The Word Carrier of Santee Normal Training School (Santee, Nebraska), 1910-01 - 1910-02

              the Word Carrier
of Santee Normal Training School.
VOLUME XXXIX.
HELPING THE  RIGHT, EXPOSING THE WRONG.
NUMBER  1.
SANTEE, NEBRASKA.
JANUARY-FEBRUARY, 1910
THIRTY CENTS PER YEAR-
Our   Platform
For Indians we want American Education! We want American Homes! We want American Rights I The result of which is
American Citizenship ! And the Gospel is the Power of God for
their Salvation!
Indian Contributions for Missions
During their last fiscal year the Congregational and Presbyterian churches among the
Dakota Indians have contributed for missions
among Indian tribes a total of $4864. These
churches have 2500 members who contribute
on an average $1.94 per member. Of this $4864.
tho women's missionary societies contributed
$3173. or nearly two thirds.
Denominationally stated: The 17 Congregational churches, having 973 members, contributed $1514. Of which their women's missionary
so: ieties gave $1090.
And the 34 PresbyterianChurches with 1527
members gave $3350. Of which their women's
so -ieties contributed $2083.
Hand Made and Machine Made Indians
Handmade versus machinemade fairly illus-
l; es the difference between a method suited
to bring the Indian into vital relation to our
civilization aud that which our government has
u- d upon him, which has not given him vita    y or relationship to us.
Vs we treated with him and fed him as a
matter of self-defense, so we proceeded to civilize him in self-defense.   It was not moved by
human sympathy, and its method was equally
ii of sympathy and often of humanity.
The ration system was invented to prepare
hiri for self-support, but he became yearly
nmre of a pauper, less industrious and less
provident. So this was laid aside for the "irregular labor" system. It brought in the saving element of work, but perpetuated the worst
ft- jure of the old regime. By it all the able-
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morals; whether in their service they have the
human touch or are indifferent and deadening;
whether to them life is more than meat and
righteousness more than a political pull, we
shall know no more than before. If however
these thirty men are sympathetic humans whose
proficiency in accounts has not killed their
brotherly spirit, they may be able to counteract
some of the machine methods of the Indian
service and install life in the place of red tape.
lied men were massed in gangs for labor in
lding roads and irrigation dams. With them
re of course the families and all the camp
■ gers on. If the work had been distributed
is camp evil could not have occurred; but
tl ;t would have required a little more personal
supervision, aud this is not according to the
genius of the machine method which must
administer in the mass and have every thing
sf-reotyped. So in turn the irregular labor
scueme has lost its good name and is largely
abandoned.
When the reservation began to be opened the
Indians were thrown into the intricate relations of citizens. Assessments, taxes, voting,
. trials in court bewildered them. The reservation system had been running for a life time
with the ostensible purpose of preparing them
for citizenship. But when the time came they
were less prepared than when they were in the
democratic independence of their native state.
There had been nothing in the military czarism
of the Indian Agency system.
At this juncture the most helpful thing
would have been to set the Indian Agent to the
work of inducting them into their new duties as
citizens, and watching over their interests when
brought into the county court. Some agents
have gone outside of their official duties to do
something in this line; but the most have kept
in the old official rut. And when it has been
absolutely necessary to take a case to court, the
case is taken to a United States court at a distant city, thus failing to bring the Indian into
relation to his home courts and making it all
the more difficult for him to get justice there
when the occasion comes.
Indian Commissioner Valentine asks for thirty high salaried traveling inspectors to oversee
his one hundred and seventy superintendents
on the ground. And they will go the rounds
and see how many pick handles and axheads
have not been accounted for.
But as to whether the Agents are themselves
Vitalizing  forces  for civilized  life and  high
From the Indian's Point of View
We have received a pitiful letter telling of
hardship and humiliation endured by an Indian
family of high standing under a government
official. Of course there is another side to this
case but for our present consideration there is
only one side to it and that is the way it seems
to the Indian. A chief called on a government
school superintendent to make complaint about
the treatment of a child;there were high words
and the superintendent thought the chief was
going to draw- a knife on him and reported
it to the"Farmer" who is a sort of sub agent.
He admitted afterwards that the charge was a
mistake. But the farmer arrested tbe chief and
put him to hard labor for a week without trial.
And without regard to his age or official standing set him at work which was humiliating and
degrading. For instance,he made him .ran after
a pig and catch it and kill it. The letter closes
with these inquiries "Is it a law that a teacher
should make the blood come out of the head of
a child?; Is it a law that the Farmer has the
right to punish a chief without knowing things
or trial by court, or without letting the Agent
i know? Is it a law that a Farmer has power to
i arrest a chief and set him for seven days at
| hard labor, making him do all that the Farmer
i should do?"
Whatever the true merits of the case may be,
there is on the part of the government officials
I an evident lack of human sympathy and tact. J
And that is enough to characterize their action
as bad government. So, generally it is true
that the Indians greivance may be altogether
wrong in its bill of particulars and yet be right
in its main points. Brutal justice is no justice. The Indian service needs fewer inspectors of stores and accounts and more inspectors
of courtesy and good manners on the part of
government officials in their intercourse with
Indians.
Death of a Good Indian
Thomas H. Aungie, a faithful Presbyterian
elder at Yankton Agency died last summer and
his life should have been mentioned in these
columns because be was one of the steadfast
supporters of all Christion work among the Dakota people. Dr. J. P. Williamson has written
of him in the January Iapi Oaye saying he was
one who was absolutely a Christian, at home or
away. He was a leader in promoting all missionary work. He was for many years a prominent member of the Indiau Y. M. C. A.
From Crow Agency, Montana
Mr. Burgess was to have started for a canvas
of the State of Washington before Christmas
for funds for their church building, but was
advised by Mr. Hinman to put it -off until after
the holidays. Since then it has beeu so cold
that he feared to leave Mrs. Burgess alone with
both the inside and outside work to do, but
very soon he hopes to be able to start. In the
meantime he is building a day school in the
Reno District. They have no funds for this so
Mr. Burgess has to use his own. He does not
know just how this will work out, but hopes in
some way they will get help for this burden too.
The Catholics are more active than they have ever
been known to be. It looks as if they would
drive the Baptist missionary from the field.
He is making a hard fight as he has built up
quite an expensive plant including a hospital.
The Oneidas of Today
My ancestors once lived in the beautiful Mohawk Valley, and sat around the council fires
of the Iroquois in New York.
About three generations ago a part of the
tribe that had become christianized and civilized, was induced to leave their little farms and
homes among their own people, and emigrate
west to the new state of Wisconsin.    There in
the woods they cut down trees, built themselves
homes, and started a small farming community.     One of their first buildings was a little
church, the  first one built in Wisconsin.    Our
missionary, Eleazar Williams, was supposed to
be the lost Dauphin of France and the Episcopal church that he established is today a large
and influential body, and worships in a stone
church that the Indians themselves built with
much labor and sacrifice.    He also translated
the prayer book and many hymns into our language, and these we use today in our service.
j     Many of my people are prosperous farmers.,
i with brick or frame   houses  and large  barns.
| Others are not thrifty, but live in poor houses
on badly kept farms.    All have to work enough
to support their families, because they have
no help from the Government.    Once a year we
receive forty-four cents  apiece from a fund allowed our ancestors for service rendered in the
Revolutionary War.
Our women are energetic and hard working.
Almost all have learned lace making, and one
year earned over two thousand dollars. One
Hampton girl saved enough to build a house for
her family, and another has furnished her four
room house through money made in this way.
Our parents are very ambitious for their
children and often make great sacrifices to keep
them in the school. Nearly two hundred have
been at Hampton. Our present physician is a
man of our own tribe. One of our Hampton
boys has studied medicine, and would practica at
home, only there is not enough work for two
doctors.
Quite a number of our educated boys and girls
have gone out into the world where the need
seems greater. One of the Hampton girls went
up into Canada as a teacher, and through her
influence several students have come here to
school. Another, who is a trained nurse, is now
in New Mexico in charge of a hospital there.
Another of the girls has taught for twelve
years in Indian schools, and several others have
worked among different Indian tribes.
A few boys are working at their trades at
home. One has been our blacksmith, with a
good shop of his own, for several years, and
the others do what work they can, though our
community is not large enough to support
many trades. The majority of our educated
young people are farmers or farmers wives,
and most of them have good farms and well
kept homes.
During the last two or three years a great
change has come over our people, and it is not a
change for the better. As a tribe we were protected in our right to land and property. Lately these restrictions have been removed, and the
white people have rushed in upon us with money
and liquor. The weaker of our people have sold
their last foot of land, and are now dependent
upon their friends for support. Many of the
better class have sold their surplus land and
improved their homes with the money. But so
many have squandered everything in drink
that the more thoughtful are watching the outcome with the deepest anxiety.
This summer the reservation was incorporated as a township and named Hobert, after our
good bishop. The white people who have
bought the Indians' land are coming in to live
among us, and our school must be shared with
them. The saloon also has come, and with it a
greater danger for our young people, and a greater responsibility for us, who are educated and are
stronger to understand and to resist temptation,
—Lena Ludwick in Southern Workman.