Indian and Sabres and Pistols

[hawkeye1755]

In the Moravian Journals on site 10 i read the following:
....On our way we passed the Shawanese town,and the place where two years ago, when Conrad as travelling to Onondaga, he was met by twenty Shawanese, each with a rifle,two pistols and a sabre.

Most surprised me the mention of the pistols and the sabre.
How common was it for an Indian to carry a sabre and or pistols?
Any suggestion?
:hatsoff:

 

[paulvallandigham]

Sabers were worn as a badge of office and were largely ceremonial. Pistols were worn to show the wealth of the Indian, in that he could afford to have more than one firearm. How frequent Indians had both rifles or muskets, pistols and sabers would depend on their ranking in the tribe, ( swords were often given to chiefs when treaties were signed to show that they were considered equals to the officers in the British, and later American armies that negotiated the treaties) or how wealthy the Indian was. Later, as in the last half of the 19th century, Indians carried all the guns they could carry into battle, often guns taken from the dead soldiers they killed. An Indian's stature as a warrior in his tribe was often determined by how good a pistol or revolver he carried, and how good a rifle he used. Repeating rifles were highly prized.

 

[faw3]

As a side note to this I have kin (well did) that was Indian Tribal Police in OK Territory he had a old shot out Sharps that was cut down to maybe 24" and seemed to be good for shooting 410s now a nail held the breech block in, and a nearly new looking copy of a Army Colt made in England. (under blanket guns?) Just a 2 cents ad on. Fred :hatsoff:

 

[paulvallandigham]

A firend of mine bought a collection of Winchester rifles from an small upstate New York museum that closed, and in the guns he received was a Winchester Model 73, in .38-40, that had been owned or used by an Oklahoma Indian policeman. It had tacks on the stock that appeared to be vintage tacks, and included a cross on one side of the gun to indicate he was a Christian Indian. I don't recall the tribe being indicated on the gun, but there was an old tag from the museum indicating its source, as well as markings on the stock. i would have loved to have owned that piece, but it was not for sale. Although it had rust, and a dirty stock finish, It appeared to be in good working order.

 

[tg]

in 1701 a French list of goods to the Louisiana area lists arroe heads beads knives and 100 swords and handles and ferrels.

 

[whiskey]

Swords and sabres were a fairly common item at western fur trade forts and appear on many trade ledgers. I recall reading that surplus military swords from the Napolionic wars ended up as trade goods, so did horse tack. The Museum of the Fur Trade Quarterly did a article about swords in the fur trade.

 

[Desert Ratxx]

Gerradrd mentions seeing Indians armed with lances and swords as late as 1846.