The Word Carrier (Santee, Nebraska), 1893-04 - 1893-05

              The Word Carrier.
VOLUME   XXII.
HELPING   THE   RIGHT,   EXPOSING
SANTEE AGENCY, NEBBASKA.
THE   WRONG.
M'MliK.US    I-.",.
OUK   PLATFORM.
For Indians we want American Education! We want American Homes!
We want American Rights! The results of which is American Citizenship!
And tlw gospel is the Power of God for
their Salvation!
akbor day.
Department of Agricultrue,
Washington, D. C.,
April 21,1893.
Alfred L. Biggs, Esq.,
Principal, Santee Normal Training School
Santee Agency, Nebraska.
My Dear Sir: Tunnelling through
a mountain of correspondence I
have just reached your letter rela-
ive to the "Arbor Day" celebration
at your school. It is too late, and
I am too tired, to write an address
even on "Arbor Day", although profoundly interested as the father of
that anniversary.
Hoping that you may plant trees,
and that you may impress upon the
juvenile mind the fact that trees
and truths outlive generations of
men, I remain,
Very truly yours,
J. Sterling Morton.
The newedition ofthe Dakota Dictionary issued by the Government
Bureau of Ethnology bears on its
title page "By Stephen Beturn Biggs,
Edited by James Owen Dorsey."
The work done on the book by
Mr. Dorsey was that of a proof
reader, and he was in no true sense
editor of the book. He made, it is
true, a number of suggestions, in
regard to cross references and some
other points, which were accepted
by the author. He also incorporated Titon variants furnished by Dr.
S. B. Biggs, which came to him
after the copy left his hands. Mr.
Dorsey thus rendered valuable aid
in bringing the book through the
press. But with all this, Dr. Biggs
was responsible for everything,
and saw all the final proofs as well
as most of the galley proofs. Although the book is just issued [18921
the plate proofs were all finished
before the death of Dr. Biggs, August, 1883. So that this title page
is untrue and unjust to the memory
of the author of the book. If the
book had been issued during his life
it would never have been done, and
this is sufficient comment upon it.
It is a relief to know that Bev.
James Owen Dorsey is not at all responsible for having his name place-
ed there. His distinguished abilities as an Indian philologist make it
entirely unnecessary for him to
wear any honors not his own.
An appreciative review by Dr.
Washington Matthews of Biggs'
Dakota Dictionary was reprinted in
our last issue from the Amercan Anthropologist. Some minor criticisms
were made in regard to which a word
niay be said. The Dakota tipsinna
is translated "turnip" and "Dakota
turnip," which is said to be "misleading." It has to be confessed that it
is, but it came from the Dakotas
themselves, who called our turnips
tipsinna and then later for definition
called their Psoralea esculenta the
Dakota tipsinna, or Dakota turnip.
B is one of those confusions in
speech that grow and are not made.
Less defensible is the rendering of
Hewaktokto as Arickaree. But it
came from speaking of the three
confederated tribes by the name of
APRIL-MAY, 1893.
FIFTY CENTS PEE YEAB.
one of them. These tribes are the
Arickaree,Grosventre,and Mandan.
ine Dakotas however name first the
Grosventres, i. e. the Sewaktokto.
And they will say, nine times out of
ten, Hewaktokto, when they mean
all three tribes.
CHRISTIAN ENDEAVOR IN GOVERNMENT SCHOOLS.
I suppose that half at least of the
teachers and employes in Government Schools are Christian people.
Their duties are arduous, tlieir
church pnveliges in most cases few,
and often the circumstances seem
unfavorable for joining with others
in active, definite Christian work.
It is wonderful to note the progress
of the Christian Endeavor society
among all sorts and conditions of
men in this country and in other
countries. Christian Endeavor has
been found to succeed in so many
places, where other things have
failed, why can't it be made to fit the
Government School? Even two who
see the need of something to be done,
and agree, with God's help, to endeavor to do it, are enough to make
the beginning of a Christian Endeavor Society. Where there are
mission ari es livin g near en ough they
will gladly join with the school in
forming a society, and perhaps ODe
or more of the Agency employes
may be found who will take an
interest in it. At any rate there is a
field for work. Where the Assistants
at the school are returned students,
some of them may be ready to come
into the Society at once, especially
where they have belonged to such
societies while at school. And as
students return home from time to
time, they can be made to feel that
there is a place for them, and so
this may beonestepin the solution
of thatvexed problem. "What shall
be done with the returned students."
One source of strength with the Indian young people as with others is
that it not only tries to make things
pleasant for them, or even to interest
them in their own salvation, butthat
it at once sets them to work, and
that at something definite. And I
think that they should be given responsible places in the society just
as fast as they are able to fill them.
As the society grows, the older pupils of the school may be brought
into it, and perhaps in time a Junior Society started.
Teachers in Day Schools may
find it harder perhaps than at
Boarding Schools to begin work of
this kind, especially where there are
few who understand English. But
where there are some returned students to begin with, I believe that
it can be done.
This all seems visionary perhaps,
but I know of one Government
Boarding School where the Christian Endeavor Society has been a
great blessing to the employes, and
through them to many others.
And to me it has been very impressive in one of their meetings to look
around and see the different kinds
of people that are here brought
together, Government School teachers, Assistants, and pupils, returned
students, Agency employes, transient workmen and visitors, mis-
sionariesandIndians, ina Christian
fellowship that is all the more preciousbecause it is not_ easily
attained.
Tinta.
A HEATHEN CHIEF AND A CHRISTIAN
SOLDIER.
Both these men are Sioux Indians. Chief "Bedstone" has been
chief among the Assinaboines, who
are a branch of the Sioux Nation.
He is one of the last of the noble
red men who by personal ability
and true courage won and held the
right of chieftainship. He is now
an old man with an intel'igent
friendly face. He has always been
friendly to the whites himself, and
has endeavored to keep his followers so. Though yet a heathen,
with heathen customs, there is a
gentleness and sincerity in his manner which is attractive to me. I
seldom go to Wolf Point without
calling on him and shaking hands.
No one there gives me a more hearty
welcome. For several years he has
been totally blind. Long ago an arrow from a hostile Indian destroyed
the sight of one eye. Since then the
sight of the other has gone also.
Last summer he was taken to Chicago in hopes that his sight could be
restored butthe operation was a failure. Now he seldom leaves his
home and entertains his friends as
they come and go.
The Christian soldier is the Bev.
Louis Mazawakinyanna. He comes
from the Santee division of the
Sioux nation. A tradition tells us
that the Santees and Assinaboines
were once one tribe. A family
quarrel caused the separation.
Though Bev. Louis is a member
of a warlike tribe,—the Santees
were the leaders in the cruel Minnesota massacre of 1863—he has
been many years a follower of
the Prince of Peace. About thirty
years ago he was converted to
Christianity and soon after he was
found preaching the Gospel. He
was shortly afterward licensed and
j then ordained into the Christian
! ministry. Since then this has been
his chief occupation, and he has not
wielded the Sword of the Spirit in
vain.
We have an organization among
the Christian Dakotas ofthe Presbyterian and Congregationalchurches.
It is something like the Board of
Foreign Missions only on a smaller
scale. In the early days of the
"Mission" the converts began to
understand the need of sending the
Gospel to their heathen brethren,
though they could not understand
the meaning of the great "Boards"
of the church. Hence arose the Native Missionary Society to gather
money from the Christian Indians,
and with it send out men to preach
the gospel to their heathen people.
As the "Mission" grew this Society
has grown. Last year over $1500
was raised and five Indian men
were supported in the mission field.
LastDecemberthis society sent Bev.
Louis Mazawakinyanna to preach
the Gospel to the Assinaboines for a
time. It was then that the Heathen
chief and the Christian Soldier first
met. The chief asked the soldier
if he would attend the heathen
dance and join the heathen feast.
"No," said the soldier, "for many
years I have not done thus. I came
here for one thing only, to preach
the Word of God."
Since then I have often visited
them. The soldier boards at the
chief's house. They have become as
good friends as their different nat
ures will allow. I noticed also that
the soldier has not forgotten his
duty to the "Great Chief." On
every meal the divine blessing is invoked. Morning and evening family worship is observed.
It is the old story of that silent personal influence by which
God is pleased to bring this world
into subjection to his own dear
Son. How many of us realize
the power of personal influence.
Perhaps the light of his truth will
enter the chief's heart. He is blind
physically and spiritually. Physicians can not give him physical
sight. But the great physician can
open the eyes of his understanding.
May the soldier be faithful to his
Master, and may the Master open
the eyes of the blind. If a family
quarrel separated these twobranches
of the Sioux, the Prince of Peace can
unite them. Let us remember that
converted heathen are sending the
Gospel to their own people and be
stimulated by their example to obey
the "Great Command," either by going ourselves or by giving liberally
to send others.      E. J. Lindsey.
WORK FOR INDIANS.
There is plenty of it. Some persons claim the contrary. They say
that there is no chance for Indians
returned from school. In the region of their former home, conditions are entirely unfavorable to
them, it is said. And the reason is
that there is no work. The Indian
young man returns from school
with better ideals of life, with aspirations for a civilized home. But, a-
las, his bettertastes can not be gratified because he finds no possible
means of earning his way. There
is no work for the poor Indian!
This is the cry far and wide. It is
not true. There is work. There is
plenty of it.
The only trouble is that the Indians won't do the work that is to
be done. I acknowledge that high
salaried places are scarce. Not all
the Indians who would be preachers
can have a thousand dollars salary.
Not all who have learned a smattering of some trade can be foremen in some factory. Nevertheless
there is plenty of work, i. e. good
common hard work. But the Indian returns from school with a
boiled shirt and fancy necktie which
he is not willing to lay aside. He
must have some genteel employment. And because he fails to get
that he relapses into the dumps.
 F. B. Biggs.
Santee Normal Training School
has been called to mourn the loss of
one of its most beloved girls, Esther
Selwynn, of Yankton Agency, S. D.,
aged seventeen. She died April 17,
1893. Previous to her sickness she
had been very well, so that her sudden sickness and death was a great
shock. She was taken home to
Greenwood for burial.
It is rare to see such delicate consideration for the feelings of a political opponent as that shown by our
Honorable Secretary of the Interior
for his predecessor in office, in that
he will not reflect upon Secretary
Noble's endorsement of Buffalo Bill,
and therefore gives him leave to
gather -up Indians to take to Chicago for his Columbian Wild West
Show.