The first white woman in the hills…

It is argued that the first white woman documented within the hills was the wife of Andrew Drips on June 2^nd 1830, while with him on a fur-trapping trip. They camped "above the mouth of Laramie’s Fork, at the foot of the Black Hills." This can be questioned because that location is not considered part of the hills now, also because Margaret Drips was actually at least part Otoe, an Indian, (named Macompemay), before the marriage.

As far as I am concerned, she should be declared the first "white woman" that was documented to have been there. Although there were others before her, they were just not correctly wrote down or accurately placed within the Black Hills!

Two things are to be kept in mind as this is discussed! First, if Margaret married a white man and raised four children back east, she should be considered white… or "civilized," that is what was accepted at the time. 

If you married an Indian woman and remained with them, or in the frontier the rest of your lives, your wife and children were not considered white! Sorry, I am not making the rules, just repeating them as understood...

There were other women, of other colors than red, which did reach this part of the country several times before and after this time as well. And they will not be considered either because they did not enter what we know as the Black Hills of today. Or at least we do not know for sure that they did, often the better fur trapping was in the Laramie, Bear Lodge, or other Mountain ranges to the west and south of the Black Hills.

There were also some very important "red" women who were never really mentioned in history due to the way all women were portrayed not long ago... (All females were thought of more as property or slaves until the "civilized" women began the suffrage movement! This is when they started to say no to sex, began to wear clothing between their legs, began to own property and have the right to vote. It is also when people began to write down the fact that they had a voice in many decisions of the day). Long before that I have found a few very interesting stories about some of the "wise women" who kept better control of tempers among the "hot-headed" men who were said to be in control of some larger tribes. These women still did all the repetitive chores considered too lowly for the men to do, but many of these women were ask in private what the best options were on many important issues! (The stories are not told to all people, only those who may benefit in some way by the retelling of them). A number of times the calm thinking of many women saved some tribes from being eliminated totally! The men telling of this are not proud to admit it, and some say it is not right to place it on the Internet for all to read... but I am looking for the entire truth at all times, not just the parts they want known! (When large amounts of evidence shows many signs of human sacrifice and even some cannibal practice within the ancient tribes I must report it... although some will be angry). What I still do not know, and nobody else does either, is why this happened... What do all those cave and wall drawings tell us about the way it was at that time? I am hoping the few who know, and to date are not talking about it, will come forth and speak of it here, for all to know! Although the women were kept silent throughout all this time, they may be the key to this information! (It is a joke about women being only for "fun in the night" or speaking of the only virgin in camp being an ugly third-grader is what makes the females of all ages become silent due to the foolish men who speak of them in this manner).

One must look at things as if it were a different time... a time when strength and bravery were the main things that kept a group of people going. (Also a time when sex was not as important, and slavery was common among many people). In this day a woman was married as soon as she reach puberty, mostly because she would be pregnant shortly after that due to "the way things were" I guess you could say. 

All tribes vary in many teachings about many things, but the way woman were treated was common among most of them as more of a "second-class" person... They were taught from an early age to look after the needs of men first, even before their own! Men had the right to have more than one woman at once, but women could never be found to be encouraging sex with more than one man at any time in their life. They were also taught it was the right of any man to "poke" any woman whenever they had the feeling to do so. (An often told story repeats about the extra danger of picking wild strawberries more than all other "berry-picking" ventures... due to the fact that they bent over while doing it, thus becoming positioned for an unwanted encounter from someone close by. This story often has gathering firewood or buffalo chips in place of the strawberries in the plains areas). One may think it to be a very cruel thing for a female to be "pounced on" from behind like that... but when you talk about it with those who had it happened to them in the past it is spoken of almost as something that was no big deal. (More thought of as a way of flirting than described as rape, almost as if the men were weak in controlling that part of their body, and allowed to do it as a "right of all stupid men" as they grew up and became more able to restrain themselves). The event was over in a matter of seconds, leaving the man totally exhausted and lying in the grass, while the girl continued gathering as if it did not even bother her much! 

These days, on some reservations, there are even "raping parties" that go out in search of girls left in isolated areas without proper protection. Since the early 1900's the Indian girls have not married as early, and becoming pregnant or catching VD is more of a concern than anything... many girls are put on the pill after their first period for that reason alone. Some also carry rubbers and demand only that they be used by any who wish to "try them on" for size! (I am sorry to say this is not what happens when a "gang-rape" occurs, but the girls have ways of solving even that problem as well... It involves a shaken up bottle of warm coke, which when used quickly has remarkable success in clearing out all impurities, while doing no harm)! 

In early times unmarried girls were never far from the protection of family. Everyone slept in one tight area within each family too. Sex was something everyone witnessed within that family at all stages of life! It was not considered a big deal, even when there was more than one wife. It was always considered by the women as a duty, and by the men as another privilege of being the stronger sex! (Before the marriage the female never took part in the encounter, nor was she taught to enjoy it in any way... to be entered from behind was the most common! After marriage friends told her how to make it more enjoyable, and how to make it last longer than a few seconds as well). A few Indian men had strong enough egos to allow the woman on top at times, this was also said to be the starting point in building a strong and monogamous relationship!

Incest is not a problem among people living the "old way" either... Any sex with children before puberty is unheard of as well, it is the more liberal way they look at sex that causes this. (No man is left frustrated to even ponder such a thing, he can get sex more freely and much easier from others outside his "safe" family environment, and the value of family is more important than almost anything to a "true" Indian). Although it is not unheard of for a "man of means" still to this day "purchasing" a girl he is interested in providing for from a poor family... I have seen the money or horses offered before she is even past puberty, and the poor family is helped a great deal from this offering! This girl is still allowed her childhood days, however long they may last, sometimes even in the new home, without any sexual contact until she is not only willing, but wanting it to happened... No sexual thoughts or actions are considered correct or pure down to "way past third cousins" as well... Perverted men who become a predator, rather than a protector of such girls are banished from the tribe, if not killed outright!

Another effective form of protection used in early times on some virtuous girls was a small long rope tied three rings thick at the top of each leg... (It went to two rings on the second level, and one wrap of very course rope on the last level). It would cause injury to any who tried to work past it in the heat of passion, causing a total loss of enthusiasm, both during and after the first encounter! It was very uncomfortable to the girls as well, but did allow them some level of safety when it was necessary for them to go far from the protection of camp during their duties. I have not heard of this kind of thing used anywhere in the current times, a can of pepper spray is much more common now among all Natives I have spoken with in the current times. 

Many women control the money and have the final say in things among tribes living on reservations, the opposite is true when they live among the white people in larger cities though. I also see a different approach to those of mixed breed. On most reservations, and also close by, that is thought of as a bad thing... The further you get away from larger groups of Native American people living the older ways it is thought of as "neat" or "cool" rather than "having no people" or being out of place! In the days before the reservation living it was common for all others to pay large amounts of goods in trade for a properly trained slave-girl Indian, who was thought of as their most prized possession from that point on! (Boy children from such a union were looked down on by all, girl children were often kind of "placed on a pedestal" for some reason... Especially those with red hair from the French or even the Irish, this has not changed yet to this day). In the "dark history" of many tribes there are stories about many battles fought, and many lives lost over such a girl.

My people say the first truly white woman to enter the Black Hills was the daughter of a French trapper! Having her here was a bit tricky to say the least, and we will call her just that… Tricky.

She was plain but pretty, and had red hair, something the Indians had not seen before, at least the Indians that saw her here at this time in this place!

They thought she must be of their kind, what with the red color and all. The Frenchman should have taken her back east, but as the story is told, the trapper would surly have been killed by the family of his wife. (Who were angry with him for stealing her away in the first place, and said she would not make it in the wilderness). They were right about that part, although it is not known why she died... most say it must have been his fault, regardless of the reason, he was left raising this child in the wild frontier!

I do not have two many different sources for this story, it may not be entirely true, and the re-creation of the pictures are only for example!

The French trapper's wife had died along the trail, he was left alone to raise this child who was now 19, and almost 20... (Past the marriage age in those days... he was worried).

Each morning she went down to the red water river and wondered what she would do!

Then the soldiers came along and she thought she was saved... from what I do not know?

Notice: This movie will save on your drive, but we made it so low in quality you will not be able to work with it, do not portray this young lady in a derogatory matter, someone will get you for it if you do!

Now this may or may not have happened at the red water, or a stream close to Bear Butte as reported, or even somewhere else at another time, I am not saying for sure where it happened. (The various stories of this happening place it at different times and different places, depending on the one telling it). But I do have a story told about some soldiers who saw this and wrote it down before they were killed, and from some Indians that told of it the same way! But the ending did not turn out so good for the soldiers, or the girl and the French trapper for that matter, depending on how you look at things... (She lived with, and became like these Indians, after they saved her from some fellows that had been too long away from women, and only wanted to have some fun)!

Until about the middle of the 1800’s the Black Hills region included almost everything from the middle of the Nebraska panhandle up to and including some parts of southwestern Montana. (We will have to limit the search to the Black Hills of today if we want to accurately record what happened and when it happen, as far as who was first).

Another hard to understand fact about this title of "white" people is also difficult to understand by the people of today's world. (What the term really meant at the time was "civilized" or not savage in nature and custom). Many who were captive, or by choice joined in the "savage ways" of the Indians in any area were then not considered white anymore... And all people of any color other than red, who were among the "civilized" were stated simply as white!

Most accounts of the first documented white people read more like this column often reprinted and quoted…

This page is my final words on this subject for now! You must hit your BACK button to get out of it until I have more to offer... Call my family if you have any other information on this topic. There is one more video page on this subject... but it is very naughty and no link will appear from this "nice" domain until until the problems with that Donna Kellar Klan have been resolved.