The Word Carrier (Santee, Nebraska), 1886-06 - 1886-07

              THE WORD CARRIER.
NEW SERIES,   VOL. III.   NOS.   IV-V.
Helping the Right, Exposing the Wrong.
PUBLISHED  FOR   THE DAKOTA   MISSION.
Santee Agency, Nebraska.
JUNE-JULY, 1886.
Fifty Cents a Year.
Our Platform.
For Indians we want American
Education! We want American
Homes ! We want American Rights !
The result oe which is American
Citizenship.
Birds' Nest.
Young men's hall.
Boys' cottage.
Statistical Summary.
santee normal training school.
The Word Carrier 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 Eiver, 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
A gency, 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 whole 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.
A cad em ic Dap artm ent.
Riggs A.  M., principal.
Weston A. M., assistant
instructors
Alfred L.
Bartlett H.
principal!     	
Mrs. Mary E. Wood, Miss H. B.
llsley, instructors in music.
Miss Helen E. Haynes, instructor
in drawing.
Miss Julia E. Pratt, primary department.
Miss Emma M. Whitney, kindergarten.
Eli Abraham, native teacher.
James Garvie, native teacher.
Mark Khune, Jennie Cox, Eugenia
La Moure, normal assistants.
Rev. John P. Williamson A. M.,
Rev. A. L. Riggs A. M., theological
institute.
The   Santee  Normal   Training
School.
The Santee Normal Training Mission School is the principal school
among the Dakota Indians. It is located at the Santee Agency, Nebraska,
two miles from the Missouri river,
directly opposite Springfield, Dakota.
Two hundred and ten have been in
attendance during the past year, representing the seven principal tribes
of the Dakotas—Tetons, Sissetons,
Yanktons, Santees, and others, as
well as some from the more northern
[Entered at the Santee Agency Postoffice as
second class matter.]
General View of   Santee Normal
Training School, 1885-6.
We think it clue to the friends of
Indian advancement and to all supporters of our school that a full report from each department should be
rendered this year. This we have endeavored to do and invite your attention to a picture Avhich we believe to
be worthy of your consideration. It
furnishes proof to those who have
provided funds that these have been
well applied and to the workers in
the field that success is the sure reward of faithful, unflagging effort.
We present the following
list of reports.
Academic   Department  Sautee Normal Training School.
General view.
Report of the assistant principal.
Language lessons.
Translation and writing.
Drawing.
Music.
Bookkeeping.
Dakota Bible study.
The primary department.
Industrial Depart meat:
Blacksmith shop.
Carpenter shop.
Shoe shop.
The farm.
The School Homes:
Dakota home.
aud western tribes, Rees, Mandans,
Gros Ventres aud Arapahoes. Four
homes are provided for the. young
men, the boys, the yrouug women and
the little girls, respectively, each presided over by a competent matron.
Here these young people are taught
all branches of housework; the boys,
under the oversight of these matrons, keeping their rooms clean and
in order. They are taught to cook,
make bread, set their tables neatly,
wash dishes, and, in short, to do everything pertaining to a well regulated
household. The girls and young
women learn also to cut and make
their own dresses, and to do all kinds | it is hoped, will
in Dakota. The devotional exercises
are conducted in both languages, and
then half of the pupils disperse to
their various duties in home or shop,
while the rest remain for the school
work. Six English teachers and
three native teachers form the school
room corps. Mathematics, the writing and speaking of English sentences, reading classes in United
States history, and the stories of the
Gospel and Bible, with a careful drill
in gymnastics aud vocal music, by
skillful instructors, occupy the morning. Then these pupils change
places with those who have been at
work, and the afternoon school goes
through a drill similar to that of the
morning, only on a lower grade.
The industrial department comprises, beside the home work and the
farm -work, blacksmithing, carpentering and shoemakiug. In each of
these departments the pupils are
taught practically, and while they do
not become skilled workmen in one
year nor two, they show at the end of
every year results which will compare favorably -with any industrial
school in the country.
Underlying or 0Arerlying all this,
is a strong religious influence. A
Christian education is Avhat is aimed
at. The reason urged upon any
pupil for the accomplishing of anything is that it is right. A knowledge of God's word, both of letter
and spirit is carefully instilled, and
the forming of a Dakota Young
Men's Christian Association has, within the last year, exerted a marvelous
power for good. Nearly all of the
pupils who have been in the school
; for any length of time are Christians, and much is hoped for for the
later comers.
While the great things are remembered, the lesser things are not forgotten. The Christian courtesy and
the smaller courtesies that go to
make up the sum of every dayr life
are made every day topics and taught
by precept and by example.
More room is wanted for the growing   needs   of the   school.    A   new
dining hall has been erected, which,
be ready for occu-
If any skeptic is  inclined to inquire  the  use  of all  this, just  put
him in the way of seeing the Santee
pupils as they come from an Indian
camp, and then of seeing them after
they have been for a year under these
christianizing and refining influences, and his question will be answered beyond the need of words.
Julia E. Pratt.
KEPOKT OF
THE   ASSISTANT   PRINCIPAL,.
of plain sewing. As they are nat- pancy by the 1st of August. When
urally skillful with the needle they this is in running order all the pupils
soon become good seamstresses, and and teachers will dine at the same
though they often come in their In- hour in one large room, and 100 new
dian dress they soon learn to present pupils can be added to the present
a neat and attractive appearance on
the play-ground  and in the  school
room.
The pupils begin the study of
English as soon as they come on to
the mission, and in some of .the
homes after the first few weeks the
use of Dakota is forbidden in the
house, though in no case is the stuch/
of Dakota done away with. While a
great deal is hoped for in their study
of English, they are being trained
with a view of helping their own
people, and this must be through
their own language.
Should you go into the school room
some bright morning you will find
the main room and the Avings on
either side thrown together by the
open folding doors. The room will
be filled Avith pupils, who will sing
with heartiness the opening hymn,
sometimes in English and sometimes
number. The reputation of this
school is such that the Indians are
anxious to send not only their boys,
but their girls. The primary department, established this year as a sep-
erate department, numbering tAventy
little girls, so that it has been necessary to refuse many urgent requests
for admission on account of lack of
room.
With* the completion of the neAv
building, a neAv branch will be added
to the industrial department in the
printing office, and in this Indian boys
Avill show themseh^es apt to learn
here as they have already sIioavu
themselves in other schools. They
acquire skill readily in anything
which is mechanical and does not require the use of the reasoning faculties. These must of necessity develop slowly, Avhen ■ they have been
disused for so many generations.
It is Avith pleasure that I make a
report of the progress of the pupils
in the Santee Normal Training School
in some of their more advanced
studies. For although these studies
are elementary, yet they afford a fail-
test of the ability of the Indian to
acquire something more than the rudiments of an education. We have
had during the year classes in higher
arithmetic, bookkeeping, United
States history, Bible history, botany
and physiology, and in the case of one
pupil, who Avas preparing to enter Mr
Moody's school at Mt. Hermon, the
rudiments of Latin aud algebra. Instruction has also been giAren in
draAving and English composition
throughout the year.
Special reports are elsewhere given
by the instructors in some of these
branches. The experience and observation of the teachers has been
that Avhile there are some peculiar
difficulties in the way of educating
Indians, yet the pupils are desirous
of learning, and do make steady, if
not rapid, progress in their studies.
The fact that they are endeavoring
to learn in a language not only not
their oavu, but in many respects very
different from their oavu, places them
at a disadvantage. Suitable text
books prepared in both languages
Avould do much to obviate this difficulty. The English-Dakota dictionary recently published but not yet
introduced Avill be a valuable aid in
this direction.
Another hindrance in the Avay of
rapid advancement is the lack of
continuous application of the powers
of either mind or body. This is true,
I think, not only of Indians but of
all immature and untrained races.
Neither they nor their ancestors
have been used to continuous work.
This is not, I believe, a permanent
characteristic, but it can be and is
being overcome by presenting proper
motives and insisting upon steady
Avork. An additional obstacle in
some lines of study is found in the
fact that for generations the Indians
have called into action certain of the
faculties of the mind Avhile other
powers have been comparatiA'-ely undeveloped.
After making all allowances we are
sure that the Indian pupils at Santee
are much interested in their studies.
They are anxious to learn and this
desire increases as they advance in
age and knoAvledge.
Their minds are capable of grasping truths presented in clear and
simple language. No teacher has
found a stopping place in any line of
study. There is just as much and
no more reason for limiting the advancement of an Indian than there
is of a Avhite pupil. They have the same