(E.4-12) An Archival Review and Ethnographic Study ... - Idaho Power

FINAL REPORTThe farther Captain Bonneville advanced into thecountry of these Root Diggers, the more evidence heperceived of their rude and forlorn condition. “They weredestitute,” says he, “of the necessary covering to protectthem from the weather; and seemed to be in the mostunsophisticated ignorance of any other propriety oradvantage in the use of clothing. One old dame hadabsolutely nothing on her person but a thread round herneck, from which was pendant a solitary bead.”What state of human destitution, however, is toodestitute for vanity! Though these naked and forlornlookingbeings had neither toilet to arrange, nor beauty tocontemplate, their greatest passion was for a mirror. Itwas a “great medicine,” in their eyes. The sight of one wassufficient, at any time, to throw them into a paroxysm ofeagerness and delight; and they were ready to give anythingthey had for the smallest fragment in which they mightbehold their squalid features. With this simple instance ofvanity, in its primitive but vigorous state, we shall closeour remarks on the Root Diggers (Irving 1961:212-213).A couple of a days later, Bonneville (Irving 1961:217) describedanother group of Root Diggers.Here they were visited by a party of Root Diggers, whowere apparently rising in the world, for they had “a horseto ride and weapon to wear,” and were altogether better cladand equipped than any of the tribe that Captain Bonnevillehad met with. They were just from the plain of BoiseeRiver, where they had left a number of their tribe, all aswell provided as themselves, having guns, horses, andcomfortable clothing. All these they obtained from theLower Nez Perce, with whom they were in habits of frequenttraffic. They appeared to have imbibed from that tribetheir non-combative principles, being mild and inoffensivein their manners. Like them, also they had something ofreligious feelings; for Captain Bonneville observed that,before eating they washed their hands and made a shortprayer; which he understood was their invariable custom.From these Indians he obtained a considerable supply offish, and an excellent and well-conditioned horse, toreplace one which had become too weak for the journey.Being assured by the natives, Bonneville stuck to the Snake Riverdue to the snow at high elevations. The Digger guide, whose81