The Word Carrier (Santee, Nebraska), 1888-10 - 1888-11

              The Word Carrier.
VOLUME    XA'll.
SANTEE AGENCY, NEBRASKA.
OUR   PLATFORM.
For Indians we want American Education! We want American Homes!
We want American Rights! Tlie result of which is American Citizenship!
And the Gospel is the Power of God for
their Salvation.
HELPING   THE   BIGHT,   EXPOSING    THEAV   ltONti.
NUMBER    10-11.
OCTOBER-NOVEMBER, 1888.
FIFTY CENTS PER YEAR,
THE   SIOUX   COMMISSION.
The failure of the recent Sioux
Commission is acknoAvledged, and
its causes are not far to seek. The
Commission had a difficult task.
That portion of the Sioux nation
with Avhom they had to deal held the
question of ceding their lands as
undebatable. They Avould not
admit that they were required to
ansAver either yes or no upon it.
The Act of Congress, presented for
then- acceptance, Avas itself unfortunate in being modeled too closely
after the former propositions that
had been made and rejected. With
these disadvantages in the Avay to
start Avith, the Commission made
the great mistake of acting as though
no difficulties stood in the way, or
if any existed that they could be
brushed aAvay like cobAvebs; so they
rushed pell mell into the case and
thought to take the Indians by
storm. But the Indians, by their
quiet dignity, Avere masters of the
situation, and our Commissioners
ivere at a discount even as regards
the matter of good manners.
At Washington, too, the case Avas
handled anything but wisely.    The
Interior   Department   and  Indian
Bureau   exhibited the same ignorance of the real situation as did the
Commission; and the Commission
were, no doubt, much hampered by
the restrictions of the Department.
The unfortunate fatuity of all of the
officials avIio had anything to do
Avith the case came out, most of all,
in tlie treatment of the delegation ;
of .chiefs  and  representative men
avIio were taken on to Washington
for a conference there. The Indians
had jiractically refused the propositions as made by the direction of
Congress, and the Administration
uoav offered to  submit an amendment for the consideration of Congress, if the Indians would signify
their acceptance of it beforehand.
It would seem good sense, therefore, so far as possible, to meet the
Indians' objections in the neAv proposition.   The Indians'main objections were (1) The sniallness ofthe
sum offered, and (2) The uncertainty and delay about getting payment
And the last point was the greater
of the tAvo.    They would not Avait
for the tedious plan of getting it
back from   homestead   settlers at
fifty cents an acre.    Much  of it
would not come until they Avere hi
their graves.
In the neAv proposition made by
the Interior Department an increase
of price was conceded, but coupled
with all the uncertainty and delay
which was so suspiciously objected
to in the proposition that had just
been rejected. Thus, according to
the proposed amendment, the Indians Avould receive one dollar, or
seventy-five cents, or fifty cents per
acre, according as tbe land was disposed of sooner or later by the
Government.
This showed great ignorance of
Indian nature not to say human
nature generally.     The   thing  to
have done was to name a definite
sum available immediately, and the
Indians Avould have accepted   it.
And it is small business for the Government to be scheming to save itself a little interest on the money
that it would not speedily be reimbursed from the sale of these lands.
However, much progress has been
made toAvards securing a sale   of
, these lands and a readjustment of
tbe tribal boundaries in the Great
: bioux  Reservation.     The Indians
i Have been brought to make a pro-
: position   in regard to it.    Before
tins they have put the whole matter
| out of the range of consideration
even.    Now that they have made
their proposition then- attitude is
| changed,  and   some   arrangement
can now be made, and before long,
it the matter is handled rightly
MOHONK   (ON FI.lt 1:N(K   TALK.
BV   MARY  C.  COLLINS.
A party from the Mission School
at Sisseton Agency, went down to
Minneapolis, September 20, and re-
i turned September 28.     Both boys
and  girls  were   greatly delighted
with their trip,  and their various
■ experiences will  be long remem-
I bered by them.
The ladies of Westminster Church
proA'ided  entertainment for them,
[ and cared for them in every Avay
j as kindly as possible.    The mana-
; ger of the Exposition  sent them
tickets, and a  day was spent  in
I vieAving the wonderful things there.
! The Panorama Company gave them
, an invitation to see the picture of
"Jerusalem on the Day of the Cruci-
fixion," Avhich Avas greatly enjoyed.
: By the kindness of Mr. Thos. LoAvry
they Avere furnished a special motor
car to visit Minneapolis, and Lakes
Calhoun and Harriet.    They Avere
also shoAvn the city of St. Paul, and
j received   many   other  kindnesses
during their stay.
The following notice is taken from
; one of the Minneapolis papers :
Twenty-four Indian boys and girls
i from the Goodwill mission of the Sisseton
Agency, Dakota, were at the Exposition
yesterday, receiving an education that no
books or teachers can give them. There
are 15 boys and nine girls iu the party,
and they are in charge of Miss C. F.
White, an experienced teaeher, Mr. H.
T. Smith, Miss Hyslop and Miss Rockwell. Mr. Smith has charge of the boys'
home at the agency, and supervises their
manual work, and the boys are very
much attached to him. Miss White, who
was teacher in Wells College, Aurora,
X. V., for four years, is the head teacher
in the mission. Miss Rockwell is the
girls' matron, and Aliss Hyslop is Miss
White's assistant in the school. Assisting these is Richard King, a native Indian, who learned so rapidly in arithmetics and calisthenics that he was made a
teacher.   Mr. King is 2i> years old.
The object in bringing this little party
hi Minneapolis was to give them an opportunity to see the Exposition, a part of
the world hitherto unknown to them.
The ladies of Westminster Church of
Minneapolis, on hearing of their intention of coming, undertook to see at once
that funds were provided to bring more
than was originally intended. The little
Indians will sing in Westminster Church
tomorrow evening at 7:30, in the House
of Hope, St. Paul, Tuesday evening, and
in he Park Avenue Presbyterian Church,
in Minneapolis, on Wednesday evening.
They will give recitations and calisthenic
exercises, besides the singing. The ladies of the Westminster Church have
been very kind to them since their arrival, in fully providing for them
party are at 812 Nicollet avenue,
The
It is strange to stand before so
many Avhite people, and feel that
tbey are all interested in this great
cause. It is also strange and pleasant, that I should haA'e before me so
many men and Avonien Avhom I have
entertained at my home on the
reservation.
My Avork   has  been that  of   a
Christian   Missionary  among   the
I Indians.    I have made everything
! else secondary to that.    I have felt
that it Avas more important to gain
I the  friendship  and love  of some
family than to teach the A, B, C'sto
a child in a school.    The  school
work is important, but others can do
the school work;  not so many can
go into the homes and talk with
the people.
Six years ago we Avent one
hundred and fifty miles north of
my home and built a little log
school-house. It Avas Thanksgiving
day Avhen the men were putting the
roof on. It Avas very cold; they
could hardly handle the hammer.
Mr. Riggs himself was one of the
carpenters. But Ave succeeded in
getting the house put up. Then a
teacher came and took charge of
the school- He did not know English. Tavo years ago I found that
the children, not an English-speaking child among them, could read
and   Avrite their OAvn language.
I Avent into the home of Little
Eagle;   he had a family of  children who had been in the school.
One of his cluldren was very sick.
I  looked  after him,  visiting   him
sometimes two or  three  times  a
\ day.     I often sang and read the
Bible to them in that little home.
j I  could not   help   feeling  that  if
J the child- recovered,  Little  Eagle
would become a Christian, because
i he would feel that God had an-
SAvered prayer.    The child was sick
' about three months.    Finally, the
time came when I  knew that he
must go.    I shall never forget the
day.     Little  Eagle came in  and
said, "Winona,"the name by Avhich
they called me, "will my child recover?"   I was affraid to say no,
for I thought, Indian-like, he Avould
leave the house.     I replied, "We
must leaA'e the child in the hands
of God."    He rose, and said solemnly, "Whether my boy lives  or
dies, I will serve your God."
Little Eagle had a son lat school
at Santee. He hoped that the child
would live untd this son's return;
but the little boy Avas buried away
out of sight before that time. This
son,Harry,came home in the spring,
and Avas himself taken sick not long
after. We could not help asking, j
"What would the family do if
Harry was taken away?" But it
was evident that he was going
to die.
One day I went in, and was surprised to find half a dozen old men
and women round him. Harry was
telling them not to cut their flesh
Avhen he died. "It does not make
J you any better", he said, "and it
makes you suffer, and I do not want
you to do that. I Avant you to love
God and serve him." Day after
: day he talked to the young men and
.old men, as long as he had his voice.
At last one evening the father came
to my door and said, "Can you come
over now ?" I Avent over, and as I
talked with the boy I said, "What
shall I read about?" "Read, 'My
peace I leave witb you,' " he said;
and I read to him that beautiful
chapter. "Shall 1 sing?" I asked.
"No, pray," he replied; and I knelt
and prayed. All the people Avere
gathered about. It Avas a beautiful
Christian death. The next Sabbath
Little Eagle rose in the service and
preached such a sermon as I never
heard from the lips of any man.
This man could not speak a word of
English, but he Avas nevertheless a
man. He could be saved though he
did not understand English.
Has the work of that teacher,
EdAvin Phelps, been in vain because
he did not knoAV English? What
kind of a teacher Avould leave the
comforts of life in the East and
come out on the frontier to Avork
simply for the money Avhich he would
receive ? What kind of a man can
you hire avIio will live forty mdes
from a post office, or one hundred
miles from the base of supplies, for
five hundred dollars? You must
have teachers and missionaries avIio
love the Avork, who come from devotion to it.
Miss Collins closed by making an
earnest appeal for more teachers,
missionaries, and school-houses.
She Avanted special means provided
for teaching the boys and girls how
to work. She hoped that as the
Government Schools were provided,
Christian teachers Avould be engaged
to do the work.
BURIAL OF AN OLD BEE CHIEF.
The first we knew of Sharp Horn's
sickness was the summoning of two
of our girls, near relatives, to his
death-bed.
Mr. Hall went to see the old man
and found him dying, unable to
speak.
Mr. Hall, after talking to him and
doing what he could, left him, making the request to the friends to come
for him when he died,  that there
might be some funeral service.  This
request has often been made but
seldom complied with, so Ave were a
little surprised to receive the Avord
early the next morning.    Stopping
only for a hasty breakfast, Mr. Hall
hurried to the house to find the body
already borne to its last resting-place
on the bluffs  several miles aAvay.
Mr. Hall  followed and reached the
place just as the old Chief Avas being
buried.    A   few   of the   mourners
gathered around him Avhile he con-
i ducted a short service, during Avhich
several women Avere wailing   and
cutting themselves most dreadfully.
I One of these Avas the mother of one
j of our girls.     She cut her flesh in
; circles until the blood came, sharpening her knife every little while on
a rough stone.    Do you Avonder, my
! friend's, in the sight and knoAvledge
of sucb things constantly going on
: about us that we long to push our
work and do more and more to bring
,' salvation—a new way—to this dark-
; ened people.    Do you wonder that
we rebel against orders that  would
I shut our mouths and hinder   our
reaching    these    ignorant   souls
| through their own language.
The Mission School at Fort
< Berthold has had no serious sick-
! ness this season.