The Blond,
Blue-eyed Baby
My mother’s family left Illinois seeking
land and were among the earliest settlers in this region. Bands of Osage
Indians had roamed the area for generations and contact with them occurred
often. An encounter happened when my great-great-grandfather left grandma and
his baby girl alone while he traveled to town for supplies. My grandmother
turned and saw an Osage brave standing inside the door near the baby. I cannot
imagine her fear upon witnessing him. The man was over six-feet tall and had
roached his hair up with porcupine quills like a Mohawk thus adding to his
height. The baby was awake and watched the visitor. Like most new babies she had
blue eyes and blonde curls.
The Native Americans spoke different
languages and had as much difficulty understanding each other as the white men
experienced. Sign language was universal and the only means of communication
among the tribes and white, also. The man indicated through gestures he wanted
the baby. What the Osage offered to trade for her did not survive the retelling
of the story throughout the generations of my family. My grandmother told him,
“no,” and he soon left their home. Apparently blonde, blue-eyed little girls
represented value to the Osage.
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