements in the southwest. The Gros Ventres probably obtained their first horses in the early eighteenth century from other Plains Indian tribes. By the end of the 1700s, the horse signified wealth to most of the Plains tribes and individual wealth was measured in the number of horses owned. Writing about the Gros Ventres in the Handbook of North American Indians, Loretta Fowler and Regina Flannery report: “Men wealthy in horses attracted younger kinsmen and horse-poor followers.” Loretta Fowler and Regina Flannery also write: “The mobility and trading advantage brought by horse ownership also may have been a factor in the development of a rich ceremonial complex that underpinned the Gros Ventre status and political system.” Subsistence The Northern Plains tribes depended on hunting and gathering for their subsistence. The most important game animal on the Northern Plains was the buffalo and for most of the tribes this animal was considered the staff of life. In his introduction to the Handbook of North American Indians, Volume 13, Part 1: Plains, anthropologist Raymond J. DeMallie writes: “All definitions of Plains culture begin with the dependence on the buffalo for subsistence and the integration of the buffalo into all aspects of life: the hides for making clothing, shelter, and containers; the bones and horns for tools; hair for ropes; dried dung for fuel; and the spirit of the animal as an important part of religious life.” Gros Ventre buffalo hunting was generally a communal effort and individuals were not permitted to hunt buffalo alone. A lone hunter could startle the herd and as a result little meat could be taken. Before the acquisition of the horse and at times when horses were scarce, the Gros Ventres used the impound method for harvesting buffalo. This method involved building a timber corral and enticing the buffalo into it so that they could be killed. Enticing the buffalo into the corral was not an easy task, nor was it always successful. It was not uncommon to bring the buffalo into the corral from several miles away. Writing about Gros Ventre buffalo hunting, Loretta Fowler and Regina Flannery report: “When horses were plentiful, at the first sign of spring most or all Gros Ventre families—grouped into bands of approximately 300 to 500 people—congregated in anticipation of the northward migration of the buffalo. Men with trained ‘buffalo horses’ joined in making ‘runs’ on the herd, shooting with bow and arrow.” Minette Johnson, in her University of Montana M.S. Thesis Return of the Native: Buffalo Restoration at the Fort Belknap Reservation, reports: “The bow and arrow remained the weapons of choice because they could be shot accurately at high speeds and be reloaded easily. The hunters aimed their arrows behind the last rib-bone of the buffalo, so it would penetrate the lungs, killing even the largest of the bulls.” During the winter, deer, elk, and antelope were hunted by small groups and by individuals. Material Culture Like other Plains Indian buffalo hunters, the Gros Ventres lived in hide-covered tipis. The average Gros Ventre tipi was made from 14 to 17 buffalo hides which had been sewn together. Larger tipis might use as many as 25 buffalo hides. This cover weighed more than a hundred pounds. The covering was held up with a frame of poles: 16-20 poles which were at least 20 feet long. The lodges were usually put up and taken down by a group of women working together. The women could put up or take down a lodge in about half an hour. Gros Ventre tipis used a three-pole foundation, and the covers were replaced about every three years. Gros Ventre clothing was made from deerskin. The men wore loincloths, hip-length leggings, shirts, and moccasins. The women wore a one-piece, full-sleeved dress, knee-length leggings, and moccasins. Loretta Fowler and Regina Flannery report: “Ordinary clothing was unornamented, but families with means had special clothing for ceremonial occasions. Designs were painted or embroidered with dyed porcupine quills or glass beads obtained in trade, and powdered mica glistened when spread over a robe.” Social Organization During the nineteenth century, the Gros Ventre had 10-12 bands—groups of people who camped together and travelled together. The names and composition of these bands changed frequently. The band leaders had a great deal of influence in decisions regarding the movements of the band, but they did not have any directive authority. Among the Gros Ventre, bands were exogamous, meaning that people generally married someone from a different band. After marriage, the couple would generally live with the husband’s band unless the wife’s family was more prosperous. One of the interesting features of Gros Ventre social organization in the nineteenth century was the age-graded societies. For the men, this meant that during the course of their lives they moved through a series of societies or lodges which were composed of men of the same age group. The age-graded societies were central to the organization of Gros Ventre society. A young man would join the first ceremonial lodge by making a vow to the Great Mystery and then taking a pipe to an older man. If the older man accepted the pipe, he was then the younger man’s ceremonial grandfather and was responsible for instructing and assisting the young man. The Gros Ventre had six age-grades: Fly Lodge, Crazy Lodge, Kit-Fox Lodge, Dog Lodge, Drum Lodge, and Old Man’s Lodge. Each of the age-grades was composed of a group of peers who moved through the grades as they aged. According to anthropologist Loretta Fowler in her book Shared Symbols, Contested Meanings: Gros Ventre Culture and History, 1778-1984: “Members of an age set had a moral obligation to help and encourage one another in battle, disputes, and participation in lodge ceremonies.” War Warfare on the Northern Plains was common, but it was not usually waged by one tribe against another. Warfare was carried out by small, independent raiding parties rather than by large, organized armies. Gros Ventre war parties were led by men with reputations for bravery and their purpose was often to capture horses. Loretta Fowler and Regina Flannery report: “Recognition for bravery was granted for any accomplishment that involved risk of life at the hands of the enemy. The most prestigious war deeds were the capture of a horse (especially a tethered one), taking of a scalp, striking or killing an enemy, capture of a weapon or other trophy, and assistance to another Gros Ventre in danger.” Gros Ventre chiefs were warriors who had obtained many war honors and there were several in each band. Loretta Fowler and Regina Flannery report: “War exploits were symbolized in designs on clothing and tepee linings, and a few prominent men were entitled to paint their war records on their tepees even into the twentieth century.” Religion Gros Ventre men would seek power through the vision quest. Loretta Fowler and Regina Flannery report: “A man seeking power fasted alone, concentrating his thought and making offerings for one or more days on top of a promontory.” While many attempted to obtain power in this way, relatively few were successful. According to Loretta Fowler and Regina Flannery: “Gros Ventres thought such power was inherently dangerous and necessitated too many restrictions; parents discouraged children from seeking it, urging other methods of prayer-sacrifice to attain fame and fortune.” Medicine bundles are important to many of the Northern Plains tribes. The sacred contents of the bundle are symbols of power: they are not the spiritual power itself. The Gros Ventres have two tribal medicine bundles which are symbols of creation and of their place in the universe. According to anthropologist Loretta Fowler: “They represented the Gros Ventres’ special relationship with the Supreme Being or Great Mystery Above, a relationship that was the basis for health and happiness.” The oldest of the Gros Ventre tribal bundles is the Flat Pipe which was given to them by Earthmaker who taught them the ceremonies and songs associated with the Flat Pipe and taught them how to plant tobacco. The Flat Pipe ceremonies– traditionally three seasonal ceremonies – provided the Gros Ventres with help for hunting and for obtaining horses. They also provided help in battle and in obtaining wealth. Loretta Fowler and Regina Flannery report: “The Flat Pipe bundle was made up of a sacred pipe, turtle shell, duck (or grebe) pelt, native tobacco, and other ritual articles all enclosed in many wrappings and contained in an elk skin outer cover tied with three thongs. The pipe was carved of one piece of wood with a low, round flaring bowl and a tapered stem with a ring carved round the middle to which is attached a string ornament, and its proximal end carved in the shape of a duck’s bill.” The Gros Ventres’ Feathered Pipe bundle also represented their special relationship with the Great Mystery Above. The ceremonies associated with this bundle helped them to be successful in their life. Loretta Fowler and Regina Flannery report: “The Feathered Pipe bundle, wrapped in an elk skin and tied with four thongs, contained a sacred pipe carved from one piece of dark stone with three or four lumps on the upper surface of the stem, which was wrapped in buffalo hair; an eight-inch-long stone human effigy carving; a feathered stick; a whistle; many dried bird skins; and other ritual objects.” George Horse Capture reports: “The tipi where the Feathered Pipe was kept must always face south, and the Medicine Pipe owner sits at the back of the tipi, facing the entrance.” The keeper of the Feathered Pipe had some power of weather control as well as the power to protect the people from illness. Each of the Gros Ventre bundles had its own keeper – a man who was responsible for caring for the bundle and for carrying out the ceremonies associated with it. The keepers of the bundles could not cut their hair and wore it tied in a bunch above the forehead. George Horse Capture also notes: “The owners of the Chief Medicine Pipe have a special way of painting their faces red: from temple to temple across the forehead, and on both lower jaws across the chin, with the paint ending about even with the ear lobe.” According to Loretta Fowler: “The keepers prophesied, cured, and obtained supernatural aid for the Gros Ventres in making war, hunting, and obtaining horses.” People would vow to cover the pipe – that is, to make a number of offerings to the bundle. When enough offerings had accumulated, the keeper would conduct a sweat lodge ceremony, smudge the offerings, and then take some of them to a sacred place on a mountain or butte. Some of the offerings would be given to those in need. The importance of the two Gros Ventre pipe bundles is expressed by anthropologist Loretta Fowler: “Their sacred responsibility for the pipes, in the Gros Ventres’ view, makes them unique among peoples.” One Gros Ventre elder says: “Only a Gros Ventre can do pipe ceremonies because they are Gros Ventre ceremonies.” One of the ceremonies that is found among most of the Plains tribes is the Sun Dance. Speaking more than a century ago, Gros Ventre Chief Running Fisher said of the Sun Dance: “The sun dance is a custom among the Indians which seeks to elevate a spirit of honor among men as well as women.” Among the Gros Ventre men did not traditionally take part in the ceremony until they had received recognition as a warrior. According to Running Fisher: “The men emulate the deeds of their fathers in order that they may take part in the sun dance. And thus this wonderful dance becomes a school for patriotism among the tribes and a stimulus to deeds of valour as well as an incentive to virtue.” Another traditional Gros Ventre ceremony was the Grass Dance which served as an expression of cultural identity. The high point of the ceremony was the dog ritual. Eight men – two men who were authorized to wear crow belts, the spear (fork) keeper, the spoon keeper, two whip men, and the two assistants to the whip men – danced around a kettle containing cooked puppy. After the dog meat was eaten, there were a series of special dances, and the warriors recounted their exploits. At times, the whistle keeper would call for a punishing song in which the dancers would dance to the point of exhaustion. With regard to sacred areas, the Little Rockies is a mountain area on the southern border of the Fort Belknap Reservation. The Little Rockies are the spiritual center of the Gros Ventre. While this is an important area for vision quests and other ceremonies, the off-reservation portion of the mountains has been impacted by a gold mine. Healing Writing about Gros Ventre healing, Loretta Fowler and Regina Flannery report: “The Gros Ventre believed that illness resulted from physical or supernatural causes, although the line between the two was often blurred.” There were three basic kinds of remedies: (1) domestic treatments for colds, stomach disorders, eye irritations, urinary problems, headaches, and so on; (2) massage, thermotherapy, and bloodletting for ailments such as boils and rheumatism; and (3) supernatural remedies. Concerning the supernatural healers, Loretta Fowler and Regina Flannery report: “They expected to receive payment for their services, and while they used herbal remedies, massage, the sweat bath and other remedies also used by lesser practitioners, they were skilled in psychotherapy and legerdemain as well.” More Tribal Profiles Indians 101: A Brief Overview of the Assiniboine Indians Indians 201: A very short overview of the Caddo Indians Indians 101: A very short overview of the Havasupai Indians Indians 101: A Short Overview of the Huron Indians Indians 101: A very short overview of Oregon's Kalapuya Indians Indians 101: A very short overview of the Miami Indians Indians 201: A very short overview of the Tututni Indians Indians 201: A very short overview of the Wea Indians Note: Indians 201 is an expansion/revision of an earlier essay. [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/2/23/2154014/-Indians-201-A-very-short-overview-of-Montana-s-Gros-Ventre-A-aninin-Indians Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/