The Word Carrier (Santee, Nebraska), 1885-02

              THE WORD CARRIER.
NEW SERIES,   VOL.  I.     NO.  XII.
Helping the Right, Exposing the Wrong.
PUBLISHED  FOR   THE  DAKOTA ' MISSION
Santee Agency, Nebraska.
FEBRUARY, 1885.
Fifty Cents a Year.
Our Platform.
For Indians we want American
Education! We want American
Homes ! We want American Rights !
The result of which is American
Citizenship.
The Word Cahkieb is published in the interest of schools and missions among the Indians. It is published for The Dakota Mission,
originally planted by the American Board in the
year 1835, in Minnesota, but now extended
over Dakota, and into Nebraska, Montana, and
the British Possessions, and carried on under
these several branches:
The American Missionary Association, (Congregational) at Santee Agency, Nebraska, and
at Oahe, Cheyenne River, Grand River, and
Fort Berthold, Dakota.
The Presbyterian Board of Foreign Missions,
at Yankton Agency and Flandrau, Dakota,
and at Poplar Creek, Montana.
The Presbyterian Board of Home Missions
at Sisseton Agency and Brown Earth, Dakota.
The Dakota Native Missionary Society, at
Cheyenne River and Devil's Lake, Dakota
Santee Normal Training School, at Santee
Agency, Nebraska, is our principal school for
all this field, for higher education and normal
training. Therefore, while presenting the
progress of our missionary and educational
work in the whol? field, the interests and
work of our Normal Training School will be
made prominent.
We shall also endeavor.to give a view of the
state of the work under other missionary
societies, and under the Government. And we
cordially invite the co-operation of those who
have been our friends in the past and of all new
workers in the field.
Published monthly at 50 cents a year. Send
for it to Alfred L. Riggs, Editor and Publisher,
Santee Agency, Neb.
good specimens of turning, and some
very neat stands and shelves made by
the young men for their own rooms.
In this connection we call attention to
an account of his blacksmith boys, by
Joseph H. Steer, instructor. The
blacksmith shop does not pile up the
result of its work as does the carpenter shop, but it proves a better test of
character. Our industrial instructors
may well be gratified with the progress
their pupils are making.
Washington's birthday was celebrated in our school by exercises on
Saturday evening, February 21st. Mr.
C. F. Dick, the assistant principal, presided. After a hymn, opening remarks were made in Dakota and English, by the principal, A. L. Riggs.
This was followed by readings, recitations and singing by the pupils, according to the following programme:
Reading—The Character of Washington	
 John Young, Fort Berinold, D. T.
Original Essay—George Washington	
... .Louis Decoteau, Sisseton Agency, D. T.
Duet—The Alpine Morning	
Miss H. B. llsly and Miss  H. A.   Dunlap,
teachers	
Recitation—An Ode	
 Jenny Cox, Santee Agency, Neb.
Recitation—The American Flag	
 Annie West, Poplar Creek, Montana.
Song—My Native Land By the School.
Reading—Washington at Mt. Vernon	
 Mark Khune, Santee Agency, Neb.
Hymn—God Save Our President	
 By the Whole r'chool.
[Entered at the Santee Ageney Postofficeas
second class maiter.]
Santee Normal Notes.
We have been asked why we placed
our shops right over against the school-
house, and did not put them to the
rear of the other buildings. We answer that they are just where we want
them to stand—the Industrial department over against the Academic, as coordinate branches.
On Saturday afternoon, February
28, we had the pleasure of the attendance of Mr. Charles Hill, Superintendent of government work at Sautee
Agency. It was on the occasion of
our montly review of the industrial
classes. He expressed himself much
pleased with the proficiency of the
boys, considering the time they had
spent in their classes. And his remarks to the boys and young men
concerning their advantages were well
put, and interested them very much.
He told them that most white young
men did not have such a good chance
as they had; that he had to begin his
apprenticeship after he had finished his
school days, and work three years for
nothing beyond his board and clothes.
The exhibit of work was very good.
In the carpenter shop  was some very
Acknowledgments.— A barrel of
clothing is received from the ladies of
the M. E. church of Pendleton Center, N. Y., through the agency of Mrs.
Ingham Lovell. Cloaks, dresse.s, underclothing, shoes, hose, games, hats,
books, bedding, with a number of
small things, were the contents of the
barrel. A closely packed barrel from
the Fourth Church Sewing Society,
Hartford, Conn., containing girls' and
boys' underclothing, dresses, coats,
pantaloons, infants' wear, and Christmas things, which will keep for tbe
cora.ing Christmas. From the Stanley
S.JS. of Chatham, N. J., a-box of
books and magazines. It is a fine collection, and well suited to the pupils in
in our school.
Indian Boys' Games.
During the winter our younger boys
enjoy coasting as well as any other
boys who live in a land of snow and
steep hills. But their coasting is not
with a finely decorated "toboggan" or
Reindeer, or Comet; but a barrel stave
is all they require. So a barrel ready
to tumble down is a delight to the eyes
of an Indian boy, and to procure a
stout string, cut a notch on each side
of the stave near the end, then tie the
string around, is all that is necessary,
and away goes the boy, dragging his
stave to the top of the nearest hill.
Then, how swiftly he comes down,
standing firmly on his impromptu sled.
As to snow-balling, Indian boys do
not seem to differ from other boys in
their mode of playing that game, so we
will pass on to see how they make a
ball club, which they use for throwing
a little hard ball. They take a stick
about a yard long, one that is not too
dry or brittle to bend at one end, into
a little circle, and tie it securely; then
a shallow network bag, of strips of
buckskin, is made fast to^the circle; in
this they place the little ball to throw.
Wheni,spring comes, frequent 'visits
are paid to the ravines near by, in
search for bits of wood suitable for
bows and arrows. Then great is tbe
demand for strong twine, and not a bit
escapes the sharp eyes and eager fingers
of these boys, in how and arrow time.
Feathers suitable to strip for feathering their arrows, are stowed away in
nooks and crevices; and don't you dare
to treat any of these treasures scornfully. Rabbits grow scarce after the
arrows are feathered, and who can
blame an Indian boy for hunting rabbits, even though we do have a "Band
of Mercy," for was not his babyhood
spent in listening to wonderful hunting tales?,'!,: How fondly he hoped to
do what his brave father has done.
Well, to return to the rabbits: These
boys can shoot, dress and cook them,
and many times have they enjoyed a
rabbit supper prepared with their own
hands.
Another game is shooting sticks
along the ground to see who can send
them farthest. The sticks are made
of willows, about a yard in length, and
pointed. They like to ornament them
by winding strings around them, then
smoking the stick, and on removing the
string it leaves white marks where the
string was wound. The Dakota name
for these sticks is e-pah-hay-chu-nah.
The boys make whip-tops, and seem
to use unnecessarily a great deal of
strength to see a clumsy bit of wood
spin.
On stormy days, when play time
comes, it is more difficult for the boys
to find amusement, but they are not
long at a loss for "something to do;"
for j;hey are very ingenious, and make
play out of odd materials.
They blow soap bubbles with spools,
and almost anything that has a hole
through it; even a broken argand
lamp chimney will suffice. We hear
of soap-bubble' parties among white
people, with very complete arrangements, but we do not suppose the bubbles are of any finer quality than these
boys can make; nor is it probable that
the game is more enjoyable elsewhere
than here.
In our Boys' Cottage they have a
scroll saw, with which they have passed
many happy hours. Even if the delicate saws do break under untrained
usage, useful lessons are learned in the
way of managing the machine, and
very pretty specimens of their handiwork have been the result of their persevering efforts.
Scrap books are- another means for
indoor occupation, and very tastefully
arranged are the pictures in many instances. Some of the arrangements
are very amusing, and fully equal to
some of the picture stories published
in many of the juvenile magazines.
Another occupation of which they
are very fond, and in which they show
considerable artistic skill, is making
clay images, usually, representing various kinds of animals. They are also
very fond of playing croquet.
Much could  be  told  of  the native
many ways so much like white boys,
that native games do not predominate.
Our older boys and young men have
their games and pastimes, and when
study and work are done, show as keen
a relish for foot-ball, eoasting and base
ball, as students do everywhere. In
running, they excel, and for two years
past one of our students has taken the
prize at the Fourth of July foot-races
in the village celebrations near Santee.
Our base ball club are very expert
players, and win,almost every time in
their match games with the white
young men in this vicinity. This is
not to boast, but to show that alertness and skill are inherent with them.
M.
What Wretches We Are!
The Hon. Sam.'Clarkof the Keokuk
Gate City, moralizes'thus when on his
way to Washington recently:
The train whirls in  and out  of stations without'much notice being taken
of them.    But well to the east side of
Ohio there is a small desolate cluster of
houses, and your eye  catches the station name at the depot—Gnadenhutten.
Two or three shivering idlers come out
to see the train.    There   are  a  dozen
small houses in all stages of village decay.    The land falls gently away to the
Muskingum.    The snow^lies upon the
fields, and gaunt, white-limbed, charred
trunked   trees   are   here   and   there.
Farm  houses   grim  and cold  in  the
snow, with smoke coming lazily from
the chimneys.    A line there a mile or
so away that  you know  is the river.
These bottom lands that you look out
upon are those that the Moravian Delaware Indians were working in March,
1782, when Col. David Williamson, of
Pennsylvania,    with   his   militiamen,
came suddenly upon them.   The peaceful Indians ran in a fright to this village, where we are—to the shelter of
their   chapel   and   their   pastor,  and
whatsoever hope   and  comfort   there
was for them in their new faith in the
brotherly  love of Christians and the
reign of the Prince of Peace.    Should
these inoffensive Indians be  taken in
safety to Pittsburg or be^killed where
they are?    Williamson putit to a vote?
Seventeen  or  eighteen men voted on
the side of mercy; the balance of the
ninety men voted to kill.    The Indians
were  told  that was their last  night.
They gathered in their  little church,
and here where we sit there could have
been heard all that night long the simple prayers and fervent hymns of those
Indian Christians.    And in the morning as they sang and prayed, and offering no resistance,-they were shot with
guns  and  brained with  hatchets and
tomahawks.    Forty men,   twenty-two
women   and   thirty-two   children lay
here dead in the full light of the March
day, 103 years ago.    And  their  white
murderers set fire  to  the  church and
burned them.    Yes, men and brethren,
that's the sort of stock we came from.
That's the sort of American people we
are.    And we build churches and steel
railroads, and put on exclusive airs, and
send missionaries  to the heathen, and
are a damned mean lot altogether, and
we wonder the Almighty puts up with
a world full of such creature* when he
could easily do so much better.    Toot,
toot, clack, clack—we  are  away from
games; but the  boys at Santee are in Gnadenhutten. and glad to be.