The Word Carrier (Santee, Nebraska), 1892-09 - 1892-10

              The Word Carrier.
VOLUME   XXI.
HELPING   THE   RIGHT,   EXPOSING   THE   WRONG.
SANTEE AGENCY, NEBKASKA.
s UMBERS   !), lO.
SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER, ,8q:
FIFTY CENTS PEE YEAR.
OUR   PLATFORM.
For Indians we want American Education! We want American Homes!
We want American Rights! Tlie results of which is American Citizenship!
And the gospel is the Power of God for
their Salvation!
The American Missionary Association at the Hartford meeting having abandoned further help from
government funds for the support
of their schools among the Indians,
it is pertinent to inquire what their
expectations are in regard (!) to securing educated Indians for evangelizing tho tribes, and (2) the financial support of their indian missions and schools. In answer to the
first they put forth the statement
th iit "government schools have now
reached a position as to equipments,
methods, and general efficiency
where the common school education among the Indians may be
safely and wisely intrusted to them."
And in regard to the second they
resolve to do all in their power to
increase their contributions twelve
and a half per cent to meet the deficiency arising from this refusal
to accept further government appropriations for Indian work.
One need be no prophet to say
that financial plans based upon
such a misapprehension of the relation of government schools to missionary work will surely fall through.
With the largest and most influential government scliool in the country
radii ally and actively opposed to the
idea of training young Indians for
work among their people.; and with
the product of all the government
schools unfitted and often incapacitated by their government education
for missionary training there is clearly very little foundation for such satisfied dependance upon government
schools for missionary helpers.
It will be said, "But we mean to
take the graduates of the government schools and give them the special theological training they need."
This seems very nice as a theory;
and it seems to be borne out by the
way we do in our white schools.
However this is not the truth. Else
we would depend upon our state
universities to supply our theological seminaries with candidates for
the ministry, which we do not and
cannot. In the education of Indians the case is still clearer. For
with ns the christian influences of
the home, and the sabbath training
of the churches largely modify and
complement the influences and
training of the public schools. But
Indian pupils who have been brought
up in government boarding schools,
where they are kept from the age
of six to eighteen, are just what
the boarding schools make them.
Hence if we are going to train any for
christian work we must, in our mission schools, begin at the bottom.
Few people understand what the
educational business of the missionary societies is. It is not the business nor aim of the missionary
boards, whether Congregational,
■"esbyterian, Baptist, Episcopalian
oi' Methodist, to furnish education,
as such, for the Indian tribes. With
me missionary societies, education
is only a means to an end.    That
end is the Christianization of the
Indian by means of the Indian. So
that whatever the government may
do or not do, in educating Indians,
leaves the same work on the hands
of the missionary schools. The
character of that work may be
changed somewhat, but it is not
diminished by reason of the government scliool work. It is rather increased by the raising of the general
standard of education and the unfortunate necessity of counteracting the negative influences of the
government schools.
The Indian has now become, in
certain districts, quite an important element in politics. The Republicans of South Dakota are industriously taking him in hand.
Senator Pettigrew has for years
cultivated the citizen Indians of
Flandrau. And now the opening
of the Sisseton reservation and
land-in-severalty creates a large
body of Indian voters in that region
who are to be looked after. This
is done in an intelligent and honorable way. One of the most influential mentis employed is the department in the Dakota language
in the Brown's Valley Foot Prints.
This department is edited and
prepared by H. S. Morris of Brown's
Valley, Minn.    The paper is being
j widely  circulated among those In-
i dians. According to the Red Man
it would be much better to fire  at
I them Congressional documents in
j English.  	
INDIANISM.
Indians are paradoxical creatures.
The essence of Indianism often
seems to be individualism gone to
seed. Every man for himself isthe
Indian's way in general, as well as
his method of war. The idea of
unity, cooperation, or interdependence is especialy lacking. To get
Indians to act together is a great
part of our school training. For
that purpose we must needs make
great use of music, gymnastics,
and military drill in our schools.
Utter lack of cooperation! No
idea of unity ! And yet, on the other
hand, our Indian is most of all mortals afraid of being alone in any
way. Indians are slaves to fashion.
And no Indian can stand by himself in any enterprise. He can not
go alone and yet he can not cooperate with any one else. These are
great people for holding meetings.
But they can never do much unless
there are "many." And oii the
other hand, the larger the meeting
is, the more meaningless palaver
and the fewer results.
Neither can an Indian work without a multitude with him,—with
him, not toworkbntjusttobethere.
The'greatest amount of work that
any ordinary Indian does during
the summer is the putting up of a
few tons of hay. He does not go to
work at cutting, raking and stacking like a man. No, he first goes
and visits some of his friends and
talks about making hay. lhen
several of his friends come to visit
him, and they continue the hay
subject in their conversation, finally they all agree to have a hay
bee as it were. They are all queen
bees or some other sort of aristocrats, for there continues throughout to be more buzzing than work.
At last a lot of wagons, women,
children, tents, old kettles, dirty
blankets, tanned beef, dogs, lean
horses, broken harnesses, willow-
hay racks, some mowing machines,
a grind stone, and horse rake are
collected together. That's a hay
camp. Oh yes, the men! But I
have been mentioning only the
things that are in sight. The men
are mostly lying in the shade smoking. And the numerous horses,
colts, women, children and dogs,
tramp down about as much grass
as the men cut for hay. An Indian
man crawls out of his tent and yells
at all the camp. After a while one
or two more get out to help him
yell. Then half a dozen set to
work the mowing machine, rake,
and pitch fork. After a while others
come out and take a hand while the
first fellows find their pipes. In
the meanwhile Indian boys are driving a herd of ponies in and out at
furious pace,—just as though they
were all about to be hitched into
work instead of being run to water
or for sport.
The hay camp accomplishes little
work, and the substantial results
are small. It is a great picnic.
Well, why should it not be? Why
not have pleasure with our work ?
We white people make life a grind.
It is all hurry and worry, no play,
and very little genuine rest. So
Indian hay-making must indicate
the right method of life after all.
But their cattle die off, and the surviving horses, by their prominent
bones and haggard countenances,
make most pathetic appeals in favor
of more hay. F. B. R.
MISSION MEETING AT l'OKT YATES.
For five years it has been my privilege to attend a large annual meeting, the first and last were the con-
i f erence of the Dakota churches (Con-
| gregational and Presbyterian), and
the intervening three were those of
the American Missionary Association. When at Standing Bock
Agency a few days ago I wished it
were possible to bring those who
attended the Northampton and
Cleveland meetings to see the gathering of Dakotas. When they saw
the painted faces of many there,
they" would not be in doubt about
there being plenty of work to do,
and when they saw the band of native pastors, teachers and missionaries, they would thank God for that
already accomplished and take
courage for future work. Over fifteen hundred Indians were encamped around the mission buildings at
Foit Yates, North Dakota. All
around were tired ponies, for these
people had traveled many miles.
A party from Montana were ten
days on the way. From Fort Berth-
old and Devil's Lake, Yankton
and Sisseton, Bosebud and Pine
Bidge agencies came companies who
had been camping a week or more.
The meetings were well attended,
although several times interrupted
! by the rain. As is our custom when
no building large enough can be secured, a large booth of boughs is
built. This is very comfortable in
pleasant weather, but rain is disappointing.
The booth was made attractive
by  some  illuminated   mottoes  of
. scripture in the   Dakota language
furnished by our good friend Mr. J.
W. Davis of Massachusetts. These
mottoes were afterwards divided a-
mong the different stations, much
to the delight of the people.
We wore all 'And to welcome Mr.
and Mrs. Davis, they always do us
good. In speaking of our friends I
must mention Rev. Mr. Simpson,
post chaplain at Fort Yates. His
kindness and courtsey we will Long
remember.
A new musical feature was an
original hymn written by Rev.
James Garvie, of Santee. It was
a pleasing, taking arrangement,
easily learned and was soon sung
from one end of the camp to the other. When the long line of wagons
from Eureka, the railroad terminus, were rolling along, some one
would start the chorus and then
the rest would take it up until
from every wagon  came
"Unyanpi ye, Unyaiipi ye,"
(We 're going on, We're going on.i
The Woman's Meeting was held
this time in the John Eliot memorial tent. A shower kept us from
the booth, the tent was literally packed with women, and then
many were disappointed. At the
close of the meeting all shook hands
with Mrs. George Bassett, Miss Otter
Wolfe, and Mrs. Beard from Fort
Berthold. These three represent the
the young church at Fort Berthold.
They are not Dakotas, so the Dakota
women expressed I heir friendship
and interest in an impromtu reception. I noticed that many of the women had something pleasant to say
with their quiet grasp of the hand.
One of the most interesting meetings, and really the crowning meeting of the whole series, is the
missionary meeting held Sunday
afternoon. At this time the native
missionaries report on the year's
work. They are a goodly company,
and with their wives aredoinggrand,
good work. It was gratifying and
encouraging to the teachers and
friends of Santee to recognize former
pupils in nearly every seat filled by
a missionary.
Our new educational missionary,
Mr. Fred Riggs, gave two stereopti-
con exhibits that were much enjoyed.
A  Sunday  evening wedding by
torch light was one of the closing
! scenes.    The bride and groom stood
I between   two   large, flaming   red
I torches.    The bride received  con-
! gratulations graciously for a while,
then slipped off in the darkness and
left  Mr. White Thunder to do the
honors alone.
Rev. Mr. and Mrs. Reed must certainly enjoy the quiot that came after
we all left. They opened their house
and hearts and took us in. The
ladies at the hospital we nold in
kind rememberence for their entertainment also. Remember that the
doors at Santee are wide open to you
all.
I cannot report satisfactorily on
such a gathering as this one was.
It means too much. A people is
| coming from darkness to light; human hearts are being brought into
! communion with the loving heart
of the Father; the dawn is advanced
but it is the noonday glory that we
wait for, when every face will reflect
the light from above.
Ella Worden.
Santee Agency, Neb., Sept. 22, 1892.