The Word Carrier (Santee, Nebraska), 1889-09

              The Word Carrier.
VOLUME   XVIII.
SANTEE AGENCY, NEBRASKA.
OUR   PLATFORM.
For Indians we want American Education! We want American Homes'.
We want American Rights! The result of which is American Citizenship!
And the Gospel is tlie Power of God for
their Salvation.
HELPING   THE   RIGHT,   EXPOSING   THE   WRONG.
NUMBER    !).
SEPTEMBER, 1889,
FIFTY CENTS PEE YEAR.
"A Chronicle of Conquest," by
Frances C. Sparhawk, is now running in The Christian Union. Its
scene and theme is Captain Pratt's
Carlisle School; and it is well worth
reading as a study in Indian Education. The "Conquest" chronicled seems to be fully as much
the changing of indifferent and reluctant white people to enthusiastic
and devoted teachers as in the subjugation of their peculiar pupils.
It is one of the most significant elements of Captain Pratt's genius that
he has the poAver to furnish the inspiration for such aseries of articles
as this.
Rev. William Barrows, D. D., bas
an interesting article, in the Andover Review for July, on the "Half-
Breed Indians of North America."
Its material is gathered indiscriminately; and its conclusions are
rather scattering. He thinks the
greatest source of evil is in the
worthless character of much of the
Avhite stock that intermarries with
the Indian. On the other hand he
calls to mind the fact that in 1816
Secretary of War CraAvford seriously
ad vised that the Government encourage the intermarriage of Avhites and
Indians "for the true interests ofthe
nation." However that may be, tbe
final conclusion is that Ave are thus
"forming a new people or race as
distinct as the Aryans or Romans.
We are no longer English, Ave are
Americans."
Oh for Government officials who,
in consideration of themselves, if
not for their office, will present real
Christian civilization to the Indians!
An honorable Commissioner, after
participating in the Ioav customs of
the Indians, leaA'es the Indian country, not bearingthe proud title of Ex-
Governor, but bearing an obscene
Indian name. The former Superintendent of Genoa Indian School
is a defaulter to the extent of many
thousands, taking not only the
money of the Government, but also
that due the pupils. The present
Superintendent goes to an Agency
for pupils and spends a part of
Sunday playing cards. The A gency
physician at Agency frequently attends the Omaha dances; and
not only attends, but participates
in them. The county Superintendent of Schools in a Nebraska town
robs the Indians, in dealing with
them, making a profit of from 25 to
50 per cent over regular retail prices.
No Avonder, Avhen these are the
presentations of civilization, that
Indians don't Avant any more. But
it is a Avonder that when these are
only a few of the constantly recurring wrongs perpetrated against the
Indians that anything can be done
with and for them in the way of
ciA'ilization.
Considerable discussion is going
on as to Avhether the Presidents
proclamation is sufficient to open
the ceded land in the Sioux Beser
vation, or whether the agreement
does not have to go to Congress for
ratification first. It seems strange
that sucn a question should be possible, for the law for opening these
lands says explicitly: "This act
shall take effect, only, upon the acceptance thereof by the different
lands of the Sioux Nation of Indians
which said acceptance and
consent shall be made known by
proclamation of the President of
the United States upon satisfactory
| proof presented to him tbat the
same has been obtained in the manner and form required." And again,
"That all acts and parts of acts inconsistent Avith the provisions of
j this act are hereby repealed." But
j previous to tbe passage of this
| bill, when its fate was more than
i doubtful, a section was introduced
into the Annual Indian Appropriation bill creating a Commission to
negotiate an agreement with the
Sioux Indians, and this was to be
subject to the ratification of the next
Congress. Unexpectedly the Sioux
bill was also passed, and both were
approved on the same day. This
is what makes the complication.
There is nothing to show Avhich is
the latest. And it makes no difference, since Secretary Noble has
announced that tbe Government
has chosen to work under the Appropriation bill rather than under
the independent Sioux bill.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF AN INDIAN
VILLAGE.
A beautiful country,  Avith hills
and ravines and a winding river
bordered with trees; good water and
delightful air; all these you will find
in tbe little Indian village known as
! Park Street Church Station.    But
the log houses that dot the hills are
wholly Avithout comeliness.   When
j I looked out in the morning light
i this summer, I often had the feeling that I should like to brush them
I all away, as if they had been  so
I many chips disfiguring the floor of
j Nature's beautiful temple.   But all
that feeling passed aAvay when I
; thought of the people, for there are
warm and responsive hearts in some
; of those miserable, floorless, almost
Avindowless log houses.
The Indians have been here only
! about five years. They have built
their little houses; some of them
have planted two or three acres with
corn and potatoes, and the produce
of this land, with their dried fruit
and wild turnips, the dogs they raise,
and the rations they receive from
the Government, furnishes most of
their food.
The Avomen wear a simple dress
of peculiar pattern, with a shawl or
a Avhite sheet Avrapped around them;
and the men, a variety of costume,
partly like the ordinary citizen's
dress, but, like the women's, supplemented, in case any part fails,
Avith the dirty sheet.
Sometimes they work, and work
hard, caring for their gardens, getting in hay, gathering and drying
fruit making moccasins and tents,
and going 60 miles to the Agency for
rationsevery two weeks.through heat
or cold, mud, snow, or rain. At
other times they appear to be entirely at leisure, and sit for hours,
smoking and gossiping with one
another, or simply doing nothing.
For four years, the A. M. A. has had
a mission building here, and a
native teacher in it with his family.
This building has a good sized room
that serves as school-room and
chapel, and two rooms beside for
the family. It is much the largest
and most comfortable building for
many miles. Here, on Sunday,
the people gather for worship, and
a few of the more religious on Thursday also; and here, during ten
months the teacher holds his daily
session, teaching the young people
in the Dakota language, reading,
Avriting, and arithmetic, and the
singing of hymns. He is to some
extent the adviser of the people.
They come to him to write letters
for them, and to speak a word for
them to the Agent Avhen they
Avant any especial favor. His little
farm is the largest and best kept.
His house is the neatest. His wife
and sister are almost the only Avomen that wear the American dress.
His Avife bas a sewing machine, and
sometimes helps the women avIio
come to her in making their clothing. The school-room contains a
little organ, and here, on Saturday
evenings, the young people gather
to practise the singing of hymns.
In all these ways, this plain log
school-house is a centre of light and
help to tbe people around.
is the work hopeful?
Of the young people, nearly all
are in school, and learning, though
slowly. On Sunday, when the Indians are all at home, the little
school-house is well filled, and the
congregation are quiet and respectful. And at a week-day service,
there are always a few avIio seem to
desire to hear the word of God, and
come. Most of them listen with
apparent interest to the reading of
simple passages from the Bible, and
the young people enjoy the hymns.
The hope rests on the word of God.
The seed is good ; the people are
willing to hear; surely it must bring
forth fruit.
But, besides, the results begin to
appear. Perhaps the best of the
work clone has been for men and
women of middle age. There are
a number who have grown more
industrious and enterprising. They
do not oppose, but rather favor efforts made by others to improve the
condition of the people. They,
themseh'es, cultivate more land and
do it better. A few are begining to
keep cattle—a thing they surely
ought to do in that fine grazing
country, but which few of them have
ever done. One or two of the woman own sewing machines, and know
Iioav to use them. Their progressive
spirit is shoAvn in their desires for
their children. They Avant to dress
their little girls like AA'bite children.
Some are anxious for their children
to go to school, and would like to
have them baptized, and some are
themselves desiring to be counted
among God's people.
You must not suppose that the
spirit of progress is universal. It is
not, by any means; perhaps not
even general. But these changes
are like the bursting of the buds in
spring-time. They show that the
spirit of life is at Avork, and tell us
that summer will surely come, even
though the greenness is only just
beginning to appear.
IS THIS WORK lAH'OKTANT?
Some have said, "This work is too
slow. The home life counteracts the
influence of the school. It would be
better to take the children a way where
they can learn Ihe English language ■
and American ways, and nol keep
up these little native schools."
This is assuming thai the children are the only ones worth trying
to help. But this is not true, as I
have tried to show you. Every idea
of industry or cleanliness, or better
living given to the children in these
schools is carried directly into the
homes, and modifies the life there.
The most successful work of the
Dakota Mission in later years,began
with the conversion of adults in
prison. The influential men are
those in middle life. Their opposition or good-will is of greal account
in determining the condition of the
next generation. If the next few
years are critical ones for tbe Indians, as tbey can not fail to be in
Dakota, then Ave can not afford to
leave out of account the men and
and women of today.
But Ave need these schools also for
the children's sake. It A\'ould be impossible to place all or nearly all
in boarding schools. Suppose our
own children could only receive the
benefit of school by being sent from
home. Would the American people
be the intelligent nation they are?
We are proud of our common schools,
and praise the wisdom of the Pilgrim
Fathers in placing a school and
church in every Tillage. What has
been proved to be wisdom in Noav
England for so many years, is just
as truly wisdom in Dakota.
But we need the school even for
those avIio go away. Suppose a boy
has received three or four years tra in-
ing, and then comes home, to find
that everything there has been stand -
ing still. There is no sentiment in
favor of Christianity or of progress.
What young, inexperienced white
boy is there \vho would not suffer
loss in fighting alone against such
a great current of evil around him?
But if he finds there a school and
Sunday service, and has the sympathy and help of the native teacher,
there will be somethingtoencourage
and help him, and he can, by joining
hands with" whatever is good, be
kept from falling far away from the
good   impulses   he   has   received.
Some would say,"Do not let him go
back." But that will not solve tbe
problem. There will remain many
uncivilized ones in the wilderness.
Besides, it is better for the educated
Indians that they should go back.
No other place offers such an opportunity for usefulness or for groAvth
in character, as one among their
own people. There they can be a
poAver far more than in any white
community; only they need to find
the helpful influences of the gospel
and of civilization still reaching out
to help them in their homes.
I beheve there is no part of our
work more important or more hopeful than that at the out-stations.
Let us strengthen them and increase
their number as we can.
Edith Leonard.
Santee Norma] Training School.
A Sun day-school Concert was held
on Ihe evening of September 8, at
the Sabbath-school recently started
at Welch.