The Word Carrier (Santee, Nebraska), 1896-10

              The Word Carrier
m
VOLUME   XXV.
HELPING   THE    RIGHT,   EXPOSING   THE   WRONG.
XUMBEK 10.
SANTEE AGENCY, NEBBASKA.
OCTOBER, i8q6.
FIFTY CENTS PEB YEAR.
OUR   PLATFORM.
For Indians we want American Education! We want American Homes!
We want American Rights! The remit of which is American Citizenship!
And the gospel is the Power of God for
their Salvation'
How missionary work must begin
in a new field among Indians is
well illustrated by the article by
Bev. T. L. Biggs. It is all the
more graphic for having been written some time ago, for then the experiences were fresher in the mind
than they are today. To lay foundations in such missionary fields
one must have the courage that can
meet physical danger and grapple
with unremitting labor. But above
all these must be abounding faith
in the power of Christ's gospel to
reach the lowest and save unto the
uttermost.
The story as told gives an account of success that is complete
justification of the labor and sacrifice involved. And the added years
since the writing have only multiplied the good fruits of that missionary enterprise among the Teeton
Sioux.
Another similar story of begin-
iugs in much adversity, crowned
with success in later years, is the
account of twenty years work in
our Fort Berthold mission given in
the Word Carrier for May last.
Thus we realize the promise that
in due time we shall reap if we
faint not.	
When the Indian can help himself why not let him do it. The Santee Sioux think they have a claim
of a million and a quarter of dollars
against the government. By their
own representatives they have
brought their claim into tangible
form and recognized existence before the Sena-te of the United States
and the Department of the Interior
at Washington. But now that there
is some show for success, in rush
other parties, led by a former Indian agent,who say, "Hold on now ;
you have gone far enough; now
give us the job of securing this
claim and ten per cent for our
share. This the Indians are reluctant to do. They think that it
need not cost them more than a
few thousand dollars for looking
after their claim themselves, and
that there is no need to make a free
gift of one hundred and twenty
thousand dollars to this syndicate.
It is not likely that they will be allowed to speak for themselves.
Representatives of the government
are using their official influence to
discourage the independent effort
of the Indians, and to give this
plum to the syndicate.
HOW IT WAS DONE.
BREAKING  GROUND  FOK  A  NEW  MISSION.
Beginning our Mission among the
Teeton Sioux involved much of hard
work and real danger. In the woods
with an ax, rafting on the muddy
and turbulent Missouri, lifting and
and fitting the green cottonwood
logs to place in the station building.
All is fresh and vivid even to' the
soreness and pain in hands and
back.    I could get no help at that
time—the summer of 1872—no white
man would hire to work unprotected
among the Indianshere. And hence,
with the uncertain help of an occasional Indian, a younger brother
and I worked on at Hope station.
We lived as the Indians live, on
bacon, greasy bread, and black
coffee; an Indian woman cooking for us. After the burning
heat of the day we slept on the
ground with our rifles under the
blankets beride us. Often we were
awakened at dawn and saluted during the day by the near report, of a
rifle, the ping of the ball over-head,
showing that it was the gun of some
Indian to scare us. And grim fun
it was—two men were killed at the
Agency, a few miles away; a me-
senger shot dead near by; and at
Fort Sully, that haven of safety as
we regarded it, on the opposite side
of the river, Captain Irvine was
shot and severely wounded in the
head within sight of the Post.
We worked on the house weekdays, and on the Sabbath, services
were held long before I could talk
Dakota other than in a lame way.
The attendance was fitful and uncertain, now a house full and then but
one or two dirty children. Then as
they would not come to us, I went
to them. Into their dirty houses or
smoky tents I took the ABC Book,
and in this way we gathered them.
More or less of opposition had to
be felt. In a general way the men
talked and promised sweeter than-
honey, the women usually let us
alone, and the children were shy.
On particular issues I had to take
many a severe scolding. We did
not feed and clothe the children;
they should not come to school.
We did not feast all comers! it
would be well for us to leave at once.
I would not pay the crowd for wood
in addition to the price paid to the
man of whom I bought. On this
issue we were besieged for two weeks,
fifteen to thirty armed warriors
demanding, "Will you pay as we
say? " They failed of course in the
attempt but the contest nearly used
me up.    This the first year.
After the coming of Mrs. Biggs
and the sweet tempered Miss Bishop
to the Mission, we soon began to see
a change. The men quieted down,
the children came more regularly
to school, and the women were interested in the patch work sewing
school. Two boys had their hair
cut,the nicely braided scalp lock cut
off with the rest. This however did
not prevant war parties, the sound
of whose drum and dance greeted
the birth of our little Theodore.
A second station was soon established, and then a third. To one of
these, selected to be the central and
home station, the mission family
moved at the beginning of a winter.
The cold weather came early. Our
house was open and unfinished and
the winds of that November pinched
and chilled us. The young mother
and her lady assistant both were
taken sick. The river closed and
there would be no more boats. Our
supplies had not reached us; they
must be hauled nearly three hundred
miles overland. And for a time the
missionary's heart failed him. But
the Good Father cared for us. The
sick recovered. We had food for
the winter and to spare.   Our house
was made  comfortable  and warm
before the new year.
A school was opened for the young
men gathered in the work-shop.
The plane and saw on the bench
and the shavings underneath did
not prevent study. All began with
the ABC. The women too were interested in the sewing school.  Soon
I these also wanted to learn from
books. It became popular to be
able to read. And we had to teach
them other things as well, the women to wash and iron, and the men
to work. The gospel of cleanliness
is emphatically taught. When a
dirty hand is put out to take a book
the boy is told to wash himself.
One woman is advised to comb her
boy's hair, another to wash her
gown, and clean her house. The
men watch my ten acre lot closely
and learn. Many plan to set out
trees, seeing the success of my first
attempt. The other day a shiftless
fellow admired my potatoes. "God
helps you very much, I think,"
said he. "Yes," I said, "He helps
me. He would help you too, if you
worked as I do."
Not alone in this direction has a
beginning been made. The little
scboolroom cannot contain the Sabbath worshipers—our sitting-room
is also opened and filled. We must
have a Chapel. But there is no
money and we wait and pray and
and plan. About this time fourteen
cents are received from little Burtie
Howard, the nest egg of our Chapel
fund. A meeting is called and the
Indians drawn out to talk the matter
over. One young man had no money
but said he would work. A girl took
off her earrings. A collection was
taken, pledges for work were given,
and the matter reported to our
good secretaries at Boston. At first
the proposed venture was gravely
questioned and carefully debated.
Then came the telegram,"Go on and
build"—a word of light as of fire to
us. Five hundred dollars were
placed to my credit with the treasurer, and authority given to use the
gifts of friends for the new chapel.
In five weeks after this we met to
worship in the newly erected shell,
the lumber for which had been
brought from Yankton by boat, and
hauled from the landing by Indians.
Many a nail was there still to be
driven, and we all worked—the missionary wife in the kitchen and the
editor of the Advance, with us on a
vacation, on the roof, as well as the
carpenter and his assistants. The
Indians too, unskilled in labor of
this kind, encouraged us by their
wondering satisfaction as the work
progressed. Our Chapel is a great
help. In it we worship together.
Its unfinished walls witness the mar-
rages of dusky men and women—a
j new practice among this people.
! And here we gather round the table
i of our Lord.
This is but the beginning. We
hope for great things. Our Shiloh
Cburch,organized but two years ago,
with then but one native member,
and lessened since then by the death
of our dear MissWhipple, looks into
the future with confidence in God.
And we do no forget the lesson of
the past, that faithful work is prayer.—"Laborare est ovare."—T. L.
Biggs, in The Advance.
" Fort Sully. D. T., July 18, 1878.
INDIAN "WOMEN'S MISSIONARY
SOCIETIES.
There is nothing more encouraging in our mission field than the
interest Indian women have for
church work. As soon as a station is
opened the women are called together by the missionary's wife for a sewing society. From crude beginings
the work advances until the women,
first so ignorant, feel an enthusiasm for missionary work, and have
in fact, what first was only a name,
a Women's Missionary and Sewing
Society. Unlike their white sisters,
the Indian women seek rather than
shun office.
The meetings are held weekly the
year around inthehomesof the members. Sometimes they begin after
noon but usually,because of the distances to be traveled, the women go
before noon, sew before and after
luncheon, and close with devotional
exercises, in time to start home by
four o'clock.
At one of the out-stations I visited
this summer the missionary's wife
told me that some of their members
lived twenty miles away. She said
it is rather hard to go so far but the
woman wanted us to come so much
that we always go when it comes
her turn to have the meeting.
I never attend ourWomen's meeting at the Conference without earnestly wishing that more white people could see these Indian women
take part in the services. They
have had no learning in school or
literary society, but with modest womanly dignity come quietly forward
and give their reports, usually in an
audible voice.
Quilts, comfortables, and garments
of all kinds are made and sold.
Skin and bead work, while not so
common as formerly, still play an
important part on some Agencies.
The funds raised are given to the
Native Missionary Society, which
supports a number of native workers. The Indian women of the
Congregational churches contributed a large sum this year.
There is no surer leaven at work
among the Dakotas than the influence of the Christian Dakota women. Working in obscure corners,
often with hardships, discomforts
and privations, they patiently strive
to do their best. God bless them
every one. Ella Worden.
SHELL CREEK, N. D.
This is a new government day
school on Fort Berthold Reservation, twenty-five miles up the river
from the Agency, among the upper Gros Ventres. In some sense it
is a new missionary out-post, for the
teachers are Mr. and Mrs. Charles
Hoffman. Outside of their duties
as government teachers they have
time and opportunity for missionary work in a new field. Old men
and women are interested to attend
the Sunday meetings, as well as a
large number of young men and
children.
The school is pleasantly located
on a large creek which flows into a
lake not far away; so there are opportunities for duck hunting, fish-
ing.and boating in the summer.arid
skating in the winter, to help make
up for the absence of all white people's companionship.