Volney Describes Native Drunkenness

A bust of Constantin-François Chassebœuf de La Giraudais - comte Volney -  

Artist: Philippe Dessante

 

 

An important part of what we know about the great Miami war chief Little Turtle and his son-in-law, William Wells, is based on interviews they had with the frenchman Constantin Francois Chassebouef comte de Volney. Volney is the one that told the world about how Little Turtle's cow was killed and he also wrote up a short Miami dictionary. That and more was part of a larger book with a title that says nothing of the Miamis:

A View of the Soil and Climate of the United States of America

It was translated into English by a C.B. Brown who added some of his own remarks. The English edition was published in Philadelphia in 1804 and a facsimile of that edition came out in 1968 (thanks to the Hafner Publishing Company of New York).

Anyway Volney was not required back then to be politically correct in his observations of the unfortunate Indians. He was staying at Vincennes, a center of commerce for "Weeaws, Payories, Sawkies, Pyankishaws, and Miamis, all living near the head of the Wabash"(page 352). After describing what they wore, Volney continues (page 354) with his observations on the devastating effects of alcohol on the Natives:

Men and women roamed all day about the town, merely to get rum, for which they eagerly exchanged their peltry, their toys, their clothes, and at length, when they had parted with their all, they offered their prayers and entreaties, never ceasing to drink till they had lost their senses....

Sometimes tragical scenes ensue: they become mad or stupid, and falling in the dust or mud, lie a senseless log till next day. We found them in the streets by the dozens in the morning, wallowing in the filth with the pigs. It was rare for a day to pass without a deadly quarrel, by which about ten men lose their lives yearly.

 

It goes without saying that the rum was produced by whites and sold by white traders.

Meanwhile, a lot of missionaries did what little they could to keep alcohol out of Indian Country.
 


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