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Methods in
Molecular Biology 1758
Biomaterials
for Tissue
Engineering
Methods and Protocols
Methods in Molecular Biology
Series Editor
John M. Walker
School of Life and Medical Sciences
University of Hertfordshire
Hatfield, Hertfordshire, UK
Edited by
Kanika Chawla
Cellerant Therapeutics, San Carlos, CA, USA
Editor
Kanika Chawla
Cellerant Therapeutics
San Carlos, CA, USA
This Humana Press imprint is published by the registered company Springer Science+Business Media, LLC part of
Springer Nature.
The registered company address is: 233 Spring Street, New York, NY 10013, U.S.A.
Dedication
Biomaterials offer widespread opportunities for treating disease, and are being implemented in
new tissue engineering and regenerative medicine-based therapies. The field of biomaterials
had its inception in the late 1930s, with the development and application of poly(methyl meth-
acrylate) (PMMA) in dentistry1. This was followed by joint and cardiovascular implants in the
1970s and 1980s and, with the advent of tissue engineering in the late 1980s, implantable
organs by the early 2000s. The field itself is incredibly diverse with various materials (natural
and synthetic) and cell types utilized and subjected to a wide set of stimuli (biochemical, bio-
physical), in order to generate an appropriate treatment for repair/replacement of biological
tissues. Biomaterials are also emerging as extracellular-mimicking platforms designed to pro-
vide instructive cues to control cell behavior and, ultimately, be applied as solutions for biologi-
cal problems.
Given an increasing aging population worldwide, an increase in the incidence of disease
and procedures, as well as the development of new technologies, the global biomaterials
market is estimated to be nearly US $150 billion by 2021. With this growth and need for
applicable biomaterials for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine purposes, the
design of future functional biomaterials will require collaboration with clinicians and physi-
cians in order to determine the best and most relevant designs, blending both practical
engineering and biological principles. A remaining challenge will be translation of the bio-
material (acellular or cell-laden, depending on the application) from the in vitro to the
in vivo environment. Evaluation of the interaction of the biomaterial with the in vivo envi-
ronment will be critical to successful implantation.
This volume of Methods in Molecular Biology—Biomaterials for Tissue Engineering:
Methods and Protocols—contributes to that effort. In it, researchers provided step-by-step
protocols for generation of various biomaterials for tissue engineering and regenerative
medicine applications. The protocols described review a range of biomaterials including
hydrogels and other matrices (natural, synthetic, self-healing), biomaterials for drug and
gene delivery, surface modification and functionalization of biomaterials, and techniques
for controlling biomaterial geometry, such as three-dimensional printing and electrospin-
ning. The protocols also describe a variety of characterization techniques. Applications
utilizing multiple cell types are also described. The target audiences of this book are scien-
tists and engineers working in the areas of biomaterials, tissue engineering, and regenerative
medicine. Biomaterials for Tissue Engineering is part of a larger, critically acclaimed Methods
in Molecular Biology series. The entire series provides step-by-step protocols aimed at
assisting the biological scientist or engineer in performing relevant studies in a reproducible
manner.
1
Ratner B, Hoffman A, Schoen F, Lemons J (2012) Biomaterials science: an introduction to materials in
medicine, 3rd edn. Academic Press, 1573 pp.
vii
viii Preface
xi
xii Contents
Index������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 209
Contributors
xiii
xiv Contributors
Abstract
Tissue engineering aims to develop scaffolds that are biocompatible and mimic the mechanical and
biological properties of the target tissue as closely as possible. Here, we describe the fabrication and char-
acterization of a biodegradable, elastomeric porous scaffold: poly(1,8-octanediol-co-citric acid) (POC)
incorporated with nanoscale hydroxyapatite (HA). While this chapter focuses on the scaffold’s potential
for bone regeneration, POC can also be used in other tissue engineering applications requiring an elasto-
meric implant. Because of the relative ease with which POC can be synthesized, its mechanical properties
can be tailored to mimic the structure and function of the target elastomeric tissue for enhanced tissue
regeneration.
1 Introduction
Kanika Chawla (ed.), Biomaterials for Tissue Engineering: Methods and Protocols, Methods in Molecular Biology, vol. 1758,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-7741-3_1, © Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2018
1
2 Jacqueline J. Masehi-Lano and Eun Ji Chung
2 Materials
3 Methods
3.1 Poly(1,8- 1. Add equimolar amounts of citric acid (0.5 mol, 96.06 g) and
octanediol-co-citric 1,8-octanediol (0.5 mol, 73.11 g) to a 250 mL round-bottom
acid) Synthesis flask. Put a magnetic stir bar inside the flask and place the flask
in a silicon oil bath on a magnetic stirrer with a hot plate. Stir
at 155 °C and 140 rpm for approximately 9.5 min to melt the
mixture. Lower the temperature to 140 °C and stir the mixture
at 140 rpm for 45 min to create the prepolymer solution.
Continue to polymerize until the magnetic stir bar can no lon-
ger spin even at low speeds (see Note 1). While the polymeriza-
tion process is taking place, wash a large beaker with ethanol
and place a magnetic stir bar inside it. Weigh the beaker and
Engineering Citric Acid-Based Porous Scaffolds for Bone Regeneration 5
magnetic stir bar and record the empty weight. This will be
used in the purification steps later.
2. Remove the flask from the oil bath. Wipe off excess oil from
the flask with paper towels. Immediately place the flask under
cold running water for 5–10 min until the flask cools to room
temperature. Next, add ethanol to the flask such that the
ratio of ethanol to POC is 3:1. Cover the flask with parafilm.
Place the flask on an orbital shaker to dissolve the POC
polymer (see Note 2).
3. Fill the previously weighed beaker containing the magnetic
stir bar with water. Place the beaker on a magnetic stirrer.
After the POC has dissolved, use a Pasteur pipette with a bulb
to add the POC dropwise to the large beaker of water under
magnetic stirring. The ratio of water to POC in ethanol should
be approximately 2:1 so that any unreacted monomers and
low-molecular-weight species can be dissolved in the water.
Once all the POC prepolymer has been added to the water,
stop mixing and allow the POC prepolymer to settle to the
bottom of the beaker. Discard the water without letting any of
the POC prepolymer pour out from the bottom of the beaker
(see Note 3). After discarding the water for the final time,
place the beaker with POC prepolymer in a −80 °C freezer.
After freezing, place the beaker in a lyophilizer for 2–4 days to
remove all the water (see Note 4).
4. Following the freeze-drying process, weigh the beaker con-
taining the magnetic stir bar and POC to obtain the final
weight. Subtract the empty weight from the final weight to the
get the mass of POC recovered. Determine the recovery using
the below equation:
Mass of POC recovered
Recovery = ×1
100
Mass of POC originally polymerized
3.3 Compression Prepare at least three samples for each POC-HA scaffold. To pre-
Testing pare samples under wet testing, soak some of the samples in
Milli-Q water for 24 h at room temperature before testing. Use a
mechanical tester (i.e., Sintech mechanical tester model 20/G) to
measure compression moduli of samples under dry and wet condi-
tions according to American Society for Testing and Materials
(ASTM) d695.
Fig. 1 Digital images of (a) solid POC, (b) porous POC, (c) solid 20% by weight HA nanocrystals in POC (POC-
20HA), (d) porous POC-20HA, (e) solid POC-40HA, and (f) porous POC-40HA. (g) The porous scaffolds contain
an outer nonporous layer (reproduced from [13] with permission from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.)
Engineering Citric Acid-Based Porous Scaffolds for Bone Regeneration 7
3.3.1 Porosity 1. Fill the water bath with water. The level of water in the bath
Measurement of POC-HA should cover the neck of the density bottle but not high
Scaffolds Using enough that water will enter the bottle. Warm the bath to
Archimedes Principle 30 °C. Place the thin wire in the plug of the cap of the density
(Method 1) bottle to enable hanging of polymer samples from the end of
the wire.
2. Cut out polymer samples and weigh them on a scale. Record
the mass of each scaffold (Ws). Ensure that the polymer sample
is small enough to fit through the neck of the density bottle
but large enough to be easily placed on the hook of the density
bottle. Fill the density bottle with ethanol. Place it in the water
bath at 30 °C.
3. Equilibrate the density bottle containing ethanol in the water
bath. When the bottle is initially placed in the water bath, the
ethanol will expand as the temperature rises. This expansion
will push ethanol out the hole in the top of the cap and form a
droplet on the surface of the cap. When ethanol stops rising
out the top of the cap and the top becomes dry, the bottle has
reached equilibrium. After equilibrating to 30 °C, remove the
density bottle from the water bath. Dry the outside with a
Kimwipe. Place the density bottle on scale to obtain its mass
filled with ethanol (W1).
4. Place the scaffold on the hook of the density bottle such that it
is hanging above the ethanol in the bottle. Attach a vacuum
hose to the bottle cap and through repeated vacuum cycles,
ensure that ethanol is filling up all the pores. The pores are
filled when air bubbles no longer escape from the scaffold
under vacuum.
5. Refill the density bottle with ethanol until it is full. Place it
back in the water bath at 30 °C. When the bottle equilibrates
again, immediately remove it from the water bath. Dry the
bottle with a Kimwipe and place it on the scale to obtain the
mass of the density bottle with the scaffold (W2). Remove the
scaffold from the bottle and weigh the bottle one more time to
obtain the mass of the bottle after removing the scaffold (W3).
The porosity of the scaffold can be calculated using the following
equations (see Note 7):
(W2 − W3 − WS )
Vp =
ρe
(W1 − W2 + WS )
VS =
ρe
WS
ρS =
VS
VP
ε=
VP + VS
8 Jacqueline J. Masehi-Lano and Eun Ji Chung
3.4.1 Morphology 1. After 24 h, fix the samples with 2.5% glutaraldehyde. Then
and Attachment of hMSCs dehydrate the samples in graded series of ethanol (i.e., 50, 60,
on POC-HA Scaffolds 70, 80, 90, 95% ethanol) and freeze-dry them. Sputter-coat
the samples and observe the morphology of the cells using
SEM.
2. For hMSC attachment, quantify total DNA using Quant-iT
Pico Green dsDNA Reagent. Lyse cells using 0.1% Triton-X
100. Sonicate for 20 min and use the lysate. Use at least three
samples for each material.
3.4.2 Intracellular Add one aliquot of the cell lysate to an equal amount of reaction
Alkaline Phosphatase buffer containing 10 mM p-nitrophenyl phosphate in 50 mM gly-
Activity of hMSCs cine buffer at pH 10.5, supplemented with 0.5 mM MgCl2. After
on POC-HA Scaffolds 30 min at 37 °C, add 0.05 M NaOH to stop the reaction. Measure
the reaction solution by spectrophotometry at 410 nm. Construct
a standard curve from different dilutions of p-nitrophenol stock
solution. Use at least three samples for each scaffold type for each
media condition and normalize results by total DNA.
Engineering Citric Acid-Based Porous Scaffolds for Bone Regeneration 9
Fig. 2 SEM cross-section images of POC-40HA prepolymer synthesized under (a) 9.5 min at 155 °C, (b)
15 min at 155 °C, and (c) 15 min at 155 °C followed by 35 min at 140 °C. The distance between pores
increased with increased polymerization time. Scale bar: 1 mm (reproduced from [13] with permission from
Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.)
4 Notes
1. Stop at 100 rpm, when the stir bar can no longer spin, but
moves very slowly with brief jolts. For 0.1 moles/monomer,
the polymerization time should be between 1 and 1.5 h.
2. If the POC does not dissolve after 2 days and instead swells,
the POC was over-cross-linked on the hot plate and the reac-
tion was not stopped in time. Reduce the polymerization time
on the hot plate next time and remove the hot plate before the
stir bar can no longer spin.
3. POC can be redissolved in ethanol depending on the desired
purity of the polymer.
4. The time in the lyophilizer will vary depending on the amount
of POC prepolymer synthesized.
5. Some of the POC may stick to the sides of the beaker above
the level of the ethanol. If the beaker is sealed tightly with
parafilm then the POC on the sides will eventually dissolve
from the ethanol vapor.
6. Perform SEM or transmission electron microscopy (TEM) to
confirm the size of the HA microcrystals.
7. This method can be highly variable. Slight variations in the
temperature, volume of ethanol in the density bottle when full,
or whether or not the pores are completely filled with ethanol
can cause large variations in the calculated porosity. This
method will need to be repeated many times so that the tech-
nique can be mastered and the variability reduced. It is advis-
able to have an experience member of the lab guide you
through this protocol the first time. In addition, if more accu-
rate data is needed, mercury intrusion porosimetry (Subheading
3.3.2) should be implemented for porosity measurements.
10 Jacqueline J. Masehi-Lano and Eun Ji Chung
8. Cells at passage five were used in the studies and media was
changed every 3 or 4 days.
9. Make sure that media color does not change due to mono-
meric leaching.
Acknowledgments
References
1. O’Brien FJ (2011) Biomaterials and scaffolds for for orthopedic implants. Biomaterials 27:
tissue engineering. Materials Today 14:88–95 5845–5854
2. Chung EJ, Sugimoto M, Ameer GA (2011) 9. Móczó J, Pukánszky B (2008) Polymer micro
The role of hydroxyapatite in citric acid-based and nanocomposites: structure, interactions,
nanocomposites: surface characteristics, degra- properties. J Indus Eng Chem 14:535–563
dation, and osteogenicity in vitro. Acta 10. Sikavitsas VI, Temenoff JS, Mikos AG (2001)
Biomater 7:4057–4063 Biomaterials and bone mechanotransduction.
3. Yang J, Webb AR, Ameer GA (2004) Novel cit- Biomaterials 22:2581–2593
ric acid-based biodegradable elastomers for tis- 11. Temenoff JS, Lu L, Mikos AG (1999) Bone
sue engineering. Adv Mater 16:511–516 engineering. Em Squared, Toronto
4. Chung EJ (2011) Poly(diol citrate)-hydroxy- 12. Keaveny TM, Morgan EF, Niebur GL, Yeh OC
apatite nanocomposites for bone and ligament (2001) Biomechanics of trabecular bone. Annu
tissue engineering. Dissertation Northwestern Rev Biomed Eng 3:307–333
University 13. Chung EJ, Sugimoto M, Koh JL, Ameer GA
5. Murugan R, Ramakrishna S (2005) (2012) Low-pressure foaming: a novel method
Development of nanocomposites for bone for the fabrication of porous scaffolds for tissue
grafting. Comp Sci Tech 65:2385–2406 engineering. Tissue Eng Part C Methods
6. Ignatius AA, Betz O, Augat P, Claes LE (2001) 18:113–121
In vivo investigations on composites made of 14. Chung EJ, Kodali P, Laskin W, Koh JL, Ameer
resorbable ceramics and poly(lactide) used as GA (2011) Long-term in vivo response to citric
bone graft substitutes. J Biomed Mater Res acid-based nanocomposites for orthopaedic tis-
58:701–709 sue engineering. J Mater Sci Mater Med
7. Rizzi SC, Heath DJ, Coombes AG, Bock N, 22:2131–2138
Textor M, Downes S (2001) Biodegradable 15. Chung EJ, Qiu H, Kodali P, Yang S, Sprague
polymer/hydroxyapatite composites: surface SM, Hwong J, Koh J, Ameer GA (2011) Early
analysis and initial attachment of human osteo- tissue response to citric acid-based micro- and
blasts. J Biomed Mater Res 55(4):475–486 nanocomposites. J Biomed Mater Res Part A
8. Qiu H, Yang J, Kodali P, Ameer GA (2006) A 96:29–37
citric acid-based hydroxyapatite composite
Chapter 2
Abstract
Peptide amphiphiles (PAs), consisting of a hydrophobic alkyl chain covalently bound to a hydrophilic
peptide sequence, possess a versatile molecular design due to their combined self-assembling features of
amphiphile surfactants and biological functionalities of peptides. Through rational design, PAs can self-
assemble into a variety of nanostructures with controlled shape, size, and biological functionality to deliver
therapeutic and imaging agents to target cells. Here, we describe principles to design multifunctional PAs
for self-assembly into micellar nanostructures and targeted intracellular delivery. The PA micelles are
designed to display a tumour targeting sequence on their surfaces and direct their interactions with specific
cells. This targeting sequence includes an enzymatic sensitive sequence that can be cleaved upon exposure
to matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP-2), an enzyme overexpressed in tumor environment, allowing the
presentation of a cell-penetrating domain. The presentation of this domain will then facilitate the delivery
of therapeutics for cancer treatment inside targeted cells. Methods to characterize the key physicochemical
properties of PAs and their assemblies, including secondary structure, critical micelle concentration, shape
and size, are described in detail. The enzyme responsiveness of PA assemblies is described with respect to
their degradation by MMP-2. Protocols to evaluate the cytotoxicity and cellular uptake of the micellar
carriers are also included.
1 Introduction
Kanika Chawla (ed.), Biomaterials for Tissue Engineering: Methods and Protocols, Methods in Molecular Biology, vol. 1758,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-7741-3_2, © Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2018
11
12 Yejiao Shi et al.
Fig. 1 (A) Rational design of multifunctional PAs for micelle self-assembly and targeted intracellular delivery;
I: hydrophobic segment (e.g., CnH2nO2, 14 < n < 20); II: CPP sequence for mediating lipid membrane transloca-
tion (e.g., TAT peptide); III: enzyme cleavable peptide sequence (e.g., MMP-2 substrate GPX1G|LX2G, where |
denotes the expected cleavage site by MMP-2); IV: cell or tissue targeting peptide sequence (e.g., RGDS).
(B) PA self-assembly into micellar structure with simultaneous drug (yellow star shape) encapsulation and
presentation of CPP on the micelle surface triggered by enzymatic degradation
2 Materials
2.3 Determination 1. 50 μM Nile Red acetone solution: Weigh out 0.50 mg Nile
of PA Critical Micelle Red and place it in a 50 mL centrifuge tube. Add 31.41 mL
Concentration (CMC) acetone to the centrifuge tube and the final concentration of
Nile Red solution should be 50 μM (see Note 1).
2. 0.5 mL Eppendorf tube.
3. Ethanol.
4. Vacuwash cuvette washer.
5. 10 mm Quartz cuvette.
6. Fluorolog® spectrofluorometer.
2.4 Morphological 1. 2% (w/w) Uranyl acetate aqueous solution: Weight out 0.2 g
Characterization of uranyl acetate (see Note 2) and add carefully into a 25 mL
of Assembled PA beaker. Measure 10 mL Milli-Q water and pour slowly into the
Nanostructures beaker. Then stir the solution for at least 30 min. Filter the
solution with a 0.22 μm syringe filter and then aliquot into
2 mL screw-cap brown bottle and label properly. The prepared
2% uranyl acetate solution should be kept at 4 °C in the dark
place and filtered again before using.
2. Carbon film coated copper TEM grid (400 mesh).
3. PELCO easiGlow™ glow discharge unit.
4. Reverse (self-closing) TEM tweezer.
5. TEM grid storage box.
Self-Assembled Micelles for Intracellular Delivery 15
6. Filter paper.
7. Technai12 TWIN TEM with SIS Megaview III wide-angle
CCD camera.
3 Methods
Table 1
Positive and negative maxima in the CD spectra for typical PA conformations: α-helix, β-sheet, and
random coil
Wavelength, λ (nm)
Now an Indian is generally slow to speak his innermost thoughts and to talk
about his religious beliefs. But during that big storm, the scout was in the mood
to talk. He said:
“The Sun is the Great Power. He is in the birds and wild animals, lakes and
streams, prairies and mountains. He brings the leaves in the spring-time. He
makes the grass and berries grow; and upon them the birds and animals
depend for life.
“The Thunder is a great bird. It flies with the clouds, and brings the rain. From its
eyes the lightnings flash.
“The blizzard is a person, who runs before the storm and shoots his arrows.
“Long ago an Indian, who camped in this valley, saw the Wind Maker rise from
the waters of a lake. He was like a monster bull elk. When he flapped his ears,
the wind blew hard; and when he sank again beneath the water, the wind went
down.
The scout related a story which Heavy Breast, another friend who lived in his
valley on Cutbank River, told him.
“When one of my children died last autumn, I felt so badly I did not want to see any
one. So I went alone to the forest on the mountain. It was dark and gloomy and I felt
lonely. But the only animal to be feared was the grizzly bear and I knew he would do
me no harm, because I am the guardian of the Bear Medicine. Through its wonderful
power I have cured many people.
“One night I came to a cave near the forks of a stream. It was raining and I decided to
stay there, because in the cave I would have shelter from the storm. I built a warm fire
and lay down to sleep. When I awoke the sun had not risen, but, through the mouth of
the cave, I saw that day was beginning to dawn. I heard a noise outside, like some
[18]animal sniffing the air. I thought one of the dogs had followed from camp and was
nosing around, trying to get my scent. Then I heard heavy footsteps and knew it was a
large animal. So I was careful. I made no sound; I scarcely even breathed.
“My back was towards the mouth of the cave, so I turned my head very slowly, very
carefully, and saw close to the entrance a huge grizzly bear. Then I said to myself: ‘If
this bear is angry, he has me caught in a trap.’ I have often laughed at animals in traps,
but I did not feel like laughing this time. Again I said to myself: ‘This grizzly can do me
no harm; my Bear Medicine will protect me; it has often helped me to cure the sick;
besides I have always had a friendly feeling for bears, as if they were my relatives; I
must be bold and make a strong talk; I must make this bear understand that I am his
friend.’
“Then I thought: ‘Perhaps he intends to play with me before he kills me.’ And this made
me feel very queer.
“Now, all this time the bear did not move. He stood with his head down and gazed into
the mouth of the cave. Oh! How big he looked! He stood high in front and had a broad
head; and his great feet had long sharp claws. He did not make a sound, but I knew he
was angry; his hair stood straight up on his back.
“Then I remembered an old medicine man saying, that a bear never harms a person
who does not move and talks to him in a friendly voice. So I lay with arms stretched out
and head on my hands, like a bear does. Thus I lay and looked straight into his eyes.
And then I began talking in a friendly way, using the softest and kindest voice I knew. I
flattered him the best I could. I said:
“ ‘Brother Bear, you are very good-looking; you have nice eyes and white teeth; you are
big and strong. I have never killed bears; I do not care to hunt them. Yes! I have always
liked bears. I look upon them as my relatives.’ [19]
“While I talked, his hair began to flatten, so I talked again harder than ever. I kept on
flattering him; I told him some of the secrets of my Bear Medicine. I saw that he liked
my talk; he was in a good humor; and then I began to pray, saying:
“Now, the bear was no longer angry. The hair on his back all went down smooth. Soon
he turned and walked slowly from the cave; and after that I saw him no more.”
Thus my guide, an Indian belonging to a tribe of the stone age of thought, told
me about their religious faith. They believed in the power of the Sun, and that
birds and wild animals were endowed with his wisdom and supernatural power.
They communed with the wild animals, looking upon them as brothers; they
believed they had tribes like men, with head-chiefs, councils and dances; that
they were friendly, and had power to help people in trouble. Nor did they exclude
the animals from the spirit world, the place where they expected to go after
death.
We were storm-bound in our summit camp for several days. But, on the morning
of the fourth day, we awoke to find the heavens a vast expanse of blue. A foot of
snow had fallen. The surrounding mountains were covered with a white blanket.
After the great storm, the air was strangely clear and sparkled with myriads of
shining particles. The clouds had rolled away towards the east, revealing the
entire chain of Rocky Mountain peaks, their white summits glowing under the
bright rays of the rising sun.
Then we made ready to break camp and leave the snow and ice of the high
altitude for the milder climate of the [20]valley; but the devil was in our horses that
day. It took many weary hours to catch the herd. We made a series of corrals
with lariats and pack ropes. By the time we had the horses packed and ready to
start, the sun had long passed the meridian. The scout led the way down the
mountain, while I followed on foot with camera and tripod, driving the horses and
leading my saddle horse Kutenai, loaded with baggage, because one of our
pack horses had escaped us down the mountain. Then the contrary bell-mare
ran into the underbrush and bucked her pack loose, and the horse of the scout
ran away and threw him off. I found him lying senseless on the ground, with
blood flowing from nose and mouth. When he came to himself, he made light of
his accident; he said that he had been weakened by his former life of exposure
in the Indian wars.
We camped that night on the floor of the valley, in a park surrounded by a dark
forest of lodge-pole pine and spruce; the air was mild; bunch-grass grew
luxuriantly and many varieties of wild flowers—blue camas, orchids with pale
green flowers, and yellow columbine with lovely pendant blossoms.
Our last day in the mountains, we followed a trail down the eastern slope, a well-
known Indian route across the Rocky Mountains, famous in legend and war
story. We passed through the long forest-covered valley of Cutbank River,
between two massive snow-covered mountain ranges, and rode through the
foothills with their lovely lakes and meadows, groves of aspen and thickets of
willows, crossing high grass-covered ridges, closely following one another like
great waves of the ocean.
Finally, from the crest of a ridge about twenty miles from the foot of the
mountains, we looked down upon a scene I shall never forget. On a broad
stretch of prairie and on the shore of a lake lay the tribal camp of the Blackfoot;
many [21]hundreds of smoke-colored tepees, pitched in the form of a great circle
more than a mile in circumference. In an open space near the center of camp
was a throng of Indians, taking part in the ceremony of the Sun Dance. The
surrounding meadows were bright with blue lupines, shooting stars, camas, and
yellow sunflowers. Smoke from the evening fires rose from the tepees. Many
horses were feeding contentedly on the hills. As we stood looking down at the
great camp, a light breeze carried distinctly the shouts of men and women,
crying of children, barking of many dogs, neighing of horses, and the rhythmic
beating of Indian drums in dances and ceremonial gatherings.
On that first night, we slept on the open prairie with only the sky for a roof. Late
in the night, I was wakened by Indian horsemen riding through the camp, singing
strange melodies, giving at intervals shrill war whoops, jingling bells keeping
time with the slow and measured trot of their horses. Their songs had a lilt and
wildness, and were sung with a vigor and enthusiasm that made me long to
record them.
Excitement was in the air. Flaring inside fires lighted up the lodges, casting weird
shadows of the inmates on the outside coverings. I heard the booming of drums,
shrill cries and shouts of dancers, laughter and cheers of the crowds. From the
center of camp came a solemn chanting of many voices, accompanied by heavy
beating of rattles on the ground. At intervals the low monotone of men singing in
unison, united with the shrill voices of women. Then the mysterious chanting
died away and I fell asleep. [22]
[Contents]
CHAPTER IV
HOME OF THE SCOUT
Next day the scout took me to the lodge of the head-chief White Calf
and his wife Catches-Two-Horses. These were the givers of the Sun
Dance ceremony. We talked with the venerable chief Running Crane,
and saw his wife who was fasting, because of a vow to the Sun. We
went to the tepees of the war chiefs, Little Plume and Little Dog, and
smoked a friendly pipe, also with the judges, Shoots-in-the-Air, Curly
Bear and Wolf Plume, and the medicine men, White Grass and Bull
Child. In this way I met some of the head men of the tribe, and
among them chief Mad Wolf, an orator of renown and the owner of
the ancient Beaver Bundle, an important religious ceremony. This
was the beginning of a friendship, unusual between an Indian and a
white man. It lasted as long as Mad Wolf lived, and had a strange
influence upon my life in the years to come.
When the Sun Dance came to an end and the big camp broke up, I
went with the scout to his ranch on the prairie, in the valley of
Cutbank River, near the homes of the chiefs, White Calf and Mad
Wolf, and of the medicine men, White Grass and Ear-Rings.
The scout had a cabin built of pine logs from the mountains, with
sod-covered roof and clay-chinked walls, also corrals and low-lying
sheds, a garden, and herds of cattle and horses. His wife was an
Indian woman named White Antelope, and they had a family of four
children.
She was young and good looking, but had a high temper. She liked
to take things easy, to dress in Indian finery and go visiting, leaving
ranch and children to the care of the scout. [23]But he was patient
with her; he was kind-hearted and always tried to keep things
smooth. She cooked and waited on the table, when she felt in the
mood; she and the children ate after the men. If she was moody, the
scout prepared the meals.
Their family all slept in one room and I in another. My bunk of rough
boards was built against the walls. But, in good weather, I slept
outside the cabin and under the stars, on the grassy bank of the
river, with a shady grove of cottonwoods near by, and a lovely
landscape of meadows and distant snow-capped mountains.
The west wind blew fresh from pine forests on the mountains, from
meadows with odors of wild flowers, sweet grass, and ripe
strawberries. Bees hummed in the air, western meadow larks sang
on the prairie, willow thrushes and white-crowned sparrows in the
river valley.
But the scout could not stand heavy work in the hayfields. He
suffered from the hardships of his former life on the plains, from an
injury by a wild horse, and wounds received in the Indian wars. [24]
Then Yellow Bird came to help in the haying. He was a relative of the
scout, a young half-breed of my own age, strong, full of life, and a
good worker when he felt like it. But he was wild and could not be
depended upon. Like young men of the Blackfoot, he wanted to be
gay and craved excitement. He liked to wander, to hunt, to rope
cattle and ride wild horses, to see friends and visit new places, to be
always on the move; he liked jolly companions and people who gave
him a good time; but he loved to go with girls best of all.
He took me to Indian camps to dance and see the girls. On our way
home at night, he liked to gallop past ranches where they kept packs
of ferocious dogs. They rushed after us and he had the fun of riding
at a mad gallop, yelling and shooting at them on the run. He was
thrilled at the idea of being chased by their angry owners, and of
hearing bullets whizzing harmlessly in the dark.
Thus with Yellow Bird I entered into the life of the people. I wanted to
see them natural and without restraint. With them I talked not of my
life in civilization, but of things of their everyday life, of horses and
cattle, hunting and wild animals, dancing and ceremonies. In this
way I became one of them, and they saw I was not critical of them
nor of their ways.
After we stacked eighty tons of hay at the scout’s ranch, Yellow Bird
and I rode the range after stray horses and cattle. We skirted the
base of the mountains, along the [25]foothills and edge of the forest,
until we came to a well-worn trail, which led to an open park far back
in the mountains. Many cattle were there, seeking refuge from the
swarms of flies and mosquitoes on the grass-covered prairies. Then
we found a herd of mares and geldings. Their leader, a fiery young
stallion, tried to drive us off. But we rounded them up with the cattle
and drove them back to the ranch, feeding them salt, that they might
not again stray away.
When we wanted to break a new team for the wagon, we drove that
wild herd of range horses into the corral and lassoed a roan and a
three-year-old sorrel. We tied them with ropes while we put on the
harness, then hitched them to the wagon and took blankets and
provisions; we knew not how far they might run.
At the start the broncos bucked and plunged; then ran and tried to
tear themselves loose from the rattling wagon, bounding over rocks,
swinging as though it would turn over. After running many miles, our
broncos broke into a stampede so wild that Yellow Bird turned them
up a butte and put the brakes on hard. They galloped up one side of
that steep butte and down the other, our wagon plunging over ruts,
stones, and badger holes, and into a swamp in the valley of a
stream, where they sank deep into soft muck and the wagon went
down over the hubs. But they soon freed themselves, and, with their
sides covered with foamy sweat, they pulled us through to firm
ground. Then they ran again and did not stop, until we were far out
on the open plains. That night we tied up our wild team and slept
peacefully under the wagon, twenty-five miles from the ranch.
Nínake, the younger sister, was the favorite of Yellow Bird. She was
lively, a great talker, and gave him a good time. But I liked Katoyísa
better, a quiet bashful girl of nineteen, with shapely head and good
features. Her black hair hung in two heavy braids almost to her
knees. She wore homemade cotton gowns of thin material which
showed her slender graceful form. From the look in her eyes and
expression of her face, I knew she had courage and character. In her
was the stuff of our bravest pioneers.
After we had finished with the hay of the scout, Yellow Bird and I
went to their ranch to help with their crops. The girls cooked and
gave us good food, fresh vegetables from their garden, beef, bread
and butter and milk.
Many years have passed, but they have not dimmed the memory of
those happy days without a care in the world, the primitive simplicity
of that family, and the way they made me one of them. We both
enjoyed our work, we were near the girls from morning till night, and
that kept us in a good humor.
Then the scout wanted timber from the mountains, so we took two
teams and made ready the wagons. We threw off their beds and
placed the wheels far apart by means of a long reach, to hold the
heavy logs. Yellow Bird drove one wagon and I the other. For me it
was a new thing to drive a team of broncos. I sat on the reach, on a
gunnysack stuffed with hay. I had to wield a whip with a long lash,
and had a heavy chain for binding the logs together.
We left the ranch soon after sunrise and went to a burned stretch of
timber on a slope of the Rockies. We felled only [27]trees that were
sound and well-seasoned, cutting them into logs and snaking them
down the forest trails to be loaded on our wagons.
At first it was hard to chop hour after hour with an axe. I blistered my
hands and was drenched with sweat; my arms and back ached; I felt
weak in the knees and had a consuming thirst. Then I became
accustomed to the work and had a feeling of exhilaration. I liked the
fresh odor of the wood, the ring of my axe and the feeling of a good
stroke, to know my sharp blade was cutting deep.
There was always danger of being cut with an axe, from felling trees
that had lodged, and from Yellow Bird; sometimes his trees fell
perilously near. Once I was nearly struck by a pine that let go at the
roots; I heard a sharp crackling, saw it coming towards me and
jumped just in time.
But for me the hardest work was the loading of the wagons. The
heavy logs were twenty-five feet long and from one to two feet in
diameter. The roads were steep and rough and our brakes would not
hold. But we always joked about hard work and danger, and had to
look out for ourselves.
In handling horses that ran wild on the range, we were always ready
for trouble. To control them was a question of mastery; they took kind
treatment as a sign of weakness. When I tried to saddle my sorrel,
he rose on his hind legs and [28]with forefeet high in the air tried to
bring them down on my head. In mounting, I held his bit in one hand,
the pommel with the other, and made a flying leap upon his back.
Before I was in the saddle, he sprang forward like a race horse at a
desperate gallop. He had an easy motion and I kept my seat; but to
stop him baffled all of my endeavors.
We went north across the open plains, without fences or roads to bar
the way. Our horses ran like the wind; we gave them free rein and
held on. I rode Indian fashion, letting myself go freely with the motion
of my horse and kept a firm grip with my knees.
The first night we stopped at the cabin of a squaw man, near a rocky
peak which rose abruptly out of the prairie, standing apart from the
main range of the Rocky Mountains. Our host was a white man with
an Indian wife and four half-breed children, the oldest a girl of
seventeen. She and Yellow Bird were sweethearts; and while they
made love by the river, I went into the meadow to help the old man
with his hay. He was one of those pioneer settlers of early days,
short and sinewy in stature, and with a heavy beard. His life had
been filled with hardships, toil, and little pleasures. He was
suspicious by nature, and liked to talk about free silver; but at heart
he was a good fellow, resolute, brave, a hard worker and hospitable.
His Indian wife was a laughing, broad-faced woman, good-natured
and lazy. Their cabin was dirty and swarmed with flies. The second
daughter was strangely pretty, with flashing black eyes, jet black hair,
and marvelously clear olive skin. She had a pet colt which followed
her like a dog. He came into the cabin for supper. When they put him
out, he ran to the open window and poked me in the back with his
nose; he whinnied and grunted and made such a fuss that his young
mistress went to the window and gave him sugar.
We crossed buttes on the run, up hill and down, it was all the same;
in steep places our horses put their feet together and slid. They
jumped streams, rocks, and badger holes; galloped over ledges and
sharp volcanic rocks, across hills and ravines; it was beautiful to see
them go; they never stumbled, but lifted their feet cleanly up and
over, and always planted them securely and firmly. We passed lakes
and marshy ponds, starting noisy flocks of ducks and other water
birds, crossed Boundary Creek, and were over the Montana line into
the Province of Alberta.
For refreshments, they had a meat stew and hot tea. Their manner
of eating was different from that of people in civilization. They ate
with their fingers, gulped down the food, sucked their teeth, and
drank with a hissing intake of the breath. But with them these were
not breaches of good manners; they were not sensitive to any of
these things. While eating they did not talk; and after the manner of
Indians showed no enthusiasm. None of them said the food was
good, or that they liked anything; nor, on the other hand, did any one
grumble or say the food was bad.
After the feast they smoked a large pipe of polished redstone, which
was handed stem first to each person. Then they talked, speaking
rapidly, in guttural voices that were not harsh, and making graceful
gestures with their hands. The Indian named Grasshopper had a
reputation as a wit. He kept them laughing—all but Thunder Chief,
who was head man and had his dignity to maintain.
“You look like an eagle. You sit straight and with your head up. Now
is the time to shake your tail feathers, like an eagle after it eats.” This
was Indian humor and made the others laugh.
Grasshopper was the life of the party. He said his parents died when
he was small. He was raised by a chief named Red Crow, who had
started many boys in life; he had become a successful man,
because he followed the advice of his adopted father.
To make the others laugh, he held out his hand saying: “How much
do you pay?” I took his outstretched hand, shook it and said: “That is
what I pay.”
Then every one laughed, even the dignified head chief joined in.
They liked the repartee and wanted more.
And then he said to me: “Why don’t you join our tribe and stay with
us? You could take an Indian wife; you could hunt and trap and
make a good living.”
That evening we sat outside the lodge and watched the sun go down
fiery red, with its glow reflected in a near-by stream. Then the moon,
nearly full, rose over the distant hills of the prairie, like a ghostly
phantom in the twilight.
Then by the lodge-fire the Indians told stories of their hunting trips
and war expeditions of former days. They talked far into the night,
and next morning we saddled our horses early and rode back to
Montana. [32]
[Contents]
CHAPTER V