P
“When an Ojibway dies, his
body is placed in a grave, gener-
ally in a sitting position, facing
the west.... After camping out
four nights, and traveling each
day through a prairie country,
the soul arrives in the land of
spirits, where he finds his rela-
tives accumulated since mankind
was first created, all is rejoicing,
singing and dancing, they live in
a beautiful country interspersed
with clear lakes and streams, for-
ests and abounding in fruit and
game[,]... all that the red man
most covets in this life.”
—Ojibway author William W.
Warren in History of the OjibwaysWashington Matthews begins recording
Navajo (Dineh) ceremonies and songs.
Fearing that knowledge of traditional ceremonies,
songs, and ceremonial dry paintings is in danger
of being lost, Washington Matthews, the doctor
at Fort Defiance, enlists the aid of Navajo (Dineh)
leader Chee Dodge in recording these elements of
tribal culture. The result of their efforts is a series of
works, including Navaho Legends (1897) and The
Night Chant, a Navaho Ceremony (1902).
March 3
Congress passes the Major Crimes Act.
Drafted as a result of the Supreme Court ruling in
Ex parte Crow Dog (see entry for DECEMBER 17,
1883), the Major Crimes Act establishes that Indi-
ans accused of committing major crimes on Indian
reservations will be tried in U.S. courts, rather than
in tribal courts. (The act defines “major crimes” as
murder, manslaughter, arson, burglary, rape, larceny,
and assault with the intent to kill.) It is the first piece
of legislation to make Indians on tribally held lands
subject to U.S. law. (See also entry for 1886.)March 19Louis Riel forms a Métis government in the
Second Northwest Rebellion.
Following an unsuccessful Métis rebellion in
Manitoba (see entry for NOVEMBER 2, 1869, and
for AUGUST 24, 1870), rebel leader Louis Riel Jr.
escaped Canadian authorities by moving to Mon-
tana, where he worked as a schoolteacher. As whites
begin encroaching on the territory of the Saskatch-
ewan Métis, a delegation led by Gabriel Dumont
visits Riel in early 1884 and asks him to appeal to
the Canadian government to recognize their land
claims. While in exile, Riel has been elected to par-
liament three times but has been unable to take his
seat for fear of arrest. When his appeal is ignored
by the Canadian government, Riel organizes a sec-
ond Métis uprising. He and his followers seize the
church at Batoche, Northwest Territories (now in
Saskatchewan), and establish an independent Métis
government there. (See also entry for MAY 12 TO
15, 1885.)MayGeronimo’s band breaks out of the
Apache reservation.
Forty-two men and 92 women led by Geronimo flee
the San Carlos Reservation and head south to Mex-
ico. Geronimo had surrendered less than two years
earlier (see entry for JUNE 1883), but he found res-
ervation life intolerable. Particularly bothersome to
Geronimo are petty reservation rules that prohibit
the consumption of tiswin, an alcoholic drink.May 12 to 15Canadian troops crush the Second
Northwest Rebellion.
After the rebelling Métis at Batoche (see entry for
MARCH 19, 1885) meet police in several skirmishes,