In addition to the permanent earth-covered lodges the Pawnee made
extensive use of temporary skin-covered shelters, unlike the conical
lodge of the plains tribes. These served as their habitations during the
hunting season, when away from their villages. A most valuable and
interesting description of the ways and customs of the Pawnee while
occupying their movable villages was prepared by one who, during the
summer and autumn of 1835, lived among the people, sharing their
primitive ways of life and thereby learning many of their peculiar
traits. The English traveler, Charles A. Murray, whose narrative is
quoted in part on the following pages, left Fort Leavenworth July 7,
1835, and two weeks later reached the summer camp of the Pawnee: "and a
more interesting or picturesque scene I never beheld. Upon an extensive
prairie gently sloping down to a creek, the winding course of which
marked a broken line of wood here and there interspersed with a fine
clump of trees, were about five thousand savages, inclusive of women and
children; some were sitting under their buffalo-skin lodges lazily
smoking their pipes; while the women were stooping over their fires
busily employed in preparing meat and maize for these indolent lords of
the creation. Far as the eye could reach, were scattered herds of
horses, watched (or as we should say in Scotland, 'tented') by urchins,
whose whole dress and equipment was the slight bow and arrow, with which
they exercised their infant archery upon the heads of the taller
flowers, or upon the luckless blackbird perched near them. Here and
there might be seen some gay young warrior ambling along the heights,
his painted form partially exposed to view as his bright scarlet blanket
waved in the breeze." (Murray, (1), I, pp. 277-278.) Later he described
the manner of moving and pitching their large temporary camps: "On
reaching the camping-place, which is selected by the grand chief (or, in
his absence, by the next in rank), the senior squaw chooses the spot
most agreeable to her fancy, and orders the younger women and children,
who lead the pack-horses and mules (generally from five to ten in
number, according to the size or wealth of the family), to halt; but in
making this choice of ground, she is restricted within certain limits,
and those of no great extent, as the Pawnees observe great regularity
both in their line of march and encampment. I could not ascertain
whether these regulations were invariable, or made at the pleasure of
the chief; but I believe the latter; and that on leaving their winter,
or stationary, villages, he issues the general orders on this subject,
which are observed during the season or the expedition; at any rate,
they never varied during my stay among them.