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Conference with Indian Commissioners
The Annual Conference of the
Board of Indian Commissioners with the
representatives of the various religious
bodies having charge of Indian Missions was
held in the parlors of the Riggs House,
January 8th. The presence of Senator Dawes,
Representative Cutcheon, and other
distinguished persons, gave weight to the
deliberations, and special interest was
added to the meeting by the troubles now
prevailing in the Dakotas among the Sioux
Indians. Commissioner Morgan, Captain Pratt
of the Carlisle School, General Armstrong of
Hampton, and the Secretaries of the
Missionary Societies presented an array of
facts and of recent information that gave a
more favorable aspect to the situation than
is generally entertained. The disturbance
among the Indians is confined to at most
5,000 among the 250,000, and strong hopes
are entertained that serious bloodshed may
be avoided. And yet, so great is the
uncertainty hanging over this matter, that
before these lines reach our readers, the
daily press may give sad news of battle and
disaster.
The discussions of the Conference were ended
with a series of resolutions, the purport of
which may thus be summed up: The Dakota
trouble is confined to a small number of
Indians, and is due to the inevitable
opposition of the chiefs and
anti-progressive elements among the masses
of the Indians. The removal of experienced
Indian Agents for political reasons was
deprecated, and the importance of permanence
in the lines of policy pursued in the
educational and Christianizing influences
was emphasized. Larger appropriations by the
Government to establish an adequate system
of common-school education, until every
Indian child is enabled to attend school,
compulsory education and the continued
support to contract schools, and additional
facilities for securing lands in severalty
to the Indians, were endorsed.
The decision which it was understood the
Government had made, not to transfer the
care of the Indians to the War Department,
was warmly approbated.
The Indian
Problem
The present difficulties among the Indians
in the Dakotas will probably lead to a
re-consideration of the whole system by
which the Government and the nation deals
with these people. As a contribution to that
discussion, we present in condensed form
some suggestions recently published in a
Boston paper, from our esteemed friend, S.B.
Capen, Esq., whose intelligent interest in
the Indian entitles his opinion to
thoughtful consideration:
While public attention is everywhere called
to this matter, it is time to agitate for a
radical change in the whole administration
of the Indian service. We believe that this
should be disconnected entirely from the
Department of the Interior, and be made a
separate department. This whole Indian
question is so important and so complex that
it ought not to be simply an annex to a
department which has under its control land,
patents, etc. It should stand by itself;
there should no longer be a divided
responsibility, which is always productive
of evil. We are finding the necessity in our
cities of making responsibility more direct
and personal. The time, we believe, has
fully come to reorganize the Indian service
on this basis. Our criticism is not against
any individual, but against a system which
is the growth of many years.
We would suggest the following;
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Have the Commissioner of
Indian Affairs responsible only to the
President and to the public. What he does,
or may do, shall not be controlled by the
Department of the Interior.
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Ask Congress to provide such
legislation that no agents or teachers shall
ever be removed without proper cause.
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All inspectors and special
agents shall be under the absolute control
of the Commissioner.
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There shall be a division of
the Indian reservation into school
districts, with an assistant superintendent
for each. It shall be their duty to visit
the schools constantly, and keep themselves
in full sympathy and touch with the work.
This is the method in the States—an official
responsible for a field which he can
properly cover.
Our
Hospital At Fort
Yates, N.D.
By the Physician in Charge,
Cynthia E. Pingree, M.D.
I am sure that all will be glad to hear a
word about the hospital for Indians,
especially as there is nothing but good news
to tell.
This hospital has now been built about two
years. It will seem very small when I tell
you that it has but two wards, containing
three cots each, a bath-room, dispensary,
reception room, doctor's and nurse's room
and dining room; and yet when the patient
comes to us, he feels that we have not only
every convenience, but a great many
luxuries, and from this little Woasui Tipi
or House of Healing, goes out many a ray to
gladden the hearts of those whom we to-day
are trying to bring from darkness into
light.
But little has been done for these people
when ill, except conjuring, which is
synonymous with torturing, but these
"medicine men" are losing their hold upon
the faith of those who at one time, and that
not long past, trusted them fully, and the
more intelligent ones gladly avail
themselves of treatment. And no class of
people needs it more, the filthy manner in
which they live causing much sickness. It
has been a great surprise to me as well as
to them, to see how much simple cleanliness
will do in very many of these cases. The old
rule, "remove the cause, the disease is
removed," holds true in these cases. It is
encouraging to see how soon some of these
come to see the great importance of this.
I have in mind now a bright little boy nine
years old, who was brought to me wrapped in
filthy old rags, unable to take one step on
account of terrible sores, which had
received no attention whatever. The mother's
heart was very sad as she told me this was
the only boy she had, five having died. All
the while I was attending to the little
fellow the mother carefully watched. She was
given all that was necessary to use for two
weeks and when they returned, at the end of
that time, it was very evident that the boy
had received good care. The mother cared for
him almost entirely after this, and in two
months he came running across the prairie,
his braided hair just flying, asking for a
piece of bread. While the child was not
cured, he had been made comfortable, the
parents' hearts had been lightened of a
great sorrow, and they had learned more than
one lesson in thus caring for their child.
This is only one of many cases. Until they
feel their illness is well-nigh fatal they
prefer the tent to the hospital, and even
then a great many wish to die out of doors.
So that often the family come with the ill
one and camp just outside the yard. The
hospital wards bring comfort to two classes
principally; the more civilized Indian, who
realizes the great benefit derived from good
nursing, and those friendless ones who are
brought because they are too much trouble
elsewhere. Both of these classes are very
grateful for all they receive. The
dispensary is open all the time and a great
many are provided with medicine. I think the
friends of this Hospital may be of good
cheer.
Our
Alaska Mission
Letters received from Rev.
Dr. Sheldon Jackson and Mr. Lopp give us the
gratifying assurance that the mission is by
this time opened under favorable auspices.
Dr. Jackson found on reaching Alaska that
Mr. Lopp had visited the mission at Cape
Prince of Wales this spring and discovered
that the buildings, furniture and supplies
were in good condition. Mr. Lopp, in
response to our request, has consented to
return to the Cape and re-open the mission.
He greatly regrets that an ordained minister
was not sent, and expresses the earnest hope
that another season this necessary addition
will be made, but he consents to return and
do the best he can. He has little fear of
violence from the natives, finding them
completely intimidated by the threats of the
captain of the revenue cutter "Bear."
The experiment of introducing the reindeer
into Alaska is thus far very encouraging.
Mr. Lopp has had a herd under his care at
Port Clarence, and although the winter has
been unusually severe one hundred and fifty
fawns were added to the herd. The Government
has promised to our mission at Cape Prince
of Wales this season one hundred reindeer,
and Mr. Lopp, with adequate help, will have
the care of them. The ultimate success of
this experiment with reindeer in Alaska is
one of great promise. It indicates a food
and clothing supply for the natives, with
increased facilities for transportation,
thus laying the foundation for growth in
population and in civilization.
It will be remembered that of the three men
connected with the horrible murder of Mr.
Thornton, two were at once arrested by the
natives and shot. The third, Titalk, who was
the leader, escaped for the time. Mr. Lopp
thus describes his death: "After the 'Bear'
had left for the South, Titalk came back to
the cape, and his uncle, Te-ed-loo-na led
him up on the hillside near the grave of Mr.
Thornton, and asked him how he should put
him to death, strangle him, stab him or
shoot him. The boy preferred to be shot, so
he commanded him to hold his head down and
then shot him."
Mr. Lopp furnishes another evidence of the
disposition on the part of the leading
natives to guard the interests and property
of the mission: "On one occasion during the
winter Chief Eliguok heard that a boy had
broken into the school-house, and he
announced his intention to kill the boy, but
upon investigation it was found to be a
false report."
We trust that in the good providence of God,
this mission will be made prosperous and be
greatly enlarged, that its missionaries will
be preserved in safety, that the natives
will become more orderly, that the influence
of the school and mission may bring to them
peaceable fruits of civilization and
Christianity.
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American Missionary Association, 1888-1895
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