eagle
feathers tipped with orange and crimson tassels, that must have floated in
many a sky, all gave to this man the appearance of some god of the forest
who had just come forth from its primeval depths bringing with him the
laurels of wood and mountain crag and sky, some king standing on the edge
of the wood amazed at the flatness and tameness of the valley and plains.
Umapine stood there the embodiment and glorification of Indian manners,
costume, and tradition, a vivid picture of Indian life and story. The
waymarks of such a life are, always tense with interest: they are more so
as he points them out himself. We will let him tell his own story:

"It was the custom among my people to narrate to their children the
history of the past and they narrated to me that my tribe had learned to
make clothing from furs which were gotten from animals, and this clothing
was comfortable during the winter time as well as in the summer time.
There is still some of this clothing remaining among older Indians of my
tribe. My understanding is that all the Indians in this part of the
country used animal furs and skins for clothing. The old Indians believed
in those days that they had the best kind of clothing, but they do not
feel that it would be right at the present time to dress that way, as the
Indians of to-day are more civilized. Yet the clothes that we have now
are derived from animals. We get fur from animals, and our blankets and
clothes are made from animals. From that point I cannot say which I like
the better. I like the clothing of civilized people as far as I can see.
The white man's clothing is fit for men to wear. I like to wear his
clothes very well, but I also like to wear the clothing my people used to
wear in the olden time, but I do not like to wear it now on account of my
friends the white people, who live with me. I remember when I was a small
boy I used to see so many wagon trains going west. I knew these were
white people, but at that time I did not know where they were going. I
saw these wagons going through nearly the whole summer, and my folks told
me these people were going west and were to live there, and that I must
not injure them in any way, and that I must have respect for them, because
they were always kind to my folks. And I was instructed later to respect
these people, and so I did. Furthermore, my grandfather lived on a river
called Walla Walla. Many white people came to that place and